diff --git a/compute_tools/src/bin/fast_import.rs b/compute_tools/src/bin/fast_import.rs
index 8a6fc3cfae..33341b22ee 100644
--- a/compute_tools/src/bin/fast_import.rs
+++ b/compute_tools/src/bin/fast_import.rs
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ use camino::{Utf8Path, Utf8PathBuf};
 use clap::Parser;
 use compute_tools::extension_server::{get_pg_version, PostgresMajorVersion};
 use nix::unistd::Pid;
+use tokio::io::BufReader;
 use tracing::{error, info, info_span, warn, Instrument};
 use utils::fs_ext::is_directory_empty;
 
@@ -405,8 +406,6 @@ pub(crate) async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         None
     };
 
-    let dumpdir = working_directory.join("dumpdir");
-
     let common_args = [
         // schema mapping (prob suffices to specify them on one side)
         "--no-owner".to_string(),
@@ -417,46 +416,49 @@ pub(crate) async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         "--no-tablespaces".to_string(),
         // format
         "--format".to_string(),
-        "directory".to_string(),
+        "custom".to_string(),
         // concurrency
-        "--jobs".to_string(),
-        num_cpus::get().to_string(),
+        // "--jobs".to_string(),
+        // num_cpus::get().to_string(),
         // progress updates
         "--verbose".to_string(),
     ];
 
     info!("dump into the working directory");
-    {
-        let mut pg_dump = tokio::process::Command::new(pg_bin_dir.join("pg_dump"))
-            .args(&common_args)
-            .arg("-f")
-            .arg(&dumpdir)
-            .arg("--no-sync")
-            // POSITIONAL args
-            // source db (db name included in connection string)
-            .arg(&source_connstring)
-            // how we run it
-            .env_clear()
-            .env("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", &pg_lib_dir)
-            .kill_on_drop(true)
-            .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped())
-            .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped())
-            .spawn()
-            .context("spawn pg_dump")?;
+    let mut pg_dump = tokio::process::Command::new(pg_bin_dir.join("pg_dump"))
+        .args(&common_args)
+        .arg("--no-sync")
+        // POSITIONAL args
+        // source db (db name included in connection string)
+        .arg(&source_connstring)
+        // how we run it
+        .env_clear()
+        .env("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", &pg_lib_dir)
+        .kill_on_drop(true)
+        .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped())
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped())
+        .spawn()
+        .context("spawn pg_dump")?;
 
+    const BUF_SIZE: usize = 64 * 1024 * 1024;
+    let mut buf = BufReader::with_capacity(BUF_SIZE, pg_dump.stdout.take().unwrap());
+
+    tokio::spawn(async move {
         info!(pid=%pg_dump.id().unwrap(), "spawned pg_dump");
-
-        tokio::spawn(
-            child_stdio_to_log::relay_process_output(pg_dump.stdout.take(), pg_dump.stderr.take())
-                .instrument(info_span!("pg_dump")),
-        );
-
-        let st = pg_dump.wait().await.context("wait for pg_dump")?;
+        let st = pg_dump.wait().await.expect("wait for pg_dump");
         info!(status=?st, "pg_dump exited");
         if !st.success() {
             warn!(status=%st, "pg_dump failed, restore will likely fail as well");
         }
-    }
+
+        tokio::spawn(
+            child_stdio_to_log::relay_process_output(
+                None,
+                pg_dump.stderr.take(),
+            )
+            .instrument(info_span!("pg_dump")),
+        );
+    });
 
     // TODO: do it in a streaming way, plenty of internal research done on this already
     // TODO: do the unlogged table trick
@@ -465,14 +467,15 @@ pub(crate) async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
             .args(&common_args)
             .arg("-d")
             .arg(&restore_connstring)
-            // POSITIONAL args
-            .arg(&dumpdir)
+            .arg("--clean")
+            .arg("--if-exists")
             // how we run it
             .env_clear()
             .env("LD_LIBRARY_PATH", &pg_lib_dir)
             .kill_on_drop(true)
             .stdout(std::process::Stdio::piped())
             .stderr(std::process::Stdio::piped())
+            .stdin(std::process::Stdio::piped())
             .spawn()
             .context("spawn pg_restore")?;
 
@@ -484,11 +487,19 @@ pub(crate) async fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
             )
             .instrument(info_span!("pg_restore")),
         );
+
+        let mut restore_stdin = pg_restore.stdin.take().unwrap();
+
+        tokio::spawn(async move {
+            tokio::io::copy_buf(&mut buf, &mut restore_stdin).await.expect("pg_restore failed to read from pg_dump");
+        });
+
         let st = pg_restore.wait().await.context("wait for pg_restore")?;
         info!(status=?st, "pg_restore exited");
         if !st.success() {
             warn!(status=%st, "pg_restore failed, restore will likely fail as well");
         }
+
     }
 
     if let Some(mut proc) = postgres_proc {