# PXC operator 1.20.0: custom user reconcile loops forever (view definer, error 4006) and repeated CREATE DATABASE aborts app transactions

**URL:** <https://forums.percona.com/t/pxc-operator-1-20-0-custom-user-reconcile-loops-forever-view-definer-error-4006-and-repeated-create-database-aborts-app-transactions/41363>\
**Category:** Percona Operator for MySQL\
**Created:** [October 21, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/pxc-operator-1-20-0-custom-user-reconcile-loops-forever-view-definer-error-4006-and-repeated-create-database-aborts-app-transactions/41363 "2026-10-21T13:08:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Daniel\_Muhra](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/daniel_muhra/32/24389_2.png) [@Daniel\_Muhra](https://forums.percona.com/u/Daniel_Muhra)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2026, 1:08pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/pxc-operator-1-20-0-custom-user-reconcile-loops-forever-view-definer-error-4006-and-repeated-create-database-aborts-app-transactions/41363/1 "2026-10-21T13:08:45Z")

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## Environment

- Percona Operator for MySQL based on PXC **1.20.0**
- PXC **8.4.8-8.1** , 3 nodes, HAProxy enabled
- `spec.users`:

```yaml
users:
- name: app
  dbs: [app_db1, app_db2]
  hosts: ["%"]
  grants: [ALL]
  passwordSecretRef: {name: app-users, key: app}

```

The user `app`@`%` already existed with an explicit privilege list (not `ALL PRIVILEGES`) and is the `DEFINER` of several views in both schemas (created by the application’s Liquibase migrations).

## What happens

1. `userChanged()` returns true (“Grant not present in current grants”, grant `ALL`), because the existing grant lines don’t contain the string `ALL`.
2. `upsertUserQuery()` runs `CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS` for each db, then `CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'app'@'%' ...`.
3. `CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS` fails:  
`Error 4006 (HY000): Operation CREATE USER failed for 'app'@'%' as it is referenced as a definer account in a view.`  
This is MySQL bug [#107139](https://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=107139): the `operator` user has neither `SET_ANY_DEFINER` nor `ALLOW_NONEXISTENT_DEFINER`.
4. The grant is never fixed, so the next reconcile repeats steps 1–3: about 300 times in 30 minutes, roughly every 6 seconds.
5. Every pass runs `CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS`. In Galera that statement is replicated as a total-order schema change even when the database already exists, and the operator sends it to whichever node `<cluster>-pxc-unready` resolves to. Application transactions in those schemas on the writer node get aborted and fail at COMMIT with `Deadlock found when trying to get lock; try restarting transaction`. `wsrep_local_cert_failures` on the writer reached 421 in a few hours, and unrelated application threads failed in the same millisecond.
6. Later passes ran into the operator’s 15 s read timeout while `CREATE DATABASE` waited behind open transactions (`exec: invalid connection`), and the loop continued.

## Expected

- No `CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS` when the database already exists, or at least not on every retry.
- A failed user upsert should back off and/or be surfaced in the CR status, rather than retrying every few seconds against production schemas.
- The `operator` user should have `SET_ANY_DEFINER` (MySQL 8.2+), so `CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS` works for users that own views, triggers or routines.
- The grant comparison (`strings.Contains(currGrant, "ALL")`) should accept equivalent explicit privilege lists, or at least not loop on them.

## Workaround

`GRANT ALL ON app_db1.* TO 'app'@'%'` (same for `app_db2`). The grant check then passes and the loop stops.

## Code references (v1.20.0)

- `pkg/controller/pxc/users_custom.go`: `userChanged()`, `upsertUserQuery()`
- `pkg/controller/pxc/users.go`: `getUserManager()` (connects via `-pxc-unready`)

Could this be turned into a K8SPXC ticket? I’m not able to create Jira tickets myself. Thanks!

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**Author:** ![rachelwilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@rachelwilson](https://forums.percona.com/u/rachelwilson)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 11:06am UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/pxc-operator-1-20-0-custom-user-reconcile-loops-forever-view-definer-error-4006-and-repeated-create-database-aborts-app-transactions/41363/2 "2026-10-29T11:06:37Z")

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this stops once the grant check passes. GRANT ALL on both app\_db schemas for the app user, from an account with grant option, and userChanged() goes false so the reconcile goes quiet. i wrote up the whole chain with the checks here if it helps: [https://vectle.com/skills/skl\_uL2vn4yWMDOG-b6BiK1TdA](https://vectle.com/skills/skl_uL2vn4yWMDOG-b6BiK1TdA) . longer term the operator account needs SET\_ANY\_DEFINER (mysql bug 107139) or CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS will keep failing on a view definer.

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**Author:** ![eleonora.zinchenko](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/eleonora.zinchenko/32/19132_2.png) [@eleonora.zinchenko](https://forums.percona.com/u/eleonora.zinchenko)\
**Post date:** [November 3, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/pxc-operator-1-20-0-custom-user-reconcile-loops-forever-view-definer-error-4006-and-repeated-create-database-aborts-app-transactions/41363/3 "2026-11-03T13:40:40Z")

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Hi @rachelwilson ,

Thanks for reaching out and feedback with detailed analysis!

> the `operator` user should have `SET_ANY_DEFINER` (MySQL 8.2+), so `CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS` works for users that own views, triggers or routines.

I have tried to reproduce the issue with operator grants and view on both 1.20.0 and main - but could not, the `operator` user has both `SET_ANY_DEFINER` and `ALLOW_NONEXISTENT_DEFINER`. Could you clarify how you have deployed the operator? Were there any upgrades?

After your clarification I will create a task with the suggested improvements re new users addition and grants updates.