diff --git a/bin/vps b/bin/vps
index f204b72..4d244d5 100755
--- a/bin/vps
+++ b/bin/vps
@@ -706,6 +706,15 @@ cyclos:set_root_url() {
 export -f cyclos:set_root_url
 
 
+cyclos:unlock() {
+    local project_name="$1" dbname="$2" url="$3"
+
+    echo "delete from database_lock;" |
+        compose:psql "${project_name}" "${dbname}"
+}
+export -f cyclos:unlock
+
+
 compose:project_name() {
     if [ -z  "$PROJECT_NAME" ]; then
         PROJECT_NAME=$(compose --get-project-name) || {
@@ -1316,11 +1325,8 @@ EOF
         postgres:restore "$project_name" "$GZ_DUMP_LOCATION" "${cyclos_service}@${cyclos_database}" || exit 1
     ## ensure that the database is not locked
 
-    ## XXXvlab: 70 is uid of user postgres, this avoids the docker bug
-    ## but introduce hardwritten value
-    Wrap -d "check and remove database lock if any" <<EOF || exit 1
-         echo "delete from database_lock;" | compose:psql "${project_name}" "${cyclos_database}"
-EOF
+    Wrap -d "check and remove database lock if any" -- \
+         cyclos:unlock "${project_name}" "${cyclos_database}" || exit 1
 
     Wrap -d "set root url to '$url'" -- \
          cyclos:set_root_url "${project_name}" "${cyclos_database}" "${url}" || exit 1
@@ -1357,4 +1363,29 @@ cmdline.spec:cyclos:cmd:set-root-url:run() {
 }
 
 
+cmdline.spec.gnu unlock
+cmdline.spec:cyclos:cmd:unlock:run() {
+
+    : :optval: --database,-d      "Target database ('cyclos' if not specified)"
+    : :optval: --service,-s       "The cyclos service name (defaults to 'cyclos')"
+
+    local URL
+
+    cyclos_database=${opt_database:-cyclos}
+    cyclos_service="${opt_service:-cyclos}"
+    project_name=$(compose:project_name) || exit 1
+    container_id=$(compose:service:container_one "${project_name}" "${cyclos_service}") || exit 1
+
+    Wrap -d "stop ${DARKYELLOW}${cyclos_service}${NORMAL}'s container" -- \
+         docker stop "$container_id" || exit 1
+
+    Wrap -d "check and remove database lock if any" -- \
+         cyclos:unlock "${project_name}" "${cyclos_database}" || exit 1
+
+    Wrap -d "start ${DARKYELLOW}${cyclos_service}${NORMAL}'s container" -- \
+         docker start "${container_id}" || exit 1
+
+}
+
+
 cmdline::parse "$@"