What does HRESULT 0x80041790 (PSINK_E_QUERY_ONLY) mean?

PSINK_E_QUERY_ONLY

A phrase-sink operation is available only during query processing

PSINK_E_QUERY_ONLY is HRESULT 0x80041790. Windows documents it as “Feature only available in query mode.”

State represented by the HRESULT

This result belongs to sending phrase information to IPhraseSink while the pipeline is operating in index mode. The requested sink behavior depends on query expansion semantics.

Phrase-sink callbacks differ between query and index processing. During diagnosis, the attachment type and pipeline mode define whether a callback is legal.

Likely triggers

• At step 1, query alternatives are emitted to an index-time sink
• At step 2, mode flags are inverted
• At step 3, a shared sink instance crosses query and indexing pipelines

Data for diagnosis

• Phrase-sink method and attachment type.
• Index/query mode at construction.
• Originating word-breaker call.
• Instance and thread ownership.

Investigation order

1. Trace the sink from BreakText to the failing call.
2. Confirm whether the operation creates query alternatives or index tokens.
3. Use separate sink implementations for each mode.
4. Add a mode assertion before accepting the attachment.

Correct response

Route the feature to query mode or omit it from indexing. Retrying with the same sink mode is a programming error.

Scope of the signal

It does not indicate that the phrase text is too long or syntactically invalid.

Related HRESULT values

WBREAK_E_QUERY_ONLY comes from the breaker feature; it identifies phrase-sink mode enforcement.

Example in a pipeline

A custom breaker emits a query-time replacement phrase while building the catalog. A mode-aware adapter suppresses that attachment at index time.

Official Microsoft references

• Microsoft: Word-Breaking values — official contract information relevant to this HRESULT.
• Microsoft: IPhraseSink interface
• Microsoft: IWordBreaker::BreakText
• Microsoft: Windows Search language resources