MCPInstall

postgresql

Administer PostgreSQL databases. Configure replication, backups, and performance tuning. Use when managing PostgreSQL deployments.

Installs
422
Last 24h
—
Trending rank
—
Security
Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills --skill postgresql
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads postgresql automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

PostgreSQL

Administer, optimize, and secure PostgreSQL databases in development and production environments.

When to Use

  • You need a reliable, ACID-compliant relational database.
  • Your application requires advanced features such as JSONB, full-text search, or CTEs.
  • You are setting up streaming replication or point-in-time recovery.
  • You need to tune an existing PostgreSQL deployment for better throughput.

Prerequisites

  • Linux server (Debian/Ubuntu or RHEL-based) or Docker.
  • Root or sudo access for package installation.
  • Familiarity with SQL fundamentals.

Installation and Setup

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y postgresql postgresql-contrib

# RHEL / Amazon Linux
sudo dnf install -y postgresql15-server postgresql15-contrib
sudo postgresql-setup --initdb
sudo systemctl enable --now postgresql

# Verify
psql --version
sudo systemctl status postgresql

Initial User and Database Setup

# Switch to the postgres system user
sudo -u postgres psql
-- Create an application user
CREATE USER myapp WITH PASSWORD 'strong_password_here';

-- Create the database owned by that user
CREATE DATABASE mydb OWNER myapp;

-- Grant connection privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE mydb TO myapp;

-- Connect to the database and set default privileges
\c mydb
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES IN SCHEMA public
  GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE ON TABLES TO myapp;

psql Commands Reference

\l              -- list databases
\dt             -- list tables in current database
\d+ tablename   -- describe table with storage info
\du             -- list roles
\x              -- toggle expanded output
\timing on      -- show query execution time
\i file.sql     -- execute SQL from file
\copy           -- fast client-side COPY

Configuration Tuning

Edit /etc/postgresql/15/main/postgresql.conf (path varies by OS and version).

# Connection settings
listen_addresses = '*'
max_connections = 200

# Memory — adjust to ~25% of total RAM for shared_buffers
shared_buffers = 4GB
effective_cache_size = 12GB
work_mem = 16MB
maintenance_work_mem = 512MB

# WAL / write performance
wal_buffers = 64MB
checkpoint_completion_target = 0.9
min_wal_size = 1GB
max_wal_size = 4GB

# Planner
random_page_cost = 1.1          # lower for SSD
effective_io_concurrency = 200  # for SSD

# Logging
log_min_duration_statement = 250   # log queries slower than 250 ms
log_checkpoints = on
log_connections = on
log_disconnections = on
log_lock_waits = on
# Reload configuration without restart
sudo -u postgres psql -c "SELECT pg_reload_conf();"

# Some settings (shared_buffers, max_connections) require a full restart
sudo systemctl restart postgresql

pg_hba.conf — Client Authentication

# /etc/postgresql/15/main/pg_hba.conf
# TYPE  DATABASE  USER      ADDRESS         METHOD
local   all       postgres                  peer
host    mydb      myapp     10.0.0.0/8      scram-sha-256
host    all       all       0.0.0.0/0       reject
sudo systemctl reload postgresql

Backup and Restore

Logical Backups with pg_dump

# Plain SQL backup
pg_dump -U myapp -h localhost mydb > /backups/mydb_$(date +%F).sql

# Custom compressed format (recommended)
pg_dump -U myapp -h localhost -Fc mydb > /backups/mydb_$(date +%F).dump

# Backup a single table
pg_dump -U myapp -h localhost -t orders -Fc mydb > /backups/orders.dump

# Restore from custom format
pg_restore -U myapp -h localhost -d mydb --clean --if-exists /backups/mydb_2025-01-15.dump

# Restore plain SQL
psql -U myapp -h localhost -d mydb < /backups/mydb_2025-01-15.sql

Physical Backups with pg_basebackup

# Full base backup (used for PITR and replica seeding)
pg_basebackup -h localhost -U replicator -D /backups/base_$(date +%F) \
  --wal-method=stream --checkpoint=fast --progress --verbose

# Verify the backup
pg_verifybackup /backups/base_2025-01-15

Streaming Replication

Primary Server

-- Create replication user
CREATE USER replicator WITH REPLICATION LOGIN PASSWORD 'repl_secret';
# postgresql.conf on primary
wal_level = replica
max_wal_senders = 5
wal_keep_size = 1GB
# pg_hba.conf on primary
host replication replicator 10.0.0.0/8 scram-sha-256

Replica Server

# Stop PostgreSQL on the replica
sudo systemctl stop postgresql

# Remove existing data directory
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/postgresql/15/main/*

# Base backup from primary
sudo -u postgres pg_basebackup \
  -h 10.0.0.1 -U replicator \
  -D /var/lib/postgresql/15/main \
  --wal-method=stream --checkpoint=fast --progress

# Create standby signal file
sudo -u postgres touch /var/lib/postgresql/15/main/standby.signal
# postgresql.conf on replica
primary_conninfo = 'host=10.0.0.1 port=5432 user=replicator password=repl_secret'
hot_standby = on
sudo systemctl start postgresql

Verify Replication

-- On primary
SELECT client_addr, state, sent_lsn, replay_lsn
FROM pg_stat_replication;

-- On replica
SELECT pg_is_in_recovery();           -- should return true
SELECT pg_last_wal_receive_lsn();
SELECT pg_last_wal_replay_lsn();

Monitoring Queries

-- Active connections by state
SELECT state, COUNT(*)
FROM pg_stat_activity
GROUP BY state;

-- Long-running queries (> 30 seconds)
SELECT pid, now() - query_start AS duration, query
FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE state = 'active'
  AND now() - query_start > interval '30 seconds'
ORDER BY duration DESC;

-- Table bloat and dead tuples
SELECT relname,
       n_live_tup,
       n_dead_tup,
       ROUND(n_dead_tup::numeric / GREATEST(n_live_tup, 1) * 100, 2) AS dead_pct
FROM pg_stat_user_tables
ORDER BY n_dead_tup DESC
LIMIT 10;

-- Index usage statistics
SELECT relname, indexrelname, idx_scan, idx_tup_read, idx_tup_fetch
FROM pg_stat_user_indexes
ORDER BY idx_scan ASC
LIMIT 10;

-- Cache hit ratio (should be > 99%)
SELECT ROUND(
  100.0 * sum(blks_hit) / NULLIF(sum(blks_hit) + sum(blks_read), 0), 2
) AS cache_hit_pct
FROM pg_stat_database;

-- Database size
SELECT pg_database.datname,
       pg_size_pretty(pg_database_size(pg_database.datname)) AS size
FROM pg_database
ORDER BY pg_database_size(pg_database.datname) DESC;

Docker Compose Setup

# docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: myapp
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
      POSTGRES_DB: mydb
    volumes:
      - pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
      - ./init.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init.sql
    command: >
      postgres
        -c shared_buffers=256MB
        -c work_mem=8MB
        -c maintenance_work_mem=128MB
        -c effective_cache_size=768MB
        -c log_min_duration_statement=250
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U myapp -d mydb"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  pgbouncer:
    image: edoburu/pgbouncer:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "6432:6432"
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://myapp:secret@postgres:5432/mydb
      POOL_MODE: transaction
      MAX_CLIENT_CONN: 500
      DEFAULT_POOL_SIZE: 40
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy

volumes:
  pg_data:
docker compose up -d
psql -h 127.0.0.1 -p 6432 -U myapp mydb

Maintenance Tasks

# Manual VACUUM and ANALYZE
sudo -u postgres psql -d mydb -c "VACUUM ANALYZE;"

# Reindex a bloated index
sudo -u postgres psql -d mydb -c "REINDEX INDEX CONCURRENTLY idx_orders_user_id;"

# Check for unused indexes
sudo -u postgres psql -d mydb -c "
  SELECT indexrelname, idx_scan
  FROM pg_stat_user_indexes
  WHERE idx_scan = 0
  ORDER BY pg_relation_size(indexrelid) DESC;"

Troubleshooting

SymptomLikely CauseFix
FATAL: too many connectionsConnection limit reachedIncrease max_connections or add PgBouncer
Slow SELECT on large tableMissing index or stale statisticsRun EXPLAIN ANALYZE; add index; run ANALYZE
High CPU from autovacuumLarge number of dead tuplesTune autovacuum_vacuum_cost_delay; run manual VACUUM
Replication lag increasingReplica under-provisioned or network bottleneckCheck pg_stat_replication; increase wal_keep_size
could not access file "base/..."Disk full or corrupt data directoryFree disk space; restore from pg_basebackup
FATAL: password authentication failedWrong credentials or pg_hba.conf mismatchVerify pg_hba.conf entries and reload

Related Skills

  • mysql - Alternative relational database
  • database-backups - Automated backup strategies
  • redis - Caching layer to reduce database load
  • planetscale - Managed MySQL-compatible alternative

FAQ

What does the postgresql skill do?

Administer PostgreSQL databases. Configure replication, backups, and performance tuning. Use when managing PostgreSQL deployments.

How do I install postgresql?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills --skill postgresql in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/postgresql/ (personal) or .claude/skills/postgresql/ (project).

Which AI agents can use postgresql?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is postgresql safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains postgresql?

It is published by bagelhole in bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills. It has 422 recorded installs.

More from bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

View all →

linux-hardening

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

Apply CIS benchmarks and secure Linux servers. Configure SSH, manage users, implement firewall rules, and enable security features. Use when hardening Linux systems for production or meeting security compliance requirements.

DevOps & Cloud773 installs

linux-administration

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

System administration for Linux servers. Manage packages, services, and system configuration. Use when administering Linux systems.

DevOps & Cloud771 installs

docker-compose

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

Define and run multi-container Docker applications using Docker Compose. Create compose files, manage service dependencies, configure networks and volumes, and orchestrate local development environments. Use when setting up multi-service applications or development environments.

DevOps & Cloud552 installs

docker-management

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

Build, optimize, and troubleshoot Docker containers and images. Create efficient Dockerfiles, manage container lifecycle, configure networking and volumes, and debug container issues. Use when working with Docker, containerization, or container troubleshooting.

DevOps & Cloud514 installs

systemd-services

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

Create and manage systemd services and timers. Configure service dependencies and resource limits. Use when managing system services.

AI & Agents509 installs

reverse-proxy

bagelhole/devops-security-agent-skills

Configure nginx and Traefik as reverse proxies. Implement SSL termination and routing. Use when setting up application gateways.

AI & Agents477 installs

Popular data & databases skills

View category →

Postgres best practices maintained by Supabase, for Postgres running anywhere. Load this skill BEFORE writing or changing anything that lives in a Postgres database: creating or altering tables and columns (including choosing column types), schema design, migrations and declarative schema files, RLS policies and the tests that verify them, indexes, triggers, database functions, queues and scheduled jobs (pgcron, pgmq), vector/semantic search (pgvector), and restoring dumps (pgrestore) or importing data. Also load it when diagnosing slow queries, high CPU, timeouts, EXPLAIN plans, connection exhaustion, locking, bloat, or rows visible to the wrong user or tenant. This is not just a performance guide — schema, migration, security, and SQL authoring tasks need these rules too, even for a one-column change or a single query.

OfficialData & Databases462.2K installs

prisma-client-api

prisma/skills

Prisma Client API reference covering model queries, filters, operators, and client methods. Use when writing database queries, using CRUD operations, filtering data, or configuring Prisma Client. Triggers on "prisma query", "findMany", "create", "update", "delete", "$transaction".

OfficialData & Databases393.5K installs

Deprecated compatibility name for prisma-orm-setup. Use only when a user or existing integration explicitly invokes prisma-database-setup; otherwise select prisma-orm-setup.

OfficialData & Databases392.3K installs

prisma-cli

prisma/skills

Prisma ORM 7 CLI reference for existing Prisma 7 applications or explicitly selected Prisma 7 workflows. Covers prisma init, generate, migrate, db, dev, studio, and mcp. For setup, connection repair, or Prisma 8, use prisma-orm-setup; not the Prisma Platform CLI.

OfficialData & Databases390.8K installs

prisma-postgres

prisma/skills

Deprecated compatibility name for prisma-postgres-setup. Use only when a user or existing integration explicitly invokes prisma-postgres; otherwise select prisma-postgres-setup.

OfficialData & Databases384.4K installs

Required reference for Prisma ORM 7 SQL driver adapter work. Use when implementing or modifying adapters, adding database drivers, or touching SqlDriverAdapter, Transaction, savepoint, result mapping, or DriverAdapterError behavior. Covers current transaction lifecycle, optional savepoint hooks, original database-error preservation, and verification.

OfficialData & Databases378.9K installs