diff --git a/edb/pgsql/resolver/command.py b/edb/pgsql/resolver/command.py
index fdeb7e2487c..f788072ea29 100644
--- a/edb/pgsql/resolver/command.py
+++ b/edb/pgsql/resolver/command.py
@@ -1418,7 +1418,7 @@ def _compile_uncompiled_dml(
             make_globals_empty=True,  # TODO: globals in SQL
             singletons=singletons,
             anchors=anchors,
-            allow_user_specified_id=True,  # TODO: should this be enabled?
+            allow_user_specified_id=ctx.options.allow_user_specified_id,
         )
         ir_stmt = qlcompiler.compile_ast_to_ir(
             ql_stmt,
diff --git a/edb/pgsql/resolver/context.py b/edb/pgsql/resolver/context.py
index bcbad03398c..f5c8d8bd293 100644
--- a/edb/pgsql/resolver/context.py
+++ b/edb/pgsql/resolver/context.py
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
 from edb.schema import pointers as s_pointers
 
 
-@dataclass(frozen=True)
+@dataclass(frozen=True, kw_only=True, repr=False, match_args=False)
 class Options:
     current_database: str
 
@@ -43,7 +43,10 @@ class Options:
     current_query: str
 
     # schemas that will be searched when idents don't have an explicit one
-    search_path: Sequence[str] = ("public",)
+    search_path: Sequence[str]
+
+    # allow setting id in inserts
+    allow_user_specified_id: bool
 
 
 @dataclass(kw_only=True)
diff --git a/edb/server/compiler/compiler.py b/edb/server/compiler/compiler.py
index b6ce3d3346a..584e7d2f08b 100644
--- a/edb/server/compiler/compiler.py
+++ b/edb/server/compiler/compiler.py
@@ -561,18 +561,30 @@ def parse_search_path(search_path_str: str) -> list[str]:
         def translate_query(
             stmt: pgast.Base
         ) -> Tuple[pg_codegen.SQLSource, Optional[dbstate.CommandCompleteTag]]:
-            args = {}
+
+            search_path: Sequence[str] = ("public",)
+            allow_user_specified_id: bool = False
+
+            try:
+                sp = tx_state.get("search_path")
+            except KeyError:
+                sp = None
+            if isinstance(sp, str):
+                search_path = parse_search_path(sp)
+
             try:
-                search_path = tx_state.get("search_path")
+                allow_id = tx_state.get("allow_user_specified_id")
             except KeyError:
-                search_path = None
-            if isinstance(search_path, str):
-                args['search_path'] = parse_search_path(search_path)
+                allow_id = None
+            if isinstance(allow_id, str):
+                allow_user_specified_id = bool(allow_id)
+
             options = pg_resolver.Options(
                 current_user=current_user,
                 current_database=current_database,
                 current_query=query_str,
-                **args
+                search_path=search_path,
+                allow_user_specified_id=allow_user_specified_id
             )
             resolved, complete_tag = pg_resolver.resolve(
                 stmt, schema, options
@@ -602,6 +614,7 @@ def compute_stmt_name(text: str) -> str:
         # frontend-only settings (key) and their mutability (value)
         fe_settings_mutable = {
             'search_path': True,
+            'allow_user_specified_id': True,
             'server_version': False,
             'server_version_num': False,
         }
diff --git a/tests/test_sql_dml.py b/tests/test_sql_dml.py
index 98fd9a40917..c4feb7b1df8 100644
--- a/tests/test_sql_dml.py
+++ b/tests/test_sql_dml.py
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ async def test_sql_dml_insert_02(self):
         # when columns are not specified, all columns are expected,
         # in alphabetical order:
         # id, __type__, owner, title
+
+        await self.scon.execute("SET LOCAL allow_user_specified_id TO TRUE")
         with self.assertRaisesRegex(
             asyncpg.DataError,
             "cannot assign to link '__type__': it is protected",
@@ -735,6 +737,8 @@ async def test_sql_dml_insert_34(self):
         id4 = uuid.uuid4()
         id5 = uuid.uuid4()
 
+        await self.scon.execute("SET LOCAL allow_user_specified_id TO TRUE")
+
         res = await self.squery_values(
             f'''
             INSERT INTO "Document" (id)
@@ -765,6 +769,30 @@ async def test_sql_dml_insert_34(self):
         )
         self.assertEqual(res, [[id5]])
 
+    async def test_sql_dml_insert_35(self):
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(
+            asyncpg.exceptions.DataError,
+            "cannot assign to property 'id'",
+        ):
+            res = await self.squery_values(
+                f'''
+                INSERT INTO "Document" (id) VALUES ($1) RETURNING id
+                ''',
+                uuid.uuid4(),
+            )
+
+        await self.scon.execute(
+            'SET LOCAL allow_user_specified_id TO TRUE'
+        )
+        id = uuid.uuid4()
+        res = await self.squery_values(
+            f'''
+            INSERT INTO "Document" (id) VALUES ($1) RETURNING id
+            ''',
+            id,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(res, [[id]])
+
     async def test_sql_dml_delete_01(self):
         # delete, inspect CommandComplete tag