How to fix P5002: This request timed out (Accelerate) in Prisma

PrismaINTERMEDIATEHIGH

The Prisma P5002 error occurs when a database query through Accelerate exceeds the global timeout limit (10 seconds for regular queries, 15 seconds for transactions). This typically happens due to insufficient database connections, slow queries, database resource constraints, or geographic latency. The fix involves increasing connection limits, optimizing queries, or adjusting timeouts.

What this error means

The P5002 error in Prisma Accelerate indicates that a database request could not complete within the configured timeout period. Prisma Accelerate is Prisma's global database proxy that provides connection pooling, caching, and performance optimization for database queries. When a query is sent through Accelerate, it has specific timeout thresholds: - **10 seconds** for standard queries - **15 seconds** for interactive transactions If the query execution time (including connection pool wait time, network latency, and actual query execution) exceeds these limits, Accelerate terminates the request and returns a P5002 error. This is a protective mechanism to prevent queries from hanging indefinitely and consuming resources. However, it can surface when your database is under load, your queries are inefficient, or your connection pool is exhausted.

How to fix "P5002: This request timed out (Accelerate)"

1Check the current connection pool configuration

First, verify how many database connections are currently configured in your Accelerate setup. The default connection limit is 10, which may be insufficient for high-traffic applications.

Review your database connection string or Accelerate configuration:

typescript

// In your Prisma schema (schema.prisma)
datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"  // or mysql, etc.
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
  // Default connection_limit is 10 if not specified
}

Check your DATABASE_URL environment variable for the connection_limit parameter:

bash

# Print your current DATABASE_URL to see connection settings
echo $DATABASE_URL

# Look for connection_limit in the URL, e.g.:
# prisma://user:[email protected]/?connection_limit=10

If using Accelerate with a proxy URL format:

env

# Accelerate connection string format
DATABASE_URL="prisma://[YOUR-ACCELERATE-API-KEY]@accelerate.prisma-data.net/?connection_limit=10"

If using direct database connection:

env

# Direct database connection (PostgreSQL example)
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database?connection_limit=10"

Document the current limit - you'll likely need to increase it.

2Increase the connection limit in your database configuration

Increase the connection_limit parameter based on your expected concurrent query load. A reasonable starting point is 2-3x your expected peak concurrent connections:

For Accelerate connections:

env

# Increase from default 10 to 30
DATABASE_URL="prisma://[YOUR-API-KEY]@accelerate.prisma-data.net/?connection_limit=30"

For PostgreSQL direct connections:

env

# Increase connection limit to 30
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database?connection_limit=30&schema=public"

For MySQL direct connections:

env

DATABASE_URL="mysql://user:password@host:3306/database?connection_limit=30"

Important considerations when increasing the limit:
- Your database server must support the number of connections you specify
- Check your database's max_connections setting:

PostgreSQL:

bash

# Connect to database and check max_connections
psql -c "SHOW max_connections;"

MySQL:

bash

# Check max_connections
mysql -e "SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'max_connections';"

- Reserve some connections for administrative tasks (leave 10-20% unused)
- Example: if your database allows 100 connections, set connection_limit to 80

After updating the environment variable:

bash

.env.local
# Updated with higher connection limit
DATABASE_URL="prisma://[YOUR-API-KEY]@accelerate.prisma-data.net/?connection_limit=30"

Restart your application for the new connection limit to take effect.

3Identify and optimize slow queries

Many P5002 timeouts occur because individual queries take too long. Use Prisma logging to identify problematic queries:

Enable query logging in your application:

typescript

import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';

const prisma = new PrismaClient({
  log: [
    { emit: 'stdout', level: 'query' },
    { emit: 'stdout', level: 'warn' },
    { emit: 'stdout', level: 'error' }
  ]
});

Or use the DEBUG environment variable:

bash

# See all Prisma queries
DEBUG=prisma* npm run dev

Look for queries taking more than a few seconds. Common optimization strategies:

Strategy 1: Use select to fetch only needed fields

Instead of:

typescript

// Slow - fetches all fields including large JSON/text columns
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: userId },
  include: { posts: true, comments: true, profile: true }
});

Use:

typescript

// Fast - only fetch needed fields
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: userId },
  select: {
    id: true,
    name: true,
    email: true,
    posts: {
      select: { id: true, title: true }
    }
  }
});

Strategy 2: Add pagination to large result sets

Instead of:

typescript

// Slow - fetches thousands of records
const allPosts = await prisma.post.findMany();

Use:

typescript

// Fast - fetch in pages
const posts = await prisma.post.findMany({
  take: 50,
  skip: (pageNumber - 1) * 50,
  orderBy: { createdAt: 'desc' }
});

Strategy 3: Use relations more efficiently

Instead of:

typescript

// N+1 query problem - very slow
const users = await prisma.user.findMany();
for (const user of users) {
  const posts = await prisma.post.findMany({
    where: { authorId: user.id }
  });
}

Use:

typescript

// Single efficient query
const users = await prisma.user.findMany({
  include: {
    posts: { select: { id: true, title: true } }
  }
});

Strategy 4: Ensure proper indexes on frequently queried columns

Add indexes in your Prisma schema:

prisma

model Post {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  title     String
  authorId  String   @db.Char(24)  // Add index for frequent lookups
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())

  @@index([authorId])  // Index for author queries
  @@index([createdAt]) // Index for date range queries
}

Push the migration:

bash

npx prisma migrate dev --name add-indexes

4Verify the database is responsive and awake

Sometimes databases enter sleep/idle mode (especially with managed services), causing initial requests to timeout while they wake up. Test your database connectivity:

Test direct database connection:

typescript

import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';

const prisma = new PrismaClient();

async function testDatabaseConnection() {
  try {
    const result = await prisma.$queryRaw`SELECT NOW()`;
    console.log('Database is responsive:', result);
    await prisma.$disconnect();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Database connection failed:', error);
    process.exit(1);
  }
}

testDatabaseConnection();

Run the test:

bash

npx ts-node test-connection.ts

If the database is frequently entering sleep mode:

1. Check if your database provider has idle timeout settings
2. Configure "keep-alive" by enabling connection pooling
3. Set up a scheduled task to ping the database every few minutes:

typescript

// Keep database awake by pinging every 5 minutes
setInterval(async () => {
  try {
    await prisma.$queryRaw`SELECT 1`;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Keep-alive ping failed:', error);
  }
}, 5 * 60 * 1000);

5Check for competing database queries and resource contention

High database load from other sources can cause P5002 timeouts. Monitor your database resource usage:

PostgreSQL - Check active connections and resource usage:

sql

-- View active connections
SELECT pid, usename, application_name, query, state
FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE state != 'idle';

-- View query performance
SELECT query, mean_time, calls
FROM pg_stat_statements
ORDER BY mean_time DESC
LIMIT 10;

MySQL - Check active connections:

sql

-- View active connections
SHOW PROCESSLIST;

-- Show running threads
SELECT * FROM information_schema.processlist WHERE COMMAND != 'Sleep';

Look for:
- Runaway queries (queries with very high mean_time)
- Long-running analytics or backup operations
- Other applications consuming connections
- Inefficient queries executed frequently

Solutions if high contention is found:

1. Kill long-running queries (carefully, during maintenance windows):

sql

-- PostgreSQL
SELECT pg_terminate_backend(pid) FROM pg_stat_activity
WHERE query LIKE '%expensive_operation%';

2. Schedule heavy operations during off-peak hours

3. Use read replicas for analytics queries:

typescript

// Separate read replica for reports
const readPrisma = new PrismaClient({
  datasources: {
    db: { url: process.env.DATABASE_READ_REPLICA_URL }
  }
});

// Run expensive queries on replica
const report = await readPrisma.orderHistory.findMany({
  where: { status: 'completed' }
});

6Implement connection pooling and request batching

For high-traffic applications, use connection pooling and batch multiple operations to reduce connection overhead:

Enable Prisma Accelerate with pooling (recommended):

Accelerate automatically handles connection pooling, but ensure it's configured:

env

# Use Accelerate URL format for automatic pooling
DATABASE_URL="prisma://[YOUR-API-KEY]@accelerate.prisma-data.net/?connection_limit=30"

Use PgBouncer for PostgreSQL (if not using Accelerate):

bash

# Install pgbouncer
sudo apt-get install pgbouncer

# Configure in pgbouncer.ini
[databases]
mydb = host=actual-db-host port=5432 dbname=mydb

[pgbouncer]
pool_mode = transaction
max_client_conn = 1000
default_pool_size = 25

Then connect through PgBouncer:

env

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@pgbouncer-host:6432/mydb?connection_limit=30"

Batch multiple operations into transactions:

Instead of:

typescript

// Inefficient - 10 separate queries, 10 connection checks
for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  await prisma.user.update({
    where: { id: userIds[i] },
    data: { status: 'active' }
  });
}

Use:

typescript

// Efficient - single transaction, single connection
await prisma.$transaction(
  userIds.map(id =>
    prisma.user.update({
      where: { id },
      data: { status: 'active' }
    })
  )
);

7Configure timeout handling and retry logic

As a last resort before contacting Prisma support, implement application-level timeout handling and exponential backoff retry logic:

Basic retry wrapper:

typescript

async function queryWithRetry<T>(
  operation: () => Promise<T>,
  maxRetries: number = 3,
  initialDelayMs: number = 100
): Promise<T> {
  for (let attempt = 0; attempt < maxRetries; attempt++) {
    try {
      return await operation();
    } catch (error) {
      if (
        attempt < maxRetries - 1 &&
        error.message?.includes('P5002')
      ) {
        const delayMs = initialDelayMs * Math.pow(2, attempt);
        console.log(`Attempt ${attempt + 1} failed, retrying in ${delayMs}ms`);
        await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, delayMs));
      } else {
        throw error;
      }
    }
  }
}

// Usage
const user = await queryWithRetry(() =>
  prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: userId } })
);

Implement per-request timeout:

typescript

async function queryWithTimeout<T>(
  operation: () => Promise<T>,
  timeoutMs: number = 8000  // Timeout before Accelerate's 10s limit
): Promise<T> {
  return Promise.race([
    operation(),
    new Promise<T>((_, reject) =>
      setTimeout(
        () => reject(new Error('Query timeout')),
        timeoutMs
      )
    )
  ]);
}

// Usage
try {
  const user = await queryWithTimeout(
    () => prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { id: userId } }),
    8000
  );
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Request timed out:', error);
  // Handle gracefully - show cached data, fallback, etc.
}

For interactive transactions with higher timeout:

Prisma interactive transactions have a 15-second timeout. If you need more time:

typescript

const result = await prisma.$transaction(
  async (tx) => {
    // Your transaction logic here
    const user = await tx.user.findUnique({ where: { id: 1 } });
    await tx.user.update({
      where: { id: 1 },
      data: { updated: true }
    });
    return user;
  },
  {
    maxWait: 5000,  // Max time to wait for lock
    timeout: 15000  // Transaction timeout (can't exceed 15s)
  }
);

Advanced notes

Accelerate-Specific Optimization:

Prisma Accelerate is a managed proxy that sits between your application and database. Unlike direct database connections, it has additional layers that can add latency:

1. Request routing through Accelerate infrastructure
2. Connection pooling in the proxy
3. Optional query result caching

For optimal performance with Accelerate:

typescript

// Use caching for frequently-read data
const cachedUser = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: userId },
  select: { id: true, name: true, email: true } // Smaller payload
});

Geographic Latency Considerations:

If your application and database are in different regions, network latency compounds the timeout issue. Request latency can easily add 50-200ms to every query. Solutions:

1. Deploy your application closer to the database region
2. Use database read replicas in your application's region
3. Cache frequently-accessed data using Redis or similar

typescript

// Cache layer example
import { createClient } from '@upstash/redis';

const redis = createClient({
  url: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL,
  token: process.env.UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN,
});

async function getUserCached(userId: string) {
  const cached = await redis.get(`user:${userId}`);
  if (cached) return JSON.parse(cached);

  const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({
    where: { id: userId }
  });

  await redis.setex(`user:${userId}`, 3600, JSON.stringify(user));
  return user;
}

Connection Pool Math:

A well-tuned connection pool should have:
- Minimum of 5 connections (development)
- For production: expected_concurrent_requests × 1.5
- Example: if you expect 20 concurrent requests, set connection_limit to 30

Monitor actual connection usage:

typescript

// Log connection pool stats periodically
setInterval(async () => {
  const result = await prisma.$queryRaw`
    SELECT count(*) as total_connections
    FROM pg_stat_activity
  `;
  console.log('Database connections in use:', result);
}, 60000);

When to Contact Prisma Support:

Contact [email protected] if:
1. You've increased connection_limit but still get P5002 errors
2. Your application has specific timeout requirements exceeding 10/15 seconds
3. You need guidance on capacity planning for your workload
4. You're experiencing intermittent P5002 errors despite all optimizations

How to fix P5002: This request timed out (Accelerate) in Prisma

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "P5002: This request timed out (Accelerate)"

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