diff --git a/src/cli/postgres.rs b/src/cli/postgres.rs
index e0a90b3..2f50505 100644
--- a/src/cli/postgres.rs
+++ b/src/cli/postgres.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ pub enum Postgres {
     /// Import a dump, in any format ahab can produce
     Import { path: PathBuf },
 
+    /// Open psql in the database container
+    Psql {
+        /// Arguments for psql itself
+        #[arg(trailing_var_arg = true, allow_hyphen_values = true)]
+        rest: Vec<String>,
+    },
+
     /// Dump via pg_dump, or pg_dumpall for a whole cluster
     Dump {
         path: PathBuf,
diff --git a/src/cmd/docker.rs b/src/cmd/docker.rs
index d1fbc10..b57d9b1 100644
--- a/src/cmd/docker.rs
+++ b/src/cmd/docker.rs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ use super::{Argv, Cmd};
 pub struct Exec {
     container: String,
     interactive: bool,
+    tty: bool,
     inner: Argv,
 }
 
@@ -12,10 +13,17 @@ impl Exec {
         Self {
             container: container.to_string(),
             interactive: false,
+            tty: false,
             inner,
         }
     }
 
+    // a terminal, for a command that is a shell rather than a pipe stage
+    pub fn tty(mut self, tty: bool) -> Self {
+        self.tty = tty;
+        self
+    }
+
     // keep stdin open, for a command that is fed a dump
     pub fn interactive(mut self) -> Self {
         self.interactive = true;
@@ -31,6 +39,10 @@ impl Cmd for Exec {
             argv = argv.arg("--interactive");
         }
 
+        if self.tty {
+            argv = argv.arg("--tty");
+        }
+
         argv.arg(&self.container).args(self.inner.words())
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/cmd/postgres.rs b/src/cmd/postgres.rs
index 4154496..74b9aea 100644
--- a/src/cmd/postgres.rs
+++ b/src/cmd/postgres.rs
@@ -82,11 +82,13 @@ impl Cmd for PgRestore<'_> {
     }
 }
 
-// reads a plain sql dump, of one database or of a whole cluster
+// reads a plain sql dump, or runs as the interactive shell it is
 pub struct Psql<'a> {
     username: &'a str,
     dbname: &'a str,
+    quiet: bool,
     atomic: bool,
+    rest: &'a [String],
 }
 
 impl<'a> Psql<'a> {
@@ -94,33 +96,51 @@ impl<'a> Psql<'a> {
         Self {
             username,
             dbname,
+            quiet: false,
             atomic: false,
+            rest: &[],
         }
     }
 
+    // say nothing and print no result rows, for a restore whose output is noise
+    pub fn quiet(mut self) -> Self {
+        self.quiet = true;
+        self
+    }
+
     // stop at the first error and undo the rest, which a cluster dump cannot do:
     // it connects to each database itself, and trips over roles already there
     pub fn atomic(mut self) -> Self {
         self.atomic = true;
         self
     }
+
+    // whatever the caller typed, for psql's own flags
+    pub fn args(mut self, rest: &'a [String]) -> Self {
+        self.rest = rest;
+        self
+    }
 }
 
 impl Cmd for Psql<'_> {
     fn argv(&self) -> Argv {
-        let argv = Argv::new("psql")
-            .arg("--quiet")
-            .flag("--output", "/dev/null")
+        let mut argv = Argv::new("psql");
+
+        if self.quiet {
+            argv = argv.arg("--quiet").flag("--output", "/dev/null");
+        }
+
+        argv = argv
             .flag("--username", self.username)
             .flag("--dbname", self.dbname);
 
         if self.atomic {
-            return argv
+            argv = argv
                 .flag("--variable", "ON_ERROR_STOP=1")
                 .arg("--single-transaction");
         }
 
-        argv
+        argv.args(self.rest)
     }
 }
 
@@ -208,13 +228,14 @@ mod tests {
     fn only_a_single_database_restore_stops_at_the_first_error() {
         assert!(
             Psql::new("u", "db")
+                .quiet()
                 .atomic()
                 .argv()
                 .quoted()
                 .ends_with("--variable 'ON_ERROR_STOP=1' --single-transaction")
         );
         assert_eq!(
-            Psql::new("u", "postgres").argv().quoted(),
+            Psql::new("u", "postgres").quiet().argv().quoted(),
             "psql --quiet --output /dev/null --username u --dbname postgres"
         );
     }
diff --git a/src/commands/postgres.rs b/src/commands/postgres.rs
index 8a5fe1a..17c11a5 100644
--- a/src/commands/postgres.rs
+++ b/src/commands/postgres.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ mod server;
 mod shape;
 
 use fs_err::File;
-use std::io::{self, Write};
+use std::io::{self, IsTerminal, Write};
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::process::Stdio;
 
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ use self::server::{Database, wait_until_ready, when_ready};
 use self::shape::{Dump, HEADER_LEN, Kind};
 use crate::cli::Format;
 use crate::cmd::{
-    Cmd, Cp, CreateDb, DropDb, Gunzip, Gzip, Head, PgDump, PgDumpAll, PgRestore, Rm, Start, Stop,
-    Up,
+    Cmd, Cp, CreateDb, DropDb, Gunzip, Gzip, Head, PgDump, PgDumpAll, PgRestore, Psql, Rm, Start,
+    Stop, Up,
 };
 use crate::ctx::Ctx;
 use crate::fsops::{remove_file, rename, suffixed};
@@ -202,6 +202,18 @@ pub fn import(ctx: &Ctx, file: &Path) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
+pub fn psql(ctx: &Ctx, rest: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
+    let db = Database::resolve(ctx)?;
+
+    // a terminal only if this one has one, so `psql -c ... | cat` still works
+    Psql::new(&db.user, &db.name)
+        .args(rest)
+        .in_container(&db.container)
+        .interactive()
+        .tty(io::stdin().is_terminal())
+        .replace(ctx)
+}
+
 pub fn dump(ctx: &Ctx, file: &Path, format: Format, gzip: bool) -> Result<()> {
     let db = Database::resolve(ctx)?;
 
diff --git a/src/commands/postgres/server.rs b/src/commands/postgres/server.rs
index 3d1a47d..7e840cd 100644
--- a/src/commands/postgres/server.rs
+++ b/src/commands/postgres/server.rs
@@ -42,8 +42,8 @@ impl Database {
     pub(super) fn restore_with(&self, kind: Kind) -> Box<dyn Cmd + '_> {
         match kind {
             Kind::Archive => Box::new(PgRestore::new(&self.user, &self.name)),
-            Kind::Sql => Box::new(Psql::new(&self.user, &self.name).atomic()),
-            Kind::Cluster => Box::new(Psql::new(&self.user, "postgres")),
+            Kind::Sql => Box::new(Psql::new(&self.user, &self.name).quiet().atomic()),
+            Kind::Cluster => Box::new(Psql::new(&self.user, "postgres").quiet()),
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index 34fa775..b374b37 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ fn run(ctx: &Ctx, command: cli::Commands) -> Result<ExitCode> {
         cli::Commands::Postgres { command } => {
             match command {
                 cli::Postgres::Import { path } => commands::postgres::import(ctx, &path),
+                cli::Postgres::Psql { rest } => commands::postgres::psql(ctx, &rest),
                 cli::Postgres::Dump { path, format, gzip } => {
                     commands::postgres::dump(ctx, &path, format, gzip)
                 }