Lost machine login-client and user admin PAT while migrating db, am I doomed?

I was just migrating my Zitadel PostgreSQL db from a Debian image to an Alpine image when I accidentally ran the compose file without attaching the volume. It overwrote the PAT file before I could back it up. All I have now is the SQL dump. Is there any way to rescue this situation?

Ask Inkeep•11/26/25, 1:27 AM

Hi @WuuBoLin, I'm an AI assistant for ZITADEL. While a team member reviews this question, I'll see if I can find relevant sources for your question.

Ask Inkeep•11/26/25, 1:27 AM

Answer

I wasn't able to find a direct answer, here are some relevant sources:

Database Configuration : Explains PostgreSQL configuration and the admin user requirements during installation, including how the admin user creates the zitadel user and database.
Why deploying zitadel needs POSTGRES ADMIN USER : Discusses that the admin user is only needed for the installation step and can be avoided by preparing the necessary requirements manually, including creating the zitadel user and database beforehand.

If you have your SQL dump with all the ZITADEL data intact, you should be able to restore it to your new PostgreSQL instance and then use start-from-setupstart-from-setup instead of start-from-initstart-from-init to avoid recreating the PAT files. However, the lost PAT files themselves cannot be recovered—you'll need to generate new ones through the ZITADEL console once you have access again.

Ask Inkeep•11/26/25, 1:27 AM

Feel free to tag @Ask Inkeep with additional questions.

AAsk Inkeep Empty message

Ask InkeepAPP•11/26/25, 4:15 AM

Got it. Tagging @Rajat for additional help.

WWuuBoLin I was just migrating my Zitadel PostgreSQL db from a Debian image to an Alpine i...

Rajat•11/26/25, 10:08 AM

hey @WuuBoLin welcome to the server

unfortunately you need PAT to do any operations via API, or else you cannot