diff --git a/pkg/sql/colexecerror/error.go b/pkg/sql/colexecerror/error.go
index 28a3c4957575..1f5b060c14f2 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/colexecerror/error.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/colexecerror/error.go
@@ -92,12 +92,18 @@ func CatchVectorizedRuntimeError(operation func()) (retErr error) {
 	return retErr
 }
 
+// We use the approach of allow-listing the packages the panics from which are
+// safe to catch (which is the case when the code doesn't update shared state
+// and doesn't manipulate locks).
+//
+// Multiple actual packages can have the same prefix as a single constant string
+// defined below, but all of such packages are allowed to be caught from.
 const (
 	colPackagesPrefix      = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/col"
 	execinfraPackagePrefix = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/execinfra"
 	sqlColPackagesPrefix   = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/col"
 	sqlRowPackagesPrefix   = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/row"
-	treePackagePrefix      = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem/tree"
+	sqlSemPackagesPrefix   = "github.com/cockroachdb/cockroach/pkg/sql/sem"
 )
 
 // shouldCatchPanic checks whether the panic that was emitted from
@@ -126,7 +132,7 @@ func shouldCatchPanic(panicEmittedFrom string) bool {
 		strings.HasPrefix(panicEmittedFrom, execinfraPackagePrefix) ||
 		strings.HasPrefix(panicEmittedFrom, sqlColPackagesPrefix) ||
 		strings.HasPrefix(panicEmittedFrom, sqlRowPackagesPrefix) ||
-		strings.HasPrefix(panicEmittedFrom, treePackagePrefix)
+		strings.HasPrefix(panicEmittedFrom, sqlSemPackagesPrefix)
 }
 
 // StorageError is an error that was created by a component below the sql