diff --git a/Application.hs b/Application.hs
index 46afd0f..9dacc34 100644
--- a/Application.hs
+++ b/Application.hs
@@ -134,13 +134,13 @@ makeFoundation useEcho conf = do
             "master"
             loadWebsiteContent
 
-    (stackageDatabase', refreshDB) <- loadFromS3
+    (stackageDatabase', refreshDB) <- loadFromS3 manager
 
     -- Temporary workaround to force content updates regularly, until
     -- distribution of webhooks is handled via consul
     void $ forkIO $ forever $ void $ do
-        handleAny print $ refreshDB manager
         threadDelay $ 1000 * 1000 * 60 * 5
+        handleAny print refreshDB
         handleAny print $ grRefresh websiteContent'
 
     env <- getEnvironment
diff --git a/Foundation.hs b/Foundation.hs
index e61bef3..e6eec85 100644
--- a/Foundation.hs
+++ b/Foundation.hs
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ data App = App
     , appLogger :: Logger
     , genIO :: MWC.GenIO
     , websiteContent :: GitRepo WebsiteContent
-    , stackageDatabase :: StackageDatabase
+    , stackageDatabase :: IO StackageDatabase
     }
 
 instance HasGenIO App where
@@ -271,6 +271,6 @@ getExtra = fmap (appExtra . settings) getYesod
 -- https://github.com/yesodweb/yesod/wiki/Sending-email
 
 instance GetStackageDatabase Handler where
-    getStackageDatabase = fmap stackageDatabase getYesod
+    getStackageDatabase = getYesod >>= liftIO . stackageDatabase
 instance GetStackageDatabase (WidgetT App IO) where
-    getStackageDatabase = fmap stackageDatabase getYesod
+    getStackageDatabase = getYesod >>= liftIO . stackageDatabase
diff --git a/Stackage/Database/Cron.hs b/Stackage/Database/Cron.hs
index 36a8ffd..637b8bf 100644
--- a/Stackage/Database/Cron.hs
+++ b/Stackage/Database/Cron.hs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ module Stackage.Database.Cron
     ) where
 
 import ClassyPrelude.Conduit
+import Control.Concurrent (threadDelay)
 import Stackage.PackageIndex.Conduit
 import Database.Persist (Entity (Entity))
 import Data.Char (isAlpha)
@@ -28,7 +29,7 @@ import           Network.AWS.S3                (ObjectCannedACL (PublicRead),
 import Control.Lens (set, view)
 import qualified Data.Conduit.Binary as CB
 import           Data.Conduit.Zlib             (WindowBits (WindowBits),
-                                                compress)
+                                                compress, ungzip)
 import qualified Hoogle
 
 filename' :: Text
@@ -45,23 +46,53 @@ url :: Text
 url = concat
     [ "https://s3.amazonaws.com/haddock.stackage.org/"
     , keyName
-    , ".gz"
     ]
 
 -- | Provides an action to be used to refresh the file from S3.
-loadFromS3 :: IO (StackageDatabase, Manager -> IO ())
-loadFromS3 = do
-    let fp = fpFromText keyName
-        fptmp = fp <.> "tmp"
+loadFromS3 :: Manager -> IO (IO StackageDatabase, IO ())
+loadFromS3 man = do
+    killPrevVar <- newTVarIO $ return ()
+    currSuffixVar <- newTVarIO (1 :: Int)
+
+    let root = "stackage-database"
+    handleIO print $ removeTree root
+    createTree root
+
     req <- parseUrl $ unpack url
-    let download man = withResponse req man $ \res -> do
-            createTree $ parent fptmp
-            runResourceT
-                 $ bodyReaderSource (responseBody res)
-                $$ sinkFile fptmp
-            rename fptmp fp
-    db <- openStackageDatabase fp
-    return (db, download)
+    let download = do
+            suffix <- atomically $ do
+                x <- readTVar currSuffixVar
+                writeTVar currSuffixVar $! x + 1
+                return x
+
+            let fp = root </> fpFromText ("database-download-" ++ tshow suffix)
+            putStrLn $ "Downloading database to " ++ fpToText fp
+            withResponse req man $ \res ->
+                runResourceT
+                     $ bodyReaderSource (responseBody res)
+                    $= ungzip
+                    $$ sinkFile fp
+            putStrLn "Finished downloading database"
+
+            return fp
+
+    dbvar <- newTVarIO $ error "database not yet loaded"
+
+    let update = do
+            fp <- download
+            db <- openStackageDatabase fp
+            void $ tryIO $ join $ atomically $ do
+                writeTVar dbvar db
+                oldKill <- readTVar killPrevVar
+                writeTVar killPrevVar $ do
+                    -- give existing users a chance to clean up
+                    threadDelay $ 1000000 * 30
+                    void $ tryIO $ removeFile fp
+                return oldKill
+
+    update
+
+    return (readTVarIO dbvar, update)
 
 hoogleKey :: SnapName -> Text
 hoogleKey name = concat
@@ -128,7 +159,7 @@ stackageServerCron = do
     createStackageDatabase dbfp
     upload dbfp keyName
 
-    (db, _) <- loadFromS3
+    db <- openStackageDatabase dbfp
     names <- runReaderT last5Lts5Nightly db
     let manager = view envManager env
     forM_ names $ \name -> do