lib/PublicInbox/HTTP.pm        | 5 ++++-
 lib/PublicInbox/HTTPD/Async.pm | 4 +++-

diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/HTTP.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/HTTP.pm
index fcbd758af2d75dc7baf56fbc63e31b0fdd0a6017..6df1c3fc566aebf1688fd3f1665542297279a684 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/HTTP.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/HTTP.pm
@@ -265,10 +265,13 @@ 	weaken($self);
 	my $pull = $self->{pull} = sub {
 		local $/ = \8192;
 		my $forward = $self->{forward};
+		# limit our own running time for fairness with other
+		# clients and to avoid buffering too much:
+		my $n = 100;
 		while ($forward && defined(my $buf = $forward->getline)) {
 			$write->($buf);
 			last if $self->{closed};
-			if ($self->{write_buf_size}) {
+			if ((--$n) <= 0 || $self->{write_buf_size}) {
 				$self->write($self->{pull});
 				return;
 			}
diff --git a/lib/PublicInbox/HTTPD/Async.pm b/lib/PublicInbox/HTTPD/Async.pm
index add07ce481b86e2a755aa0eb52b67628201b30a8..fadf2d3abb9aaf6fe63f7c27cf5e68f567a318ab 100644
--- a/lib/PublicInbox/HTTPD/Async.pm
+++ b/lib/PublicInbox/HTTPD/Async.pm
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ 			if ($io->{write_buf_size}) {
 				$self->watch_read(0);
 				$io->write($restart_read); # D::S::write
 			}
-			return; # stay in watch_read
+			# stay in watch_read, but let other clients
+			# get some work done, too.
+			return;
 		} elsif (!defined $r) {
 			return if $!{EAGAIN} || $!{EINTR};
 		}