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Zed Editor Setup

Zed is a modern, high-performance code editor with built-in MCP support. Here's how to configure postgres-mcp-server with Zed.

See also: zed_settings_example.json in the repository.

Configuration​

Open your Zed settings and add the MCP server configuration:

Location: Zed → Settings → Context Servers (or settings.json)

{
  "context_servers": {
    "postgres-mcp-server": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "postgres-mcp-server"]
      },
      "settings": {
        "DB_HOST": "localhost",
        "DB_PORT": "5432",
        "DB_USER": "your_username",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "DB_NAME": "your_database",
        "DB_SSL": "false",
        "READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Local Installation​

If you prefer to use a local installation:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "postgres-mcp-server": {
      "command": {
        "path": "node",
        "args": ["/absolute/path/to/postgres-mcp-server/dist/index.js"]
      },
      "settings": {
        "DB_HOST": "localhost",
        "DB_PORT": "5432",
        "DB_USER": "your_username",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "your_password",
        "DB_NAME": "your_database",
        "READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables​

All standard environment variables are supported through the settings object:

  • DB_HOST - PostgreSQL host
  • DB_PORT - PostgreSQL port
  • DB_USER - Database user
  • DB_PASSWORD - Database password
  • DB_NAME - Database name
  • DB_SSL - Enable SSL ("true"/"false")
  • READ_ONLY - Restrict to SELECT queries only
  • AUTO_LIMIT - Automatically limit queries
  • MAX_PAGE_SIZE - Maximum rows per page
  • DEFAULT_PAGE_SIZE - Default rows per page
  • LOG_LEVEL - Logging level (debug, info, warn, error)

Multiple Database Connections​

You can configure multiple databases for different projects:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "postgres-prod": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@calebmabry/postgres-mcp-server"]
      },
      "settings": {
        "DB_HOST": "prod.example.com",
        "DB_NAME": "production",
        "DB_USER": "readonly_user",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "secure_password",
        "DB_SSL": "true",
        "READ_ONLY": "true"
      }
    },
    "postgres-dev": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@calebmabry/postgres-mcp-server"]
      },
      "settings": {
        "DB_HOST": "localhost",
        "DB_NAME": "development",
        "DB_USER": "dev_user",
        "DB_PASSWORD": "dev_password",
        "READ_ONLY": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage in Zed​

Once configured, you can use the postgres-mcp-server through Zed's AI assistant:

  • Query database tables and schemas
  • Execute SQL queries with automatic pagination
  • Analyze query performance with EXPLAIN
  • Get table statistics and structure

Troubleshooting​

Server Not Starting​

  1. Check Zed's console output (View → Toggle Console)
  2. Verify database connectivity: psql -h localhost -U your_username -d your_database
  3. Test the server manually: npx -y @calebmabry/postgres-mcp-server

Restart Required​

After modifying the configuration, restart Zed for changes to take effect.