I/O cost budget before autovacuum sleeps (-1 = use vacuum_cost_limit).
At a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Parameter | autovacuum_vacuum_cost_limit |
| Category | Autovacuum |
| Default | -1 |
| Value type | boolean / enum / numeric |
| Change scope | Reload (no restart) |
What it does
The accumulated cost at which an autovacuum worker pauses for autovacuum_vacuum_cost_delay. -1 inherits vacuum_cost_limit (200). The budget is shared across all workers.
How to apply a change
Takes effect on configuration reload (sighup context). Run SELECT pg_reload_conf(); or send SIGHUP — no restart needed.
Inspect the current value and source with SHOW autovacuum_vacuum_cost_limit; or SELECT name, setting, unit, context, source FROM pg_settings WHERE name = 'autovacuum_vacuum_cost_limit';.
Tuning guidance
Raise (e.g. 1000-2000) on fast storage to speed autovacuum; remember it is divided among active workers.