diff --git a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent.hs b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent.hs
index 324328971..cba57dd2c 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent.hs
@@ -224,7 +224,6 @@ import Simplex.RemoteControl.Client
 import Simplex.RemoteControl.Invitation
 import Simplex.RemoteControl.Types
 import System.Mem.Weak (deRefWeak)
-import UnliftIO.Async (mapConcurrently)
 import UnliftIO.Concurrent (forkFinally, forkIO, killThread, mkWeakThreadId, threadDelay)
 import qualified UnliftIO.Exception as E
 import UnliftIO.STM
@@ -440,7 +439,7 @@ subscribeConnections c = withAgentEnv c . subscribeConnections' c
 {-# INLINE subscribeConnections #-}
 
 -- | Get messages for connections (GET commands)
-getConnectionMessages :: AgentClient -> NonEmpty ConnMsgReq -> IO (NonEmpty (Maybe SMPMsgMeta))
+getConnectionMessages :: AgentClient -> NonEmpty ConnMsgReq -> IO (NonEmpty (Either AgentErrorType (Maybe SMPMsgMeta)))
 getConnectionMessages c = withAgentEnv' c . getConnectionMessages' c
 {-# INLINE getConnectionMessages #-}
 
@@ -1277,26 +1276,26 @@ resubscribeConnections' c connIds = do
   -- union is left-biased, so results returned by subscribeConnections' take precedence
   (`M.union` r) <$> subscribeConnections' c connIds'
 
-getConnectionMessages' :: AgentClient -> NonEmpty ConnMsgReq -> AM' (NonEmpty (Maybe SMPMsgMeta))
-getConnectionMessages' c =
-  mapConcurrently $ \cmr ->
-    getConnectionMessage cmr `catchAgentError'` \e -> do
-      logError $ "Error loading message: " <> tshow e
-      pure Nothing
+-- requesting messages sequentially, to reduce memory usage
+getConnectionMessages' :: AgentClient -> NonEmpty ConnMsgReq -> AM' (NonEmpty (Either AgentErrorType (Maybe SMPMsgMeta)))
+getConnectionMessages' c = mapM $ tryAgentError' . getConnectionMessage
   where
     getConnectionMessage :: ConnMsgReq -> AM (Maybe SMPMsgMeta)
     getConnectionMessage (ConnMsgReq connId dbQueueId msgTs_) = do
       whenM (atomically $ hasActiveSubscription c connId) . throwE $ CMD PROHIBITED "getConnectionMessage: subscribed"
       SomeConn _ conn <- withStore c (`getConn` connId)
-      msg_ <- case conn of
-        DuplexConnection _ (rq :| _) _ -> getQueueMessage c rq
-        RcvConnection _ rq -> getQueueMessage c rq
-        ContactConnection _ rq -> getQueueMessage c rq
+      rq <- case conn of
+        DuplexConnection _ (rq :| _) _ -> pure rq
+        RcvConnection _ rq -> pure rq
+        ContactConnection _ rq -> pure rq
         SndConnection _ _ -> throwE $ CONN SIMPLEX
         NewConnection _ -> throwE $ CMD PROHIBITED "getConnectionMessage: NewConnection"
-      when (isNothing msg_) $
+      msg_ <- getQueueMessage c rq `catchAgentError` \e -> atomically (releaseGetLock c rq) >> throwError e
+      when (isNothing msg_) $ do
+        atomically $ releaseGetLock c rq
         forM_ msgTs_ $ \msgTs -> withStore' c $ \db -> setLastBrokerTs db connId (DBQueueId dbQueueId) msgTs
       pure msg_
+{-# INLINE getConnectionMessages' #-}
 
 getNotificationConns' :: AgentClient -> C.CbNonce -> ByteString -> AM (NonEmpty NotificationInfo)
 getNotificationConns' c nonce encNtfInfo =
@@ -1330,6 +1329,7 @@ getNotificationConns' c nonce encNtfInfo =
         Just SMP.NMsgMeta {msgTs}
           | maybe True (systemToUTCTime msgTs >) lastBrokerTs_ -> Just ntfInfo
         _ -> Nothing
+{-# INLINE getNotificationConns' #-}
 
 -- | Send message to the connection (SEND command) in Reader monad
 sendMessage' :: AgentClient -> ConnId -> PQEncryption -> MsgFlags -> MsgBody -> AM (AgentMsgId, PQEncryption)
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent/Client.hs b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent/Client.hs
index ff0186f22..e7136328e 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent/Client.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Agent/Client.hs
@@ -1654,6 +1654,7 @@ getQueueMessage c rq@RcvQueue {server, rcvId, rcvPrivateKey} = do
           l <- maybe (newTMVar ()) pure l_
           takeTMVar l
           pure $ Just l
+{-# INLINE getQueueMessage #-}
 
 decryptSMPMessage :: RcvQueue -> SMP.RcvMessage -> AM SMP.ClientRcvMsgBody
 decryptSMPMessage rq SMP.RcvMessage {msgId, msgBody = SMP.EncRcvMsgBody body} =
@@ -1743,10 +1744,12 @@ sendAck c rq@RcvQueue {rcvId, rcvPrivateKey} msgId =
 hasGetLock :: AgentClient -> RcvQueue -> IO Bool
 hasGetLock c RcvQueue {server, rcvId} =
   TM.memberIO (server, rcvId) $ getMsgLocks c
+{-# INLINE hasGetLock #-}
 
 releaseGetLock :: AgentClient -> RcvQueue -> STM ()
 releaseGetLock c RcvQueue {server, rcvId} =
   TM.lookup (server, rcvId) (getMsgLocks c) >>= mapM_ (`tryPutTMVar` ())
+{-# INLINE releaseGetLock #-}
 
 suspendQueue :: AgentClient -> RcvQueue -> AM ()
 suspendQueue c rq@RcvQueue {rcvId, rcvPrivateKey} =
diff --git a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Client.hs b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Client.hs
index b56d875a4..0dbf9c84f 100644
--- a/src/Simplex/Messaging/Client.hs
+++ b/src/Simplex/Messaging/Client.hs
@@ -801,6 +801,7 @@ getSMPMessage c rpKey rId =
     OK -> pure Nothing
     cmd@(MSG msg) -> liftIO (writeSMPMessage c rId cmd) $> Just msg
     r -> throwE $ unexpectedResponse r
+{-# INLINE getSMPMessage #-}
 
 -- | Subscribe to the SMP queue notifications.
 --
diff --git a/tests/AgentTests/FunctionalAPITests.hs b/tests/AgentTests/FunctionalAPITests.hs
index 15dac1725..a3a8d7056 100644
--- a/tests/AgentTests/FunctionalAPITests.hs
+++ b/tests/AgentTests/FunctionalAPITests.hs
@@ -1946,7 +1946,7 @@ testOnlyCreatePullSlowHandshake = withAgentClientsCfg2 agentProxyCfgV8 agentProx
 getMsg :: AgentClient -> ConnId -> ExceptT AgentErrorType IO a -> ExceptT AgentErrorType IO a
 getMsg c cId action = do
   liftIO $ noMessages c "nothing should be delivered before GET"
-  [Just _] <- lift $ getConnectionMessages c [ConnMsgReq cId 1 Nothing]
+  [Right (Just _)] <- lift $ getConnectionMessages c [ConnMsgReq cId 1 Nothing]
   action
 
 getMSGNTF :: AgentClient -> ConnId -> ExceptT AgentErrorType IO ()
diff --git a/tests/AgentTests/NotificationTests.hs b/tests/AgentTests/NotificationTests.hs
index 88fbeaf59..6dacb5552 100644
--- a/tests/AgentTests/NotificationTests.hs
+++ b/tests/AgentTests/NotificationTests.hs
@@ -562,8 +562,7 @@ testNotificationSubscriptionExistingConnection apns baseId alice@AgentClient {ag
   Right [NotificationInfo {ntfConnId = cId, ntfMsgMeta = Just NMsgMeta {msgTs}}] <- runExceptT $ getNotificationConns alice nonce message
   cId `shouldBe` bobId
   -- alice client already has subscription for the connection,
-  -- so get fails with CMD PROHIBITED (transformed into Nothing in catch)
-  [Nothing] <- getConnectionMessages alice [ConnMsgReq cId 1 $ Just $ systemToUTCTime msgTs]
+  [Left (CMD PROHIBITED _)] <- getConnectionMessages alice [ConnMsgReq cId 1 $ Just $ systemToUTCTime msgTs]
 
   threadDelay 500000
   suspendAgent alice 0
@@ -573,7 +572,7 @@ testNotificationSubscriptionExistingConnection apns baseId alice@AgentClient {ag
 
   -- aliceNtf client doesn't have subscription and is allowed to get notification message
   withAgent 3 aliceCfg initAgentServers testDB $ \aliceNtf -> do
-    (Just SMPMsgMeta {msgFlags = MsgFlags True}) :| _ <- getConnectionMessages aliceNtf [ConnMsgReq cId 1 $ Just $ systemToUTCTime msgTs]
+    (Right (Just SMPMsgMeta {msgFlags = MsgFlags True})) :| _ <- getConnectionMessages aliceNtf [ConnMsgReq cId 1 $ Just $ systemToUTCTime msgTs]
     pure ()
 
   threadDelay 1000000