Catch dangerous PostgreSQL migration patterns before they reach production — right inside VS Code.

A DROP TABLE in production is irreversible. A TRUNCATE clears your entire table with no rollback. A migration without a transaction leaves your database half-broken. Migration Checker catches all of these before they ever leave your machine.

Features

🔴 Real-time SQL diagnostics — red and yellow underlines as you type, no manual scan needed
🛡️ Git protection — block dangerous migrations at git add, git commit, and git push
⚡ CLI tool — run checks in CI/CD pipelines or from your terminal
⚙️ Configurable rules — tune severity per rule via .migrationrc.json

Built-in Rules

Rules apply to two file types, detected automatically from the filename:

Schema migrations — <yyyymmddhhmmss>_<crud>_<object_type>_<schema>_<name>.sql
Seed data — <schema_name>.<table_name>.sql

Destructive Operation Rules

Rule	Default Severity	Applies To	What It Catches
`no-drop-table`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`DROP TABLE`, `DROP INDEX`, `DROP SCHEMA`, `DROP COLUMN` and similar destructive statements
`no-truncate`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`TRUNCATE` statements — irreversibly clears all rows

Schema Safety Rules

Rule	Default Severity	Applies To	What It Catches
`require-timestamp-with-timezone`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`TIMESTAMP` without `WITH TIME ZONE` — use `TIMESTAMPTZ` to prevent silent data corruption
`require-if-not-exists`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	`CREATE TABLE` or `CREATE INDEX` missing `IF NOT EXISTS` — prevents errors on re-runs
`no-create-index-without-concurrently`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	`CREATE INDEX` without `CONCURRENTLY` — locks the table and blocks reads/writes in production
`no-rename-column`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	`ALTER TABLE ... RENAME COLUMN` — breaks existing queries and application code
`no-set-not-null`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	`ALTER TABLE ... SET NOT NULL` — causes a full table scan and lock on large tables
`no-text-datatype`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	Columns defined as `TEXT` — use `VARCHAR(n)` with an explicit length instead
`require-datetime-columns-format`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	Date/time columns not following the required format convention

Standards & Convention Rules

Rule	Default Severity	Applies To	What It Catches
`require-audit-columns`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	`CREATE TABLE` missing `created_at`, `updated_at`, `created_by`, `updated_by`
`require-operational-is-active`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`OPERATIONAL` tables missing `is_active BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT TRUE` for soft delete support
`require-table-comments`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`CREATE TABLE` without a `COMMENT ON TABLE` statement
`require-column-comments`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	Columns missing `COMMENT ON COLUMN` statements
`no-raw-password-column`	⚠️ Warning	Schema migration	Columns named `password` or similar storing plain-text passwords

Migration Structure Rules

Rule	Default Severity	Applies To	What It Catches
`require-migrate-up-down`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	Missing `-- migrate:up` marker or missing protected `-- migrate:down` section with rollback-disabled comment
`require-valid-sql-file-name`	🔴 Error	All files	Filename does not match the required naming convention for schema migrations or seed data
`require-alter-table-separate-migration`	🔴 Error	Schema migration	`ALTER TABLE` and `CREATE TABLE` combined in the same file — each must be its own migration

Seed Data Rules

Rule	Default Severity	Applies To	What It Catches
`require-merge-md5-hash`	⚠️ Warning	Seed data	`MERGE` or `INSERT ... ON CONFLICT` scripts not using `md5()` for row matching, or missing audit columns

All rules are configurable. Set any rule to "error", "warning", "info", or "off" to disable it entirely.

Real-Time SQL Diagnostics

Migration Checker automatically activates on .sql files. As you edit, risky patterns are underlined instantly in the editor — no need to run a command or save the file first.

Hover over any underline to see:

What the rule is
Why it's dangerous
How to fix it

Git Protection

Install hooks once and migrations are checked at every stage of your Git workflow.

# From the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):
Migration Checker: Install Git Protection

Or via the CLI:

migration-checker --install-hooks          # pre-commit + pre-push hooks
migration-checker --install-git-wrapper    # also block git add (optional)
source ~/.bashrc                           # activate the git add wrapper

Once installed:

Stage	Protection
`git add`	Shell wrapper blocks staging dangerous SQL (optional)
`git commit`	Pre-commit hook scans staged `.sql` files
`git push`	Pre-push hook runs a final scan before code leaves your machine

If a dangerous pattern is found, the operation is blocked with a clear error message showing the file, line, and rule that failed.

CLI Usage

Run Migration Checker from the terminal or integrate it into your CI/CD pipeline.

# Check a specific file
migration-checker file.sql

# Check multiple files
migration-checker migrations/*.sql

# Check only staged SQL files (ideal for pre-commit)
migration-checker --staged

# Install Git hooks
migration-checker --install-hooks

# Install git add wrapper (optional, modifies shell profile)
migration-checker --install-git-wrapper

CI/CD Example (GitHub Actions)

- name: Check SQL migrations
  run: npx migration-checker migrations/*.sql

The CLI exits with code 1 if any errors are found, making it easy to fail a pipeline on dangerous migrations.

Configuration

Create a .migrationrc.json file in your project root to customise rule severity:

{
  "rules": {
    "no-drop-table": "error",
    "no-truncate": "error",
    "require-timestamp-with-timezone": "error",
    "require-if-not-exists": "warning",
    "no-create-index-without-concurrently": "warning",
    "no-rename-column": "warning",
    "no-set-not-null": "warning",
    "no-text-datatype": "warning",
    "require-datetime-columns-format": "error",
    "require-audit-columns": "warning",
    "require-operational-is-active": "error",
    "require-table-comments": "error",
    "require-column-comments": "warning",
    "no-raw-password-column": "warning",
    "require-migrate-up-down": "error",
    "require-valid-sql-file-name": "error",
    "require-alter-table-separate-migration": "error",
    "require-merge-md5-hash": "warning"
  },
  "dialect": "postgresql"
}

Severity levels

Value	Behaviour
`"error"`	Shown as red underline, blocks Git operations
`"warning"`	Shown as yellow underline, does not block
`"info"`	Shown as blue underline, informational only
`"off"`	Rule disabled entirely

Commands

Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and search for:

Command	Description
`Migration Checker: Run Migration Checks`	Manually scan the active SQL file
`Migration Checker: Install Git Protection`	Install pre-commit and pre-push hooks

Extension Settings

Setting	Default	Description
`migrationChecker.enabled`	`true`	Enable or disable the extension globally
`migrationChecker.gitProtection.autoInstall`	`false`	Auto-install Git hooks on activation (off by default)
`migrationChecker.gitProtection.includeGitAddWrapper`	`false`	Also install the git add shell wrapper
`migrationChecker.gitProtection.showNotifications`	`true`	Show notifications about Git protection status

Requirements

VS Code 1.85.0 or higher
Node.js (for CLI and Git hook usage)
PostgreSQL migration files with .sql extension

Why Migration Checker?

Most SQL mistakes are caught too late — during a code review, a staging deploy, or worse, in production. Migration Checker moves that safety check to the earliest possible moment: the second you write the code.

Without Migration Checker	With Migration Checker
`DROP TABLE` caught in production	Caught instantly in the editor
`CREATE INDEX` locks production table	Flagged — use `CONCURRENTLY` instead
Wrong timestamp type causes data loss	Flagged as an error on save
Plain-text password column goes unnoticed	Caught immediately as an error
Missing audit columns discovered in review	Warned about while writing the migration

License

MIT — see LICENSE for details.

Contributing & Issues

Contributors

Saurabh Rathore — [email protected]
Sachin Sonewane — [email protected]

Found a bug or want a new rule? Open an issue or pull request on the repository.

For rule requests, please include:

The SQL pattern you want detected
Why it's dangerous
A minimal example

Migration Checker