Add more informative exception for back-references with record type

release-notes/VERSION-2.x

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ Project: jackson-databind
 #5192: Record types are broken on Android when using R8
  (reported by @HelloOO7)
  (fix by @pjfanning)
+#5197: Add more informative exception for back-references with `record` type
+ (fix by Joo-Hyuk K)
 - Generate SBOMs [JSTEP-14]
 
 2.19.1 (13-Jun-2025)

src/main/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/deser/BeanDeserializerFactory.java

@@ -787,6 +787,12 @@ protected void addBackReferenceProperties(DeserializationContext ctxt,
                     }
                 }
                 */
+                if (beanDesc.isRecordType()) {
+                    ctxt.reportBadTypeDefinition(beanDesc,
+                            "Cannot add back-reference to `java.lang.Record` type '%s' (property '%s')",
+                            beanDesc.getBeanClass().getName(),
+                            refProp.getName());
+                }
                 String refName = refProp.findReferenceName();
                 builder.addBackReferenceProperty(refName, constructSettableProperty(ctxt,
                         beanDesc, refProp, refProp.getPrimaryType()));

src/test-jdk17/java/com/fasterxml/jackson/databind/records/RecordBackReference5188Test.java

@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.records;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonBackReference;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonManagedReference;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.ObjectMapper;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.exc.InvalidDefinitionException;
+import com.fasterxml.jackson.databind.testutil.DatabindTestUtil;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.fail;
+
+// [databind#5188] JsonManagedReference/JsonBackReference exception for records #5188
+// (cannot workd 
+public class RecordBackReference5188Test
+    extends DatabindTestUtil
+{
+    private final ObjectMapper MAPPER = newJsonMapper();
+
+    @Test
+    public void testRecordDeserializationFail() throws Exception {
+        final String json = "{\"children\":[{}]}";
+
+        try {
+            MAPPER.readValue(json, Parent.class);
+            fail("Should not pass");
+        } catch (InvalidDefinitionException e) {
+            verifyException(e, "Cannot add back-reference to `java.lang.Record` type ");
+            verifyException(e, "Invalid type definition for");
+            verifyException(e, "(property 'parent')");
+        }
+    }
+
+    record Child(@JsonBackReference Parent parent) {}
+
+    record Parent(@JsonManagedReference List<Child> children) {}
+
+}