promote_trigger_file

promote_trigger_file specifies a file name whose presence ends recovery in the standby. It appears in the PG12–15 evidence matrix and was removed in PG16. PostgreSQL 16 removed the trigger-file mechanism; use pg_ctl promote or pg_promote() through the HA controller.

Note

Fact — official short description: “Specifies a file name whose presence ends recovery in the standby.”

Identity

Type , Valuestring: Upstream pg_settings type
Context , Valuesighup: Takes effect after configuration reload
Unit , Value—: Raw unit
Range , Value—: Raw limits in the last observed version
Enum values , Value—: — for non-enum types
Category , ValueReplication / Standby Servers: Upstream classification
Latest boot value , Value"": empty string

Lifecycle

Fact	Value
First observed	PG12
Present in	PG12–15
Removed in	PG16
Introduction commit	`2dedf4d9a899` — Integrate recovery.conf into postgresql.conf
Commit date	2018-11-25
Discussion	thread 1

Default history

Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults
Versions	Raw `boot_val`	Unit	Human value
PG12–15	`""`	—	empty string

How it works

Specifies a file name whose presence ends recovery in the standby. The parameter still exists in PG15 and is no longer recognized from PG16. PostgreSQL 16 removed the trigger-file mechanism; use pg_ctl promote or pg_promote() through the HA controller.

While present, the startup/recovery configuration watched for this path and promoted when the file appeared. File races, stale files, and shared-storage semantics made orchestration fragile; PostgreSQL 16 removed the setting.

Before upgrading, inspect hot_standby, hot_standby_feedback, max_standby_archive_delay, remove the old name from configuration, ALTER SYSTEM, role/database settings, and automation templates, and verify the replacement before starting PG16 or later.

Tuning advice

Tip

Advice. These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

Workload	Guidance
OLTP	Do not tune or continue emitting promote_trigger_file on PG16+. PostgreSQL 16 removed the trigger-file mechanism; use pg_ctl promote or pg_promote() through the HA controller. Scan every configuration layer and regression-test the application before upgrade.
OLAP	Use the same migration path as OLTP, and also verify long batches, standbys, or large-object/extension workflows; removal of the old switch does not promise identical legacy behavior.
Small nodes	Delete the obsolete setting and adopt the supported replacement directly; do not emulate legacy behavior in scripts without a demonstrated compatibility requirement.

Pigsty

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG15; this does not assert current Pigsty support for that historical or beta release.

Template	Effective value	Versus upstream boot	Source expression
OLTP	Unmodified	—	—
OLAP	Unmodified	—	—
CRIT	Unmodified	—	—
TINY	Unmodified	—	—

Caution

Advice — pending human review. Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG12–15 unmodified; OLAP: PG12–15 unmodified; CRIT: PG12–15 unmodified; TINY: PG12–15 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

Common pitfalls

Continuing to emit unknown parameter promote_trigger_file on PG16+.
Deleting only the setting name without migrating dependent application behavior.
Assuming the historical default equals the replacement mechanism’s default.
Missing stale entries in ALTER SYSTEM, role/database settings, or automation templates.

hot_standby · hot_standby_feedback · max_standby_archive_delay · max_standby_streaming_delay · primary_conninfo · primary_slot_name