# recovery_target_inclusive

> recovery_target_inclusive sets whether to include or exclude transaction with recovery target. It is a postmaster setting present in PG12–18; the latest recorded boot default is on.
---

> [!NOTE]
> **Fact — official short description:** “Sets whether to include or exclude transaction with recovery target.”

## Identity {#identity}

| Field | Value | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Type | `bool` | Upstream pg_settings type |
| Context | `postmaster` | Requires a server restart |
| Unit | — | Raw unit |
| Range | — | Raw limits in the last observed version |
| Enum values | — | — for non-enum types |
| Category | Write-Ahead Log / Recovery Target | Upstream classification |
| Latest boot value | `on` | on |
{.fields meta="-"}

## Lifecycle {#lifecycle}

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| First observed | PG12 |
| Present in | PG12–19 Beta 3 |
| Removed in | No |
| Introduction commit | [`2dedf4d9a899`](https://git.postgresql.org/gitweb/?p=postgresql.git;a=commit;h=2dedf4d9a899b36d1a8ed29be5efbd1b31a8fe85) — Integrate recovery.conf into postgresql.conf |
| Commit date | 2018-11-25 |
| Discussion | [thread 1](https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/flat/607741529606767@web3g.yandex.ru/) |

## Default history {#default-history}

| Versions | Raw `boot_val` | Unit | Human value |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| PG12–19 Beta 3 | `on` | — | on |
{.full-width caption="Measured PG9.0–19 Beta 3 boot defaults"}

## How it works {#mechanism}

Chooses which side of an exact recovery boundary is retained. The value is read when targeted recovery starts.

on stops just after and includes the target LSN, commit time, or XID; off stops just before and excludes it. The setting applies only to recovery_target_lsn, recovery_target_time, and recovery_target_xid.

It has no effect on immediate or named restore-point targets. Select the boundary from identified WAL/business evidence and validate recovered rows and transactions, not only the displayed timestamp or LSN.

## Tuning advice {#tuning-advice}

> [!TIP]
> **Advice.** These are workload-specific starting points and must be validated with measurements.

| Workload | Guidance |
| --- | --- |
| OLTP | This is not a steady-state performance knob. Set recovery_target_inclusive only on an isolated recovery instance after recording target evidence, base backup, timeline, and expected boundary; rehearse and require a second-person review. |
| OLAP | For a large restore, budget WAL replay and inspection time first. Validate the reached point read-only; do not let heavy analytical queries delay or contaminate the recovery decision. |
| Small nodes | Prefer a backup tool that generates a controlled recovery configuration. Never leave target settings in ordinary primary/standby templates, and clean up signal files and targets afterward. |
{.full-width}

## Pigsty {#pigsty}

Values use the fixed 8-vCPU, 32-GiB, 100-GiB SSD fixture and render the current Pigsty templates for PG19 Beta 3; 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 | — | — |
{.full-width}

> [!CAUTION]
> **Advice — pending human review.** Fact from the current Pigsty template projection: OLTP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; OLAP: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; CRIT: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified; TINY: PG12–19 Beta 3 unmodified. No Pigsty-specific rationale is inferred from an absent override.

## Common pitfalls {#common-pitfalls}

- Expecting it to affect immediate or named restore-point targets.
- Selecting on/off without identifying the exact boundary transaction or WAL record.
- Assuming equal timestamps imply one deterministic commit boundary.
- Validating only the reported replay position instead of recovered application data.
- Leaving the value in a reusable recovery template without documenting the intended side of the boundary.

## Related parameters {#related-parameters}

[`recovery_target_lsn`](/parameters/recovery-target-lsn/) · [`recovery_target_time`](/parameters/recovery-target-time/) · [`recovery_target_xid`](/parameters/recovery-target-xid/) · [`recovery_target_action`](/parameters/recovery-target-action/) · [`recovery_target_timeline`](/parameters/recovery-target-timeline/) · [`restore_command`](/parameters/restore-command/)

## References {#references}

- [PostgreSQL 19 Beta 3 — recovery_target_inclusive](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/runtime-config-wal.html#GUC-RECOVERY-TARGET-INCLUSIVE)
- [PostgreSQL 19 release notes](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/19/release-19.html)
- [Machine-readable GUC export](/data/guc.jsonl)