Removing the Whalesync database user

How to remove the Whalesync database user from your Supabase or Postgres project

When you connect Supabase to Whalesync, we create a dedicated database user in your project so we can read and write only the data you sync. If you stop using Whalesync and want your project fully cleaned up, this guide walks you through disconnecting and removing that user.

Which kind of connection do you have?

• Supabase (signed in with Supabase). Whalesync created a database user named whalesync_service_account_[ID]. Complete all three steps below to remove it.

• Postgres or Supabase connection string. You gave Whalesync a connection string for a user you created yourself, so there is no extra whalesync_service_account_[ID] user. Complete Step 1, then rotate or delete that database user on your side. You can stop after Step 1.

If you aren't sure which you have, open the Supabase SQL Editor and run:

select rolname from pg_roles where rolname like 'whalesync_service_account_%';

If it returns a row, you have the first kind and should complete all three steps. Copy the rolname returned by the query as it will be used in Step 3.

Step 1: Stop and delete your syncs

In Whalesync, stop and delete every sync that uses this Supabase project. Once no sync uses it, Whalesync no longer reads from or writes to your database.

Step 2: Revoke Whalesync's access in Supabase

In the Supabase dashboard, remove Whalesync's authorization so its access can't be reused:

1. Go to your Organization settings

2. Open OAuth Apps (sometimes shown under Integrations or Apps)

3. Find Whalesync and click Revoke

The exact labels move around in Supabase's dashboard. You're looking for the list of authorized third-party apps.

Step 3: Remove the Whalesync database user

In the Supabase dashboard, open the project that was connected to Whalesync, then open the SQL Editor from the left sidebar.

The whalesync_service_account_[ID] user is managed by the Whalesync integration, so a plain drop role is denied with 42501: permission denied. Supabase's supported way to remove it is to first hand the user over to your postgres role, then drop it.

Run these statements one at a time, replacing <role> with the exact user name and keeping the double quotes:

-- give your postgres role control of the user
grant "<role>" to postgres;

-- move anything it owns to postgres (usually nothing) and clear its access
reassign owned by "<role>" to postgres;
drop owned by "<role>";

-- remove the user
drop role "<role>";

Run the select from the top of this guide again to confirm the user is gone. It should return no rows.