diff --git a/debian/postinst b/debian/postinst
index 19d453f7be..8a6cb3c7cf 100755
--- a/debian/postinst
+++ b/debian/postinst
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ case "$1" in
         echo "Reloading nginx configuration..."
         invoke-rc.d nginx reload
       fi
-    dbc_go gitlab "$@"
+    dbc_go $gitlab_user "$@"
     db_stop
 
     # enable the pg_trgm extension