diff --git a/cmd/palomar/main.go b/cmd/palomar/main.go
index b75e9a480..1b8641c79 100644
--- a/cmd/palomar/main.go
+++ b/cmd/palomar/main.go
@@ -120,6 +120,18 @@ var runCmd = &cli.Command{
 			Value:   ":3999",
 			EnvVars: []string{"PALOMAR_BIND"},
 		},
+		&cli.IntFlag{
+			Name:    "bgs-sync-rate-limit",
+			Usage:   "max repo sync (checkout) requests per second to upstream (BGS)",
+			Value:   8,
+			EnvVars: []string{"PALOMAR_BGS_SYNC_RATE_LIMIT"},
+		},
+		&cli.IntFlag{
+			Name:    "index-max-concurrency",
+			Usage:   "max number of concurrent index requests (HTTP POST) to search index",
+			Value:   20,
+			EnvVars: []string{"PALOMAR_INDEX_MAX_CONCURRENCY"},
+		},
 	},
 	Action: func(cctx *cli.Context) error {
 		logger := slog.New(slog.NewJSONHandler(os.Stdout, &slog.HandlerOptions{
@@ -146,17 +158,19 @@ var runCmd = &cli.Command{
 			TryAuthoritativeDNS:   true,
 			SkipDNSDomainSuffixes: []string{".bsky.social"},
 		}
-		dir := identity.NewCacheDirectory(&base, 50000, time.Hour*24, time.Minute*2)
+		dir := identity.NewCacheDirectory(&base, 200000, time.Hour*24, time.Minute*2)
 
 		srv, err := search.NewServer(
 			db,
 			escli,
 			&dir,
 			search.Config{
-				BGSHost:      cctx.String("atp-bgs-host"),
-				ProfileIndex: cctx.String("es-profile-index"),
-				PostIndex:    cctx.String("es-post-index"),
-				Logger:       logger,
+				BGSHost:             cctx.String("atp-bgs-host"),
+				ProfileIndex:        cctx.String("es-profile-index"),
+				PostIndex:           cctx.String("es-post-index"),
+				Logger:              logger,
+				BGSSyncRateLimit:    cctx.Int("bgs-sync-rate-limit"),
+				IndexMaxConcurrency: cctx.Int("index-max-concurrency"),
 			},
 		)
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/search/handlers.go b/search/handlers.go
index 5693ee3c0..6232da073 100644
--- a/search/handlers.go
+++ b/search/handlers.go
@@ -148,7 +148,6 @@ func (s *Server) SearchPosts(ctx context.Context, q string, offset, size int) (*
 	if len(posts) == size && (offset+size) < 10000 {
 		out.Cursor = fmt.Sprintf("%d", offset+size)
 	}
-	fmt.Println(resp.Hits.Total)
 	if resp.Hits.Total.Relation == "eq" {
 		out.HitsTotal = &resp.Hits.Total.Value
 	}
diff --git a/search/query.go b/search/query.go
index a51c820cf..0e346be6a 100644
--- a/search/query.go
+++ b/search/query.go
@@ -163,25 +163,17 @@ func DoSearchGeneric(ctx context.Context, escli *es.Client, index, q string) (*E
 }
 
 func doSearch(ctx context.Context, escli *es.Client, index string, query interface{}) (*EsSearchResponse, error) {
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	if err := json.NewEncoder(&buf).Encode(query); err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error encoding query: %s", err)
-	}
-
-	// re-marshal query as string for logging
-	if true {
-		bod, err := json.Marshal(query)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to serialize query: %w", err)
-		}
-		slog.Warn("sending query", "index", index, "query", string(bod))
+	b, err := json.Marshal(query)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to serialize query: %w", err)
 	}
+	slog.Warn("sending query", "index", index, "query", string(b))
 
 	// Perform the search request.
 	res, err := escli.Search(
 		escli.Search.WithContext(ctx),
 		escli.Search.WithIndex(index),
-		escli.Search.WithBody(&buf),
+		escli.Search.WithBody(bytes.NewBuffer(b)),
 	)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("search query error: %w", err)
diff --git a/search/server.go b/search/server.go
index 84001197f..8f7f60160 100644
--- a/search/server.go
+++ b/search/server.go
@@ -43,10 +43,12 @@ type LastSeq struct {
 }
 
 type Config struct {
-	BGSHost      string
-	ProfileIndex string
-	PostIndex    string
-	Logger       *slog.Logger
+	BGSHost             string
+	ProfileIndex        string
+	PostIndex           string
+	Logger              *slog.Logger
+	BGSSyncRateLimit    int
+	IndexMaxConcurrency int
 }
 
 func NewServer(db *gorm.DB, escli *es.Client, dir identity.Directory, config Config) (*Server, error) {
@@ -85,8 +87,16 @@ func NewServer(db *gorm.DB, escli *es.Client, dir identity.Directory, config Con
 
 	bfstore := backfill.NewGormstore(db)
 	opts := backfill.DefaultBackfillOptions()
-	opts.ParallelRecordCreates = 20
-	opts.SyncRequestsPerSecond = 8
+	if config.BGSSyncRateLimit > 0 {
+		opts.SyncRequestsPerSecond = config.BGSSyncRateLimit
+	} else {
+		opts.SyncRequestsPerSecond = 8
+	}
+	if config.IndexMaxConcurrency > 0 {
+		opts.ParallelRecordCreates = config.IndexMaxConcurrency
+	} else {
+		opts.ParallelRecordCreates = 20
+	}
 	opts.NSIDFilter = "app.bsky."
 	bf := backfill.NewBackfiller(
 		"search",