diff --git a/api/src/discord/commands/linkUser.ts b/api/src/discord/commands/linkUser.ts
index e47dd5a7c..f85542922 100644
--- a/api/src/discord/commands/linkUser.ts
+++ b/api/src/discord/commands/linkUser.ts
@@ -13,13 +13,15 @@ import {
 import { CTF, getAccessibleCTFsForUser } from "../database/ctfs";
 import { getDiscordClient } from "..";
 import config from "../../config";
+import { PoolClient } from "pg";
 
 export async function changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(
   userId: bigint,
   ctf: CTF | string | string[],
-  operation: "add" | "remove"
+  operation: "add" | "remove",
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<boolean> {
-  const discordUserId = await getDiscordIdFromUserId(userId);
+  const discordUserId = await getDiscordIdFromUserId(userId, pgClient);
   if (discordUserId == null) return false;
 
   return changeDiscordUserRoleForCTFByDiscordId(discordUserId, ctf, operation);
diff --git a/api/src/discord/database/ctfs.ts b/api/src/discord/database/ctfs.ts
index d7b80572d..b740d8d43 100644
--- a/api/src/discord/database/ctfs.ts
+++ b/api/src/discord/database/ctfs.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export interface CTF {
   secrets_id: bigint;
 }
 
+// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
 function buildCtf(row: any): CTF {
   return {
     id: row.id as bigint,
@@ -68,9 +69,11 @@ export async function getAllCtfsFromDatabase(): Promise<string[]> {
 
 // get id from ctf name
 export async function getCtfFromDatabase(
-  ctfName: string | bigint
+  ctfName: string | bigint,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<CTF | null> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
 
   try {
     //make a query to get all the challenges from a ctf
@@ -94,7 +97,7 @@ export async function getCtfFromDatabase(
     console.error("Failed to get CTF from the database:", error);
     return null;
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
 
@@ -163,9 +166,11 @@ export async function getAccessibleCTFsForUser(
 // invite the user to play the CTF, but only if they don't have access yet
 export async function insertInvitation(
   ctfId: bigint,
-  profileId: bigint
+  profileId: bigint,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<void> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
 
   const accessibleCTFs = await getAccessibleCTFsForUser(profileId, pgClient);
   if (accessibleCTFs.find((ctf) => ctf.id === ctfId) != null) {
@@ -182,12 +187,16 @@ export async function insertInvitation(
     console.error("Failed to insert invitation in the database:", error);
     return;
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
 
-export async function getInvitedUsersByCtf(ctfId: bigint): Promise<bigint[]> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+export async function getInvitedUsersByCtf(
+  ctfId: bigint,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
+): Promise<bigint[]> {
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
 
   try {
     const query = `SELECT profile_id FROM ctfnote.invitation WHERE ctf_id = $1`;
@@ -199,15 +208,17 @@ export async function getInvitedUsersByCtf(ctfId: bigint): Promise<bigint[]> {
     console.error("Failed to get invited users from the database:", error);
     return [];
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
 
 export async function deleteInvitation(
   ctfId: bigint,
-  profileId: bigint
+  profileId: bigint,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<void> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
 
   try {
     const query = `DELETE FROM ctfnote.invitation WHERE ctf_id = $1 AND profile_id = $2`;
@@ -217,6 +228,6 @@ export async function deleteInvitation(
     console.error("Failed to delete invitation from the database:", error);
     return;
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
diff --git a/api/src/discord/database/users.ts b/api/src/discord/database/users.ts
index 7f2e91073..ecca8306f 100644
--- a/api/src/discord/database/users.ts
+++ b/api/src/discord/database/users.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { connectToDatabase } from "./database";
+import { PoolClient } from "pg";
 
 /*
  * Only returns users that have not linked their discord account yet.
@@ -45,9 +46,11 @@ export async function setDiscordIdForUser(
 }
 
 export async function getUserByDiscordId(
-  discordId: string
+  discordId: string,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<bigint | null> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
 
   try {
     const query =
@@ -59,14 +62,16 @@ export async function getUserByDiscordId(
   } catch (error) {
     return null;
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
 
 export async function getDiscordIdFromUserId(
-  userId: bigint
+  userId: bigint,
+  pgClient: PoolClient | null = null
 ): Promise<string | null> {
-  const pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
+  const useRequestClient = pgClient != null;
+  if (pgClient == null) pgClient = await connectToDatabase();
   try {
     const query = "SELECT discord_id FROM ctfnote.profile WHERE id = $1";
     const values = [userId];
@@ -76,7 +81,7 @@ export async function getDiscordIdFromUserId(
   } catch (error) {
     return null;
   } finally {
-    pgClient.release();
+    if (!useRequestClient) pgClient.release();
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/api/src/discord/utils/permissionSync.ts b/api/src/discord/utils/permissionSync.ts
index 5c2d5fcc4..06cb8a014 100644
--- a/api/src/discord/utils/permissionSync.ts
+++ b/api/src/discord/utils/permissionSync.ts
@@ -8,20 +8,28 @@ import {
 } from "../database/ctfs";
 import { getDiscordIdFromUserId, getUserByDiscordId } from "../database/users";
 import { changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF } from "../commands/linkUser";
+import { PoolClient } from "pg";
 
 export async function syncDiscordPermissionsWithCtf(
   guild: Guild,
   ctfId: bigint,
-  discordLink: string | null
+  discordLink: string | null,
+  pgClient: PoolClient
 ) {
-  if (discordLink == null || discordLink.length == 0) return;
-  const ctf = await getCtfFromDatabase(ctfId);
-  if (ctf == null) return;
+  if (discordLink == null || discordLink.length == 0) {
+    return;
+  }
+  const ctf = await getCtfFromDatabase(ctfId, pgClient);
+  if (ctf == null) {
+    return;
+  }
 
   const guildEvents = await guild.scheduledEvents.fetch();
 
   const eventId = discordLink.match(/event=(\d+)/)?.[1];
-  if (eventId == null) return;
+  if (eventId == null) {
+    return;
+  }
 
   const event = guildEvents.get(eventId);
   if (event == null) return;
@@ -31,13 +39,13 @@ export async function syncDiscordPermissionsWithCtf(
   const usersInterested = (
     await Promise.all(
       discordUsersInterested.map(async function (user) {
-        return await getUserByDiscordId(user.user.id);
+        return await getUserByDiscordId(user.user.id, pgClient);
       })
     )
   ).filter((user) => user != null) as Array<bigint>;
 
   // search for users that are invited to the CTF but are not interested in the event
-  const invitedUsers = await getInvitedUsersByCtf(ctfId);
+  const invitedUsers = await getInvitedUsersByCtf(ctfId, pgClient);
   const usersNotInterested = invitedUsers.filter(
     (user) => !usersInterested.includes(user)
   );
@@ -46,25 +54,28 @@ export async function syncDiscordPermissionsWithCtf(
   await Promise.all(
     usersNotInterested.map(async function (user) {
       if (user == null) return;
-      if ((await getDiscordIdFromUserId(user)) == null) return; // don't remove permissions through the Discord sync if the user doesn't have Discord linked
-      await deleteInvitation(ctfId, user);
+      if ((await getDiscordIdFromUserId(user, pgClient)) == null) return; // don't remove permissions through the Discord sync if the user doesn't have Discord linked
+      await deleteInvitation(ctfId, user, pgClient);
 
       // we just removed the invitation so we expect the user to not have access to the CTF anymore,
       // however if the user has member privileges or higher we do not remove the role because the user should still have access
-      const accessibleCTFs = await getAccessibleCTFsForUser(user);
-      if (accessibleCTFs.find((ctf) => ctf.id === ctfId) != null) return;
+      const accessibleCTFs = await getAccessibleCTFsForUser(user, pgClient);
+      if (accessibleCTFs.find((ctf) => ctf.id === ctfId) != null) {
+        return;
+      }
 
-      changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(user, ctf, "remove");
+      changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(user, ctf, "remove", pgClient);
     })
   );
 
   // invite the users that are interested in the event but do not have access yet to the CTF
-  await Promise.all(
+  return await Promise.all(
     usersInterested.map(async function (user) {
       if (user == null) return;
-      insertInvitation(ctfId, user);
+
+      insertInvitation(ctfId, user, pgClient);
       // we only add the role if the user also exists in CTFNote and therefore prevent that users only have a Discord account but no CTFNote account
-      changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(user, ctf, "add");
+      changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(user, ctf, "add", pgClient);
     })
   );
 }
diff --git a/api/src/plugins/discordHooks.ts b/api/src/plugins/discordHooks.ts
index d84249b9e..f90309bcc 100644
--- a/api/src/plugins/discordHooks.ts
+++ b/api/src/plugins/discordHooks.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@ export async function handleTaskSolved(
   );
 }
 
+// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars, @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
 const discordMutationHook = (_build: Build) => (fieldContext: Context<any>) => {
   const {
     scope: { isRootMutation },
@@ -99,9 +100,13 @@ const discordMutationHook = (_build: Build) => (fieldContext: Context<any>) => {
   }
 
   const handleDiscordMutationAfter = async (
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     input: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     args: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     context: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
     _resolveInfo: GraphQLResolveInfoWithMessages
   ) => {
     const guild = getDiscordGuild();
@@ -264,7 +269,12 @@ const discordMutationHook = (_build: Build) => (fieldContext: Context<any>) => {
       const link = args.input.link;
       const ctfId = args.input.ctfId;
 
-      await syncDiscordPermissionsWithCtf(guild, ctfId, link).catch((err) => {
+      await syncDiscordPermissionsWithCtf(
+        guild,
+        ctfId,
+        link,
+        context.pgClient
+      ).catch((err) => {
         console.error("Failed to sync discord permissions.", err);
       });
     }
@@ -273,9 +283,13 @@ const discordMutationHook = (_build: Build) => (fieldContext: Context<any>) => {
   };
 
   const handleDiscordMutationBefore = async (
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     input: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     args: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
     context: any,
+    // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
     _resolveInfo: GraphQLResolveInfoWithMessages
   ) => {
     const guild = getDiscordGuild();
@@ -404,6 +418,7 @@ async function handeInvitation(
   await changeDiscordUserRoleForCTF(profileId, ctf, operation);
 }
 
+// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
 async function handleUpdateCtf(args: any, guild: Guild) {
   const ctf = await getCtfFromDatabase(args.input.id);
   if (ctf == null) return;