I can't confirm this, but have you tried :
SELECT set_config('autovacuum', 'off'', false);SELECT pg_reload_conf();
note: you must be a superuser for above
I'm hoping you meant "ALTER SYSTEM" instead of "set_config()"...
The documentation on these parameters is unclear: the only way to change the values is to edit postgresql.conf (or on the command line) but there is nothing said regarding whether pg_reload_conf() will work for them. I'd be surprised if it did...
If it does - and for other cases where you can, instead of set_config you could use "ALTER SYSTEM" and at least avoid having to manually edit the config file. When done simply:
ALTER SYSTEM RESET autovacuum; SELECT pg_reload_conf();
to get back to normal operation.
David J.
