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Originally from: tweet, LinkedIn post.

How to make "\e" work in psql on a new machine ("editor/nano/vi not found")

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Sometimes this happens, when you're attempting to edit a query in psql using the \e command:

nik=# \e
/usr/bin/sensible-editor: 20: editor: not found
/usr/bin/sensible-editor: 31: nano: not found
/usr/bin/sensible-editor: 20: nano-tiny: not found
/usr/bin/sensible-editor: 20: vi: not found
Couldn't find an editor!
Set the $EDITOR environment variable to your desired editor.

Setting the editor is simple (use nano or another editor you prefer):

\setenv PSQL_EDITOR vim

But if you work inside a container, or on a new machine, the desired editor might not yet be installed. You can install it without leaving psql, assuming that there are enough permissions to run installation. For example, inside a "standard" Postgres, Debian-based (sudo is not needed here):

nik=# \! apt update && apt install -y vim

👉 And then \e starts working!

To make this setting persistent, add this to ~/.bash_profile (or ~/.zprofile):

echo "export PSQL_EDITOR=vim" >> ~/.bash_profile
source ~/.bash_profile

For Windows, see this blog post by @PavloGolub.

Docs: https://postgresql.org/docs/current/app-psql.html