diff --git a/cmd/server/main.go b/cmd/server/main.go
index 96b881f..b15b35c 100644
--- a/cmd/server/main.go
+++ b/cmd/server/main.go
@@ -77,11 +77,13 @@ func main() {
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/refresh", srv.handlerRefresh)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/loglevel", srv.handlerLogLevel)
 
-	if err := srv.c.FetchDB(); err != nil {
-		slog.Error("failed to refesh db files", "err", err)
-		//nolint:errcheck //already exiting
-		_ = c.Close() // best effort cleanup on exit
-		os.Exit(1)
+	for _, repo := range cfg.MirroredRepos {
+		if err := srv.c.FetchDB(repo); err != nil {
+			slog.Error("failed to refesh db file", "repo", repo, "err", err)
+			//nolint:errcheck //already exiting
+			_ = c.Close() // best effort cleanup on exit
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
 	}
 
 	httpServe := &http.Server{
diff --git a/internal/cache/refresh.go b/internal/cache/refresh.go
index cc65dc8..9c6f8b5 100644
--- a/internal/cache/refresh.go
+++ b/internal/cache/refresh.go
@@ -1,27 +1,57 @@
 package cache
 
-import "path/filepath"
+import (
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"path/filepath"
+)
 
-func (c *Cache) FetchDB() error {
-	if !c.refreshMu.TryLock() {
-		return nil
-	}
-	defer c.refreshMu.Unlock()
-
-	for _, repo := range c.cfg.mirroredRepos {
-		if err := c.fetchDB(repo); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func (c *Cache) fetchDB(repo string) error {
+func (c *Cache) FetchDB(repo string) error {
 	dbFile := repo + ".db.tar.gz"
 	dbPath := filepath.Join(repo, "os/x86_64", dbFile)
-	_, _, err := c.getStream(dbPath)
+	url := c.nextMirror() + dbPath
+
+	// set the user agent
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", url, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Error("failed create request", "err", err)
+		return err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("User-Agent", userAgent)
+
+	resp, err := c.client.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.Warn("fetch failed", "url", url, "err", err)
+		return err
+	}
+	if resp.StatusCode != 200 {
+		slog.Info("fetch returned", "url", url, "status", resp.StatusCode)
+		return &UpstreamError{StatusCode: resp.StatusCode}
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+
+	tmpPath := dbPath + ".tmp"
+	tmpFile, err := c.cr.Create(tmpPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+
+	if _, err := io.Copy(tmpFile, resp.Body); err != nil {
+		tmpFile.Close()
+		c.cr.Remove(tmpPath)
+		return err
+	}
+
+	if err := tmpFile.Close(); err != nil {
+		c.cr.Remove(tmpPath)
+		return err
+	}
+	if err := c.cr.Rename(tmpPath, dbPath); err != nil {
+		c.cr.Remove(tmpPath)
+		slog.Error("failed to move tmpfile to permanent file", "file", tmpFile, "err", err)
+		return err
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/repomaint/repomaint.go b/internal/repomaint/repomaint.go
index a8ff5a3..f2194c8 100644
--- a/internal/repomaint/repomaint.go
+++ b/internal/repomaint/repomaint.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ const (
 )
 
 type CacheClient interface {
-	FetchDB() error
+	FetchDB(repo string) error
 	Fetch(relpath string) (*cache.CacheFile, error)
 }
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ func (r *RepoSync) Sync() error {
 
 		// call cache db fetch
 		slog.Info("refreshing databases")
-		if err := r.c.FetchDB(); err != nil {
+		if err := r.c.FetchDB(repo); err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
 
diff --git a/internal/repomaint/repomaint_test.go b/internal/repomaint/repomaint_test.go
index 1ec9f87..4b54414 100644
--- a/internal/repomaint/repomaint_test.go
+++ b/internal/repomaint/repomaint_test.go
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ type mockCache struct {
 	fetchDBCalled bool
 }
 
-func (m *mockCache) FetchDB() error {
+func (m *mockCache) FetchDB(repo string) error {
 	m.fetchDBCalled = true
 	return nil
 }