Ecto: could not lookup Ecto repo MyApp.Repo because it was not started

Quick fix

Read the commands before running them. Anything that restarts a service, deletes data or changes permissions should be tried on a non-production system first.

# Check the repo is listed as a child in your supervision tree
grep -n "Repo" lib/my_app/application.ex

# Seeds and scripts: run them through mix so the app starts
mix run priv/repo/seeds.exs

# In a custom Mix task, start the app before touching the repo
# Mix.Task.run("app.start")

# In a release, start only the repo for migrations
# Ecto.Migrator.with_repo(MyApp.Repo, &Ecto.Migrator.run(&1, :up, all: true))
bin/my_app eval "MyApp.Release.migrate()"

# Tests: test/test_helper.exs should start the app (mix test does by default)
grep -n "ensure_all_started\|Sandbox" test/test_helper.exs

How to diagnose Elixir errors

Elixir errors are shaped by the actor model: a GenServer.call timeout does not mean the server crashed, it means the server was busy for longer than the caller was willing to wait. The right question is usually "what is that process doing?" rather than "why did the call fail?". Because supervisors restart failed processes automatically, transient errors can also hide in the logs while the system appears healthy.

If the quick fix above does not resolve it, work through these steps. They apply to this whole class of error, not just to this one message, which is usually what saves the time.

1. Attach to a running node with iex --remsh and inspect the process: Process.info(pid, :message_queue_len). A growing mailbox means the process is the bottleneck.
2. Use :observer.start() to see the supervision tree, process memory and message queues visually.
3. Move long-running work out of handle_call. Use handle_cast, a Task, or a dedicated pool so the GenServer stays responsive.
4. Check restart intensity. A supervisor that exceeds max_restarts takes down its own supervisor, producing a cascade that looks like an unrelated failure at the top.
5. For compile errors in dependencies, run mix deps.compile --force and check that any required native toolchain (make, gcc, erlang headers) is installed.

Tools worth reaching for

• :observer.start()
• iex --remsh
• Process.info/2
• mix deps.tree
• :recon

Authoritative references

Primary documentation for this error, worth reading before applying any fix in production.

📖 hexdocs.pm 📖 hexdocs.pm

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Something missing or wrong?

This entry is maintained by hand. If the fix is out of date, incomplete, or you have a better one, email a correction and it will be reviewed.