diff --git a/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctl.rb b/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctl.rb
index ecb9df67ff..9da2800b90 100644
--- a/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctl.rb
+++ b/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctl.rb
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ class PgCtl < DbInterface
     run_psql("alter role #{@options[:msf_db_user]} with password '#{msf_pass}'")
     run_psql("alter role #{@options[:msftest_db_user]} with password '#{msftest_pass}'")
 
-    conn = PG.connect(host: '127.0.0.1', dbname: 'postgres', port: @options[:db_port], user: @options[:msf_db_user], password: msf_pass)
+    conn = PG.connect(host: @options[:db_host], dbname: 'postgres', port: @options[:db_port], user: @options[:msf_db_user], password: msf_pass)
     conn.exec("CREATE DATABASE #{@options[:msf_db_name]}")
     conn.exec("CREATE DATABASE #{@options[:msftest_db_name]}")
     conn.finish
diff --git a/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctlcluster.rb b/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctlcluster.rb
index 6d9b8835d3..7b269153c3 100644
--- a/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctlcluster.rb
+++ b/lib/msfdb_helpers/pg_ctlcluster.rb
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class PgCtlcluster < DbInterface
     run_psql("alter role #{@options[:msf_db_user]} with password '#{msf_pass}'")
     run_psql("alter role #{@options[:msftest_db_user]} with password '#{msftest_pass}'")
 
-    conn = PG.connect(host: '127.0.0.1', dbname: 'postgres', port: @options[:db_port], user: @options[:msf_db_user], password: msf_pass)
+    conn = PG.connect(host: @options[:db_host], dbname: 'postgres', port: @options[:db_port], user: @options[:msf_db_user], password: msf_pass)
     conn.exec("CREATE DATABASE #{@options[:msf_db_name]}")
     conn.exec("CREATE DATABASE #{@options[:msftest_db_name]}")
     conn.finish
diff --git a/lib/msfdb_helpers/standalone.rb b/lib/msfdb_helpers/standalone.rb
index 35b672d6f7..3f23c54aaf 100644
--- a/lib/msfdb_helpers/standalone.rb
+++ b/lib/msfdb_helpers/standalone.rb
@@ -2,12 +2,13 @@ require 'msfdb_helpers/db_interface'
 
 class Standalone < DbInterface
 
-  def initialize(options:, msf_pass:, msftest_pass:, db_conf:)
+  def initialize(options:, db_conf:, connection_string:)
     @options = options
-    @msf_pass = msf_pass
-    @msftest_pass = msftest_pass
     @db_conf = db_conf
-    @conn = PG.connect(host: '127.0.0.1', dbname: 'postgres', port: @options[:db_port], user: @options[:msf_db_admin_username], password: @options[:msf_db_admin_pass])
+    @conn = PG.connect(connection_string)
+    conninfo = @conn.conninfo_hash
+    @options[:db_port] = conninfo[:port]
+    @options[:db_host] = conninfo[:host]
     super(options)
   end
 
diff --git a/msfdb b/msfdb
index 561e95e77b..58ddc3f819 100755
--- a/msfdb
+++ b/msfdb
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ require 'msfenv'
     msf_db_user: 'msf',
     msftest_db_name: 'msftest',
     msftest_db_user: 'msftest',
+    db_host: '127.0.0.1',
     db_port: 5433,
     db_pool: 200,
     address: 'localhost',
@@ -223,7 +224,7 @@ def write_db_config
         database: #{@options[:msf_db_name]}
         username: #{@options[:msf_db_user]}
         password: #{@msf_pass}
-        host: 127.0.0.1
+        host: #{@options[:db_host]}
         port: #{@options[:db_port]}
         pool: #{@options[:db_pool]}
 
@@ -807,8 +808,8 @@ def parse_args(args)
       @options[:msf_db_admin_username] = p
     }
 
-    opts.on('--standalone', 'Use a pre-existing database cluster for initialization') {
-      @standalone = true
+    opts.on('--connection-string URI', 'Use a pre-existing database cluster for initialization') { |c|
+      @connection_string = c
     }
 
     opts.separator('')
@@ -989,8 +990,8 @@ if $PROGRAM_NAME == __FILE__
 
   update_db_port
 
-  if @standalone
-    @db_driver = Standalone.new(options: @options, msf_pass: @msf_pass, msftest_pass: @msftest_pass, db_conf: @db_conf)
+  if @connection_string
+    @db_driver = Standalone.new(options: @options, db_conf: @db_conf, connection_string: @connection_string)
   elsif installed?("pg_ctl") && has_requirements(PgCtl.requirements)
     @db_driver = PgCtl.new(db_path: @db, options: @options, localconf: @localconf, db_conf: @db_conf)
   elsif installed?("pg_ctlcluster") && has_requirements(PgCtlcluster.requirements)