diff --git a/postgresql/cutover/test/pgha-dryrun.yaml b/postgresql/cutover/test/pgha-dryrun.yaml
index 1a252a0..7045b11 100644
--- a/postgresql/cutover/test/pgha-dryrun.yaml
+++ b/postgresql/cutover/test/pgha-dryrun.yaml
@@ -53,6 +53,18 @@
 # — Zalando's script itself is never patched or forked. This affects real
 # production too (superuser there is also PGadmin, not postgres) and must
 # be carried into the real staging/production compose files as well.
+#
+# NOTE: the placeholder "postgres" role created by the wrapper above must
+# be a genuine SUPERUSER (not just exist) — confirmed by tracing the
+# failure past the ALTER VIEW step: Spilo's post_init.sh unconditionally
+# cats and pipes in Zalando's own _zmon_schema.dump, whose first lines are
+# "RESET ROLE; SET ROLE TO postgres;" followed by
+# "CREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS plpython3u", which requires superuser
+# privileges. A plain NOLOGIN role satisfies SET ROLE (membership-based)
+# but not the subsequent superuser-only extension creation. Since the role
+# is NOLOGIN, granting SUPERUSER carries no real exposure — it can never be
+# used to establish a connection. This must also be carried into the real
+# staging/production compose files alongside the post_init override above.
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 version: "3.6"
 
@@ -173,7 +185,7 @@ services:
         cat > /scripts/post_init_wrapper.sh <<'WRAP'
         #!/bin/bash
         set -e
-        psql -d "$$2" -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -c 'DO $$do$$ BEGIN IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_catalog.pg_roles WHERE rolname = $$x$$postgres$$x$$) THEN CREATE ROLE postgres; END IF; END $$do$$;'
+        psql -d "$$2" -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -c 'DO $$do$$ BEGIN IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_catalog.pg_roles WHERE rolname = $$x$$postgres$$x$$) THEN CREATE ROLE postgres WITH SUPERUSER NOLOGIN; END IF; END $$do$$;'
         exec /scripts/post_init.sh "$$@"
         WRAP
         chmod +x /scripts/post_init_wrapper.sh
@@ -222,7 +234,7 @@ services:
         cat > /scripts/post_init_wrapper.sh <<'WRAP'
         #!/bin/bash
         set -e
-        psql -d "$$2" -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -c 'DO $$do$$ BEGIN IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_catalog.pg_roles WHERE rolname = $$x$$postgres$$x$$) THEN CREATE ROLE postgres; END IF; END $$do$$;'
+        psql -d "$$2" -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -c 'DO $$do$$ BEGIN IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_catalog.pg_roles WHERE rolname = $$x$$postgres$$x$$) THEN CREATE ROLE postgres WITH SUPERUSER NOLOGIN; END IF; END $$do$$;'
         exec /scripts/post_init.sh "$$@"
         WRAP
         chmod +x /scripts/post_init_wrapper.sh