diff --git a/crates/sprout-db/src/channel.rs b/crates/sprout-db/src/channel.rs
index 46b2cb5e1..dbf8f0310 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-db/src/channel.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-db/src/channel.rs
@@ -522,6 +522,32 @@ pub async fn get_members(pool: &PgPool, channel_id: Uuid) -> Result<Vec<MemberRe
     rows.into_iter().map(row_to_member_record).collect()
 }
 
+/// Returns active members for multiple channels in a single query.
+///
+/// Designed for small-batch use (e.g. DM participant resolution where each
+/// channel has 2-9 members). For large channel sets, consider pagination.
+/// Returns a flat `Vec<MemberRecord>` ordered by `joined_at`; callers should
+/// group by `channel_id` if per-channel access is needed.
+/// Returns an empty vec immediately when `channel_ids` is empty.
+pub async fn get_members_bulk(pool: &PgPool, channel_ids: &[Uuid]) -> Result<Vec<MemberRecord>> {
+    if channel_ids.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(Vec::new());
+    }
+    let rows = sqlx::query(
+        r#"
+        SELECT cm.channel_id, cm.pubkey, cm.role::text AS role, cm.joined_at, cm.invited_by, cm.removed_at
+        FROM channel_members cm
+        JOIN channels c ON cm.channel_id = c.id AND c.deleted_at IS NULL
+        WHERE cm.channel_id = ANY($1) AND cm.removed_at IS NULL
+        ORDER BY cm.joined_at ASC
+        "#,
+    )
+    .bind(channel_ids)
+    .fetch_all(pool)
+    .await?;
+    rows.into_iter().map(row_to_member_record).collect()
+}
+
 /// Get all channel IDs accessible to a pubkey.
 ///
 /// Includes channels where the pubkey is an active member AND all open channels.
diff --git a/crates/sprout-db/src/lib.rs b/crates/sprout-db/src/lib.rs
index 4063cf8a1..b9f1326a0 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-db/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-db/src/lib.rs
@@ -141,11 +141,14 @@ pub struct DbConfig {
 }
 
 impl Default for DbConfig {
+    /// Sized for a single relay pod against PG max_connections=100.
+    /// Staging measured 51 idle + 1 active out of 50 — most connections sat unused.
+    /// At 20 main + 5 audit = 25/pod, four relay pods fit within the PG limit.
     fn default() -> Self {
         Self {
             database_url: "postgres://sprout:sprout_dev@localhost:5432/sprout".to_string(),
-            max_connections: 50,
-            min_connections: 5,
+            max_connections: 20,
+            min_connections: 2,
             acquire_timeout_secs: 3,
             max_lifetime_secs: 1800,
             idle_timeout_secs: 600,
@@ -398,6 +401,14 @@ impl Db {
         channel::get_members(&self.pool, channel_id).await
     }
 
+    /// Returns active members for multiple channels in a single query.
+    pub async fn get_members_bulk(
+        &self,
+        channel_ids: &[Uuid],
+    ) -> Result<Vec<channel::MemberRecord>> {
+        channel::get_members_bulk(&self.pool, channel_ids).await
+    }
+
     /// Get all channel IDs accessible to a pubkey.
     pub async fn get_accessible_channel_ids(&self, pubkey: &[u8]) -> Result<Vec<Uuid>> {
         channel::get_accessible_channel_ids(&self.pool, pubkey).await
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/channels.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/channels.rs
index 1aceef693..2047c20ef 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/channels.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/channels.rs
@@ -64,12 +64,77 @@ pub async fn channels_handler(
         .await
         .unwrap_or_default();
 
+    // ── Batch DM participant resolution (2 queries total, not 2×N_DMs) ──
+    let dm_channel_ids: Vec<uuid::Uuid> = channels
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|ac| ac.channel.channel_type == "dm")
+        .map(|ac| ac.channel.id)
+        .collect();
+
+    // 1. One query: all members for all DM channels.
+    let all_dm_members = state
+        .db
+        .get_members_bulk(&dm_channel_ids)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+            tracing::error!("channels: failed to bulk-load DM members: {e}");
+            vec![]
+        });
+
+    // 2. Collect unique pubkeys across all DM members.
+    let unique_pubkeys: Vec<Vec<u8>> = {
+        let mut seen = std::collections::HashSet::new();
+        all_dm_members
+            .iter()
+            .filter(|m| seen.insert(m.pubkey.clone()))
+            .map(|m| m.pubkey.clone())
+            .collect()
+    };
+
+    // 3. One query: resolve display names for all unique pubkeys.
+    let user_records = state
+        .db
+        .get_users_bulk(&unique_pubkeys)
+        .await
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+            tracing::error!("channels: failed to bulk-load DM participant profiles: {e}");
+            vec![]
+        });
+    let user_map: HashMap<String, String> = user_records
+        .into_iter()
+        .filter_map(|u| {
+            let hex = nostr_hex::encode(&u.pubkey);
+            u.display_name.map(|name| (hex, name))
+        })
+        .collect();
+
+    // 4. Group members by channel_id for O(1) lookup.
+    let mut members_by_channel: HashMap<uuid::Uuid, Vec<&sprout_db::channel::MemberRecord>> =
+        HashMap::new();
+    for m in &all_dm_members {
+        members_by_channel.entry(m.channel_id).or_default().push(m);
+    }
+
     let mut result = Vec::with_capacity(channels.len());
 
     for ac in &channels {
         let ch = &ac.channel;
         let (participants, participant_pubkeys) = if ch.channel_type == "dm" {
-            resolve_dm_participants(&state, ch.id).await
+            let members = members_by_channel.get(&ch.id);
+            let mut names = Vec::new();
+            let mut pk_hexes = Vec::new();
+            if let Some(members) = members {
+                for m in members {
+                    let hex = nostr_hex::encode(&m.pubkey);
+                    let name = user_map
+                        .get(&hex)
+                        .cloned()
+                        .unwrap_or_else(|| hex[..8.min(hex.len())].to_string());
+                    names.push(name);
+                    pk_hexes.push(hex);
+                }
+            }
+            (names, pk_hexes)
         } else {
             (vec![], vec![])
         };
@@ -119,46 +184,3 @@ fn channel_record_to_json(
         "ttl_deadline": channel.ttl_deadline.map(|t| t.to_rfc3339()),
     })
 }
-
-/// Fetch DM participants and resolve their display names.
-async fn resolve_dm_participants(
-    state: &AppState,
-    channel_id: uuid::Uuid,
-) -> (Vec<String>, Vec<String>) {
-    let members = state.db.get_members(channel_id).await.unwrap_or_else(|e| {
-        tracing::error!("channels: failed to load members for channel {channel_id}: {e}");
-        vec![]
-    });
-
-    let member_pubkeys: Vec<Vec<u8>> = members.iter().map(|m| m.pubkey.clone()).collect();
-
-    let user_records = state
-        .db
-        .get_users_bulk(&member_pubkeys)
-        .await
-        .unwrap_or_else(|e| {
-            tracing::error!("channels: failed to load user records for DM participants: {e}");
-            vec![]
-        });
-
-    let user_map: HashMap<String, String> = user_records
-        .into_iter()
-        .filter_map(|u| {
-            let hex = nostr_hex::encode(&u.pubkey);
-            u.display_name.map(|name| (hex, name))
-        })
-        .collect();
-
-    let mut names = Vec::new();
-    let mut pk_hexes = Vec::new();
-    for m in &members {
-        let hex = nostr_hex::encode(&m.pubkey);
-        let name = user_map
-            .get(&hex)
-            .cloned()
-            .unwrap_or_else(|| hex[..8.min(hex.len())].to_string());
-        names.push(name);
-        pk_hexes.push(hex);
-    }
-    (names, pk_hexes)
-}
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/dms.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/dms.rs
index 66414160e..b1ab18191 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/dms.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/dms.rs
@@ -116,6 +116,14 @@ pub async fn open_dm_handler(
         .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
 
     if was_created {
+        // Invalidate membership + accessible-channels caches for all participants
+        // so REQ, /api/feed, and /api/search immediately include the new DM.
+        // Note: DM hide/unhide does NOT need cache invalidation because
+        // get_accessible_channel_ids() does not filter on hidden_at.
+        for pk in &all_bytes {
+            state.invalidate_membership(channel.id, pk);
+        }
+
         let actor_hex = nostr_hex::encode(&self_bytes);
         let participant_hexes: Vec<String> = all_bytes.iter().map(nostr_hex::encode).collect();
         if let Err(e) = emit_system_message(
@@ -199,8 +207,7 @@ pub async fn add_dm_member_handler(
 
     // Verify caller is a member of the existing DM.
     let is_member = state
-        .db
-        .is_member(channel_id, &self_bytes)
+        .is_member_cached(channel_id, &self_bytes)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
     if !is_member {
@@ -262,6 +269,12 @@ pub async fn add_dm_member_handler(
         .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
 
     if was_created {
+        // Invalidate membership + accessible-channels caches for all participants
+        // so REQ, /api/feed, and /api/search immediately include the new DM.
+        for pk in &all_bytes {
+            state.invalidate_membership(new_channel.id, pk);
+        }
+
         // Emit NIP-29 group discovery events for the new expanded DM.
         if let Err(e) = emit_group_discovery_events(&state, new_channel.id).await {
             tracing::warn!(channel = %new_channel.id, "DM discovery emission failed: {e}");
@@ -393,8 +406,7 @@ pub async fn hide_dm_handler(
 
     // Verify caller is a member.
     let is_member = state
-        .db
-        .is_member(channel_id, &ctx.pubkey_bytes)
+        .is_member_cached(channel_id, &ctx.pubkey_bytes)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
 
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/feed.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/feed.rs
index df7d26ecb..633f7aa6d 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/feed.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/feed.rs
@@ -73,8 +73,7 @@ pub async fn feed_handler(
 
     let accessible_ids = constrain_channel_ids(
         state
-            .db
-            .get_accessible_channel_ids(&pubkey_bytes)
+            .get_accessible_channel_ids_cached(&pubkey_bytes)
             .await
             .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?,
         ctx.channel_ids.as_deref(),
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/media.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/media.rs
index 8dc83c712..20ecf02bd 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/media.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/media.rs
@@ -159,26 +159,28 @@ pub async fn upload_blob(
     };
     metrics::counter!("sprout_media_uploads_total", "mime" => mime_label.to_owned()).increment(1);
 
-    // Fire-and-forget audit — never block the response on audit I/O.
-    let audit = state.audit.clone();
+    // Audit via bounded channel — same pattern as event audit.
     let desc = descriptor.clone();
     let uploader = auth.auth_event.pubkey.to_hex();
-    tokio::spawn(async move {
-        let _ = audit
-            .log(NewAuditEntry {
-                event_id: desc.sha256.clone(),
-                event_kind: sprout_core::kind::KIND_MEDIA_UPLOAD,
-                actor_pubkey: uploader,
-                action: AuditAction::MediaUploaded,
-                channel_id: None,
-                metadata: serde_json::json!({
-                    "sha256": desc.sha256,
-                    "size": desc.size,
-                    "mime": desc.mime_type,
-                }),
-            })
-            .await;
-    });
+    if let Err(e) = state
+        .audit_tx
+        .send(NewAuditEntry {
+            event_id: desc.sha256.clone(),
+            event_kind: sprout_core::kind::KIND_MEDIA_UPLOAD,
+            actor_pubkey: uploader,
+            action: AuditAction::MediaUploaded,
+            channel_id: None,
+            metadata: serde_json::json!({
+                "sha256": desc.sha256,
+                "size": desc.size,
+                "mime": desc.mime_type,
+            }),
+        })
+        .await
+    {
+        tracing::error!("Media audit channel closed — entry lost: {e}");
+        metrics::counter!("sprout_audit_send_errors_total").increment(1);
+    }
 
     Ok(Json(descriptor))
 }
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/mod.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/mod.rs
index 2081d0cd0..3167d06a8 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/mod.rs
@@ -520,8 +520,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn check_channel_membership(
     pubkey_bytes: &[u8],
 ) -> Result<(), (StatusCode, Json<serde_json::Value>)> {
     let is_member = state
-        .db
-        .is_member(channel_id, pubkey_bytes)
+        .is_member_cached(channel_id, pubkey_bytes)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
     if is_member {
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/search.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/search.rs
index e066cd04a..34d5006c3 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/search.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/search.rs
@@ -44,8 +44,7 @@ pub async fn search_handler(
 
     let channel_ids = constrain_channel_ids(
         state
-            .db
-            .get_accessible_channel_ids(&pubkey_bytes)
+            .get_accessible_channel_ids_cached(&pubkey_bytes)
             .await
             .unwrap_or_default(),
         ctx.channel_ids.as_deref(),
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/tokens.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/tokens.rs
index 6cd435b67..275017d33 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/tokens.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/api/tokens.rs
@@ -473,8 +473,7 @@ pub async fn post_tokens(
 
                 // Verify caller is a member of the channel.
                 let is_member = state
-                    .db
-                    .is_member(cid, &ctx.pubkey_bytes)
+                    .is_member_cached(cid, &ctx.pubkey_bytes)
                     .await
                     .map_err(|e| internal_error(&format!("db error: {e}")))?;
                 if !is_member {
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/audio/handler.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/audio/handler.rs
index 055df4b78..33547bf11 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/audio/handler.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/audio/handler.rs
@@ -512,8 +512,7 @@ async fn ensure_membership(
 
     // Fast path: already a member.
     let is_member = state
-        .db
-        .is_member(channel_id, pubkey_bytes)
+        .is_member_cached(channel_id, pubkey_bytes)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| format!("db error: {e}"))?;
 
@@ -537,8 +536,7 @@ async fn ensure_membership(
     if channel.ttl_seconds.is_some() {
         if let Some(parent_id) = parent_channel_id {
             let parent_member = state
-                .db
-                .is_member(parent_id, pubkey_bytes)
+                .is_member_cached(parent_id, pubkey_bytes)
                 .await
                 .map_err(|e| format!("db error: {e}"))?;
 
@@ -553,6 +551,7 @@ async fn ensure_membership(
                     )
                     .await
                     .map_err(|e| format!("auto-add failed: {e}"))?;
+                state.invalidate_membership(channel_id, pubkey_bytes);
 
                 return Ok(());
             }
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/event.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/event.rs
index d7ddd91a4..7725269d6 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/event.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/event.rs
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn dispatch_persistent_event(
     }
 
     let matches = state.sub_registry.fan_out(stored_event);
+    metrics::histogram!("sprout_fanout_recipients").record(matches.len() as f64);
     debug!(
         event_id = %event_id_hex,
         channel_id = ?stored_event.channel_id,
@@ -96,26 +97,25 @@ pub(crate) async fn dispatch_persistent_event(
         warn!(event_id = %event_id_hex, "Search index channel full — dropping event");
     }
 
-    let audit = Arc::clone(&state.audit);
-    let audit_event_id = event_id_hex.clone();
-    let audit_actor_pubkey = actor_pubkey_hex.to_string();
-    let audit_channel_id = stored_event.channel_id;
-    tokio::spawn(async move {
-        let entry = sprout_audit::NewAuditEntry {
-            event_id: audit_event_id.clone(),
-            event_kind: kind_u32,
-            actor_pubkey: audit_actor_pubkey,
-            action: sprout_audit::AuditAction::EventCreated,
-            channel_id: audit_channel_id,
-            metadata: serde_json::Value::Null,
-        };
-        let t = std::time::Instant::now();
-        if let Err(e) = audit.log(entry).await {
-            error!(event_id = %audit_event_id, "Audit log failed: {e}");
-        } else {
-            metrics::histogram!("sprout_audit_log_seconds").record(t.elapsed().as_secs_f64());
-        }
-    });
+    // Audit via bounded channel (capacity 1000). Uses .send().await so entries
+    // are never silently dropped — backpressure propagates to the event handler
+    // if the queue is full. This is intentional: the audit advisory lock already
+    // serializes writes (at most 1 in-flight), so a full queue means the audit
+    // DB is genuinely overloaded and the relay should slow down rather than
+    // accumulate unbounded in-memory state. DB write failures in the worker are
+    // logged but not retried (same as the previous per-event tokio::spawn).
+    let audit_entry = sprout_audit::NewAuditEntry {
+        event_id: event_id_hex.clone(),
+        event_kind: kind_u32,
+        actor_pubkey: actor_pubkey_hex.to_string(),
+        action: sprout_audit::AuditAction::EventCreated,
+        channel_id: stored_event.channel_id,
+        metadata: serde_json::Value::Null,
+    };
+    if let Err(e) = state.audit_tx.send(audit_entry).await {
+        error!(event_id = %event_id_hex, "Audit channel closed — entry lost: {e}");
+        metrics::counter!("sprout_audit_send_errors_total").increment(1);
+    }
 
     // Skip workflow triggering for workflow-execution kinds and relay-signed workflow messages.
     let is_relay_workflow_msg = stored_event.event.pubkey == state.relay_keypair.public_key()
@@ -332,6 +332,7 @@ async fn handle_ephemeral_event(
 
         let stored_event = StoredEvent::new(event.clone(), None);
         let matches = state.sub_registry.fan_out(&stored_event);
+        metrics::histogram!("sprout_fanout_recipients").record(matches.len() as f64);
         let event_json = serde_json::to_string(&event)
             .expect("nostr::Event serialization is infallible for well-formed events");
         let mut drop_count = 0u32;
@@ -375,6 +376,7 @@ async fn handle_ephemeral_event(
         // Pass the channel_id so fan_out() uses the channel-kind index.
         let stored_event = StoredEvent::new(event.clone(), Some(ch_id));
         let matches = state.sub_registry.fan_out(&stored_event);
+        metrics::histogram!("sprout_fanout_recipients").record(matches.len() as f64);
         let event_json = serde_json::to_string(&event)
             .expect("nostr::Event serialization is infallible for well-formed events");
         let mut drop_count = 0u32;
@@ -411,6 +413,7 @@ async fn handle_ephemeral_event(
         // Pass channel_id=None so fan_out() uses the global subscriber index.
         let stored_event = StoredEvent::new(event.clone(), None);
         let matches = state.sub_registry.fan_out(&stored_event);
+        metrics::histogram!("sprout_fanout_recipients").record(matches.len() as f64);
         let event_json = serde_json::to_string(&event)
             .expect("nostr::Event serialization is infallible for well-formed events");
         let mut drop_count = 0u32;
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/ingest.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/ingest.rs
index d6ddfb9fa..60c5f8c83 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/ingest.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/ingest.rs
@@ -316,7 +316,7 @@ pub(crate) async fn check_channel_membership(
     ch_id: Uuid,
     pubkey_bytes: &[u8],
 ) -> Result<(), String> {
-    match state.db.is_member(ch_id, pubkey_bytes).await {
+    match state.is_member_cached(ch_id, pubkey_bytes).await {
         Ok(true) => return Ok(()),
         Ok(false) => {}
         Err(e) => return Err(format!("error: database error: {e}")),
@@ -1310,6 +1310,7 @@ pub async fn ingest_event(
                     if let Err(re) = state.db.soft_delete_channel(ch_id).await {
                         warn!(event_id = %event_id_hex, "channel compensation failed: {re}");
                     }
+                    state.invalidate_channel_deleted();
                 }
                 return Err(match e {
                     sprout_db::DbError::AuthEventRejected => {
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/req.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/req.rs
index c9c12e257..f6ba2a0a6 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/req.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/req.rs
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ pub async fn handle_req(
         }
     };
 
-    let mut accessible_channels = match state.db.get_accessible_channel_ids(&pubkey_bytes).await {
+    let mut accessible_channels = match state.get_accessible_channel_ids_cached(&pubkey_bytes).await
+    {
         Ok(ids) => ids,
         Err(e) => {
             warn!(conn_id = %conn_id, "Failed to get accessible channels: {e}");
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
index 24efec886..39a09932b 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/handlers/side_effects.rs
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ pub async fn validate_admin_event(
                 }
             } else {
                 // topic/purpose: any member
-                let is_member = state.db.is_member(channel_id, &actor_bytes).await?;
+                let is_member = state.is_member_cached(channel_id, &actor_bytes).await?;
                 if is_member {
                     Ok(())
                 } else {
@@ -698,6 +698,7 @@ async fn handle_put_user(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Result
         .db
         .add_member(channel_id, &target_pubkey, role, Some(&actor_bytes))
         .await?;
+    state.invalidate_membership(channel_id, &target_pubkey);
 
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
     let target_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&target_pubkey);
@@ -756,6 +757,7 @@ async fn handle_remove_user(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Res
         .db
         .remove_member(channel_id, &target_pubkey, &actor_bytes)
         .await?;
+    state.invalidate_membership(channel_id, &target_pubkey);
     evict_live_channel_subscriptions(state, channel_id, &target_pubkey).await;
 
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
@@ -1033,6 +1035,14 @@ async fn handle_create_group(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Re
             .await?
     };
 
+    // Creator becomes owner — evict any stale negative membership lookup.
+    state.invalidate_membership(channel.id, &actor_bytes);
+    // Open channels appear in everyone's accessible set; private channels only
+    // affect the creator (the sole initial member).
+    if visibility == sprout_db::channel::ChannelVisibility::Open {
+        state.invalidate_all_accessible_channels();
+    }
+
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
     emit_system_message(
         state,
@@ -1088,6 +1098,10 @@ async fn handle_delete_group(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Re
         warn!(channel = %channel_id, error = %e, "failed to clean up NIP-29 discovery events");
     }
 
+    // Deleted channel: clear both membership and accessible-channels caches.
+    // Stale is_member=true entries would bypass the DB's deleted_at guard.
+    state.invalidate_channel_deleted();
+
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
     emit_system_message(
         state,
@@ -1121,7 +1135,7 @@ async fn handle_join_request(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Re
 
     // Skip if already an active member — prevents duplicate join notifications.
     // Fail closed on DB errors rather than falling through to add_member.
-    if state.db.is_member(channel_id, &actor_bytes).await? {
+    if state.is_member_cached(channel_id, &actor_bytes).await? {
         info!(channel = %channel_id, "kind:9021 join — already a member, skipping");
         return Ok(());
     }
@@ -1136,6 +1150,7 @@ async fn handle_join_request(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::Re
             None,
         )
         .await?;
+    state.invalidate_membership(channel_id, &actor_bytes);
 
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
     emit_system_message(
@@ -1191,6 +1206,7 @@ async fn handle_leave_request(event: &Event, state: &Arc<AppState>) -> anyhow::R
         .db
         .remove_member(channel_id, &actor_bytes, &actor_bytes)
         .await?;
+    state.invalidate_membership(channel_id, &actor_bytes);
     evict_live_channel_subscriptions(state, channel_id, &actor_bytes).await;
 
     let actor_hex = nostr::util::hex::encode(&actor_bytes);
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/main.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/main.rs
index 64c1ac2cf..0ecbfc954 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/main.rs
@@ -67,7 +67,10 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         Err(e) => error!("Failed to backfill d_tags: {e}"),
     }
 
-    let audit_pool = sqlx::PgPool::connect(&config.database_url)
+    let audit_pool = sqlx::postgres::PgPoolOptions::new()
+        .max_connections(5)
+        .min_connections(1)
+        .connect(&config.database_url)
         .await
         .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("Audit DB connection failed: {e}"))?;
     let audit = AuditService::new(audit_pool);
@@ -127,7 +130,7 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         .map_err(|e| anyhow::anyhow!("failed to initialize media storage: {e}"))?;
     info!("Media storage connected");
 
-    let state = Arc::new(AppState::new(
+    let (app_state, audit_shutdown) = AppState::new(
         config.clone(),
         db,
         redis_health_pool,
@@ -138,7 +141,8 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         Arc::clone(&workflow_engine),
         relay_keypair,
         media_storage,
-    ));
+    );
+    let state = Arc::new(app_state);
 
     // Wire the action sink — must happen after AppState (which creates
     // sub_registry, conn_manager) and before the cron loop starts.
@@ -287,7 +291,17 @@ async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let router = build_router(Arc::clone(&state));
     let health_router = build_health_router(Arc::clone(&state));
 
-    serve(router, health_router, Arc::clone(&state)).await
+    serve(router, health_router, Arc::clone(&state)).await?;
+
+    // ── Drain audit queue ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    // Signal the audit worker to stop accepting, flush buffered entries, and
+    // exit. Uses a CancellationToken so it works regardless of how many
+    // Arc<AppState> clones are still alive in background tasks.
+    audit_shutdown
+        .drain(std::time::Duration::from_secs(5))
+        .await;
+
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 /// Bind all listeners and run with graceful shutdown.
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/state.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/state.rs
index 9a78bf09a..57836e065 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/state.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/state.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ use std::time::Instant;
 
 use axum::extract::ws::Message as WsMessage;
 use dashmap::DashMap;
-use tokio::sync::{mpsc, Semaphore};
+use tokio::sync::mpsc;
+use tokio::sync::Semaphore;
+use tokio::task::JoinHandle;
 use tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken;
 use uuid::Uuid;
 
@@ -196,11 +198,19 @@ pub struct AppState {
     pub local_event_ids: Arc<moka::sync::Cache<[u8; 32], ()>>,
     /// Membership cache: (channel_id, pubkey_bytes) → is_member.
     /// Short TTL (10s) — membership changes are rare but must propagate.
+    /// Multi-pod: other pods rely on TTL expiry; only local caches are invalidated.
     pub membership_cache: Arc<moka::sync::Cache<(Uuid, Vec<u8>), bool>>,
+    /// Accessible channel IDs cache: pubkey_bytes → channel UUIDs.
+    /// Short TTL (10s) — invalidated on membership or channel visibility changes.
+    /// Multi-pod: other pods rely on TTL expiry; only local caches are invalidated.
+    pub accessible_channels_cache: Arc<moka::sync::Cache<Vec<u8>, Vec<Uuid>>>,
 
     /// Bounded channel for search indexing — prevents OOM if Typesense is slow/down.
     /// Capacity 1000: at ~1KB/event that's ~1MB of backlog before we start dropping.
     pub search_index_tx: mpsc::Sender<StoredEvent>,
+    /// Bounded channel for audit logging — backpressure instead of unbounded spawns.
+    /// Uses .send().await (blocks caller if full) because audit entries must not be lost.
+    pub audit_tx: mpsc::Sender<sprout_audit::NewAuditEntry>,
     /// Media storage client (S3/MinIO).
     pub media_storage: Arc<MediaStorage>,
     /// Audio relay room manager — tracks active huddle audio rooms.
@@ -213,6 +223,10 @@ pub struct AppState {
 
 impl AppState {
     /// Constructs `AppState` from its component services.
+    ///
+    /// Returns `(state, audit_shutdown)`. The caller should call
+    /// `audit_shutdown.drain().await` during graceful shutdown so queued
+    /// audit entries are flushed before the process exits.
     #[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
     pub fn new(
         config: Config,
@@ -225,7 +239,7 @@ impl AppState {
         workflow_engine: Arc<WorkflowEngine>,
         relay_keypair: nostr::Keys,
         media_storage: MediaStorage,
-    ) -> Self {
+    ) -> (Self, AuditShutdownHandle) {
         let max_connections = config.max_connections;
         let max_concurrent_handlers = config.max_concurrent_handlers;
         let search_arc = Arc::new(search);
@@ -252,11 +266,46 @@ impl AppState {
             tracing::warn!("search index worker exited (expected on shutdown)");
         });
 
-        Self {
+        let audit_arc = Arc::new(audit);
+        let (audit_tx, mut audit_rx) = mpsc::channel::<sprout_audit::NewAuditEntry>(1000);
+        let audit_for_worker = Arc::clone(&audit_arc);
+        let audit_cancel = CancellationToken::new();
+        let audit_cancel_worker = audit_cancel.clone();
+        let audit_worker_handle = tokio::spawn(async move {
+            // Normal operation: process entries as they arrive.
+            loop {
+                tokio::select! {
+                    entry = audit_rx.recv() => {
+                        match entry {
+                            Some(entry) => log_audit_entry(&audit_for_worker, entry).await,
+                            None => break, // channel closed
+                        }
+                    }
+                    _ = audit_cancel_worker.cancelled() => {
+                        // Close the receiver: rejects future sends and lets us
+                        // drain everything already buffered without a race.
+                        audit_rx.close();
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            // Drain: recv() returns buffered entries, then None once empty.
+            let mut drained = 0u32;
+            while let Some(entry) = audit_rx.recv().await {
+                log_audit_entry(&audit_for_worker, entry).await;
+                drained += 1;
+            }
+            if drained > 0 {
+                tracing::info!(drained, "audit worker flushed remaining entries");
+            }
+            tracing::warn!("audit log worker exited (expected on shutdown)");
+        });
+
+        let state = Self {
             config: Arc::new(config),
             db,
             redis_pool,
-            audit: Arc::new(audit),
+            audit: audit_arc,
             pubsub,
             auth: Arc::new(auth),
             search: search_arc,
@@ -280,13 +329,27 @@ impl AppState {
                     .time_to_live(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
                     .build(),
             ),
+            accessible_channels_cache: Arc::new(
+                moka::sync::Cache::builder()
+                    .max_capacity(10_000)
+                    .time_to_live(std::time::Duration::from_secs(10))
+                    .build(),
+            ),
 
             search_index_tx,
+            audit_tx,
             media_storage: Arc::new(media_storage),
             audio_rooms: Arc::new(AudioRoomManager::new()),
             shutting_down: Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false)),
             started_at: Instant::now(),
-        }
+        };
+        (
+            state,
+            AuditShutdownHandle {
+                cancel: audit_cancel,
+                handle: audit_worker_handle,
+            },
+        )
     }
 
     /// Record an event ID as locally-published for dedup.
@@ -294,6 +357,99 @@ impl AppState {
     pub fn mark_local_event(&self, event_id: &nostr::EventId) {
         self.local_event_ids.insert(event_id.to_bytes(), ());
     }
+
+    /// Check channel membership with a 10-second cache. Falls back to DB on miss.
+    pub async fn is_member_cached(
+        &self,
+        channel_id: Uuid,
+        pubkey: &[u8],
+    ) -> Result<bool, sprout_db::DbError> {
+        let key = (channel_id, pubkey.to_vec());
+        if let Some(cached) = self.membership_cache.get(&key) {
+            metrics::counter!("sprout_membership_cache_hits_total").increment(1);
+            return Ok(cached);
+        }
+        metrics::counter!("sprout_membership_cache_misses_total").increment(1);
+        let result = self.db.is_member(channel_id, pubkey).await?;
+        self.membership_cache.insert(key, result);
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+
+    /// Invalidate caches after a membership change (add/remove member).
+    pub fn invalidate_membership(&self, channel_id: Uuid, pubkey: &[u8]) {
+        self.membership_cache
+            .invalidate(&(channel_id, pubkey.to_vec()));
+        self.accessible_channels_cache.invalidate(&pubkey.to_vec());
+    }
+
+    /// Invalidate all users' accessible-channels cache (e.g. new open channel created).
+    pub fn invalidate_all_accessible_channels(&self) {
+        self.accessible_channels_cache.invalidate_all();
+    }
+
+    /// Invalidate all caches after a channel is deleted.
+    ///
+    /// Channel deletion is a rare admin operation. We clear the entire membership
+    /// cache because moka doesn't support prefix-based invalidation on composite
+    /// keys, and stale `is_member=true` entries for a deleted channel would bypass
+    /// the DB's `deleted_at IS NULL` guard.
+    pub fn invalidate_channel_deleted(&self) {
+        self.membership_cache.invalidate_all();
+        self.accessible_channels_cache.invalidate_all();
+    }
+
+    /// Get accessible channel IDs with a 10-second cache. Falls back to DB on miss.
+    pub async fn get_accessible_channel_ids_cached(
+        &self,
+        pubkey: &[u8],
+    ) -> Result<Vec<Uuid>, sprout_db::DbError> {
+        let key = pubkey.to_vec();
+        if let Some(cached) = self.accessible_channels_cache.get(&key) {
+            metrics::counter!("sprout_accessible_channels_cache_hits_total").increment(1);
+            return Ok(cached);
+        }
+        metrics::counter!("sprout_accessible_channels_cache_misses_total").increment(1);
+        let result = self.db.get_accessible_channel_ids(pubkey).await?;
+        self.accessible_channels_cache.insert(key, result.clone());
+        Ok(result)
+    }
+}
+
+/// Handle for graceful audit worker shutdown.
+///
+/// Signals the worker to stop accepting new entries, drain its buffer,
+/// and exit. Independent of `Arc<AppState>` lifetime — works even when
+/// background tasks (reaper, pubsub, health) still hold state clones.
+pub struct AuditShutdownHandle {
+    cancel: CancellationToken,
+    handle: JoinHandle<()>,
+}
+
+impl AuditShutdownHandle {
+    /// Signal the audit worker to drain and wait up to `timeout` for it to finish.
+    pub async fn drain(self, timeout: std::time::Duration) {
+        self.cancel.cancel();
+        match tokio::time::timeout(timeout, self.handle).await {
+            Ok(Ok(())) => tracing::info!("Audit worker drained cleanly"),
+            Ok(Err(e)) => tracing::error!("Audit worker panicked: {e}"),
+            Err(_) => tracing::error!(
+                ?timeout,
+                "Audit worker did not drain in time — exiting anyway"
+            ),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/// Log a single audit entry with metrics. Extracted so the normal loop
+/// and the post-cancel drain share the same logic.
+async fn log_audit_entry(audit: &sprout_audit::AuditService, entry: sprout_audit::NewAuditEntry) {
+    let t = std::time::Instant::now();
+    if let Err(e) = audit.log(entry).await {
+        metrics::counter!("sprout_audit_log_errors_total").increment(1);
+        tracing::error!("Audit log failed: {e}");
+    } else {
+        metrics::histogram!("sprout_audit_log_seconds").record(t.elapsed().as_secs_f64());
+    }
 }
 
 impl std::fmt::Debug for AppState {
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/subscription.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/subscription.rs
index e204aa5d5..084ed1a31 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/subscription.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/subscription.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ pub struct SubscriptionRegistry {
     channel_kind_index: DashMap<IndexKey, Vec<(ConnId, SubId)>>,
     /// Subscriptions with a channel_id but no kind filter — need to receive ALL kinds.
     channel_wildcard_index: DashMap<Uuid, Vec<(ConnId, SubId)>>,
+    /// Global subscriptions indexed by kind — avoids O(all_subs) scan for global events.
+    global_kind_index: DashMap<Kind, Vec<(ConnId, SubId)>>,
+    /// Global subscriptions with no kind filter — wildcard, receives all global events.
+    global_wildcard_index: DashMap<(), Vec<(ConnId, SubId)>>,
 }
 
 impl SubscriptionRegistry {
@@ -86,6 +90,25 @@ impl SubscriptionRegistry {
                     }
                 }
             }
+        } else {
+            // Global subscription — index by kind for sub-linear fan-out.
+            match extract_kinds_from_filters(&filters) {
+                None => {
+                    self.global_wildcard_index
+                        .entry(())
+                        .or_default()
+                        .push((conn_id, sub_id.clone()));
+                }
+                Some(kinds) if kinds.is_empty() => {}
+                Some(kinds) => {
+                    for kind in kinds {
+                        self.global_kind_index
+                            .entry(kind)
+                            .or_default()
+                            .push((conn_id, sub_id.clone()));
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -165,18 +188,29 @@ impl SubscriptionRegistry {
                 }
             }
         } else {
-            // Global event (channel_id = None) — only deliver to global subscriptions.
-            // Channel-scoped subscriptions are skipped: they target a specific channel
-            // and should not receive global infrastructure events (e.g. membership
-            // notifications) even if tag matching would succeed.
-            for conn_entry in self.subs.iter() {
-                let conn_id = *conn_entry.key();
-                for (sub_id, (filters, sub_channel_id)) in conn_entry.value().iter() {
-                    if sub_channel_id.is_some() {
-                        continue; // skip channel-scoped subscriptions
+            // Global event (channel_id = None) — use global indexes for sub-linear fan-out.
+            // Channel-scoped subscriptions are never in these indexes, preserving the
+            // scoping invariant without an explicit skip check.
+            if let Some(candidates) = self.global_kind_index.get(&event.event.kind) {
+                for (conn_id, sub_id) in candidates.iter() {
+                    if let Some(conn_subs) = self.subs.get(conn_id) {
+                        if let Some((filters, _)) = conn_subs.get(sub_id.as_str()) {
+                            if filters_match(filters, event) {
+                                results.push((*conn_id, sub_id.clone()));
+                            }
+                        }
                     }
-                    if filters_match(filters, event) {
-                        results.push((conn_id, sub_id.clone()));
+                }
+            }
+            // Also check global wildcard (kindless global subs).
+            if let Some(wildcards) = self.global_wildcard_index.get(&()) {
+                for (conn_id, sub_id) in wildcards.iter() {
+                    if let Some(conn_subs) = self.subs.get(conn_id) {
+                        if let Some((filters, _)) = conn_subs.get(sub_id.as_str()) {
+                            if filters_match(filters, event) {
+                                results.push((*conn_id, sub_id.clone()));
+                            }
+                        }
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -255,8 +289,32 @@ impl SubscriptionRegistry {
                     }
                 }
             }
+        } else {
+            // Global subscription — remove from global indexes.
+            match extract_kinds_from_filters(filters) {
+                None => {
+                    if let Some(mut entries) = self.global_wildcard_index.get_mut(&()) {
+                        entries.retain(|(cid, sid)| !(*cid == conn_id && sid == sub_id));
+                        if entries.is_empty() {
+                            drop(entries);
+                            self.global_wildcard_index.remove(&());
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+                Some(kinds) if kinds.is_empty() => {}
+                Some(kinds) => {
+                    for kind in kinds {
+                        if let Some(mut entries) = self.global_kind_index.get_mut(&kind) {
+                            entries.retain(|(cid, sid)| !(*cid == conn_id && sid == sub_id));
+                            if entries.is_empty() {
+                                drop(entries);
+                                self.global_kind_index.remove(&kind);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
         }
-        // If no channel_id, there's nothing in the index to remove (slow-path subs aren't indexed)
     }
 }
 
@@ -767,4 +825,131 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(matches_b.len(), 1);
         assert_eq!(matches_b[0].1, "sub-b");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_global_kind_index_fan_out() {
+        // Global subscriptions with explicit kinds should use the global_kind_index
+        // for sub-linear fan-out instead of scanning all subs.
+        let registry = SubscriptionRegistry::new();
+        let conn_a = Uuid::new_v4();
+        let conn_b = Uuid::new_v4();
+
+        registry.register(
+            conn_a,
+            "global_text".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new().kind(Kind::TextNote)],
+            None,
+        );
+        registry.register(
+            conn_b,
+            "global_meta".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new().kind(Kind::Metadata)],
+            None,
+        );
+
+        let event_text = make_stored_event(Kind::TextNote, None);
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&event_text);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(matches[0].0, conn_a);
+
+        let event_meta = make_stored_event(Kind::Metadata, None);
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&event_meta);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(matches[0].0, conn_b);
+
+        // Unrelated kind matches nobody.
+        let event_custom = make_stored_event(Kind::Custom(9999), None);
+        assert!(registry.fan_out(&event_custom).is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_global_wildcard_index_fan_out() {
+        // A global subscription with no kind filter should receive all global events.
+        let registry = SubscriptionRegistry::new();
+        let conn_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+
+        registry.register(
+            conn_id,
+            "global_wildcard".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new()], // kindless
+            None,
+        );
+
+        let event_text = make_stored_event(Kind::TextNote, None);
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&event_text);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+
+        let event_meta = make_stored_event(Kind::Metadata, None);
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&event_meta);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+
+        // Must NOT receive channel-scoped events.
+        let channel_event = make_stored_event(Kind::TextNote, Some(Uuid::new_v4()));
+        assert!(registry.fan_out(&channel_event).is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_global_index_removal_cleanup() {
+        // Removing a global subscription should clean up the global indexes.
+        let registry = SubscriptionRegistry::new();
+        let conn_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+
+        // Kind-specific global sub.
+        registry.register(
+            conn_id,
+            "g1".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new().kind(Kind::TextNote)],
+            None,
+        );
+        assert!(registry.global_kind_index.get(&Kind::TextNote).is_some());
+
+        registry.remove_subscription(conn_id, "g1");
+        assert!(registry.global_kind_index.get(&Kind::TextNote).is_none());
+
+        // Wildcard global sub.
+        registry.register(conn_id, "g2".to_string(), vec![Filter::new()], None);
+        assert!(registry.global_wildcard_index.get(&()).is_some());
+
+        registry.remove_subscription(conn_id, "g2");
+        assert!(registry.global_wildcard_index.get(&()).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_global_and_channel_subs_are_isolated() {
+        // Global subs must not see channel events; channel subs must not see global events.
+        // This tests the invariant with the new global index in place.
+        let registry = SubscriptionRegistry::new();
+        let conn_global = Uuid::new_v4();
+        let conn_channel = Uuid::new_v4();
+        let channel_id = Uuid::new_v4();
+
+        registry.register(
+            conn_global,
+            "global".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new().kind(Kind::TextNote)],
+            None,
+        );
+        registry.register(
+            conn_channel,
+            "channel".to_string(),
+            vec![Filter::new().kind(Kind::TextNote)],
+            Some(channel_id),
+        );
+
+        let global_event = make_stored_event(Kind::TextNote, None);
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&global_event);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(
+            matches[0].0, conn_global,
+            "only global sub sees global event"
+        );
+
+        let channel_event = make_stored_event(Kind::TextNote, Some(channel_id));
+        let matches = registry.fan_out(&channel_event);
+        assert_eq!(matches.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(
+            matches[0].0, conn_channel,
+            "only channel sub sees channel event"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/sprout-relay/src/workflow_sink.rs b/crates/sprout-relay/src/workflow_sink.rs
index 325dd282f..b95a7b0ef 100644
--- a/crates/sprout-relay/src/workflow_sink.rs
+++ b/crates/sprout-relay/src/workflow_sink.rs
@@ -90,8 +90,7 @@ impl ActionSink for RelayActionSink {
             let author_pubkey_bytes = author_pubkey.serialize().to_vec();
             let author_pubkey_hex = author_pubkey.to_hex();
             let is_member = state
-                .db
-                .is_member(channel_uuid, &author_pubkey_bytes)
+                .is_member_cached(channel_uuid, &author_pubkey_bytes)
                 .await
                 .map_err(|e| ActionSinkError::Database(e.to_string()))?;
             if !is_member && channel.visibility != "open" {