diff --git a/scripts/dev.sh b/scripts/dev.sh
index ad02324..a665f17 100755
--- a/scripts/dev.sh
+++ b/scripts/dev.sh
@@ -65,6 +65,35 @@ postgres_host_port() {
   fi
 }
 
+database_url_targets_local_port() {
+  local database_url="$1"
+  local expected_port="$2"
+  local authority host_port port
+
+  case "$database_url" in
+    postgres://*|postgresql://*) ;;
+    *) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+
+  authority="${database_url#*://}"
+  authority="${authority%%/*}"
+  host_port="${authority##*@}"
+
+  case "$host_port" in
+    localhost|127.0.0.1|\[::1\])
+      port=5432
+      ;;
+    localhost:*|127.0.0.1:*|\[::1\]:*)
+      port="${host_port##*:}"
+      ;;
+    *)
+      return 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+
+  [[ "$port" == "$expected_port" ]]
+}
+
 stop_stale_api_processes() {
   local api_port="${HTTP_ADDR:-:8088}"
   api_port="${api_port##*:}"
@@ -109,12 +138,19 @@ stop_stale_api_processes() {
 
 database_url_was_configured=0
 pg_container_was_configured=0
+database_url_matches_container=0
 [[ -n "${AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_URL:-}" ]] && database_url_was_configured=1
 [[ -n "${AI_GATEWAY_PG_CONTAINER:-}" ]] && pg_container_was_configured=1
 
 postgres_container="$(find_postgres_container || true)"
+postgres_port=5432
 if [[ -n "$postgres_container" ]]; then
   export AI_GATEWAY_PG_CONTAINER="$postgres_container"
+  postgres_port="$(postgres_host_port "$postgres_container")"
+  if [[ "$database_url_was_configured" == "1" ]] \
+    && database_url_targets_local_port "$AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_URL" "$postgres_port"; then
+    database_url_matches_container=1
+  fi
 elif [[ "$pg_container_was_configured" == "1" ]]; then
   echo "[ai-gateway] configured PostgreSQL container is unavailable; using the database URL without Docker database creation" >&2
 fi
@@ -129,20 +165,24 @@ if [[ -z "${AI_GATEWAY_PG_PASSWORD:-}" && -n "$postgres_container" ]]; then
 fi
 export AI_GATEWAY_PG_PASSWORD="${AI_GATEWAY_PG_PASSWORD:-easyai2025}"
 export AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_NAME="${AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_NAME:-easyai_ai_gateway}"
-if [[ "$database_url_was_configured" == "0" ]]; then
-  postgres_port=5432
-  if [[ -n "$postgres_container" ]]; then
-    postgres_port="$(postgres_host_port "$postgres_container")"
-  fi
+if [[ "$database_url_was_configured" == "0" || "$database_url_matches_container" == "1" ]]; then
   export AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_URL="postgresql://${AI_GATEWAY_PG_USER}:${AI_GATEWAY_PG_PASSWORD}@localhost:${postgres_port}/${AI_GATEWAY_DATABASE_NAME}?sslmode=disable"
 fi
 
 echo "[ai-gateway] using configured local database connection (credentials redacted)"
+if [[ "$database_url_matches_container" == "1" ]]; then
+  echo "[ai-gateway] refreshed credentials from local PostgreSQL container: ${postgres_container}"
+fi
 
 if [[ "${AI_GATEWAY_SKIP_DB_CREATE:-}" == "1" ]]; then
   echo "[ai-gateway] skipping Docker database creation"
-elif [[ -n "$postgres_container" && ( "$database_url_was_configured" == "0" || "$pg_container_was_configured" == "1" ) ]]; then
+elif [[ -n "$postgres_container" \
+  && ( "$database_url_was_configured" == "0" \
+    || "$pg_container_was_configured" == "1" \
+    || "$database_url_matches_container" == "1" ) ]]; then
   scripts/create-database.sh
+elif [[ -n "$postgres_container" ]]; then
+  echo "[ai-gateway] preserving configured database URL; skipping Docker database creation"
 else
   echo "[ai-gateway] no matching Docker database container selected; skipping database creation"
 fi