Quick Configuration

Choose the setup that matches your environment.

Before You Start

Confirm you have the account, endpoint, or API key required for PostgreSQL.
Start with minimum scopes and read-only access where possible.
Keep secrets in environment variables instead of hardcoding them in JSON.

Last verified: 2026-06-13

Environment: uvx with postgres-mcp (Postgres MCP Pro), restricted read-only access mode

Install command: uvx postgres-mcp --access-mode=restricted

Local config

JSON

Local config json

{
  "postgres": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["postgres-mcp", "--access-mode=restricted"],
    "env": {
      "DATABASE_URI": "postgresql://USER:PASSWORD@HOST:5432/DBNAME"
    }
  }
}

After copying

Check the PostgreSQL JSON before running it in OpenClaw, then verify the server with a real prompt.

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Verify prompt

List all tables in the public schema and describe their columns.

Expected success output

You should see the schema (tables and columns) returned read-only, with no write attempts.

Common Pitfalls & Fixes

⚠️ Watch out: Connection strings, SSL, schema discovery.
🔑 Always store API keys in environment variables, never hardcode them in JSON.
🛡️ Start with read-only scopes if available to verify connection safely.

Security checklist

The old @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres reference server is deprecated; this guide uses the maintained Postgres MCP Pro (postgres-mcp).
Keep DATABASE_URI in an environment variable and prefer a read-only database role plus restricted access mode.

Common errors

Error	Cause	Fix
`uvx not found`	uv is not installed or not on PATH.	Install uv (which provides uvx), or use pipx install postgres-mcp and run the postgres-mcp command directly.
`Connection refused or authentication failed`	DATABASE_URI is wrong, or the DB rejects the host/SSL settings.	Verify host, port, user, password, and database name; add sslmode=require for managed Postgres.
`Permission denied on write`	restricted access mode blocks mutations by design.	Keep restricted mode for production; switch to --access-mode=unrestricted only in a safe dev database.

Example Prompts

Once connected, try these prompts to test capabilities:

List tables in the database schema.
Run a sample query to fetch the latest 5 records.
Describe the columns in the users table.

Verification Checklist

Run 1-2 real prompts to confirm PostgreSQL returns usable data.
Check that error messages are clear enough for troubleshooting.
Document the required scopes, dependencies, and env vars for future reuse.

PostgreSQL