# "The endpoint ID is not specified": diagnose and fix
## Symptom
`ERROR: The endpoint ID is not specified` on connect, from older or native Postgres clients.
## Cause
Neon routes connections using Server Name Indication (SNI): the endpoint ID is the first part of the hostname. Old `libpq`-based clients (some psql builds, Java tools on pgJDBC, old drivers) were built without SNI support, so Neon cannot tell which endpoint you want.
## Confirm
1. The failing client is old or a native tool (DBeaver/DataGrip/CLion on pgJDBC are called out in the docs).
2. Modern clients with the same string connect fine.
## Fix (either)
- Upgrade the Postgres client library for SNI support (preferred).
- Or pass the endpoint ID explicitly as a connection parameter: `options=endpoint%3D[endpoint-id]` (the endpoint ID is the first part of the hostname).
## Verify
The old client connects; new clients were already fine, confirming it was SNI, not credentials.