diff --git a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/http_tunnel.rs b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/http_tunnel.rs
index 8d8d83df77..4e6132e8f0 100644
--- a/crates/dbx-core/src/db/http_tunnel.rs
+++ b/crates/dbx-core/src/db/http_tunnel.rs
@@ -301,9 +301,11 @@ fn effective_connect_timeout_secs(value: u64) -> u64 {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::{script_url, validate_script_url, HttpTunnelManager};
+    use std::sync::Arc;
     use tokio::io::{AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
     use tokio::net::{TcpListener, TcpStream};
-    use tokio::sync::Mutex;
+    use tokio::sync::{Mutex, Notify};
+    use tokio::time::{timeout, Duration};
 
     #[test]
     fn script_url_preserves_existing_query_and_appends_action() {
@@ -331,16 +333,28 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[tokio::test]
-    async fn manager_forwards_bytes_through_http_script_protocol() {
+    async fn manager_forwards_sequential_round_trips_and_closes_session() {
         let script = MockScript::start().await;
         let manager = HttpTunnelManager::new();
         let local_port = manager.start_tunnel("test", &script.url, "secret", 5, "mysql.internal", 3306).await.unwrap();
         let mut client = TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", local_port)).await.unwrap();
-        client.write_all(b"ping").await.unwrap();
-        let mut response = [0_u8; 4];
-        client.read_exact(&mut response).await.unwrap();
+        let close_notification = script.closed.notified();
 
-        assert_eq!(&response, b"ping");
+        timeout(Duration::from_secs(10), async {
+            for index in 0..100_u32 {
+                let payload = format!("request-{index:03}-{}", "x".repeat((index % 17) as usize));
+                client.write_all(payload.as_bytes()).await.unwrap();
+                let mut response = vec![0_u8; payload.len()];
+                client.read_exact(&mut response).await.unwrap();
+
+                assert_eq!(response, payload.as_bytes());
+            }
+        })
+        .await
+        .expect("100 sequential HTTP tunnel round trips timed out");
+
+        drop(client);
+        timeout(Duration::from_secs(2), close_notification).await.expect("HTTP tunnel session was not closed");
 
         manager.stop_tunnel("test").await;
         script.handle.abort();
@@ -348,6 +362,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     struct MockScript {
         url: String,
+        closed: Arc<Notify>,
         handle: tokio::task::JoinHandle<()>,
     }
 
@@ -355,26 +370,29 @@ mod tests {
         async fn start() -> Self {
             let listener = TcpListener::bind(("127.0.0.1", 0)).await.unwrap();
             let addr = listener.local_addr().unwrap();
-            let buffered = std::sync::Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<u8>::new()));
+            let buffered = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<u8>::new()));
+            let closed = Arc::new(Notify::new());
             let handle = {
                 let buffered = buffered.clone();
+                let closed = closed.clone();
                 tokio::spawn(async move {
                     loop {
                         let Ok((stream, _)) = listener.accept().await else {
                             break;
                         };
                         let buffered = buffered.clone();
+                        let closed = closed.clone();
                         tokio::spawn(async move {
-                            handle_mock_http_request(stream, buffered).await;
+                            handle_mock_http_request(stream, buffered, closed).await;
                         });
                     }
                 })
             };
-            Self { url: format!("http://{addr}/dbx_tunnel.php"), handle }
+            Self { url: format!("http://{addr}/dbx_tunnel.php"), closed, handle }
         }
     }
 
-    async fn handle_mock_http_request(stream: TcpStream, buffered: std::sync::Arc<Mutex<Vec<u8>>>) {
+    async fn handle_mock_http_request(stream: TcpStream, buffered: Arc<Mutex<Vec<u8>>>, closed: Arc<Notify>) {
         let mut reader = BufReader::new(stream);
         let mut request_line = String::new();
         reader.read_line(&mut request_line).await.unwrap();
@@ -407,6 +425,9 @@ mod tests {
             } else {
                 write_http_response(&mut stream, "200 OK", &bytes).await;
             }
+        } else if request_line.contains("dbx_action=close") {
+            write_http_response(&mut stream, "200 OK", b"OK").await;
+            closed.notify_one();
         } else {
             write_http_response(&mut stream, "200 OK", b"OK").await;
         }
diff --git a/deploy/dbx_tunnel.php b/deploy/dbx_tunnel.php
index 8d6192424b..69706e7460 100644
--- a/deploy/dbx_tunnel.php
+++ b/deploy/dbx_tunnel.php
@@ -21,6 +21,18 @@ $DBX_TUNNEL_DIR = getenv('DBX_TUNNEL_DIR') ?: sys_get_temp_dir() . DIRECTORY_SEP
 $DBX_TUNNEL_ALLOWED_HOSTS = array_values(array_filter(array_map('trim', explode(',', getenv('DBX_TUNNEL_ALLOWED_HOSTS') ?: ''))));
 $DBX_TUNNEL_MAX_SESSION_SECONDS = max(30, (int) (getenv('DBX_TUNNEL_MAX_SESSION_SECONDS') ?: '3600'));
 
+// Keep sequential protocol exchanges responsive, then restore the original idle cadence.
+const DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_US = 10000;
+const DBX_WORKER_WARM_POLL_US = 50000;
+const DBX_WORKER_IDLE_POLL_US = 200000;
+const DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_COUNT = 100;
+const DBX_WORKER_WARM_POLL_COUNT = 20;
+
+// Standalone tests load the worker helpers without dispatching an HTTP request.
+if (defined('DBX_TUNNEL_FUNCTIONS_ONLY') && DBX_TUNNEL_FUNCTIONS_ONLY) {
+    return;
+}
+
 if (PHP_SAPI === 'cli' && isset($argv[1]) && $argv[1] === '--dbx-worker') {
     run_worker($argv[2] ?? '', $argv[3] ?? '', (int) ($argv[4] ?? 0), (int) ($argv[5] ?? 10));
     exit;
@@ -160,6 +172,7 @@ function run_worker(string $dir, string $host, int $port, int $connectTimeout):
     stream_set_blocking($socket, false);
     $expiresAt = time() + $DBX_TUNNEL_MAX_SESSION_SECONDS;
     $lastActivity = time();
+    $idlePolls = 0;
 
     try {
         while (time() < $expiresAt) {
@@ -167,16 +180,18 @@ function run_worker(string $dir, string $host, int $port, int $connectTimeout):
                 break;
             }
 
+            $activity = false;
             $inbound = drain_chunks($dir, 'in');
             if ($inbound !== '') {
                 write_all($socket, $inbound);
                 $lastActivity = time();
+                $activity = true;
             }
 
             $read = [$socket];
             $write = [];
             $except = [];
-            $ready = @stream_select($read, $write, $except, 0, 200000);
+            $ready = @stream_select($read, $write, $except, 0, worker_poll_timeout_us($idlePolls));
             if ($ready === false) {
                 write_error($dir, 'Failed to poll target database socket');
                 break;
@@ -194,9 +209,12 @@ function run_worker(string $dir, string $host, int $port, int $connectTimeout):
                 } else {
                     append_chunk($dir, 'out', $data);
                     $lastActivity = time();
+                    $activity = true;
                 }
             }
 
+            $idlePolls = next_worker_idle_poll_count($idlePolls, $activity);
+
             if (time() - $lastActivity > $DBX_TUNNEL_MAX_SESSION_SECONDS) {
                 break;
             }
@@ -209,6 +227,25 @@ function run_worker(string $dir, string $host, int $port, int $connectTimeout):
     mark_closed($dir);
 }
 
+function worker_poll_timeout_us(int $idlePolls): int
+{
+    if ($idlePolls < DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_COUNT) {
+        return DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_US;
+    }
+    if ($idlePolls < DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_COUNT + DBX_WORKER_WARM_POLL_COUNT) {
+        return DBX_WORKER_WARM_POLL_US;
+    }
+    return DBX_WORKER_IDLE_POLL_US;
+}
+
+function next_worker_idle_poll_count(int $idlePolls, bool $activity): int
+{
+    if ($activity) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    return min($idlePolls + 1, DBX_WORKER_ACTIVE_POLL_COUNT + DBX_WORKER_WARM_POLL_COUNT);
+}
+
 function write_all($socket, string $data): void
 {
     $offset = 0;
diff --git a/deploy/tests/http_tunnel_worker_test.php b/deploy/tests/http_tunnel_worker_test.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a273932a48
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/tests/http_tunnel_worker_test.php
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+define('DBX_TUNNEL_FUNCTIONS_ONLY', true);
+require dirname(__DIR__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'dbx_tunnel.php';
+
+assert_same(10000, worker_poll_timeout_us(0), 'active polling starts at 10ms');
+assert_same(10000, worker_poll_timeout_us(99), 'active polling lasts for 100 idle polls');
+assert_same(50000, worker_poll_timeout_us(100), 'brief inactivity backs off to 50ms');
+assert_same(50000, worker_poll_timeout_us(119), 'warm polling lasts for 20 idle polls');
+assert_same(200000, worker_poll_timeout_us(120), 'idle polling returns to 200ms');
+assert_same(0, next_worker_idle_poll_count(120, true), 'activity resets the idle counter');
+assert_same(10000, worker_poll_timeout_us(next_worker_idle_poll_count(120, true)), 'activity resets polling to 10ms');
+assert_same(120, next_worker_idle_poll_count(120, false), 'the idle counter remains capped');
+
+$baseDir = sys_get_temp_dir() . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'dbx-tunnel-test-' . bin2hex(random_bytes(6));
+$sessionDir = $baseDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'session123';
+$worker = null;
+$pipes = [];
+$server = null;
+$socket = null;
+
+try {
+    if (!mkdir($sessionDir, 0700, true) && !is_dir($sessionDir)) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Failed to create test session directory');
+    }
+    touch($sessionDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'in.queue');
+    touch($sessionDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'out.queue');
+
+    $server = stream_socket_server('tcp://127.0.0.1:0', $errno, $errstr);
+    if ($server === false) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Failed to start echo target: ' . $errstr);
+    }
+    $address = stream_socket_get_name($server, false);
+    $port = (int) substr((string) strrchr($address, ':'), 1);
+
+    $script = dirname(__DIR__) . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'dbx_tunnel.php';
+    $command = escapeshellarg(PHP_BINARY)
+        . ' ' . escapeshellarg($script)
+        . ' --dbx-worker ' . escapeshellarg($sessionDir)
+        . ' 127.0.0.1 ' . escapeshellarg((string) $port)
+        . ' 5';
+    $worker = proc_open($command, [
+        0 => ['pipe', 'r'],
+        1 => ['pipe', 'w'],
+        2 => ['pipe', 'w'],
+    ], $pipes);
+    if (!is_resource($worker)) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Failed to start tunnel worker');
+    }
+    fclose($pipes[0]);
+    stream_set_blocking($pipes[1], false);
+    stream_set_blocking($pipes[2], false);
+
+    $socket = @stream_socket_accept($server, 5);
+    if ($socket === false) {
+        throw new RuntimeException('Tunnel worker did not connect to echo target');
+    }
+    stream_set_blocking($socket, false);
+
+    $roundTrips = 100;
+    $startedAt = microtime(true);
+    for ($index = 0; $index < $roundTrips; $index++) {
+        $payload = pack('N', $index) . hash('sha256', (string) $index, true);
+        append_chunk($sessionDir, 'in', $payload);
+
+        $forwarded = read_exact_with_timeout($socket, strlen($payload), 2.0);
+        assert_same($payload, $forwarded, 'TCP target receives ordered payload ' . $index);
+        write_all($socket, $forwarded);
+
+        $reply = drain_exact_with_timeout($sessionDir, 'out', strlen($payload), 2.0);
+        assert_same($payload, $reply, 'tunnel returns ordered payload ' . $index);
+    }
+    $elapsed = microtime(true) - $startedAt;
+    if ($elapsed >= 10.0) {
+        throw new RuntimeException(sprintf(
+            'Sequential tunnel round trips took %.3fs; the old fixed wait pattern takes about 20s',
+            $elapsed
+        ));
+    }
+
+    touch($sessionDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'close');
+    wait_for_path($sessionDir . DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR . 'closed', 3.0);
+
+    printf("ok - %d sequential round trips in %.3fs; ordered payloads and clean shutdown verified\n", $roundTrips, $elapsed);
+} finally {
+    if (is_resource($socket)) {
+        fclose($socket);
+    }
+    if (is_resource($server)) {
+        fclose($server);
+    }
+    if (is_resource($worker)) {
+        foreach ([1, 2] as $pipeIndex) {
+            if (isset($pipes[$pipeIndex]) && is_resource($pipes[$pipeIndex])) {
+                fclose($pipes[$pipeIndex]);
+            }
+        }
+        $status = proc_get_status($worker);
+        if ($status['running']) {
+            proc_terminate($worker);
+        }
+        proc_close($worker);
+    }
+    if (is_dir($baseDir)) {
+        remove_dir($baseDir);
+    }
+}
+
+function read_exact_with_timeout($socket, int $length, float $timeoutSeconds): string
+{
+    $data = '';
+    $deadline = microtime(true) + $timeoutSeconds;
+    while (strlen($data) < $length) {
+        $chunk = fread($socket, $length - strlen($data));
+        if ($chunk === false) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Failed to read echo target socket');
+        }
+        if ($chunk !== '') {
+            $data .= $chunk;
+            continue;
+        }
+        if (microtime(true) >= $deadline) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Timed out reading echo target socket');
+        }
+        usleep(1000);
+    }
+    return $data;
+}
+
+function drain_exact_with_timeout(string $dir, string $name, int $length, float $timeoutSeconds): string
+{
+    $data = '';
+    $deadline = microtime(true) + $timeoutSeconds;
+    while (strlen($data) < $length) {
+        $data .= drain_chunks($dir, $name);
+        if (strlen($data) >= $length) {
+            break;
+        }
+        if (microtime(true) >= $deadline) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Timed out draining tunnel queue');
+        }
+        usleep(1000);
+    }
+    return $data;
+}
+
+function wait_for_path(string $path, float $timeoutSeconds): void
+{
+    $deadline = microtime(true) + $timeoutSeconds;
+    while (!is_file($path)) {
+        if (microtime(true) >= $deadline) {
+            throw new RuntimeException('Timed out waiting for ' . $path);
+        }
+        usleep(10000);
+    }
+}
+
+function assert_same($expected, $actual, string $message): void
+{
+    if ($expected !== $actual) {
+        throw new RuntimeException($message);
+    }
+}