diff --git a/src/queue/cleanup.rs b/src/queue/cleanup.rs
index 6678d6a..7bd1b88 100644
--- a/src/queue/cleanup.rs
+++ b/src/queue/cleanup.rs
@@ -158,7 +158,9 @@ async fn outdated_variants(repo: &ArcRepo, config: &Configuration) -> Result<(),
     let now = time::OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     let since = now.saturating_sub(config.media.retention.variants.to_duration());
 
-    let mut variant_stream = repo.older_variants(since).await?.into_streamer();
+    let variant_stream = repo.older_variants(since).await?;
+    let variant_stream = std::pin::pin!(crate::stream::take(variant_stream, 2048));
+    let mut variant_stream = variant_stream.into_streamer();
 
     while let Some(res) = variant_stream.next().await {
         metrics::counter!("pict-rs.cleanup.outdated-variant").increment(1);
@@ -176,7 +178,9 @@ async fn outdated_proxies(repo: &ArcRepo, config: &Configuration) -> Result<(),
     let now = time::OffsetDateTime::now_utc();
     let since = now.saturating_sub(config.media.retention.proxy.to_duration());
 
-    let mut alias_stream = repo.older_aliases(since).await?.into_streamer();
+    let alias_stream = repo.older_aliases(since).await?;
+    let alias_stream = std::pin::pin!(crate::stream::take(alias_stream, 2048));
+    let mut alias_stream = alias_stream.into_streamer();
 
     while let Some(res) = alias_stream.next().await {
         metrics::counter!("pict-rs.cleanup.outdated-proxy").increment(1);
diff --git a/src/stream.rs b/src/stream.rs
index 65b6547..cae35da 100644
--- a/src/stream.rs
+++ b/src/stream.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,35 @@ use streem::IntoStreamer;
 
 use crate::future::WithMetrics;
 
+pub(crate) fn take<S>(stream: S, amount: usize) -> impl Stream<Item = S::Item>
+where
+    S: Stream,
+    S::Item: 'static,
+{
+    streem::from_fn(|yielder| async move {
+        let stream = std::pin::pin!(stream);
+        let mut streamer = stream.into_streamer();
+
+        let mut count = 0;
+
+        if count == amount {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        while let Some(item) = streamer.next().await {
+            tracing::trace!("take: looping");
+
+            yielder.yield_(item).await;
+
+            count += 1;
+
+            if count == amount {
+                break;
+            }
+        }
+    })
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn metrics<S>(name: &'static str, stream: S) -> impl Stream<Item = S::Item>
 where
     S: Stream,