Drop the pooler from the MVP: point everything straight at Postgres

.env.example and the README still told people to use pgCat on :6432, the
exact setup that hangs on every parameterised query. With no prod and one
backend instance there is nothing for a pooler to multiplex, and
postgres-js already pools in-process, so DATABASE_URL now points at
Postgres on :5432 in .env.example, dev-env.sh and drizzle.config.ts.

prepare:false is kept in src/db/index.ts on purpose, so adding
PgBouncer later (tested working) is a config change rather than a code
change. The long measurement narrative in that file's comment is cut to
the decision and the pointer to PLAN.md, where the numbers now live.

.env.example

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 PORT=3000
 
-# Postgres, routed through pgCat/PgBouncer
+# Postgres, directly - no pooler for the MVP (see src/db/index.ts)
-DATABASE_URL=postgres://continuum:continuum@localhost:6432/continuum
+DATABASE_URL=postgres://continuum:continuum@localhost:5432/continuum
 DATABASE_POOL_MAX=10
 
 # Valkey (state + streams), NOT Redis - Redis 7.4+ is RSALv2/SSPL and 8.0+

README.md

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 # continuum-backend
 
-Cloud control plane for Continuum. Bun + ElysiaJS, PostgreSQL (via pgCat/PgBouncer,
+Cloud control plane for Continuum. Bun + ElysiaJS, PostgreSQL (with pgvector for frame embeddings), Valkey Streams, and Cloudflare R2 storage.
-with pgvector for frame embeddings), Valkey Streams, and Cloudflare R2 storage.
 
 ## Run
 
@@ -48,7 +47,7 @@ backend and records what a gateway sends, for refreshing the fixtures in
 ## Layout
 
 - `src/db/` - Drizzle schema (`printers`, `farms`, `print_jobs`, `frame_embeddings`)
-  and client, pointed at pgCat. `src/db/validators.ts` derives Elysia/TypeBox
+  and client, pointed straight at Postgres. `src/db/validators.ts` derives Elysia/TypeBox
   request validators straight from the Drizzle tables via `drizzle-typebox`,
   so the Postgres schema and the API validators come from one definition
   instead of two hand-synced ones.

docker-compose.yml

@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@
 # (`ioredis` here, the `redis` crate in continuum-ai-worker) are unchanged.
 # See continuum-common/docs/LICENSES.md.
 #
-# pgCat/PgBouncer is deliberately not here - DATABASE_URL in .env.example
+# No pooler anywhere for the MVP: DATABASE_URL points straight at Postgres on
-# points at :6432 for production, but talking straight to Postgres on :5432
+# :5432 here and in .env.example. See src/db/index.ts for why not pgCat.
-# is one less moving part locally.
 
 services:
   valkey:

drizzle.config.ts

@@ -5,10 +5,9 @@ export default defineConfig({
   out: "./drizzle",
   dialect: "postgresql",
   dbCredentials: {
-    // Matches scripts/dev-env.sh's DEV_DATABASE_URL. It pointed at 6432 (a
+    // Matches scripts/dev-env.sh's DEV_DATABASE_URL and .env.example: straight
-    // pooler) where nothing listens in this environment, so a bare db:migrate
+    // at Postgres. Migrations must never go through a pooler - drizzle-kit
-    // failed confusingly. Migrations want Postgres directly in any case: see
+    // cannot pass `prepare: false`.
-    // the note in src/db/index.ts about parameterised queries through pgCat.
     url: process.env.DATABASE_URL ?? "postgres://continuum:continuum@localhost:5432/continuum",
   },
   verbose: true,

scripts/dev-env.sh

@@ -35,10 +35,9 @@ cd "$REPO_ROOT"
 PG_VERSION=16
 PG_PORT=5432
 VALKEY_PORT=6379
-# Straight at Postgres, not pgCat: .env.example points at the pooler for
+# Straight at Postgres: there is no pooler for the MVP. Do not point this at
-# production, and neither backend here runs one. Keep it that way even where a
+# pgCat even where one is reachable - parameterised queries from postgres-js
-# pooler is reachable - parameterised queries from postgres-js hang through
+# hang through 1.2.0. See src/db/index.ts.
-# pgCat 1.2.0, and drizzle-kit cannot migrate through it. See src/db/index.ts.
 DEV_DATABASE_URL="postgres://continuum:continuum@localhost:${PG_PORT}/continuum"
 DEV_VALKEY_URL="redis://localhost:${VALKEY_PORT}"
 

src/db/index.ts

@@ -2,28 +2,17 @@ import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/postgres-js";
 import postgres from "postgres";
 import * as schema from "./schema";
 
-// `prepare: false` because this is meant to sit behind a transaction-mode
+// No pooler in front of this for the MVP: DATABASE_URL points straight at
-// pooler, where a named statement prepared on one server connection is not
+// Postgres, and postgres-js already pools connections in-process (`max`).
-// there on the next one. `max` is low for the same reason: the pooler
-// multiplexes, so a high per-instance count buys nothing and starves peers.
 //
-// Measured 2026-10-20, and the reason to read this before assuming the
+// `prepare: false` is kept deliberately so a transaction-mode pooler can be
-// deployment works: against pgCat 1.2.0 this client cannot run at all.
+// added later without touching this file. Which one matters - measured
-// Through that pooler an unparameterised `select 1` succeeds, and so does
+// 2026-10-20: through pgCat 1.2.0 any query with a bind parameter hangs
-// `select count(*) from organisations`, but *any* query carrying a bind
+// forever (every Drizzle query has one), while PgBouncer 1.22 in transaction
-// parameter hangs forever - with `prepare: false`, with `prepare: true`, with
+// mode runs the same queries and passes scripts/e2e-authz.sh. See PLAN.md.
-// `fetch_types: false`, and inside an explicit transaction alike. The same
-// queries straight at Postgres are fine, and psql's `\bind` through the same
-// pool is fine, so it is specific to how postgres-js frames those messages,
-// not to extended protocol in general. Every Drizzle query binds parameters,
-// so there is no subset of this app that works there.
 //
-// So `prepare: false` is necessary but nowhere near sufficient, and running
+// Migrations go straight at Postgres either way: drizzle.config.ts cannot
-// behind pgCat does not work. PgBouncer 1.22 in transaction mode does: the
+// pass `prepare: false`, and drizzle-kit hung at commit through pgCat.
-// same queries pass, 40 concurrent ones multiplex over a pool of 2 server
-// connections, and scripts/e2e-authz.sh passes all 68 checks through it.
-// Migrations go straight at Postgres regardless - drizzle.config.ts has no way to pass
-// `prepare: false`, and drizzle-kit hung at commit for the same reason.
 const connectionString = process.env.DATABASE_URL;
 if (!connectionString) {
   throw new Error("DATABASE_URL is not set");