diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
index 601b0b1098..50ccb08b4c 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.ts
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ import {
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
 import { LocationAnalyzer } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-node';
 import { AuthorizedValidationService } from './AuthorizedValidationService';
-import { DeferredPromise, createDeferred } from '@backstage/types';
 import {
   createEntityArrayJsonStream,
   processEntitiesResponseItems,
@@ -175,22 +174,6 @@ export async function createRouter(
           return;
         }
 
-        // For other read-the-entire-world cases, use queryEntities and stream
-        // out results.
-
-        // The write lock is used for back pressure, preventing slow readers
-        // from forcing our read loop to pile up response data in userspace
-        // buffers faster than the kernel buffer is emptied.
-        // https://nodejs.org/api/http.html#http_response_write_chunk_encoding_callback
-        const locks: { writeLock?: DeferredPromise } = {};
-        const controller = new AbortController();
-        const signal = controller.signal;
-        req.on('end', () => {
-          controller.abort(new Error('Client closed connection'));
-          locks.writeLock?.resolve();
-          delete locks.writeLock;
-        });
-
         const responseStream = createEntityArrayJsonStream(res);
         const limit = 10000;
         let cursor: Cursor | undefined;
@@ -211,31 +194,17 @@ export async function createRouter(
             );
 
             if (result.items.entities.length) {
-              await locks?.writeLock;
-
-              signal.throwIfAborted();
-
               if (!disableRelationsCompatibility) {
                 result.items = processEntitiesResponseItems(
                   result.items,
                   expandLegacyCompoundRelationsInEntity,
                 );
               }
-              if (!responseStream.send(result.items)) {
-                // The kernel buffer is full. Create the lock but do not await it
-                // yet - we can better spend our time going to the next round of
-                // the loop and read from the database while we wait for it to
-                // drain.
-                locks.writeLock = createDeferred();
-                res.once('drain', () => {
-                  locks.writeLock?.resolve();
-                  delete locks.writeLock;
-                });
+              if (await responseStream.send(result.items)) {
+                return; // Client closed connection
               }
             }
 
-            signal.throwIfAborted();
-
             cursor = result.pageInfo?.nextCursor;
           } while (cursor);
 
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/createEntityArrayJsonStream.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/createEntityArrayJsonStream.ts
index 4762afd2d9..5bdc9d8994 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/createEntityArrayJsonStream.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/createEntityArrayJsonStream.ts
@@ -16,9 +16,10 @@
 
 import { EntitiesResponseItems } from '../../catalog/types';
 import { Response } from 'express';
+import { writeResponseData } from './write';
 
 export interface EntityArrayJsonStream {
-  send(entities: EntitiesResponseItems): boolean;
+  send(entities: EntitiesResponseItems): Promise<boolean>;
   complete(): void;
   close(): void;
 }
@@ -33,7 +34,7 @@ export function createEntityArrayJsonStream(
   let completed = false;
 
   return {
-    send(response) {
+    async send(response) {
       if (firstSend) {
         res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/json; charset=utf-8');
         res.status(200);
@@ -41,13 +42,15 @@ export function createEntityArrayJsonStream(
       }
 
       if (response.type === 'raw') {
-        let needsDrain = false;
         for (const item of response.entities) {
           const prefix = firstSend ? '[' : ',';
           firstSend = false;
-          needsDrain ||= !res.write(prefix + item, 'utf8');
+
+          if (await writeResponseData(res, prefix + item)) {
+            return true;
+          }
         }
-        return !needsDrain;
+        return false;
       }
 
       let data: string;
@@ -60,7 +63,7 @@ export function createEntityArrayJsonStream(
       }
 
       firstSend = false;
-      return res.write(data, 'utf8');
+      return writeResponseData(res, data);
     },
     complete() {
       if (firstSend) {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
index c2bca0953a..e76369fbc6 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/response/write.ts
@@ -78,26 +78,37 @@ export async function writeEntitiesResponse(
     const prefix = first ? '[' : ',';
     first = false;
 
-    const needsDrain = !res.write(prefix + entity, 'utf8');
-    if (needsDrain) {
-      const closed = await new Promise<boolean>(resolve => {
-        function onContinue() {
-          res.off('drain', onContinue);
-          res.off('close', onClose);
-          resolve(false);
-        }
-        function onClose() {
-          res.off('drain', onContinue);
-          res.off('close', onClose);
-          resolve(true);
-        }
-        res.on('drain', onContinue);
-        res.on('close', onClose);
-      });
-      if (closed) {
-        return;
-      }
+    if (await writeResponseData(res, prefix + entity)) {
+      return;
     }
   }
   res.end(`${first ? '[' : ''}]${trailing}`);
 }
+
+/**
+ * Writes a data to the response and waits if the response buffer needs draining.
+ *
+ * @internal
+ * @returns true if the response was closed while waiting for the buffer to drain
+ */
+export async function writeResponseData(res: Response, data: string | Buffer) {
+  const ok = res.write(data, 'utf8');
+  if (!ok) {
+    const closed = await new Promise<boolean>(resolve => {
+      function onContinue() {
+        res.off('drain', onContinue);
+        res.off('close', onClose);
+        resolve(false);
+      }
+      function onClose() {
+        res.off('drain', onContinue);
+        res.off('close', onClose);
+        resolve(true);
+      }
+      res.on('drain', onContinue);
+      res.on('close', onClose);
+    });
+    return closed;
+  }
+  return false;
+}