diff --git a/documentor/FORK.md b/documentor/FORK.md
index 21fa288f99fc..da50d81c43b7 100644
--- a/documentor/FORK.md
+++ b/documentor/FORK.md
@@ -52,14 +52,15 @@ because those files still type-check against it.
 
 ## Settings
 
-| Setting                           | Meaning                                                                                                 |
-| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
-| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL`           | Required. A host that is not loopback must carry `sslmode=verify-full`                                  |
-| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_SCHEMA`        | The scope's schema, sent as the search path. 1 to 63 characters of `a-z`, `0-9`, `_`                    |
-| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_POOL_MAX`      | Connections per process, 1 to 100, default 4                                                            |
-| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_ROLE_PASSWORD` | Read by `db provision` when it has to create the role                                                   |
-| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_EPHEMERAL=1`   | Tests only: each database layer creates a schema `t_<32 hex>`, migrates it, and drops it when it closes |
-| `OPENCODE_TEST_DATABASE_URL`      | Tests only: a superuser on a Postgres 18 whose database collation is `C.UTF-8`                          |
+| Setting                            | Meaning                                                                                                                                        |
+| ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL`            | Required. A host that is not loopback must carry `sslmode=verify-full`, but for the one exception below                                        |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_PLAINTEXT_HOST` | `documentor-dev-agentstate` lets that host, DocuMentor's development Postgres, connect with `sslmode=disable`; any other value relaxes nothing |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_SCHEMA`         | The scope's schema, sent as the search path. 1 to 63 characters of `a-z`, `0-9`, `_`                                                           |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_POOL_MAX`       | Connections per process, 1 to 100, default 4                                                                                                   |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_ROLE_PASSWORD`  | Read by `db provision` when it has to create the role                                                                                          |
+| `OPENCODE_DATABASE_EPHEMERAL=1`    | Tests only: each database layer creates a schema `t_<32 hex>`, migrates it, and drops it when it closes                                        |
+| `OPENCODE_TEST_DATABASE_URL`       | Tests only: a superuser on a Postgres 18 whose database collation is `C.UTF-8`                                                                 |
 
 The database must use byte-order collation (`C`, `POSIX` or `C.UTF-8`).
 opencode pages by comparing text ids, and a locale collation reorders them.
diff --git a/packages/core/src/database/target.ts b/packages/core/src/database/target.ts
index 1a64bdd5e0c5..aeefe3cad3a7 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/database/target.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/database/target.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,23 @@ export interface Target {
 const LOOPBACK = new Set(["127.0.0.1", "localhost", "[::1]", "::1"])
 const IDENTIFIER = /^[a-z_][a-z0-9_]{0,62}$/
 
+/** DocuMentor's development Postgres on a dev host's Docker network; it holds development data only. */
+const DEV_PLAINTEXT_HOST = "documentor-dev-agentstate"
+
+/**
+ * A remote host is reached only over verified TLS, with one exception: the
+ * development Postgres, which has no certificate. The host is fixed here;
+ * OPENCODE_DATABASE_PLAINTEXT_HOST only switches the exception on, so no
+ * setting can downgrade another host. The URL must say `sslmode=disable` itself.
+ */
+function plaintextAllowed(url: URL, env: Record<string, string | undefined>): boolean {
+  return (
+    env.OPENCODE_DATABASE_PLAINTEXT_HOST?.trim() === DEV_PLAINTEXT_HOST &&
+    url.hostname === DEV_PLAINTEXT_HOST &&
+    url.searchParams.get("sslmode") === "disable"
+  )
+}
+
 /** Reads where this process connects. Throws `InvalidTargetError` naming the setting at fault. */
 export function read(env: Record<string, string | undefined> = process.env): Target {
   const address = env.OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL
@@ -27,7 +44,7 @@ export function read(env: Record<string, string | undefined> = process.env): Tar
       throw new InvalidTargetError("OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL is not a valid URL")
     }
   })()
-  if (!LOOPBACK.has(url.hostname) && url.searchParams.get("sslmode") !== "verify-full")
+  if (!LOOPBACK.has(url.hostname) && url.searchParams.get("sslmode") !== "verify-full" && !plaintextAllowed(url, env))
     throw new InvalidTargetError(
       `OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL names the remote host ${url.hostname} without sslmode=verify-full`,
     )
diff --git a/packages/core/test/pg/target.test.ts b/packages/core/test/pg/target.test.ts
index 9ebd43e65f4d..7a7bd6d0aa07 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/pg/target.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/pg/target.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,24 @@ describe("database target", () => {
       )
   })
 
+  test("accepts the development Postgres without TLS only where switched on, by name, with sslmode=disable", () => {
+    const dev = "postgresql://u@documentor-dev-agentstate:5432/db?sslmode=disable"
+    expect(() => read({ OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL: dev })).toThrow("sslmode=verify-full")
+    expect(
+      read({ OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL: dev, OPENCODE_DATABASE_PLAINTEXT_HOST: "documentor-dev-agentstate" }).url,
+    ).toContain("documentor-dev-agentstate")
+    // The switch names no host of its own choosing, and never relaxes the URL's own mode.
+    for (const [url, host] of [
+      ["postgresql://u@db.internal:5432/db?sslmode=disable", "db.internal"],
+      ["postgresql://u@db.internal:5432/db?sslmode=disable", "documentor-dev-agentstate"],
+      ["postgresql://u@documentor-dev-agentstate:5432/db", "documentor-dev-agentstate"],
+      ["postgresql://u@documentor-dev-agentstate:5432/db?sslmode=require", "documentor-dev-agentstate"],
+    ])
+      expect(() => read({ OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL: url, OPENCODE_DATABASE_PLAINTEXT_HOST: host })).toThrow(
+        "sslmode=verify-full",
+      )
+  })
+
   test("accepts a remote host with sslmode=verify-full", () => {
     expect(read({ OPENCODE_DATABASE_URL: "postgresql://u@db.internal:5432/db?sslmode=verify-full" }).url).toContain(
       "sslmode=verify-full",