diff --git a/src/admin/backfill.rs b/src/admin/backfill.rs
index 73f5955..2e85569 100644
--- a/src/admin/backfill.rs
+++ b/src/admin/backfill.rs
@@ -134,11 +134,13 @@ async fn load_concurrency(state: &AppState) -> BackfillConcurrency {
     )
     .await
     .and_then(|v| v.parse().ok())
-    .unwrap_or(100);
+    .unwrap_or(100usize)
+    .max(1);
     let pds = super::settings::get_setting(&state.db, "backfill_concurrent_pds", state.db_backend)
         .await
         .and_then(|v| v.parse().ok())
-        .unwrap_or(10);
+        .unwrap_or(10usize)
+        .max(1);
     let dids_per_pds = super::settings::get_setting(
         &state.db,
         "backfill_concurrent_dids_per_pds",
@@ -146,7 +148,8 @@ async fn load_concurrency(state: &AppState) -> BackfillConcurrency {
     )
     .await
     .and_then(|v| v.parse().ok())
-    .unwrap_or(3);
+    .unwrap_or(3usize)
+    .max(1);
     BackfillConcurrency {
         resolution,
         pds,
diff --git a/src/db.rs b/src/db.rs
index 638fc02..6eb5cbc 100644
--- a/src/db.rs
+++ b/src/db.rs
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ pub async fn connect(url: &str, backend: DatabaseBackend) -> AnyPool {
 pub async fn connect_backfill_pool(url: &str, backend: DatabaseBackend) -> AnyPool {
     let max_connections: u32 = std::env::var("BACKFILL_DATABASE_MAX_CONNECTIONS")
         .ok()
-        .and_then(|v| v.parse().ok())
+        .and_then(|v| v.parse::<u32>().ok())
         .unwrap_or_else(|| {
             let pds: u32 = std::env::var("BACKFILL_CONCURRENT_PDS")
                 .ok()
@@ -308,7 +308,8 @@ pub async fn connect_backfill_pool(url: &str, backend: DatabaseBackend) -> AnyPo
                 DatabaseBackend::Postgres => 256,
             };
             needed.min(ceiling)
-        });
+        })
+        .max(1);
 
     tracing::info!(max_connections, "backfill pool sized");