diff --git a/src/database/map/get.rs b/src/database/map/get.rs
index 72382e36..2f7df031 100644
--- a/src/database/map/get.rs
+++ b/src/database/map/get.rs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 use std::{convert::AsRef, fmt::Debug, future::Future, io::Write};
 
 use arrayvec::ArrayVec;
-use conduit::{err, implement, Result};
-use futures::future::ready;
+use conduit::{err, implement, utils::IterStream, Result};
+use futures::{future::ready, Stream};
 use rocksdb::DBPinnableSlice;
 use serde::Serialize;
 
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ where
 /// Fetch a value from the database into cache, returning a reference-handle
 /// asynchronously. The key is referenced directly to perform the query.
 #[implement(super::Map)]
+#[tracing::instrument(skip(self, key), fields(%self), level = "trace")]
 pub fn get<K>(&self, key: &K) -> impl Future<Output = Result<Handle<'_>>> + Send
 where
 	K: AsRef<[u8]> + ?Sized + Debug,
@@ -61,10 +62,9 @@ where
 /// The key is referenced directly to perform the query. This is a thread-
 /// blocking call.
 #[implement(super::Map)]
-#[tracing::instrument(skip(self, key), fields(%self), level = "trace")]
 pub fn get_blocking<K>(&self, key: &K) -> Result<Handle<'_>>
 where
-	K: AsRef<[u8]> + ?Sized + Debug,
+	K: AsRef<[u8]> + ?Sized,
 {
 	let res = self
 		.db
@@ -76,10 +76,19 @@ where
 
 #[implement(super::Map)]
 #[tracing::instrument(skip(self, keys), fields(%self), level = "trace")]
-pub fn get_batch_blocking<'a, I, K>(&self, keys: I) -> Vec<Result<Handle<'_>>>
+pub fn get_batch<'a, I, K>(&self, keys: I) -> impl Stream<Item = Result<Handle<'_>>>
 where
 	I: Iterator<Item = &'a K> + ExactSizeIterator + Send + Debug,
-	K: AsRef<[u8]> + Sized + Debug + 'a,
+	K: AsRef<[u8]> + Send + Sync + Sized + Debug + 'a,
+{
+	self.get_batch_blocking(keys).stream()
+}
+
+#[implement(super::Map)]
+pub fn get_batch_blocking<'a, I, K>(&self, keys: I) -> impl Iterator<Item = Result<Handle<'_>>>
+where
+	I: Iterator<Item = &'a K> + ExactSizeIterator + Send,
+	K: AsRef<[u8]> + Sized + 'a,
 {
 	// Optimization can be `true` if key vector is pre-sorted **by the column
 	// comparator**.
@@ -91,7 +100,6 @@ where
 		.batched_multi_get_cf_opt(&self.cf(), keys, SORTED, read_options)
 		.into_iter()
 		.map(into_result_handle)
-		.collect()
 }
 
 fn into_result_handle(result: RocksdbResult<'_>) -> Result<Handle<'_>> {
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/auth_chain/mod.rs b/src/service/rooms/auth_chain/mod.rs
index c22732c2..cabb6f0c 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/auth_chain/mod.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/auth_chain/mod.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use std::{
 };
 
 use conduit::{debug, debug_error, trace, utils::IterStream, validated, warn, Err, Result};
-use futures::Stream;
+use futures::{Stream, StreamExt};
 use ruma::{EventId, RoomId};
 
 use self::data::Data;
@@ -69,15 +69,15 @@ impl Service {
 		const BUCKET: BTreeSet<(u64, &EventId)> = BTreeSet::new();
 
 		let started = std::time::Instant::now();
-		let mut buckets = [BUCKET; NUM_BUCKETS];
-		for (i, &short) in self
+		let mut starting_ids = self
 			.services
 			.short
 			.multi_get_or_create_shorteventid(starting_events)
-			.await
-			.iter()
 			.enumerate()
-		{
+			.boxed();
+
+		let mut buckets = [BUCKET; NUM_BUCKETS];
+		while let Some((i, short)) = starting_ids.next().await {
 			let bucket: usize = short.try_into()?;
 			let bucket: usize = validated!(bucket % NUM_BUCKETS);
 			buckets[bucket].insert((short, starting_events[i]));
diff --git a/src/service/rooms/short/mod.rs b/src/service/rooms/short/mod.rs
index e8b00d9b..703df796 100644
--- a/src/service/rooms/short/mod.rs
+++ b/src/service/rooms/short/mod.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ use std::{mem::size_of_val, sync::Arc};
 pub use conduit::pdu::{ShortEventId, ShortId, ShortRoomId};
 use conduit::{err, implement, utils, Result};
 use database::{Deserialized, Map};
+use futures::{Stream, StreamExt};
 use ruma::{events::StateEventType, EventId, RoomId};
 
 use crate::{globals, Dep};
@@ -71,11 +72,12 @@ pub async fn get_or_create_shorteventid(&self, event_id: &EventId) -> ShortEvent
 }
 
 #[implement(Service)]
-pub async fn multi_get_or_create_shorteventid(&self, event_ids: &[&EventId]) -> Vec<ShortEventId> {
+pub fn multi_get_or_create_shorteventid<'a>(
+	&'a self, event_ids: &'a [&EventId],
+) -> impl Stream<Item = ShortEventId> + Send + 'a {
 	self.db
 		.eventid_shorteventid
-		.get_batch_blocking(event_ids.iter())
-		.into_iter()
+		.get_batch(event_ids.iter())
 		.enumerate()
 		.map(|(i, result)| match result {
 			Ok(ref short) => utils::u64_from_u8(short),
@@ -95,7 +97,6 @@ pub async fn multi_get_or_create_shorteventid(&self, event_ids: &[&EventId]) ->
 				short
 			},
 		})
-		.collect()
 }
 
 #[implement(Service)]
@@ -163,10 +164,10 @@ pub async fn multi_get_eventid_from_short(&self, shorteventid: &[ShortEventId])
 
 	self.db
 		.shorteventid_eventid
-		.get_batch_blocking(keys.iter())
-		.into_iter()
+		.get_batch(keys.iter())
 		.map(Deserialized::deserialized)
 		.collect()
+		.await
 }
 
 #[implement(Service)]