diff --git a/components/electric/Makefile b/components/electric/Makefile
index 850f788fd4..efa0e4758f 100644
--- a/components/electric/Makefile
+++ b/components/electric/Makefile
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ export UID=$(shell id -u)
 export GID=$(shell id -g)
 
 stop_dev_env:
-	docker compose -f ${DC_CONFIG} down
+	docker compose -f ${DC_CONFIG} down --volumes
 
 DOCKER_PREFIX:=$(shell basename $(CURDIR))
 docker-pgsql-%:
diff --git a/components/electric/dev/compose.yaml b/components/electric/dev/compose.yaml
index 733f3e5039..c21f3bfdd8 100644
--- a/components/electric/dev/compose.yaml
+++ b/components/electric/dev/compose.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-# Run using `docker compose -f databases.yaml up`.
 version: "3.1"
+name: "electric_dev"
 
 services:
-  db_a:
+  postgres:
     image: postgres:14-alpine
     environment:
       POSTGRES_DB: electric
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension.ex
index 91eb4bd554..82f9eb7a80 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension.ex
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Postgres.Extension do
   """
 
   alias Electric.Postgres.{Schema, Schema.Proto, Extension.Functions, Extension.Migration}
+  alias Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client
   alias Electric.Utils
 
   require Logger
@@ -391,16 +392,13 @@ defmodule Electric.Postgres.Extension do
 
   defp ensure_transaction(conn, fun) when is_function(fun, 1) do
     case :epgsql.squery(conn, @is_transaction_sql) do
-      {:ok, _cols, [{"t"}]} ->
-        fun.(conn)
-
-      {:ok, _cols, [{"f"}]} ->
-        :epgsql.with_transaction(conn, fun)
+      {:ok, _cols, [{"t"}]} -> fun.(conn)
+      {:ok, _cols, [{"f"}]} -> Client.with_transaction(conn, fun)
     end
   end
 
   def create_schema(conn) do
-    ddl(conn, ~s|CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS "#{@schema}"|)
+    {:ok, [], []} = :epgsql.squery(conn, ~s|CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS "#{@schema}"|)
   end
 
   @create_migration_table_sql """
@@ -411,11 +409,13 @@ defmodule Electric.Postgres.Extension do
   """
 
   def create_migration_table(conn) do
-    ddl(conn, @create_migration_table_sql)
+    {:ok, [], []} = :epgsql.squery(conn, @create_migration_table_sql)
   end
 
   defp with_migration_lock(conn, fun) do
-    ddl(conn, "LOCK TABLE #{@migration_table} IN SHARE UPDATE EXCLUSIVE MODE")
+    {:ok, [], []} =
+      :epgsql.squery(conn, "LOCK TABLE #{@migration_table} IN SHARE UPDATE EXCLUSIVE MODE")
+
     fun.()
   end
 
@@ -426,14 +426,6 @@ defmodule Electric.Postgres.Extension do
     Enum.map(rows, fn {version} -> String.to_integer(version) end)
   end
 
-  defp ddl(conn, sql, _bind \\ []) do
-    case :epgsql.squery(conn, sql) do
-      {:ok, _count} -> conn
-      {:ok, _count, _cols, _rows} -> conn
-      {:ok, _cols, _rows} -> conn
-    end
-  end
-
   def migration_versions(module) when is_atom(module) do
     unless function_exported?(module, :migrations, 0),
       do: raise(ArgumentError, message: "Module #{module} does not have a migrations/0 function")
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension/schema_loader/epgsql.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension/schema_loader/epgsql.ex
index 2f97bbd288..5fe49fecb8 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension/schema_loader/epgsql.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/postgres/extension/schema_loader/epgsql.ex
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Postgres.Extension.SchemaLoader.Epgsql do
 
           :error ->
             conn_config
-            |> Connectors.get_connection_opts(replication: false)
+            |> Connectors.get_connection_opts()
             |> Electric.Utils.epgsql_config()
             |> :epgsql.connect()
         end
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/connectors.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/connectors.ex
index d22a4bd125..f93b90e858 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/connectors.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/connectors.ex
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.Connectors do
 
   @spec get_connection_opts(config()) :: connection_opts()
   def get_connection_opts(config, opts \\ []) do
-    replication? = Keyword.get(opts, :replication, true)
+    replication? = Keyword.get(opts, :replication, false)
 
     config
     |> Keyword.fetch!(:connection)
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/initial_sync.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/initial_sync.ex
index 5c156440da..d389731b72 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/initial_sync.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/initial_sync.ex
@@ -98,11 +98,12 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.InitialSync do
         connection: opts,
         telemetry_span: span
       ) do
-    Client.with_conn(Connectors.get_connection_opts(opts, replication: false), fn conn ->
+    Client.with_conn(Connectors.get_connection_opts(opts), fn conn ->
       origin = Connectors.origin(opts)
       {:ok, _, schema} = Extension.SchemaCache.load(origin)
 
-      :epgsql.with_transaction(
+      Client.with_transaction(
+        "ISOLATION LEVEL REPEATABLE READ READ ONLY",
         conn,
         fn conn ->
           # Do the magic write described in the function docs. It's important that this is
@@ -144,14 +145,14 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.InitialSync do
             results ->
               send(parent, {:subscription_data, subscription_id, results})
           end
-        end,
-        begin_opts: "ISOLATION LEVEL REPEATABLE READ READ ONLY"
+        end
       )
     end)
   end
 
   defp perform_magic_write(opts, subscription_id) do
-    Connectors.get_connection_opts(opts, replication: false)
+    opts
+    |> Connectors.get_connection_opts()
     |> Client.with_conn(
       &Extension.update_transaction_marker(&1, "subscription:" <> subscription_id)
     )
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/client.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/client.ex
index a2c478329c..9dd22c4c45 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/client.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/client.ex
@@ -53,6 +53,16 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client do
     end
   end
 
+  @doc """
+  Wrapper for :epgsql.with_transaction/3 that always sets `reraise` to `true` by default and makes `begin_opts` a
+  standalone function argument for easier code reading.
+  """
+  def with_transaction(mode \\ "", conn, fun, in_opts \\ [])
+      when is_binary(mode) and is_list(in_opts) do
+    opts = Keyword.merge([reraise: true, begin_opts: mode], in_opts)
+    :epgsql.with_transaction(conn, fun, opts)
+  end
+
   def close(conn) do
     :epgsql.close(conn)
   end
@@ -89,31 +99,6 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client do
     end
   end
 
-  @spec create_publication(connection(), publication(), :all | binary | [binary]) ::
-          {:ok, String.t()}
-  def create_publication(conn, name, :all) do
-    # squery(conn, "CREATE PUBLICATION #{name} FOR ALL TABLES")
-    create_publication(conn, name, "ALL TABLES")
-  end
-
-  def create_publication(conn, name, tables) when is_list(tables) do
-    # squery(conn, "CREATE PUBLICATION #{name} FOR TABLE t1, t2")
-    table_list =
-      tables
-      |> Enum.map(&~s|"#{&1}"|)
-      |> Enum.join(", ")
-
-    create_publication(conn, name, "TABLE #{table_list}")
-  end
-
-  def create_publication(conn, name, table_spec) when is_binary(table_spec) do
-    case squery(conn, ~s|CREATE PUBLICATION "#{name}" FOR #{table_spec}|) do
-      {:ok, _, _} -> {:ok, name}
-      # TODO: Verify that the publication has the correct tables
-      {:error, {_, _, _, :duplicate_object, _, _}} -> {:ok, name}
-    end
-  end
-
   defp squery(conn, query) do
     Logger.debug("#{__MODULE__}: #{query}")
     :epgsql.squery(conn, query)
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer.ex
index cbc47dc8f3..73ab15ccbd 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer.ex
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.Postgres.LogicalReplicationProducer do
   @impl true
   def init(conn_config) do
     origin = Connectors.origin(conn_config)
-    conn_opts = Connectors.get_connection_opts(conn_config)
+    conn_opts = Connectors.get_connection_opts(conn_config, replication: true)
     repl_opts = Connectors.get_replication_opts(conn_config)
 
     :gproc.reg(name(origin))
diff --git a/components/electric/lib/electric/satellite/ws_server.ex b/components/electric/lib/electric/satellite/ws_server.ex
index 516cb2071b..43967d2a44 100644
--- a/components/electric/lib/electric/satellite/ws_server.ex
+++ b/components/electric/lib/electric/satellite/ws_server.ex
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Satellite.WebsocketServer do
 
     def fetch_last_acked_client_lsn(state) do
       state.pg_connector_opts
-      |> Electric.Replication.Connectors.get_connection_opts(replication: false)
+      |> Electric.Replication.Connectors.get_connection_opts()
       |> Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client.with_conn(fn conn ->
         Electric.Postgres.Extension.fetch_last_acked_client_lsn(conn, state.client_id)
       end)
diff --git a/components/electric/test/electric/postgres_test.exs b/components/electric/test/electric/postgres_test.exs
index 57f94846bc..8856fd7fcb 100644
--- a/components/electric/test/electric/postgres_test.exs
+++ b/components/electric/test/electric/postgres_test.exs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ defmodule Electric.PostgresTest do
   use ExUnitProperties
 
   import Electric.Postgres.TestConnection
+  alias Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client
 
   setup do
     context = create_test_db()
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ defmodule Electric.PostgresTest do
     trace("> " <> sql <> ";")
     if sql_file, do: IO.write(sql_file, sql <> ";\n\n")
 
-    :epgsql.with_transaction(conn, fn tx ->
+    Client.with_transaction(conn, fn tx ->
       {:ok, _count, _rows} = :epgsql.squery(tx, sql <> ";")
     end)
 
diff --git a/components/electric/test/electric/replication/initial_sync_test.exs b/components/electric/test/electric/replication/initial_sync_test.exs
index 50953b7281..fa4d4e8fd1 100644
--- a/components/electric/test/electric/replication/initial_sync_test.exs
+++ b/components/electric/test/electric/replication/initial_sync_test.exs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.InitialSyncTest do
   alias Electric.Postgres.{CachedWal, Extension, Lsn}
   alias Electric.Replication.Changes.{NewRecord, Transaction}
   alias Electric.Replication.InitialSync
+  alias Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client
 
   @origin "initial-sync-test"
   @sleep_timeout 500
@@ -119,7 +120,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.InitialSyncTest do
   end
 
   defp electrify_table(conn, name, version) do
-    :epgsql.with_transaction(conn, fn tx_conn ->
+    Client.with_transaction(conn, fn tx_conn ->
       {:ok, [], []} = :epgsql.squery(tx_conn, "CALL electric.electrify('#{name}')")
 
       {:ok, [], []} =
diff --git a/components/electric/test/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer_test.exs b/components/electric/test/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer_test.exs
index 2ea6a47b63..84b3e59799 100644
--- a/components/electric/test/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer_test.exs
+++ b/components/electric/test/electric/replication/postgres/logical_replication_producer_test.exs
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ defmodule Electric.Replication.Postgres.LogicalReplicationProducerTest do
     {Connectors, [:passthrough],
      [
        get_replication_opts: fn _ -> %{publication: "mock_pub", slot: "mock_slot"} end,
-       get_connection_opts: fn _ -> %{} end
+       get_connection_opts: fn _, _ -> %{} end
      ]},
     {SchemaLoader, [:passthrough],
      [
diff --git a/components/electric/test/support/extension_case.ex b/components/electric/test/support/extension_case.ex
index 26ad72128d..e528ed0178 100644
--- a/components/electric/test/support/extension_case.ex
+++ b/components/electric/test/support/extension_case.ex
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 defmodule Electric.Extension.Case.Helpers do
   alias Electric.Postgres.Extension
 
+  alias Electric.Replication.Postgres.Client
   require ExUnit.Assertions
 
   @doc """
@@ -34,14 +35,10 @@ defmodule Electric.Extension.Case.Helpers do
 
   def tx(fun, cxt) do
     try do
-      :epgsql.with_transaction(
-        cxt.conn,
-        fn tx ->
-          fun.(tx)
-          raise RollbackError, message: "rollback"
-        end,
-        reraise: true
-      )
+      Client.with_transaction(cxt.conn, fn tx ->
+        fun.(tx)
+        raise RollbackError, message: "rollback"
+      end)
     rescue
       RollbackError -> :ok
     end