diff --git a/src/backend/catalog/objectaddress.c b/src/backend/catalog/objectaddress.c
index 109bdfb33f6..a1df8b1ddcd 100644
--- a/src/backend/catalog/objectaddress.c
+++ b/src/backend/catalog/objectaddress.c
@@ -2182,7 +2182,7 @@ pg_get_object_address(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 			ereport(ERROR,
 					(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
 					 errmsg("name or argument lists may not contain nulls")));
-		typename = typeStringToTypeName(TextDatumGetCString(elems[0]));
+		typename = typeStringToTypeName(TextDatumGetCString(elems[0]), NULL);
 	}
 	else if (type == OBJECT_LARGEOBJECT)
 	{
@@ -2238,7 +2238,8 @@ pg_get_object_address(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 						(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
 						 errmsg("name or argument lists may not contain nulls")));
 			args = lappend(args,
-						   typeStringToTypeName(TextDatumGetCString(elems[i])));
+						   typeStringToTypeName(TextDatumGetCString(elems[i]),
+												NULL));
 		}
 	}
 	else
diff --git a/src/backend/parser/parse_type.c b/src/backend/parser/parse_type.c
index f7ad6894596..8f3850aa4e8 100644
--- a/src/backend/parser/parse_type.c
+++ b/src/backend/parser/parse_type.c
@@ -727,10 +727,15 @@ pts_error_callback(void *arg)
  * Given a string that is supposed to be a SQL-compatible type declaration,
  * such as "int4" or "integer" or "character varying(32)", parse
  * the string and return the result as a TypeName.
- * If the string cannot be parsed as a type, an error is raised.
+ *
+ * If the string cannot be parsed as a type, an error is raised,
+ * unless escontext is an ErrorSaveContext node, in which case we may
+ * fill that and return NULL.  But note that the ErrorSaveContext option
+ * is mostly aspirational at present: errors detected by the main
+ * grammar, rather than here, will still be thrown.
  */
 TypeName *
-typeStringToTypeName(const char *str)
+typeStringToTypeName(const char *str, Node *escontext)
 {
 	List	   *raw_parsetree_list;
 	TypeName   *typeName;
@@ -763,49 +768,54 @@ typeStringToTypeName(const char *str)
 	return typeName;
 
 fail:
-	ereport(ERROR,
+	ereturn(escontext, NULL,
 			(errcode(ERRCODE_SYNTAX_ERROR),
 			 errmsg("invalid type name \"%s\"", str)));
-	return NULL;				/* keep compiler quiet */
 }
 
 /*
  * Given a string that is supposed to be a SQL-compatible type declaration,
  * such as "int4" or "integer" or "character varying(32)", parse
  * the string and convert it to a type OID and type modifier.
- * If missing_ok is true, InvalidOid is returned rather than raising an error
- * when the type name is not found.
+ *
+ * If escontext is an ErrorSaveContext node, then errors are reported by
+ * filling escontext and returning false, instead of throwing them.
  */
-void
-parseTypeString(const char *str, Oid *typeid_p, int32 *typmod_p, bool missing_ok)
+bool
+parseTypeString(const char *str, Oid *typeid_p, int32 *typmod_p,
+				Node *escontext)
 {
 	TypeName   *typeName;
 	Type		tup;
 
-	typeName = typeStringToTypeName(str);
+	typeName = typeStringToTypeName(str, escontext);
+	if (typeName == NULL)
+		return false;
 
-	tup = LookupTypeName(NULL, typeName, typmod_p, missing_ok);
+	tup = LookupTypeName(NULL, typeName, typmod_p,
+						 (escontext && IsA(escontext, ErrorSaveContext)));
 	if (tup == NULL)
 	{
-		if (!missing_ok)
-			ereport(ERROR,
-					(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
-					 errmsg("type \"%s\" does not exist",
-							TypeNameToString(typeName)),
-					 parser_errposition(NULL, typeName->location)));
-		*typeid_p = InvalidOid;
+		ereturn(escontext, false,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
+				 errmsg("type \"%s\" does not exist",
+						TypeNameToString(typeName))));
 	}
 	else
 	{
 		Form_pg_type typ = (Form_pg_type) GETSTRUCT(tup);
 
 		if (!typ->typisdefined)
-			ereport(ERROR,
+		{
+			ReleaseSysCache(tup);
+			ereturn(escontext, false,
 					(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
 					 errmsg("type \"%s\" is only a shell",
-							TypeNameToString(typeName)),
-					 parser_errposition(NULL, typeName->location)));
+							TypeNameToString(typeName))));
+		}
 		*typeid_p = typ->oid;
 		ReleaseSysCache(tup);
 	}
+
+	return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/tsearch/dict_thesaurus.c b/src/backend/tsearch/dict_thesaurus.c
index b8c08bcf7ba..3df29e3345b 100644
--- a/src/backend/tsearch/dict_thesaurus.c
+++ b/src/backend/tsearch/dict_thesaurus.c
@@ -599,6 +599,7 @@ thesaurus_init(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	DictThesaurus *d;
 	char	   *subdictname = NULL;
 	bool		fileloaded = false;
+	List	   *namelist;
 	ListCell   *l;
 
 	d = (DictThesaurus *) palloc0(sizeof(DictThesaurus));
@@ -642,7 +643,8 @@ thesaurus_init(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE),
 				 errmsg("missing Dictionary parameter")));
 
-	d->subdictOid = get_ts_dict_oid(stringToQualifiedNameList(subdictname), false);
+	namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(subdictname, NULL);
+	d->subdictOid = get_ts_dict_oid(namelist, false);
 	d->subdict = lookup_ts_dictionary_cache(d->subdictOid);
 
 	compileTheLexeme(d);
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/misc.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/misc.c
index 7808fbd4486..40ac4d4c342 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/misc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/misc.c
@@ -724,7 +724,7 @@ pg_input_is_valid_common(FunctionCallInfo fcinfo,
 		Oid			typoid;
 
 		/* Parse type-name argument to obtain type OID and encoded typmod. */
-		parseTypeString(typnamestr, &typoid, &my_extra->typmod, false);
+		(void) parseTypeString(typnamestr, &typoid, &my_extra->typmod, NULL);
 
 		/* Update type-specific info if typoid changed. */
 		if (my_extra->typoid != typoid)
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/regproc.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/regproc.c
index a6d695d6cbf..14d76c856d7 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/regproc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/regproc.c
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@
 #include "catalog/pg_ts_dict.h"
 #include "catalog/pg_type.h"
 #include "lib/stringinfo.h"
+#include "mb/pg_wchar.h"
 #include "miscadmin.h"
+#include "nodes/miscnodes.h"
 #include "parser/parse_type.h"
 #include "parser/scansup.h"
 #include "utils/acl.h"
@@ -43,8 +45,9 @@
 
 static bool parseNumericOid(char *string, Oid *result, Node *escontext);
 static bool parseDashOrOid(char *string, Oid *result, Node *escontext);
-static void parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone,
-								 List **names, int *nargs, Oid *argtypes);
+static bool parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone,
+								 List **names, int *nargs, Oid *argtypes,
+								 Node *escontext);
 
 
 /*****************************************************************************
@@ -63,12 +66,13 @@ Datum
 regprocin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *pro_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	RegProcedure result;
 	List	   *names;
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(pro_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(pro_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* Else it's a name, possibly schema-qualified */
@@ -84,15 +88,18 @@ regprocin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_proc entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(pro_name_or_oid);
-	clist = FuncnameGetCandidates(names, -1, NIL, false, false, false, false);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(pro_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
+	clist = FuncnameGetCandidates(names, -1, NIL, false, false, false, true);
 
 	if (clist == NULL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("function \"%s\" does not exist", pro_name_or_oid)));
 	else if (clist->next != NULL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_AMBIGUOUS_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("more than one function named \"%s\"",
 						pro_name_or_oid)));
@@ -113,12 +120,16 @@ to_regproc(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *pro_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	List	   *names;
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name into components and see if it matches any pg_proc
 	 * entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(pro_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(pro_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
 	clist = FuncnameGetCandidates(names, -1, NIL, false, false, false, true);
 
 	if (clist == NULL || clist->next != NULL)
@@ -222,6 +233,7 @@ Datum
 regprocedurein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *pro_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	RegProcedure result;
 	List	   *names;
 	int			nargs;
@@ -229,7 +241,7 @@ regprocedurein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(pro_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(pro_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -242,10 +254,13 @@ regprocedurein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * which one exactly matches the given argument types.  (There will not be
 	 * more than one match.)
 	 */
-	parseNameAndArgTypes(pro_name_or_oid, false, &names, &nargs, argtypes);
+	if (!parseNameAndArgTypes(pro_name_or_oid, false,
+							  &names, &nargs, argtypes,
+							  escontext))
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	clist = FuncnameGetCandidates(names, nargs, NIL, false, false,
-								  false, false);
+								  false, true);
 
 	for (; clist; clist = clist->next)
 	{
@@ -254,7 +269,7 @@ regprocedurein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	}
 
 	if (clist == NULL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("function \"%s\" does not exist", pro_name_or_oid)));
 
@@ -276,13 +291,17 @@ to_regprocedure(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	int			nargs;
 	Oid			argtypes[FUNC_MAX_ARGS];
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name and arguments, look up potential matches in the current
 	 * namespace search list, and scan to see which one exactly matches the
 	 * given argument types.    (There will not be more than one match.)
 	 */
-	parseNameAndArgTypes(pro_name, false, &names, &nargs, argtypes);
+	if (!parseNameAndArgTypes(pro_name, false,
+							  &names, &nargs, argtypes,
+							  (Node *) &escontext))
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	clist = FuncnameGetCandidates(names, nargs, NIL, false, false, false, true);
 
@@ -484,12 +503,13 @@ Datum
 regoperin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *opr_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
 
 	/* Handle "0" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseNumericOid(opr_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseNumericOid(opr_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* Else it's a name, possibly schema-qualified */
@@ -502,15 +522,18 @@ regoperin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_operator entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(opr_name_or_oid);
-	clist = OpernameGetCandidates(names, '\0', false);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(opr_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
+	clist = OpernameGetCandidates(names, '\0', true);
 
 	if (clist == NULL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("operator does not exist: %s", opr_name_or_oid)));
 	else if (clist->next != NULL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_AMBIGUOUS_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("more than one operator named %s",
 						opr_name_or_oid)));
@@ -531,12 +554,16 @@ to_regoper(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *opr_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	List	   *names;
 	FuncCandidateList clist;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name into components and see if it matches any pg_operator
 	 * entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(opr_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(opr_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
 	clist = OpernameGetCandidates(names, '\0', true);
 
 	if (clist == NULL || clist->next != NULL)
@@ -646,13 +673,14 @@ Datum
 regoperatorin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *opr_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 	int			nargs;
 	Oid			argtypes[FUNC_MAX_ARGS];
 
 	/* Handle "0" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseNumericOid(opr_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseNumericOid(opr_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -665,14 +693,18 @@ regoperatorin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * which one exactly matches the given argument types.  (There will not be
 	 * more than one match.)
 	 */
-	parseNameAndArgTypes(opr_name_or_oid, true, &names, &nargs, argtypes);
+	if (!parseNameAndArgTypes(opr_name_or_oid, true,
+							  &names, &nargs, argtypes,
+							  escontext))
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
 	if (nargs == 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_PARAMETER),
 				 errmsg("missing argument"),
 				 errhint("Use NONE to denote the missing argument of a unary operator.")));
 	if (nargs != 2)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_TOO_MANY_ARGUMENTS),
 				 errmsg("too many arguments"),
 				 errhint("Provide two argument types for operator.")));
@@ -680,7 +712,7 @@ regoperatorin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	result = OpernameGetOprid(names, argtypes[0], argtypes[1]);
 
 	if (!OidIsValid(result))
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_FUNCTION),
 				 errmsg("operator does not exist: %s", opr_name_or_oid)));
 
@@ -700,23 +732,20 @@ to_regoperator(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	List	   *names;
 	int			nargs;
 	Oid			argtypes[FUNC_MAX_ARGS];
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name and arguments, look up potential matches in the current
 	 * namespace search list, and scan to see which one exactly matches the
 	 * given argument types.    (There will not be more than one match.)
 	 */
-	parseNameAndArgTypes(opr_name_or_oid, true, &names, &nargs, argtypes);
-	if (nargs == 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_PARAMETER),
-				 errmsg("missing argument"),
-				 errhint("Use NONE to denote the missing argument of a unary operator.")));
+	if (!parseNameAndArgTypes(opr_name_or_oid, true,
+							  &names, &nargs, argtypes,
+							  (Node *) &escontext))
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
+
 	if (nargs != 2)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_TOO_MANY_ARGUMENTS),
-				 errmsg("too many arguments"),
-				 errhint("Provide two argument types for operator.")));
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	result = OpernameGetOprid(names, argtypes[0], argtypes[1]);
 
@@ -903,11 +932,12 @@ Datum
 regclassin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *class_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(class_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(class_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* Else it's a name, possibly schema-qualified */
@@ -920,10 +950,18 @@ regclassin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_class entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(class_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(class_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	/* We might not even have permissions on this relation; don't lock it. */
-	result = RangeVarGetRelid(makeRangeVarFromNameList(names), NoLock, false);
+	result = RangeVarGetRelid(makeRangeVarFromNameList(names), NoLock, true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_TABLE),
+				 errmsg("relation \"%s\" does not exist",
+						NameListToString(names))));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -939,12 +977,15 @@ to_regclass(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *class_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name into components and see if it matches any pg_class
 	 * entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(class_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(class_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	/* We might not even have permissions on this relation; don't lock it. */
 	result = RangeVarGetRelid(makeRangeVarFromNameList(names), NoLock, true);
@@ -1045,11 +1086,12 @@ Datum
 regcollationin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *collation_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(collation_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(collation_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* Else it's a name, possibly schema-qualified */
@@ -1062,9 +1104,17 @@ regcollationin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_collation entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(collation_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(collation_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
-	result = get_collation_oid(names, false);
+	result = get_collation_oid(names, true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
+				 errmsg("collation \"%s\" for encoding \"%s\" does not exist",
+						NameListToString(names), GetDatabaseEncodingName())));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1080,12 +1130,15 @@ to_regcollation(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *collation_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Parse the name into components and see if it matches any pg_collation
 	 * entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(collation_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(collation_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	result = get_collation_oid(names, true);
 
@@ -1192,11 +1245,12 @@ Datum
 regtypein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *typ_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	int32		typmod;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(typ_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(typ_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* Else it's a type name, possibly schema-qualified or decorated */
@@ -1207,9 +1261,10 @@ regtypein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 
 	/*
 	 * Normal case: invoke the full parser to deal with special cases such as
-	 * array syntax.
+	 * array syntax.  We don't need to check for parseTypeString failure,
+	 * since we'll just return anyway.
 	 */
-	parseTypeString(typ_name_or_oid, &result, &typmod, false);
+	(void) parseTypeString(typ_name_or_oid, &result, &typmod, escontext);
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1225,13 +1280,12 @@ to_regtype(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *typ_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	Oid			result;
 	int32		typmod;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
 	/*
 	 * Invoke the full parser to deal with special cases such as array syntax.
 	 */
-	parseTypeString(typ_name, &result, &typmod, true);
-
-	if (OidIsValid(result))
+	if (parseTypeString(typ_name, &result, &typmod, (Node *) &escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 	else
 		PG_RETURN_NULL();
@@ -1318,11 +1372,12 @@ Datum
 regconfigin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *cfg_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(cfg_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(cfg_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -1333,9 +1388,17 @@ regconfigin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_ts_config entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(cfg_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(cfg_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
-	result = get_ts_config_oid(names, false);
+	result = get_ts_config_oid(names, true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
+				 errmsg("text search configuration \"%s\" does not exist",
+						NameListToString(names))));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1419,11 +1482,12 @@ Datum
 regdictionaryin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *dict_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(dict_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(dict_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -1434,9 +1498,17 @@ regdictionaryin(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	 * Normal case: parse the name into components and see if it matches any
 	 * pg_ts_dict entries in the current search path.
 	 */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(dict_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(dict_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
-	result = get_ts_dict_oid(names, false);
+	result = get_ts_dict_oid(names, true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
+				 errmsg("text search dictionary \"%s\" does not exist",
+						NameListToString(names))));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1520,11 +1592,12 @@ Datum
 regrolein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *role_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(role_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(role_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -1532,14 +1605,22 @@ regrolein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 		elog(ERROR, "regrole values must be OIDs in bootstrap mode");
 
 	/* Normal case: see if the name matches any pg_authid entry. */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(role_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(role_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	if (list_length(names) != 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
 				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
 
-	result = get_role_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), false);
+	result = get_role_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_OBJECT),
+				 errmsg("role \"%s\" does not exist",
+						strVal(linitial(names)))));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1555,13 +1636,14 @@ to_regrole(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *role_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(role_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(role_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	if (list_length(names) != 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
-				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	result = get_role_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), true);
 
@@ -1635,11 +1717,12 @@ Datum
 regnamespacein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 {
 	char	   *nsp_name_or_oid = PG_GETARG_CSTRING(0);
+	Node	   *escontext = fcinfo->context;
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
 
 	/* Handle "-" or numeric OID */
-	if (parseDashOrOid(nsp_name_or_oid, &result, fcinfo->context))
+	if (parseDashOrOid(nsp_name_or_oid, &result, escontext))
 		PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 
 	/* The rest of this wouldn't work in bootstrap mode */
@@ -1647,14 +1730,22 @@ regnamespacein(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 		elog(ERROR, "regnamespace values must be OIDs in bootstrap mode");
 
 	/* Normal case: see if the name matches any pg_namespace entry. */
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(nsp_name_or_oid);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(nsp_name_or_oid, escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	if (list_length(names) != 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
 				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
 
-	result = get_namespace_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), false);
+	result = get_namespace_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), true);
+
+	if (!OidIsValid(result))
+		ereturn(escontext, (Datum) 0,
+				(errcode(ERRCODE_UNDEFINED_SCHEMA),
+				 errmsg("schema \"%s\" does not exist",
+						strVal(linitial(names)))));
 
 	PG_RETURN_OID(result);
 }
@@ -1670,13 +1761,14 @@ to_regnamespace(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 	char	   *nsp_name = text_to_cstring(PG_GETARG_TEXT_PP(0));
 	Oid			result;
 	List	   *names;
+	ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
 
-	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(nsp_name);
+	names = stringToQualifiedNameList(nsp_name, (Node *) &escontext);
+	if (names == NIL)
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	if (list_length(names) != 1)
-		ereport(ERROR,
-				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
-				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
+		PG_RETURN_NULL();
 
 	result = get_namespace_oid(strVal(linitial(names)), true);
 
@@ -1763,9 +1855,13 @@ text_regclass(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS)
 
 /*
  * Given a C string, parse it into a qualified-name list.
+ *
+ * If escontext is an ErrorSaveContext node, invalid input will be
+ * reported there instead of being thrown, and we return NIL.
+ * (NIL is not possible as a success return, since empty-input is an error.)
  */
 List *
-stringToQualifiedNameList(const char *string)
+stringToQualifiedNameList(const char *string, Node *escontext)
 {
 	char	   *rawname;
 	List	   *result = NIL;
@@ -1776,12 +1872,12 @@ stringToQualifiedNameList(const char *string)
 	rawname = pstrdup(string);
 
 	if (!SplitIdentifierString(rawname, '.', &namelist))
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, NIL,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
 				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
 
 	if (namelist == NIL)
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, NIL,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_NAME),
 				 errmsg("invalid name syntax")));
 
@@ -1858,10 +1954,14 @@ parseDashOrOid(char *string, Oid *result, Node *escontext)
  *
  * If allowNone is true, accept "NONE" and return it as InvalidOid (this is
  * for unary operators).
+ *
+ * Returns true on success, false on failure (the latter only possible
+ * if escontext is an ErrorSaveContext node).
  */
-static void
+static bool
 parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
-					 int *nargs, Oid *argtypes)
+					 int *nargs, Oid *argtypes,
+					 Node *escontext)
 {
 	char	   *rawname;
 	char	   *ptr;
@@ -1886,13 +1986,15 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 			break;
 	}
 	if (*ptr == '\0')
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, false,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_TEXT_REPRESENTATION),
 				 errmsg("expected a left parenthesis")));
 
 	/* Separate the name and parse it into a list */
 	*ptr++ = '\0';
-	*names = stringToQualifiedNameList(rawname);
+	*names = stringToQualifiedNameList(rawname, escontext);
+	if (*names == NIL)
+		return false;
 
 	/* Check for the trailing right parenthesis and remove it */
 	ptr2 = ptr + strlen(ptr);
@@ -1902,7 +2004,7 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 			break;
 	}
 	if (*ptr2 != ')')
-		ereport(ERROR,
+		ereturn(escontext, false,
 				(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_TEXT_REPRESENTATION),
 				 errmsg("expected a right parenthesis")));
 
@@ -1921,7 +2023,7 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 		{
 			/* End of string.  Okay unless we had a comma before. */
 			if (had_comma)
-				ereport(ERROR,
+				ereturn(escontext, false,
 						(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_TEXT_REPRESENTATION),
 						 errmsg("expected a type name")));
 			break;
@@ -1953,7 +2055,7 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 			}
 		}
 		if (in_quote || paren_count != 0)
-			ereport(ERROR,
+			ereturn(escontext, false,
 					(errcode(ERRCODE_INVALID_TEXT_REPRESENTATION),
 					 errmsg("improper type name")));
 
@@ -1985,10 +2087,11 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 		else
 		{
 			/* Use full parser to resolve the type name */
-			parseTypeString(typename, &typeid, &typmod, false);
+			if (!parseTypeString(typename, &typeid, &typmod, escontext))
+				return false;
 		}
 		if (*nargs >= FUNC_MAX_ARGS)
-			ereport(ERROR,
+			ereturn(escontext, false,
 					(errcode(ERRCODE_TOO_MANY_ARGUMENTS),
 					 errmsg("too many arguments")));
 
@@ -1997,4 +2100,6 @@ parseNameAndArgTypes(const char *string, bool allowNone, List **names,
 	}
 
 	pfree(rawname);
+
+	return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/tsvector_op.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/tsvector_op.c
index caeb85b4ca1..66ce710598a 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/tsvector_op.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/tsvector_op.c
@@ -2652,7 +2652,7 @@ tsvector_update_trigger(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS, bool config_column)
 	{
 		List	   *names;
 
-		names = stringToQualifiedNameList(trigger->tgargs[1]);
+		names = stringToQualifiedNameList(trigger->tgargs[1], NULL);
 		/* require a schema so that results are not search path dependent */
 		if (list_length(names) < 2)
 			ereport(ERROR,
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/cache/ts_cache.c b/src/backend/utils/cache/ts_cache.c
index 450ea34336a..043abd341df 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/cache/ts_cache.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/cache/ts_cache.c
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
 #include "catalog/pg_ts_template.h"
 #include "commands/defrem.h"
 #include "miscadmin.h"
+#include "nodes/miscnodes.h"
 #include "tsearch/ts_cache.h"
 #include "utils/builtins.h"
 #include "utils/catcache.h"
@@ -556,6 +557,8 @@ lookup_ts_config_cache(Oid cfgId)
 Oid
 getTSCurrentConfig(bool emitError)
 {
+	List	   *namelist;
+
 	/* if we have a cached value, return it */
 	if (OidIsValid(TSCurrentConfigCache))
 		return TSCurrentConfigCache;
@@ -576,9 +579,22 @@ getTSCurrentConfig(bool emitError)
 	}
 
 	/* Look up the config */
-	TSCurrentConfigCache =
-		get_ts_config_oid(stringToQualifiedNameList(TSCurrentConfig),
-						  !emitError);
+	if (emitError)
+	{
+		namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(TSCurrentConfig, NULL);
+		TSCurrentConfigCache = get_ts_config_oid(namelist, false);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
+
+		namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(TSCurrentConfig,
+											 (Node *) &escontext);
+		if (namelist != NIL)
+			TSCurrentConfigCache = get_ts_config_oid(namelist, true);
+		else
+			TSCurrentConfigCache = InvalidOid;	/* bad name list syntax */
+	}
 
 	return TSCurrentConfigCache;
 }
@@ -594,12 +610,19 @@ check_default_text_search_config(char **newval, void **extra, GucSource source)
 	 */
 	if (IsTransactionState() && MyDatabaseId != InvalidOid)
 	{
+		ErrorSaveContext escontext = {T_ErrorSaveContext};
+		List	   *namelist;
 		Oid			cfgId;
 		HeapTuple	tuple;
 		Form_pg_ts_config cfg;
 		char	   *buf;
 
-		cfgId = get_ts_config_oid(stringToQualifiedNameList(*newval), true);
+		namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(*newval,
+											 (Node *) &escontext);
+		if (namelist != NIL)
+			cfgId = get_ts_config_oid(namelist, true);
+		else
+			cfgId = InvalidOid; /* bad name list syntax */
 
 		/*
 		 * When source == PGC_S_TEST, don't throw a hard error for a
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/fmgr/funcapi.c b/src/backend/utils/fmgr/funcapi.c
index 87cbb1d3e38..51e58934040 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/fmgr/funcapi.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/fmgr/funcapi.c
@@ -1876,7 +1876,7 @@ RelationNameGetTupleDesc(const char *relname)
 	List	   *relname_list;
 
 	/* Open relation and copy the tuple description */
-	relname_list = stringToQualifiedNameList(relname);
+	relname_list = stringToQualifiedNameList(relname, NULL);
 	relvar = makeRangeVarFromNameList(relname_list);
 	rel = relation_openrv(relvar, AccessShareLock);
 	tupdesc = CreateTupleDescCopy(RelationGetDescr(rel));
diff --git a/src/include/parser/parse_type.h b/src/include/parser/parse_type.h
index 4e5624d721c..c6c92a00097 100644
--- a/src/include/parser/parse_type.h
+++ b/src/include/parser/parse_type.h
@@ -51,8 +51,9 @@ extern Datum stringTypeDatum(Type tp, char *string, int32 atttypmod);
 extern Oid	typeidTypeRelid(Oid type_id);
 extern Oid	typeOrDomainTypeRelid(Oid type_id);
 
-extern TypeName *typeStringToTypeName(const char *str);
-extern void parseTypeString(const char *str, Oid *typeid_p, int32 *typmod_p, bool missing_ok);
+extern TypeName *typeStringToTypeName(const char *str, Node *escontext);
+extern bool parseTypeString(const char *str, Oid *typeid_p, int32 *typmod_p,
+							Node *escontext);
 
 /* true if typeid is composite, or domain over composite, but not RECORD */
 #define ISCOMPLEX(typeid) (typeOrDomainTypeRelid(typeid) != InvalidOid)
diff --git a/src/include/utils/regproc.h b/src/include/utils/regproc.h
index 0e2965ff934..4c3311d8e2d 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/regproc.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/regproc.h
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ extern char *format_procedure_extended(Oid procedure_oid, bits16 flags);
 #define FORMAT_OPERATOR_FORCE_QUALIFY	0x02	/* force qualification */
 extern char *format_operator_extended(Oid operator_oid, bits16 flags);
 
-extern List *stringToQualifiedNameList(const char *string);
+extern List *stringToQualifiedNameList(const char *string, Node *escontext);
 extern char *format_procedure(Oid procedure_oid);
 extern char *format_procedure_qualified(Oid procedure_oid);
 extern void format_procedure_parts(Oid procedure_oid, List **objnames,
diff --git a/src/pl/plperl/plperl.c b/src/pl/plperl/plperl.c
index 8f21e0d7011..8143ae40a01 100644
--- a/src/pl/plperl/plperl.c
+++ b/src/pl/plperl/plperl.c
@@ -3613,7 +3613,7 @@ plperl_spi_prepare(char *query, int argc, SV **argv)
 			char	   *typstr;
 
 			typstr = sv2cstr(argv[i]);
-			parseTypeString(typstr, &typId, &typmod, false);
+			(void) parseTypeString(typstr, &typId, &typmod, NULL);
 			pfree(typstr);
 
 			getTypeInputInfo(typId, &typInput, &typIOParam);
diff --git a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_gram.y b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_gram.y
index f7cf2b4b899..fe63766e5d5 100644
--- a/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_gram.y
+++ b/src/pl/plpgsql/src/pl_gram.y
@@ -3725,7 +3725,7 @@ parse_datatype(const char *string, int location)
 	error_context_stack = &syntax_errcontext;
 
 	/* Let the main parser try to parse it under standard SQL rules */
-	typeName = typeStringToTypeName(string);
+	typeName = typeStringToTypeName(string, NULL);
 	typenameTypeIdAndMod(NULL, typeName, &type_id, &typmod);
 
 	/* Restore former ereport callback */
diff --git a/src/pl/plpython/plpy_spi.c b/src/pl/plpython/plpy_spi.c
index 6b9f8d5b438..ff87b27de09 100644
--- a/src/pl/plpython/plpy_spi.c
+++ b/src/pl/plpython/plpy_spi.c
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ PLy_spi_prepare(PyObject *self, PyObject *args)
 			 *information for input conversion.
 			 ********************************************************/
 
-			parseTypeString(sptr, &typeId, &typmod, false);
+			(void) parseTypeString(sptr, &typeId, &typmod, NULL);
 
 			Py_DECREF(optr);
 
diff --git a/src/pl/tcl/pltcl.c b/src/pl/tcl/pltcl.c
index 4185fb12210..185d5bed99f 100644
--- a/src/pl/tcl/pltcl.c
+++ b/src/pl/tcl/pltcl.c
@@ -615,7 +615,7 @@ call_pltcl_start_proc(Oid prolang, bool pltrusted)
 	error_context_stack = &errcallback;
 
 	/* Parse possibly-qualified identifier and look up the function */
-	namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(start_proc);
+	namelist = stringToQualifiedNameList(start_proc, NULL);
 	procOid = LookupFuncName(namelist, 0, NULL, false);
 
 	/* Current user must have permission to call function */
@@ -2603,7 +2603,8 @@ pltcl_SPI_prepare(ClientData cdata, Tcl_Interp *interp,
 						typIOParam;
 			int32		typmod;
 
-			parseTypeString(Tcl_GetString(argsObj[i]), &typId, &typmod, false);
+			(void) parseTypeString(Tcl_GetString(argsObj[i]),
+								   &typId, &typmod, NULL);
 
 			getTypeInputInfo(typId, &typInput, &typIOParam);
 
diff --git a/src/test/regress/expected/regproc.out b/src/test/regress/expected/regproc.out
index e45ff5483fb..0c5e1d4be63 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/expected/regproc.out
+++ b/src/test/regress/expected/regproc.out
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ LINE 1: SELECT regtype('int3');
                        ^
 -- with schemaname
 SELECT regoper('ng_catalog.||/');
-ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
+ERROR:  operator does not exist: ng_catalog.||/
 LINE 1: SELECT regoper('ng_catalog.||/');
                        ^
 SELECT regoperator('ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)');
@@ -253,15 +253,15 @@ ERROR:  operator does not exist: ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)
 LINE 1: SELECT regoperator('ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)');
                            ^
 SELECT regproc('ng_catalog.now');
-ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
+ERROR:  function "ng_catalog.now" does not exist
 LINE 1: SELECT regproc('ng_catalog.now');
                        ^
 SELECT regprocedure('ng_catalog.abs(numeric)');
-ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
+ERROR:  function "ng_catalog.abs(numeric)" does not exist
 LINE 1: SELECT regprocedure('ng_catalog.abs(numeric)');
                             ^
 SELECT regclass('ng_catalog.pg_class');
-ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
+ERROR:  relation "ng_catalog.pg_class" does not exist
 LINE 1: SELECT regclass('ng_catalog.pg_class');
                         ^
 SELECT regtype('ng_catalog.int4');
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
 LINE 1: SELECT regtype('ng_catalog.int4');
                        ^
 SELECT regcollation('ng_catalog."POSIX"');
-ERROR:  schema "ng_catalog" does not exist
+ERROR:  collation "ng_catalog.POSIX" for encoding "SQL_ASCII" does not exist
 LINE 1: SELECT regcollation('ng_catalog."POSIX"');
                             ^
 -- schemaname not applicable
@@ -406,7 +406,11 @@ SELECT to_regrole('"regress_regrole_test"');
 (1 row)
 
 SELECT to_regrole('foo.bar');
-ERROR:  invalid name syntax
+ to_regrole 
+------------
+ 
+(1 row)
+
 SELECT to_regrole('Nonexistent');
  to_regrole 
 ------------
@@ -420,7 +424,11 @@ SELECT to_regrole('"Nonexistent"');
 (1 row)
 
 SELECT to_regrole('foo.bar');
-ERROR:  invalid name syntax
+ to_regrole 
+------------
+ 
+(1 row)
+
 SELECT to_regnamespace('Nonexistent');
  to_regnamespace 
 -----------------
@@ -434,4 +442,105 @@ SELECT to_regnamespace('"Nonexistent"');
 (1 row)
 
 SELECT to_regnamespace('foo.bar');
-ERROR:  invalid name syntax
+ to_regnamespace 
+-----------------
+ 
+(1 row)
+
+-- Test soft-error API
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.pg_class', 'regclass');
+            pg_input_error_message             
+-----------------------------------------------
+ relation "ng_catalog.pg_class" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog."POSIX"', 'regcollation');
+                        pg_input_error_message                        
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+ collation "ng_catalog.POSIX" for encoding "SQL_ASCII" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_config', 'regconfig');
+                  pg_input_error_message                   
+-----------------------------------------------------------
+ text search configuration "no_such_config" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_dictionary', 'regdictionary');
+                   pg_input_error_message                   
+------------------------------------------------------------
+ text search dictionary "no_such_dictionary" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('Nonexistent', 'regnamespace');
+       pg_input_error_message        
+-------------------------------------
+ schema "nonexistent" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.||/', 'regoper');
+         pg_input_error_message          
+-----------------------------------------
+ operator does not exist: ng_catalog.||/
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('-', 'regoper');
+     pg_input_error_message     
+--------------------------------
+ more than one operator named -
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)', 'regoperator');
+              pg_input_error_message              
+--------------------------------------------------
+ operator does not exist: ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('-', 'regoperator');
+   pg_input_error_message    
+-----------------------------
+ expected a left parenthesis
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.now', 'regproc');
+          pg_input_error_message          
+------------------------------------------
+ function "ng_catalog.now" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.abs(numeric)', 'regprocedure');
+              pg_input_error_message               
+---------------------------------------------------
+ function "ng_catalog.abs(numeric)" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.abs(numeric', 'regprocedure');
+    pg_input_error_message    
+------------------------------
+ expected a right parenthesis
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('regress_regrole_test', 'regrole');
+           pg_input_error_message           
+--------------------------------------------
+ role "regress_regrole_test" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_type', 'regtype');
+       pg_input_error_message       
+------------------------------------
+ type "no_such_type" does not exist
+(1 row)
+
+-- Some cases that should be soft errors, but are not yet
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('incorrect type name syntax', 'regtype');
+ERROR:  syntax error at or near "type"
+LINE 1: SELECT pg_input_error_message('incorrect type name syntax', ...
+                  ^
+CONTEXT:  invalid type name "incorrect type name syntax"
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('numeric(1,2,3)', 'regtype');  -- bogus typmod
+ERROR:  invalid NUMERIC type modifier
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('way.too.many.names', 'regtype');
+ERROR:  improper qualified name (too many dotted names): way.too.many.names
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_catalog.schema.name', 'regtype');
+ERROR:  cross-database references are not implemented: no_such_catalog.schema.name
diff --git a/src/test/regress/sql/regproc.sql b/src/test/regress/sql/regproc.sql
index faab0c15ce8..aa1f1bb17a2 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/sql/regproc.sql
+++ b/src/test/regress/sql/regproc.sql
@@ -120,3 +120,26 @@ SELECT to_regrole('foo.bar');
 SELECT to_regnamespace('Nonexistent');
 SELECT to_regnamespace('"Nonexistent"');
 SELECT to_regnamespace('foo.bar');
+
+-- Test soft-error API
+
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.pg_class', 'regclass');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog."POSIX"', 'regcollation');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_config', 'regconfig');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_dictionary', 'regdictionary');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('Nonexistent', 'regnamespace');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.||/', 'regoper');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('-', 'regoper');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.+(int4,int4)', 'regoperator');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('-', 'regoperator');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.now', 'regproc');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.abs(numeric)', 'regprocedure');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('ng_catalog.abs(numeric', 'regprocedure');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('regress_regrole_test', 'regrole');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_type', 'regtype');
+
+-- Some cases that should be soft errors, but are not yet
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('incorrect type name syntax', 'regtype');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('numeric(1,2,3)', 'regtype');  -- bogus typmod
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('way.too.many.names', 'regtype');
+SELECT pg_input_error_message('no_such_catalog.schema.name', 'regtype');