diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
index 58474f4dbc..404d201a44 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,11 @@ export async function createRouter(
             res.setHeader('link', `<${url.pathname}${url.search}>; rel="next"`);
           }
 
-          await writeEntitiesResponse(res, entities);
+          await writeEntitiesResponse({
+            res,
+            items: entities,
+            alwaysUseObjectMode: !disableRelationsCompatibility,
+          });
           return;
         }
 
@@ -214,18 +218,23 @@ export async function createRouter(
             credentials: await httpAuth.credentials(req),
           });
 
-        await writeEntitiesResponse(res, items, entities => ({
-          items: entities,
-          totalItems,
-          pageInfo: {
-            ...(pageInfo.nextCursor && {
-              nextCursor: encodeCursor(pageInfo.nextCursor),
-            }),
-            ...(pageInfo.prevCursor && {
-              prevCursor: encodeCursor(pageInfo.prevCursor),
-            }),
-          },
-        }));
+        await writeEntitiesResponse({
+          res,
+          items,
+          alwaysUseObjectMode: !disableRelationsCompatibility,
+          responseWrapper: entities => ({
+            items: entities,
+            totalItems,
+            pageInfo: {
+              ...(pageInfo.nextCursor && {
+                nextCursor: encodeCursor(pageInfo.nextCursor),
+              }),
+              ...(pageInfo.prevCursor && {
+                prevCursor: encodeCursor(pageInfo.prevCursor),
+              }),
+            },
+          }),
+        });
       })
       .get('/entities/by-uid/:uid', async (req, res) => {
         const { uid } = req.params;
@@ -273,9 +282,14 @@ export async function createRouter(
           fields: parseEntityTransformParams(req.query, request.fields),
           credentials: await httpAuth.credentials(req),
         });
-        await writeEntitiesResponse(res, items, entities => ({
-          items: entities,
-        }));
+        await writeEntitiesResponse({
+          res,
+          items,
+          alwaysUseObjectMode: !disableRelationsCompatibility,
+          responseWrapper: entities => ({
+            items: entities,
+          }),
+        });
       })
       .get('/entity-facets', async (req, res) => {
         const response = await entitiesCatalog.facets({
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.test.ts
index fdca874904..d60d1c3526 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.test.ts
@@ -128,14 +128,23 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
   const app = express();
   app.use(express.json());
   app.get('/echo', (req, res) => {
-    writeEntitiesResponse(res, req.body);
+    writeEntitiesResponse({
+      res,
+      items: req.body,
+      alwaysUseObjectMode: Boolean(req.query.object),
+    });
   });
   app.get('/wrapped', (req, res) => {
-    writeEntitiesResponse(res, req.body, entities => ({
-      page: 1,
-      items: entities,
-      totalItems: 1337,
-    }));
+    writeEntitiesResponse({
+      res,
+      items: req.body,
+      alwaysUseObjectMode: Boolean(req.query.object),
+      responseWrapper: entities => ({
+        page: 1,
+        items: entities,
+        totalItems: 1337,
+      }),
+    });
   });
   app.use(mockErrorHandler());
 
@@ -151,6 +160,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual([]);
     });
 
@@ -167,6 +177,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual([
         { kind: 'Component' },
         null,
@@ -185,6 +196,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual({ page: 1, items: [], totalItems: 1337 });
     });
 
@@ -201,6 +213,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual({
         page: 1,
         items: [{ kind: 'Component' }, null, { kind: 'User' }, null],
@@ -221,6 +234,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual([]);
     });
 
@@ -237,6 +251,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).not.toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual([
         { kind: 'Component' },
         null,
@@ -255,6 +270,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).not.toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual({ page: 1, items: [], totalItems: 1337 });
     });
 
@@ -271,6 +287,7 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).not.toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual({
         page: 1,
         items: [{ kind: 'Component' }, null, { kind: 'User' }, null],
@@ -307,6 +324,118 @@ describe('writeEntitiesResponse', () => {
       expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
         'application/json; charset=utf-8',
       );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).not.toBeDefined();
+      expect(res.body).toEqual({
+        page: 1,
+        items: expect.objectContaining({ length: 300 }),
+        totalItems: 1337,
+      });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('in raw form forced to object', () => {
+    it('should return empty list', async () => {
+      const res = await request(app).get('/echo?object=true').send({
+        type: 'raw',
+        entities: [],
+      });
+
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+      expect(res.type).toBe('application/json');
+      expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
+        'application/json; charset=utf-8',
+      );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
+      expect(res.body).toEqual([]);
+    });
+
+    it('should return mixed objects', async () => {
+      const res = await request(app)
+        .get('/echo?object=true')
+        .send({
+          type: 'raw',
+          entities: ['{"kind":"Component"}', null, '{"kind":"User"}', null],
+        });
+
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+      expect(res.type).toBe('application/json');
+      expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
+        'application/json; charset=utf-8',
+      );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
+      expect(res.body).toEqual([
+        { kind: 'Component' },
+        null,
+        { kind: 'User' },
+        null,
+      ]);
+    });
+
+    it('should wrap response of empty list', async () => {
+      const res = await request(app)
+        .get('/wrapped?object=true')
+        .send({ type: 'raw', entities: [] });
+
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+      expect(res.type).toBe('application/json');
+      expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
+        'application/json; charset=utf-8',
+      );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
+      expect(res.body).toEqual({ page: 1, items: [], totalItems: 1337 });
+    });
+
+    it('should wrap response of mixed list', async () => {
+      const res = await request(app)
+        .get('/wrapped?object=true')
+        .send({
+          type: 'raw',
+          entities: ['{"kind":"Component"}', null, '{"kind":"User"}', null],
+        });
+
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+      expect(res.type).toBe('application/json');
+      expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
+        'application/json; charset=utf-8',
+      );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
+      expect(res.body).toEqual({
+        page: 1,
+        items: [{ kind: 'Component' }, null, { kind: 'User' }, null],
+        totalItems: 1337,
+      });
+    });
+
+    it('should write a large wrapped response', async () => {
+      const entityMock = JSON.stringify({
+        apiVersion: 'backstage.io/v1alpha1',
+        kind: 'Component',
+        metadata: {
+          name: 'my-component',
+          namespace: 'default',
+          annotations: {
+            'backstage.io/managed-by-location': 'url:https://example.com',
+          },
+        },
+        spec: {
+          type: 'service',
+          owner: 'me',
+          lifecycle: 'production',
+        },
+      });
+      const res = await request(app)
+        .get('/wrapped?object=true')
+        .send({
+          type: 'raw',
+          entities: Array(300).fill(entityMock),
+        });
+
+      expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+      expect(res.type).toBe('application/json');
+      expect(res.header['content-type']).toBe(
+        'application/json; charset=utf-8',
+      );
+      expect(res.header['content-length']).toBeDefined();
       expect(res.body).toEqual({
         page: 1,
         items: expect.objectContaining({ length: 300 }),
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
index b313e3a630..b43064a1e4 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { Response } from 'express';
 import { EntitiesResponseItems } from '../../catalog/types';
 import { JsonValue } from '@backstage/types';
 import { NotFoundError } from '@backstage/errors';
+import { processEntitiesResponseItems } from './process';
 
 const JSON_CONTENT_TYPE = 'application/json; charset=utf-8';
 
@@ -42,16 +43,20 @@ export function writeSingleEntityResponse(
   }
 }
 
-export async function writeEntitiesResponse(
-  res: Response,
-  response: EntitiesResponseItems,
-  responseWrapper?: (entities: JsonValue) => JsonValue,
-) {
-  if (response.type === 'object') {
+export async function writeEntitiesResponse(options: {
+  res: Response;
+  items: EntitiesResponseItems;
+  responseWrapper?: (entities: JsonValue) => JsonValue;
+  alwaysUseObjectMode?: boolean;
+}) {
+  const { res, responseWrapper, alwaysUseObjectMode } = options;
+  const items = alwaysUseObjectMode
+    ? processEntitiesResponseItems(options.items, e => e)
+    : options.items;
+
+  if (items.type === 'object') {
     res.json(
-      responseWrapper
-        ? responseWrapper?.(response.entities)
-        : response.entities,
+      responseWrapper ? responseWrapper?.(items.entities) : items.entities,
     );
     return;
   }
@@ -74,7 +79,7 @@ export async function writeEntitiesResponse(
   }
 
   let first = true;
-  for (const entity of response.entities) {
+  for (const entity of items.entities) {
     const prefix = first ? '[' : ',';
     first = false;