---
sidebar_position: 0.9
title: PROMPT_FIXUP
description: Automatically fix SQL query errors using the PROMPT_FIXUP function.
---
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## Fix up your query

The `prompt_fixup` table function allows MotherDuck AI to correct and **completely rewrite** SQL queries that have logical or severe syntactical issues. This powerful feature analyzes your problematic query, identifies issues, and generates a corrected version that follows proper SQL syntax and semantics.

::::tip
For minor syntax errors or typos in large queries, consider using the [`prompt_fix_line`](../prompt-fix-line) function instead, which is faster and more precise as it only rewrites the problematic line.
::::

### Syntax

```sql
CALL prompt_fixup('<SQL query>', [include_tables=['<table_name>', '<table_name>']]);
```

### Parameters

| **Parameter**      | **Required** | **Description**                                                                                                          |
|--------------------|--------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `query`            | Yes          | The SQL query that needs correction                                                                                      |
| `include_tables`   | No           | Array of table names to consider for context (defaults to all tables in current database)                                |

### Example Usage

Here are several examples using MotherDuck's sample [Hacker News dataset](/getting-started/sample-data-queries/hacker-news) from [MotherDuck's sample data database](/getting-started/sample-data-queries/datasets).

#### Fixing syntax errors

```sql
-- Fixing misspelled keywords
CALL prompt_fixup('SEELECT COUNT(*) as domain_count FROM hn.hackers');

-- Fixing incorrect table names
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT * FROM hn.stories WHERE score > 100 ODER BY score DESC');

-- Fixing missing clauses
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT AVG(score) hn.hacker_news GROUP score > 10');
```

#### Fixing logical errors

```sql
-- Fixing incorrect join syntax
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT u.name, s.title FROM hn.users u, hn.stories s WHERE u.id = s.user_id ORDER BY s.score');

-- Fixing aggregation issues
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT user_id, AVG(score) FROM hn.stories GROUP BY score');

-- Fixing complex query structure
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT COUNT(*) FROM hn.stories WHERE timestamp > "2020-01-01" AND timestamp < "2020-12-31" WITH score > 100');
```

### Example output

When you run a `prompt_fixup` query, you'll receive a single-column table with the corrected SQL:

| **query** |
|-----------------|
| SELECT COUNT(*) as domain_count FROM hn.hacker_news |

#### How it works

The `prompt_fixup` function processes your query in several steps:

1. **Analysis**: examines your query to identify syntax errors, logical issues, and structural problems
2. **Schema validation**: checks your query against the database schema to ensure table and column references are valid
3. **Correction**: applies fixes based on the identified issues and your likely intent
4. **Rewriting**: generates a complete, corrected version of your query that maintains your original goal

For example, when fixing this query with multiple issues:

```sql
CALL prompt_fixup('SEELECT AVG(scor) FRUM hn.stories WERE timestamp > "2020-01-01" GRUP BY user_id');
```

The function will:

- Correct misspelled keywords (`SEELECT` → `SELECT`, `FRUM` → `FROM`, `WERE` → `WHERE`, `GRUP` → `GROUP`)
- Fix column name typos (`scor` → `score`)
- Ensure proper clause ordering and syntax

Resulting in a properly formatted query:

| **query** |
|-----------------|
| SELECT AVG(score) FROM hn.stories WHERE timestamp > '2020-01-01' GROUP BY user_id |

For logical errors, the process is similar but focuses on semantic correctness:

```sql
CALL prompt_fixup('SELECT user_id, AVG(score) FROM hn.stories GROUP BY score');
```

Will be corrected to:

| **query** |
|-----------------|
| SELECT user_id, AVG(score) FROM hn.stories GROUP BY user_id |

The function recognized that grouping should be by `user_id` (the non-aggregated column) rather than by `score` (which is being averaged).

### Best practices

For the best results with `prompt_fixup`:

1. **Include the entire query**: even if only part of it has issues
2. **Be specific with table names**: use the `include_tables` parameter for large databases
3. **Review the fixed query**: always check that the corrected query matches your intent
4. **Use for complex issues**: prefer this function for logical errors or major syntax problems
5. **Consider alternatives**: for simple typos, `prompt_fix_line` may be more efficient

### Limitations

While `prompt_fixup` is powerful, be aware of these limitations:

- May change query logic if the original intent isn't clear
- Performance depends on the complexity of your query
- Works best with standard SQL patterns and common table structures
- May not preserve exact formatting or comments from the original query
- Cannot fix issues related to missing tables or columns in your database

### Troubleshooting

If you're not getting the expected results:

- Check that you've included all relevant tables in the `include_tables` parameter
- Ensure your database schema is accessible to the function
- For very complex queries, try breaking them into smaller parts
- If the fixed query doesn't match your intent, try providing more context in comments