diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index e17619f..f0ae07d 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ DOCKER_TAG=latest
 
 # Release and Metadata
 # MIRROR_RELEASES=false  # Mirror GitHub releases
+# RELEASE_LIMIT=10  # Maximum number of releases to mirror per repository
 # MIRROR_WIKI=false  # Mirror wiki content
 
 # Issue Tracking (requires MIRROR_METADATA=true)
diff --git a/docs/ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md b/docs/ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md
index d841bb9..5c8546a 100644
--- a/docs/ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md
+++ b/docs/ENVIRONMENT_VARIABLES.md
@@ -134,6 +134,7 @@ Control what content gets mirrored from GitHub to Gitea.
 | Variable | Description | Default | Options |
 |----------|-------------|---------|---------|
 | `MIRROR_RELEASES` | Mirror GitHub releases | `false` | `true`, `false` |
+| `RELEASE_LIMIT` | Maximum number of releases to mirror per repository | `10` | Number (1-100) |
 | `MIRROR_WIKI` | Mirror wiki content | `false` | `true`, `false` |
 | `MIRROR_METADATA` | Master toggle for metadata mirroring | `false` | `true`, `false` |
 | `MIRROR_ISSUES` | Mirror issues (requires MIRROR_METADATA=true) | `false` | `true`, `false` |
diff --git a/src/lib/env-config-loader.ts b/src/lib/env-config-loader.ts
index aea3ef8..ccb929e 100644
--- a/src/lib/env-config-loader.ts
+++ b/src/lib/env-config-loader.ts
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ function parseEnvConfig(): EnvConfig {
       mirrorLabels: process.env.MIRROR_LABELS === 'true',
       mirrorMilestones: process.env.MIRROR_MILESTONES === 'true',
       mirrorMetadata: process.env.MIRROR_METADATA === 'true',
+      releaseLimit: process.env.RELEASE_LIMIT ? parseInt(process.env.RELEASE_LIMIT, 10) : undefined,
     },
     schedule: {
       enabled: process.env.SCHEDULE_ENABLED === 'true' || 
@@ -271,6 +272,7 @@ export async function initializeConfigFromEnv(): Promise<void> {
       forkStrategy: envConfig.gitea.forkStrategy || existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.forkStrategy || 'reference',
       // Mirror metadata options
       mirrorReleases: envConfig.mirror.mirrorReleases ?? existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.mirrorReleases ?? false,
+      releaseLimit: envConfig.mirror.releaseLimit ?? existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.releaseLimit ?? 10,
       mirrorMetadata: envConfig.mirror.mirrorMetadata ?? (envConfig.mirror.mirrorIssues || envConfig.mirror.mirrorPullRequests || envConfig.mirror.mirrorLabels || envConfig.mirror.mirrorMilestones) ?? existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.mirrorMetadata ?? false,
       mirrorIssues: envConfig.mirror.mirrorIssues ?? existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.mirrorIssues ?? false,
       mirrorPullRequests: envConfig.mirror.mirrorPullRequests ?? existingConfig?.[0]?.giteaConfig?.mirrorPullRequests ?? false,
diff --git a/src/middleware.ts b/src/middleware.ts
index 0a186f9..acb4824 100644
--- a/src/middleware.ts
+++ b/src/middleware.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import { setupSignalHandlers } from './lib/signal-handlers';
 import { auth } from './lib/auth';
 import { isHeaderAuthEnabled, authenticateWithHeaders } from './lib/auth-header';
 import { initializeConfigFromEnv } from './lib/env-config-loader';
+import { db, users } from './lib/db';
 
 // Flag to track if recovery has been initialized
 let recoveryInitialized = false;
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ let schedulerServiceStarted = false;
 let repositoryCleanupServiceStarted = false;
 let shutdownManagerInitialized = false;
 let envConfigInitialized = false;
+let envConfigCheckCount = 0; // Track attempts to avoid excessive checking
 
 export const onRequest = defineMiddleware(async (context, next) => {
   // First, try Better Auth session (cookie-based)
@@ -79,14 +81,31 @@ export const onRequest = defineMiddleware(async (context, next) => {
     }
   }
 
-  // Initialize configuration from environment variables (only once)
-  if (!envConfigInitialized) {
-    envConfigInitialized = true;
-    try {
-      await initializeConfigFromEnv();
-    } catch (error) {
-      console.error('⚠️  Failed to initialize configuration from environment:', error);
-      // Continue anyway - environment config is optional
+  // Initialize configuration from environment variables
+  // Optimized to minimize performance impact:
+  // - Once initialized, no checks are performed (envConfigInitialized = true)
+  // - Limits checks to first 100 requests to avoid DB queries on every request if no users exist
+  // - After user creation, env vars load on next request and flag is set permanently
+  if (!envConfigInitialized && envConfigCheckCount < 100) {
+    envConfigCheckCount++;
+    
+    // Only check every 10th request after the first 10 to reduce DB load
+    const shouldCheck = envConfigCheckCount <= 10 || envConfigCheckCount % 10 === 0;
+    
+    if (shouldCheck) {
+      try {
+        const hasUsers = await db.select().from(users).limit(1).then(u => u.length > 0);
+        
+        if (hasUsers) {
+          // We have users now, try to initialize config
+          await initializeConfigFromEnv();
+          envConfigInitialized = true; // This ensures we never check again
+          console.log('✅ Environment configuration loaded after user creation');
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('⚠️  Failed to initialize configuration from environment:', error);
+        // Continue anyway - environment config is optional
+      }
     }
   }