diff --git a/pkg/cli/sql.go b/pkg/cli/sql.go
index 5957fae4bb..c7b399de99 100644
--- a/pkg/cli/sql.go
+++ b/pkg/cli/sql.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ const (
 `
 )

-const defaultPromptPattern = "%n@%M/%?%x>"
+const defaultPromptPattern = "%n@%M/%/%x>"

 // sqlShellCmd opens a sql shell.
 var sqlShellCmd = &cobra.Command{
@@ -243,8 +243,7 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 	set                       func(c *cliState, val string) error
 	reset                     func(c *cliState) error
 	// display is used to retrieve the current value.
-	display   func(c *cliState) string
-	nextState cliStateEnum
+	display func(c *cliState) string
 }{
 	`display_format`: {
 		"the output format for tabular data (pretty, csv, tsv, html, sql, records, raw)",
@@ -262,7 +261,6 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 			return nil
 		},
 		func(_ *cliState) string { return cliCtx.tableDisplayFormat.String() },
-		0,
 	},
 	`echo`: {
 		"show SQL queries before they are sent to the server",
@@ -271,7 +269,6 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 		func(_ *cliState, _ string) error { sqlCtx.echo = true; return nil },
 		func(_ *cliState) error { sqlCtx.echo = false; return nil },
 		func(_ *cliState) string { return strconv.FormatBool(sqlCtx.echo) },
-		0,
 	},
 	`errexit`: {
 		"exit the shell upon a query error",
@@ -280,7 +277,6 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 		func(c *cliState, _ string) error { c.errExit = true; return nil },
 		func(c *cliState) error { c.errExit = false; return nil },
 		func(c *cliState) string { return strconv.FormatBool(c.errExit) },
-		0,
 	},
 	`check_syntax`: {
 		"check the SQL syntax before running a query (needs SHOW SYNTAX support on the server)",
@@ -289,7 +285,6 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 		func(c *cliState, _ string) error { c.checkSyntax = true; return nil },
 		func(c *cliState) error { c.checkSyntax = false; return nil },
 		func(c *cliState) string { return strconv.FormatBool(c.checkSyntax) },
-		0,
 	},
 	`show_times`: {
 		"display the execution time after each query",
@@ -298,10 +293,9 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 		func(_ *cliState, _ string) error { cliCtx.showTimes = true; return nil },
 		func(_ *cliState) error { cliCtx.showTimes = false; return nil },
 		func(_ *cliState) string { return strconv.FormatBool(cliCtx.showTimes) },
-		0,
 	},
 	`prompt1`: {
-		"prompt string to use before each command (the following are expanded: %M full host, %m host, %> port number, %n user, %? database, %x txn status)",
+		"prompt string to use before each command (the following are expanded: %M full host, %m host, %> port number, %n user, %/ database, %x txn status)",
 		false,
 		true,
 		func(c *cliState, val string) error {
@@ -313,7 +307,6 @@ var options = map[string]struct {
 			return nil
 		},
 		func(c *cliState) string { return c.customPromptPattern },
-		cliRefreshPrompts,
 	},
 }

@@ -389,10 +382,6 @@ func (c *cliState) handleSet(args []string, nextState, errState cliStateEnum) cl
 		return errState
 	}

-	if opt.nextState != 0 {
-		return opt.nextState
-	}
-
 	return nextState
 }

@@ -412,9 +401,6 @@ func (c *cliState) handleUnset(args []string, nextState, errState cliStateEnum)
 		fmt.Fprintf(stderr, "\\unset %s: %v\n", args[0], err)
 		return errState
 	}
-	if opt.nextState != 0 {
-		return opt.nextState
-	}
 	return nextState
 }

@@ -535,7 +521,7 @@ func (c *cliState) pipeSyscmd(line string, nextState, errState cliStateEnum) cli
 }

 // rePromptFmt: available keys compile with regex expression one time.
-var rePromptFmt = regexp.MustCompile("%(.)")
+var rePromptFmt = regexp.MustCompile("%.")

 // doRefreshPrompts refreshes the prompts of the client depending on the
 // status of the current transaction.
@@ -567,23 +553,25 @@ func (c *cliState) doRefreshPrompts(nextState cliStateEnum) cliStateEnum {
 				userName = parsedURL.User.Username()
 			}
 			return userName
-		case "%?":
+		case "%/":
 			dbName, hasDbName := c.refreshDatabaseName() // database name.
-			if hasDbName {
-				return dbName
+			if !hasDbName {
+				return "?"
 			}
+			return dbName
 		case "%x": // txn status.
 			c.refreshTransactionStatus()
 			return c.lastKnownTxnStatus
 		case "%%":
 			return "%"
-			// default:
-			// 	err = fmt.Errorf("unrecognized format code in prompt: %q", m)
-			// 	return err.Error()
+		default:
+			err = fmt.Errorf("unrecognized format code in prompt: %q", m)
+			return ""
 		}
-
-		return m
 	})
+	if err != nil {
+		c.fullPrompt = err.Error()
+	}

 	c.fullPrompt += " "