Prisma P1001: Can't reach database server

Error: P1001: Can't reach database server at `db.xxxx.supabase.co:5432`

In one sentence: Prisma couldn't connect to your database: the URL, network, or connection mode is wrong.

What it means

P1001 is a network-level failure. Prisma never got to the point of logging in; it couldn't open a connection to the host and port in your `DATABASE_URL`.

Common causes

`DATABASE_URL` is missing, has a typo, or has an unescaped special character in the password (like @ or #).
The database is paused (free-tier Supabase projects pause after inactivity) or still starting.
Supabase's direct connection host is IPv6-only, and many networks and serverless hosts only support IPv4.
Serverless deployments need the pooled connection string instead of the direct one.

How to fix it

Check that the database is running in your provider's dashboard.
Copy the connection string fresh from the provider. URL-encode special characters in the password (e.g. @ becomes %40).
On Supabase, use the Connection Pooler (Supavisor) string for your app (`DATABASE_URL`, port 6543 with `?pgbouncer=true`) and the session/direct string for migrations (`DIRECT_URL`).

Example

datasource db {
  provider  = "postgresql"
  url       = env("DATABASE_URL")  // pooled, port 6543, ?pgbouncer=true
  directUrl = env("DIRECT_URL")    // for migrations
}

Prompt to paste into your AI tool

Prisma can't reach my database (P1001). Check DATABASE_URL formatting and password encoding, and configure a pooled DATABASE_URL plus DIRECT_URL for migrations.

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