diff --git a/app/db.py b/app/db.py
index 5a3f2b6..85bc2f1 100644
--- a/app/db.py
+++ b/app/db.py
@@ -100,4 +100,12 @@ def get_engine(database_url: str | None = None) -> Engine:
     if not db_url:
         raise RuntimeError("DATABASE_URL is not set")
 
-    return create_engine(db_url, future=True)
+    # Pool connections to avoid exhausting max_clients on frequent requests
+    return create_engine(
+        db_url,
+        future=True,
+        pool_size=5,
+        max_overflow=5,
+        pool_pre_ping=True,
+        pool_recycle=300,
+    )