diff --git a/nix/tools/dbmate-tool.sh.in b/nix/tools/dbmate-tool.sh.in
index 621912bec..1197228af 100644
--- a/nix/tools/dbmate-tool.sh.in
+++ b/nix/tools/dbmate-tool.sh.in
@@ -18,8 +18,9 @@ STAT_EXTENSION_SQL=@STAT_EXTENSION_SQL@
 
 # Start PostgreSQL using nix
 start_postgres() {
-    echo "Starting PostgreSQL..."
-    nix run "$FLAKE_URL#start-server" -- "$PSQL_VERSION" --skip-migrations --daemonize 
+    DATDIR=$(mktemp -d)
+    echo "Starting PostgreSQL in directory: $DATDIR"  # Create the DATDIR if it doesn't exist
+    nix run "$FLAKE_URL#start-server" -- "$PSQL_VERSION" --skip-migrations --daemonize --datdir "$DATDIR" 
     echo "PostgreSQL started."
 }
 
@@ -31,16 +32,15 @@ cleanup() {
     if pgrep -f "postgres" >/dev/null; then
         echo "Stopping PostgreSQL gracefully..."
         
-        # Use a more specific signal handling approach
-        pkill -15 -f "postgres"  # Send SIGTERM
+        # Use pg_ctl to stop PostgreSQL
+        pg_ctl -D "$DATDIR" stop
         
         # Wait a bit for graceful shutdown
         sleep 5
         
-        # If processes are still running, force kill
+        # Check if processes are still running
         if pgrep -f "postgres" >/dev/null; then
-            echo "Forcing PostgreSQL processes to stop..."
-            pkill -9 -f "postgres"  # Send SIGKILL if SIGTERM didn't work
+            echo "Warning: Some PostgreSQL processes could not be stopped gracefully."
         fi
     else
         echo "PostgreSQL is not running, skipping stop."
@@ -53,9 +53,6 @@ cleanup() {
     else
         echo "Cleanup completed successfully"
     fi
-
-    # Explicitly exit with 0 to prevent workflow failure
-    exit 0
 }
 
 
diff --git a/nix/tools/run-server.sh.in b/nix/tools/run-server.sh.in
index 22b1fb557..0586e010b 100644
--- a/nix/tools/run-server.sh.in
+++ b/nix/tools/run-server.sh.in
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ stop_postgres() {
 
 trap 'stop_postgres' SIGINT SIGTERM
 
-# Parse arguments
 # Parse arguments
 while [[ "$#" -gt 0 ]]; do
     case "$1" in
@@ -108,6 +107,15 @@ while [[ "$#" -gt 0 ]]; do
             print_help
             exit 0
             ;;
+        --datdir)
+            if [[ -n "$2" && ! "$2" =~ ^- ]]; then
+                DATDIR="$2"
+                shift 2
+            else
+                echo "Error: --datadir requires a directory path"
+                exit 1
+            fi
+            ;;
         *)
             if [[ "$1" =~ ^- ]]; then
                 echo "Unknown option: $1"
@@ -165,7 +173,9 @@ STAT_EXTENSION_SQL=@STAT_EXTENSION_SQL@
 MECAB_LIB=@MECAB_LIB@
 
 # Setup directories and locale settings
-DATDIR=$(mktemp -d)
+if [[ -z "$DATDIR" ]]; then
+    DATDIR=$(mktemp -d)
+fi
 LOCALE_ARCHIVE=@LOCALES@
 CURRENT_SYSTEM=@CURRENT_SYSTEM@