--- title: "Release query results before they become a timeout" description: "A query can finish while its unread response still holds the connection." url: https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/release-query-results canonicalUrl: https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/release-query-results --- # Release query results before they become a timeout A query can finish while its unread response still holds the connection. ## How to choose an approach This technique currently has one documented company example. Validate its prerequisites, tradeoffs and original CI environment against your repository before adapting it. - **[Mastra](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/mastra#release-query-results)**: Use it when An integration step spends most of its time waiting after a query has already completed. Check before adopting: Keep query behavior and result validation. Profile connection lifetimes first. ## Apply this technique ````text Evaluate and apply this CI technique to my repository: Release query results before they become a timeout. A query can finish while its unread response still holds the connection. Read the technique and its source-backed company examples: https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/release-query-results.md Inspect this repository’s CI workflows, build and test commands, dependencies, and recent run timings. Identify where this technique applies and explain the expected benefit using this repository’s evidence. Measure a baseline from recent comparable runs: elapsed time, queue time, runner minutes and failures where available. If data is unavailable, say what cannot be measured. Compare relevant company approaches, checking prerequisites, platform differences and tradeoffs. Rank applicable options by evidence, fit and measurable opportunity; do not present company results as predictions for this repo. Recommend the smallest safe change, show what checks and fallback paths remain, and ASK ME WHICH CHANGE TO APPROVE BEFORE EDITING ANY FILES. Only after approval, work on a new feature branch, make one reversible change, and open a reviewable pull request. Never merge or push to a default or protected branch. Keep required checks, test coverage, deployment and release behavior intact. Validate the change and compare equivalent runs where possible; report limitations and what should be monitored after merge. ```` ## How Mastra used this technique Read what Mastra changed and follow the original sources. ### Mastra: Release query results before they become a timeout StarSling’s agent added result consumption to two ClickHouse initialization queries in Mastra, so each query releases its connection as soon as its result is read. Evidence: Source PR/commit evidence The PR reports five same-commit trials per arm: job median 530s to 298s, about 44% less elapsed time. ([Source](https://github.com/mastra-ai/mastra/pull/25613)) Use it when: An integration step spends most of its time waiting after a query has already completed. Before applying it: Keep query behavior and result validation. Profile connection lifetimes first. [Read more in the Mastra playbook](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/mastra#release-query-results) [Primary source](https://github.com/mastra-ai/mastra/pull/25613) ## CI optimization is continuous work. Apply this technique yourself, or use StarSling Runners for faster GitHub Actions and optional agent-driven optimization PRs, which teams on eligible paid plans can turn on. [Get self-improving CI](https://starsling.dev/products/runners) ## Related techniques ### [Build before starting the emulator](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/avoid-emulator-build-contention) Compile the app first, then boot the emulator and install the finished build. 1 implementation · 1 company (Stripe) ### [Install a pinned tool release](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/pin-small-tool-install) Download one pinned, checksummed release in shared setup and skip the per-worker package-manager upgrade. 1 implementation · 1 company (Stripe) ### [Reuse exact baseline analysis results](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/techniques/cache-baseline-results) Cache the default branch’s analysis result by revision, so each PR analyzes only its own side. 1 implementation · 1 company (Stripe) ## Company Playbooks ### [Anthropic](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/anthropic) Run only affected tests ### [DoorDash](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/doordash) Run build and test in parallel, sharded across CI agents ### [Linear](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/linear) Benchmark the same job on faster hardware ### [Mastra](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/mastra) StarSling runners for the slowest test workflow ### [OpenAI](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/openai) Rank CI fixes by the minutes they save ### [Ramp](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/ramp) Move a CPU-bound test suite to a faster CPU ### [Shopify](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/shopify) Let an agent iterate against one CI metric ### [Spotify](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/spotify) Build arm64 on native arm64 runners ### [Stripe](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/stripe) Run only the tests a change can reach ### [Uber](https://starsling.dev/ci-playbooks/uber) Build the merge-queue speculations most likely to be needed