diff --git a/changes.d/548.feat.md b/changes.d/548.feat.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1803848
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes.d/548.feat.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Improve the performance of the GraphQL server.
diff --git a/cylc/uiserver/websockets/resolve.py b/cylc/uiserver/websockets/resolve.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..71bb8f23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cylc/uiserver/websockets/resolve.py
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+# MIT License
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2017, Syrus Akbary
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+# AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+# OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+# SOFTWARE.
+
+"""
+This file contains an implementation of "resolve" derived from the one
+found in the graphql-ws library with the above license.
+
+This is temporary code until the change makes its way upstream.
+"""
+
+# NOTE: transient dependency from graphql-ws purposefully not
+# reflected in cylc-uiserver dependencies
+from promise import Promise
+
+from graphql_ws.base_async import is_awaitable
+
+
+async def resolve(
+    data,
+    _container=None,
+    _key=None,
+):
+    """
+    Wait on any awaitable children of a data element and resolve
+    any Promises.
+    """
+    stack = [(data, _container, _key)]
+
+    while stack:
+        _data, _container, _key = stack.pop()
+
+        if is_awaitable(_data):
+            _data = await _data
+            if isinstance(_data, Promise):
+                _data = _data.value
+            if _container is not None:
+                _container[_key] = _data
+        if isinstance(_data, dict):
+            items = _data.items()
+        elif isinstance(_data, list):
+            items = enumerate(_data)
+        else:
+            items = None
+        if items is not None:
+            stack.extend([
+                (child, _data, key)
+                for key, child in items
+            ])
diff --git a/cylc/uiserver/websockets/tornado.py b/cylc/uiserver/websockets/tornado.py
index fcabac34..aaf2e285 100644
--- a/cylc/uiserver/websockets/tornado.py
+++ b/cylc/uiserver/websockets/tornado.py
@@ -13,9 +13,8 @@
 from asyncio.queues import QueueEmpty
 from tornado.websocket import WebSocketClosedError
 from graphql.execution.middleware import MiddlewareManager
-from graphql_ws.base import ConnectionClosedException
+from graphql_ws.base import ConnectionClosedException, BaseSubscriptionServer
 from graphql_ws.base_async import (
-    resolve,
     BaseAsyncConnectionContext,
     BaseAsyncSubscriptionServer
 )
@@ -29,6 +28,9 @@
 from typing import Union, Awaitable, Any, List, Tuple, Dict, Optional
 
 from cylc.uiserver.authorise import AuthorizationMiddleware
+from cylc.uiserver.websockets.resolve import resolve
+
+
 setup_observable_extension()
 
 NO_MSG_DELAY = 1.0
@@ -163,4 +165,14 @@ async def send_execution_result(self, connection_context, op_id, execution_resul
             await resolve(execution_result.data)
             request_context = connection_context.request_context
             await request_context['resolvers'].flow_delta_processed(request_context, op_id)
-        await super().send_execution_result(connection_context, op_id, execution_result)
+        else:
+            await resolve(execution_result.data)
+
+        # NOTE: skip TornadoSubscriptionServer.send_execution_result because it
+        # calls "resolve" then invokes BaseSubscriptionServer.send_execution_result
+        await BaseSubscriptionServer.send_execution_result(
+            self,
+            connection_context,
+            op_id,
+            execution_result,
+        )