Metadata changes to tables or views referred to by prepared statements are detected and cause automatic repreparation of the statement when it is next executed. This applies to prepared statements processed at the SQL level (using the PREPARE statement) and those processed using the binary client/server protocol (using the mysql_stmt_prepare() C API function).

The server attempts repreparation up to three times. An error occurs if all attempts fail.

Metadata changes occur for DDL statements such as those that create, drop, alter, rename, or truncate tables, or that analyze, optimize, or repair tables. Repreparation also occurs after referenced tables or views are flushed from the table definition cache, either implicitly to make room for new entries in the cache, or explicitly due to FLUSH TABLES.

Table content changes (for example, with INSERT or UPDATE) do not cause repreparation, nor do SELECT statements.

Repreparation is automatic, but to the extent that it occurs, diminishes prepared statement performance.

Repreparation uses the default database and SQL mode that were in effect for the original preparation.

The Com_stmt_reprepare status variable tracks the number of repreparations.