---
title: Setup your pgvectorscale developer environment | Tiger Data Docs
description: You build pgvectorscale from source, then integrate the extension into each database in your PostgreSQL environment.
---

# Setup your pgvectorscale developer environment

You build pgvectorscale from source, then integrate the extension into each database in your PostgreSQL environment.

## pgvectorscale prerequisites

To create a pgvectorscale developer environment, you need the following on your local machine:

- [PostgreSQL v16](https://docs.timescale.com/self-hosted/latest/install/installation-linux/#install-and-configure-timescaledb-on-postgresql)

- [pgvector](https://github.com/pgvector/pgvector/blob/master/README.md)

- Development packages:

  ```
  sudo apt-get install make gcc pkg-config clang postgresql-server-dev-16 libssl-dev
  ```

- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/):

  Terminal window

  ```
  curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
  ```

## Build and install pgvectorscale on your database

1. In Terminal, clone this repository and switch to the extension subdirectory:

   Terminal window

   ```
   git clone https://github.com/timescale/pgvectorscale && \
   cd pgvectorscale/pgvectorscale
   ```

2. Install [Cargo-pgrx](https://lib.rs/crates/cargo-pgrx):

   Terminal window

   ```
   cargo install --locked cargo-pgrx --version $(cargo metadata --format-version 1 | jq -r '.packages[] | select(.name == "pgrx") | .version')
   ```

   You must reinstall cargo-pgrx whenever you update Rust, cargo-pgrx must be built with the same compiler as pgvectorscale.

3. Initialize the pgrx development environment:

Terminal window

```
cargo pgrx init --pg16 pg_config
```

1. Build pgvectorscale:

   Terminal window

   ```
   cargo pgrx install --release
   ```

   If the destination folder requires elevated permissions, use the `--sudo` flag:

   Terminal window

   ```
   cargo pgrx install --sudo --release
   ```

2. Connect to the database:

   Terminal window

   ```
   psql -d "postgres://<username>@<password>:<port>/<database-name>"
   ```

3. Add pgvectorscale to your database:

   ```
   CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS vectorscale CASCADE;
   ```

# Troubleshooting

## MacOS: fatal error: ‘stdio.h’ file not found

Make sure you have the command line tools:

Terminal window

```
xcode-select --install
```

If the error persists try setting explicitly the `SDKROOT` environment variable:

Terminal window

```
export SDKROOT=$(xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-path)
```

Make sure the variable was set:

Terminal window

```
$ env | grep SDKROOT
SDKROOT=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX.sdk
```

## Permission denied while installing the extension artifacts

If the PostgreSQL directory where the extension needs to be installed requires elevated permissions (for example, when using MacOS PostgreSQL that installs in the `/Applications` folder, or when installing from a package manager that uses a system directory), you need to use the pgrx `--sudo` flag:

Terminal window

```
cargo pgrx install --sudo --release
```