| name | mx-space-remote-db-access |
| description | Access the remote mx-space PostgreSQL through ssh to the swarm host, then docker exec into the Postgres container and run psql inside the container. Use for inspecting tables, sampling rows, validating topic assignments, and performing guarded updates in the specific mx-space deployment pattern where direct host-level Postgres access is unreliable. |
mx-space Remote DB Access
Use this skill when inspecting or updating the remote mx-space PostgreSQL via the swarm host.
This deployment migrated MongoDB → PostgreSQL. Older notes referencing mongosh, collections, or camelCase fields are stale.
Deployment-specific facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|
| Database | mx_core |
| Role | mx — postgres role does not exist |
| Container name pattern | mx-space-pg-* (dynamic swarm task suffix; resolve via grep '^mx-space-pg-') |
| In-container env | POSTGRES_USER / POSTGRES_PASSWORD / POSTGRES_DB already set, so psql -U mx -d mx_core works without PGPASSWORD |
| Host port forwarding | unreliable in this deployment — stay inside docker exec |
Quick start
PG_CONTAINER=$(ssh -p "$SSH_PORT" "$SSH_USER@$SSH_HOST" \
"docker ps --format '{{.Names}}' | grep '^mx-space-pg-' | head -1")
ssh -p "$SSH_PORT" "$SSH_USER@$SSH_HOST" \
"docker exec '$PG_CONTAINER' psql -U mx -d mx_core -c 'SELECT 1;'"
For multi-statement queries pipe through docker exec -i ... psql <<'EOF' ... EOF.
Table of Contents
Schema conventions worth remembering
- All id-shaped columns (
id, topic_id, ref_id, category_id) are text (snowflake / cuid) — quote them.
- Column names are snake_case. Don't paste old camelCase Mongo fields into SQL.
- Polymorphic refs use the
(ref_type, ref_id) pair (see comments, recentlies, drafts, ai_translations, search_documents).
Update rules
Writes only after explicit user approval. Filter every write with both a null guard (e.g. topic_id IS NULL) and an explicit id list, wrap in a transaction, and verify immediately after.
