diff --git a/src/client/src/tscSQLParser.c b/src/client/src/tscSQLParser.c
index b7c582ed85139dd4ca8818d0f99281de65fc2d65..7e342efda4245df1f4c5aada5af51f402bd3b25c 100644
--- a/src/client/src/tscSQLParser.c
+++ b/src/client/src/tscSQLParser.c
@@ -4888,7 +4888,10 @@ int32_t getTimeRange(STimeWindow* win, tSqlExpr* pRight, int32_t optr, int16_t t
     win->skey = val;
   } else if (optr == TK_EQ) {
     win->ekey = win->skey = val;
+  } else if (optr == TK_NE) {
+    return TSDB_CODE_TSC_INVALID_OPERATION;
   }
+
   return TSDB_CODE_SUCCESS;
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/pytest/query/filter.py b/tests/pytest/query/filter.py
index 6d2ffbc8b10992628fec381e60fd11a68c69fe27..a6bdf360f12d3dd0990755f7f18598fe07fbdfe8 100644
--- a/tests/pytest/query/filter.py
+++ b/tests/pytest/query/filter.py
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@ class TDTestCase:
         tdSql.query("select * from db.st where name = 1231231")
         tdSql.checkRows(0)
 
-        # <> for timestamp type
-        tdSql.query("select * from db.st where ts <> '2020-05-13 10:00:00.002'")
+        # <> for timestamp type not supported on primary timestamp
+        # tdSql.query("select * from db.st where ts <> '2020-05-13 10:00:00.002'")
         # tdSql.checkRows(4)
 
         # <> for numeric type
diff --git a/tests/script/general/parser/timestamp_query.sim b/tests/script/general/parser/timestamp_query.sim
index 4e553c73f41cc9d28025c5de08935af02ee10335..3f6a1af4bc552d0bb54aedcb086e035c3b73bfd2 100644
--- a/tests/script/general/parser/timestamp_query.sim
+++ b/tests/script/general/parser/timestamp_query.sim
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ $tsu = $tsu + $ts0
 print ==================>issue #3481, normal column not allowed,
 sql_error select ts,c1,min(c2) from ts_stb0
 
+print ==================>issue #4681, not equal operator on primary timestamp not allowed 
+sql_error select * from ts_stb0 where ts <> $ts0
 
 ##### select from supertable
 $tb = $tbPrefix . 0
@@ -51,4 +53,4 @@ sql select first(c1), last(c1), (1537325400 - 1537146000)/(5*60) v from $tb wher
 if $data13 != 598.000000000 then
   print expect 598.000000000, actual $data03
   return -1
-endi
\ No newline at end of file
+endi