diff --git a/dendrite-sample.monolith.yaml b/dendrite-sample.monolith.yaml
index e41e83d7..f0fa386d 100644
--- a/dendrite-sample.monolith.yaml
+++ b/dendrite-sample.monolith.yaml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ global:
   # you must configure the "database" block for each component instead.
   database:
     connection_string: postgresql://username:password@hostname/dendrite?sslmode=disable
-    max_open_conns: 100
+    max_open_conns: 90
     max_idle_conns: 5
     conn_max_lifetime: -1