Supavisor connection error: FATAL: (EAUTHQUERY) unsupported or invalid secret format

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This is a copy of a troubleshooting article on Supabase's docs site. It may be missing some details from the original. View the original article.

If you are observing a FATAL: (EAUTHQUERY) unsupported or invalid secret format error when connecting to the Supavisor pooler (ports 5432 or 6543), it typically indicates an issue with the database role's credentials.

Why does this happen?

This error occurs when the custom Postgres role used for the connection has an expired VALID UNTIL timestamp. When a role is expired, the internal authentication query used by Supavisor returns a null password secret, which prevents the pooler from completing the SCRAM authentication process.

How to resolve this issue

You can verify and update the role's expiration status via the SQL editor:

1. Identify if the role has expired by running the following query:

   select rolname, rolvaliduntil, rolvaliduntil < now() as expired
   from pg_authid
   where rolname = 'example_role';

2. If the expired column returns true, update the role to extend or remove the expiration limit:

   ALTER ROLE example_role VALID UNTIL 'infinity';

3. Re-attempt the connection using your Supavisor connection string.

If the issue persists or the role is not expired, reach out to supabase.help for assistance.