error[E0432]: unresolved import `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_load_extension`

[jasha-hrp]

I have found these related issues/pull requests

#191

Description

$ cargo install sqlx-cli --no-default-features --features sqlite-unbundled

I got the following error:

error[E0432]: unresolved import `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_load_extension`
 --> /Users/jasha/.cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-sqlite-0.8.6/src/connection/establish.rs:8:5
  |
8 |     sqlite3_load_extension, sqlite3_open_v2, SQLITE_DBCONFIG_ENABLE_LOAD_EXTENSION, SQLITE_OK,
  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  |     |
  |     no `sqlite3_load_extension` in the root
  |     help: a similar name exists in the module: `sqlite3_auto_extension`

error[E0432]: unresolved import `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_unlock_notify`
 --> /Users/jasha/.cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-sqlite-0.8.6/src/statement/unlock_notify.rs:6:31
  |
6 | use libsqlite3_sys::{sqlite3, sqlite3_unlock_notify, SQLITE_OK};
  |                               ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ no `sqlite3_unlock_notify` in the root

error[E0282]: type annotations needed for `*mut _`
   --> /Users/jasha/.cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-sqlite-0.8.6/src/connection/establish.rs:232:21
    |
232 |                 let mut error_msg = null_mut();
    |                     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
...
247 |                     if !error_msg.is_null() {
    |                                   ------- cannot call a method on a raw pointer with an unknown pointee type
    |
help: consider giving `error_msg` an explicit type, where the type for type parameter `T` is specified
    |
232 |                 let mut error_msg: *mut T = null_mut();
    |                                  ++++++++

Some errors have detailed explanations: E0282, E0432.
For more information about an error, try `rustc --explain E0282`.
error: could not compile `sqlx-sqlite` (lib) due to 3 previous errors
warning: build failed, waiting for other jobs to finish...
error: failed to compile `sqlx-cli v0.8.6`, intermediate artifacts can be found at `/var/folders/mq/jx_bczh14sj5ps4t9x3_1ly00000gp/T/cargo-installOhSk8m`.
To reuse those artifacts with a future compilation, set the environment variable `CARGO_TARGET_DIR` to that path.

Reproduction steps

Run command above.

SQLx version

Latest from crates.io, should be sqlx-cli = "0.8.6"

Enabled SQLx features

sqlite-unbundled

Database server and version

$ sqlite3 --version # 3.43.2 2023-10-10 13:08:14 1b37c146ee9ebb7acd0160c0ab1fd11017a419fa8a3187386ed8cb32b709aapl (64-bit)

Operating system

MacOS Sequoia 15.5

Rust version

rustc 1.86.0 (05f9846f8 2025-03-31)

[jasha-hrp]

I worked around this issue using cargo binstall sqlx-cli.

I will leave this issue open in case there's an actual bug here.

[bramadityaw]

Hello I'm encountering the same issue, but it's instead on build time on a binary.

error[E0432]: unresolved imports `sqlx_sqlite`, `sqlx_sqlite`
  --> /home/bram/Software/rust/cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-0.8.6/src/lib.rs:62:9
   |
62 | pub use sqlx_sqlite::{
   |         ^^^^^^^^^^^ use of unresolved module or unlinked crate `sqlx_sqlite`
63 |     self as sqlite, Sqlite, SqliteConnection, SqliteExecutor, SqlitePool, SqliteTransaction,
   |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ no external crate `sqlx_sqlite`
   |
   = help: if you wanted to use a crate named `sqlx_sqlite`, use `cargo add sqlx_sqlite` to add it to your `Cargo.toml`

error[E0433]: failed to resolve: use of unresolved module or unlinked crate `sqlx_sqlite`
  --> /home/bram/Software/rust/cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-0.8.6/src/any/mod.rs:45:13
   |
45 |             sqlx_sqlite::any::DRIVER,
   |             ^^^^^^^^^^^ use of unresolved module or unlinked crate `sqlx_sqlite`
   |
   = help: if you wanted to use a crate named `sqlx_sqlite`, use `cargo add sqlx_sqlite` to add it to your `Cargo.toml`

error[E0432]: unresolved imports `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_deserialize`, `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_serialize`, `libsqlite3_sys::SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_FREEONCLOSE`, `libsqlite3_sys::SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_READONLY`, `libsqlite3_sys::SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_RESIZEABLE`
 --> /home/bram/Software/rust/cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-sqlite-0.8.6/src/connection/serialize.rs:4:5
  |
4 |     sqlite3_deserialize, sqlite3_free, sqlite3_malloc64, sqlite3_serialize,
  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ no `sqlite3_serialize` in the root                                                                                 
  |     |
  |     no `sqlite3_deserialize` in the root
5 |     SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_FREEONCLOSE, SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_READONLY, SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_RESIZEAB...                                                                                               
  |     ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ no `SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_RESIZEABLE` in the root                                                 
  |     |                               |
  |     |                               no `SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_READONLY` in the root
  |     no `SQLITE_DESERIALIZE_FREEONCLOSE` in the root
  |
help: a similar name exists in the module
  |
4 -     sqlite3_deserialize, sqlite3_free, sqlite3_malloc64, sqlite3_serialize,
4 +     sqlite3_initialize, sqlite3_free, sqlite3_malloc64, sqlite3_serialize,
  |
help: a similar name exists in the module
  |
4 -     sqlite3_deserialize, sqlite3_free, sqlite3_malloc64, sqlite3_serialize,
4 +     sqlite3_deserialize, sqlite3_free, sqlite3_malloc64, sqlite3_initialize,
  |

error[E0432]: unresolved imports `libsqlite3_sys::sqlite3_prepare_v3`, `libsqlite3_sys::SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT`
 --> /home/bram/Software/rust/cargo/registry/src/index.crates.io-1949cf8c6b5b557f/sqlx-sqlite-0.8.6/src/statement/virtual.rs:9:14
  |
9 |     sqlite3, sqlite3_prepare_v3, sqlite3_stmt, SQLITE_OK, SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT,
  |              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ no `SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT` in the root                                                                
  |              |
  |              no `sqlite3_prepare_v3` in the root
  |              help: a similar name exists in the module: `sqlite3_prepare_v2`

[bramadityaw]

For some weird reason, I can get it to work by enabling the full features of tokio. what are the minimum required features in tokio for sqlx's sqlite to work?

[abonander]

If you're encountering any of these errors, you're likely using the sqlite-unbundled feature with a system version of SQLite3 that does not provide these APIs or had them disabled at compile time.

We can add optional feature flags to enable use of these APIs, since not everyone uses them.

@jasha-hrp those errors likely mean your system SQLite was built with the SQLITE_OMIT_EXTENSION flag: https://www.sqlite.org/compile.html#omit_load_extension

And without the SQLITE_ENABLE_UNLOCK_NOTIFY flag: https://www.sqlite.org/compile.html#enable_unlock_notify

@bramadityaw Those errors could mean your SQLite was built with the SQLITE_OMIT_DESERIALIZE flag: https://www.sqlite.org/compile.html#omit_deserialize

However, SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT is another matter, because it's not conditionally compiled. Instead, this means your SQLite is more than seven years old, because this flag was added in SQLite 3.20.0, released August 2018: https://www.sqlite.org/changes.html#version_3_20_0

Please update your SQLite version if you can. You're missing out on over half a decade of improvements.

We won't be fixing that part on our end. We use the SQLITE_PREPARE_PERSISTENT flag as intended to avoid the depletion of lookaside memory because we cache prepared statements for potentially very long periods of time: https://www.sqlite.org/c3ref/c_prepare_dont_log.html#sqlitepreparepersistent