To direct queries to a specific cluster, [set the cluster at the role
level](/sql/alter-role) using the following SQL statement:

```sql
ALTER ROLE <your_user> SET CLUSTER = <custom_cluster>;
```

Replace `<your_user>` with the name of your Materialize role and `<custom_cluster>` with the name of the cluster you want to use.

Once set, all new sessions for that user will automatically run in the specified
cluster, eliminating the need to manually specify it in each query or
connection.