---
name: "unlisten"
section: "7l"
platform: "linux"
package: "postgresql-client"
version: "7.2.1-2woody8"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/unlisten/7l"
---

# unlisten(7l)

stop listening for a notification

## NAME

UNLISTEN - stop listening for a notification

## SYNOPSIS

```
UNLISTEN { notifyname | * }

```

### INPUTS

- *notifyname*

  Name of previously registered notify condition.

- **\***

  All current listen registrations for this backend are cleared.

### OUTPUTS

- **UNLISTEN**

  Acknowledgment that statement has executed.

## DESCRIPTION

**UNLISTEN** is used to remove an existing **NOTIFY** registration. UNLISTEN cancels any existing registration of the current PostgreSQL session as a listener on the notify condition *notifyname*. The special condition wildcard \* cancels all listener registrations for the current session.

NOTIFY \[**notify**(l)\] contains a more extensive discussion of the use of **LISTEN** and **NOTIFY**.

### NOTES

*notifyname* need not be a valid class name but can be any string valid as a name up to 32 characters long.

The backend does not complain if you UNLISTEN something you were not listening for. Each backend will automatically execute **UNLISTEN \*** when exiting.

## USAGE

To subscribe to an existing registration:

```
LISTEN virtual;
LISTEN
NOTIFY virtual;
NOTIFY
Asynchronous NOTIFY 'virtual' from backend with pid '8448' received

```

Once UNLISTEN has been executed, further NOTIFY commands will be ignored:

```
UNLISTEN virtual;
UNLISTEN
NOTIFY virtual;
NOTIFY
-- notice no NOTIFY event is received

```

## COMPATIBILITY

### SQL92

There is no **UNLISTEN** in SQL92.