diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 2d6a28f..c328707 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ COPY composer.json /src/
 RUN composer install --ignore-platform-reqs --optimize-autoloader \
     --no-plugins --no-scripts --prefer-dist
 
-FROM php:8.3.3-cli-alpine3.19 as final
+FROM php:8.4.22-cli-alpine3.24 as final
 
 LABEL maintainer="team@appwrite.io"
 
diff --git a/composer.json b/composer.json
index 1959250..eaf16a9 100644
--- a/composer.json
+++ b/composer.json
@@ -12,23 +12,26 @@
     "scripts": {
         "lint": "./vendor/bin/pint --test",
         "format": "./vendor/bin/pint",
-        "check": "./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse --level max src tests",
+        "check": "./vendor/bin/phpstan analyse -c phpstan.neon --memory-limit=1G",
         "test": "./vendor/bin/phpunit --configuration phpunit.xml --testsuite \"Test Suite\"",
         "bench": "./vendor/bin/phpunit --configuration phpunit.xml --testsuite Benchmark"
     },
     "minimum-stability": "stable",
     "require": {
-        "php": ">=8.0",
-        "utopia-php/fetch": "^1.1",
+        "php": ">=8.4",
+        "utopia-php/client": "^0.1|^0.2",
         "utopia-php/database": "5.*|6.0.*",
         "utopia-php/query": "0.1.*"
     },
     "require-dev": {
         "phpunit/phpunit": "^9.5",
         "utopia-php/cache": "^3.0",
-        "phpstan/phpstan": "1.*",
+        "phpstan/phpstan": "^2.0",
         "laravel/pint": "1.*"
     },
+    "suggest": {
+        "ext-curl": "Required by the default cURL transport for the ClickHouse adapter. Not needed if you inject a non-cURL utopia-php/client into the adapter."
+    },
     "autoload": {
         "psr-4": {
             "Utopia\\Usage\\": "src/Usage"
diff --git a/composer.lock b/composer.lock
index 75a2640..608f1dc 100644
--- a/composer.lock
+++ b/composer.lock
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
         "Read more about it at https://getcomposer.org/doc/01-basic-usage.md#installing-dependencies",
         "This file is @generated automatically"
     ],
-    "content-hash": "54b275990951e47c22f32d319f95db39",
+    "content-hash": "5b3770da8c02f718d34e73b85e3ad64a",
     "packages": [
         {
             "name": "brick/math",
@@ -2147,6 +2147,62 @@
             },
             "time": "2026-05-29T12:12:23+00:00"
         },
+        {
+            "name": "utopia-php/client",
+            "version": "0.2.0",
+            "source": {
+                "type": "git",
+                "url": "https://github.com/utopia-php/client.git",
+                "reference": "26df7973340b363e3fb597498e6971553bc3f085"
+            },
+            "dist": {
+                "type": "zip",
+                "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/utopia-php/client/zipball/26df7973340b363e3fb597498e6971553bc3f085",
+                "reference": "26df7973340b363e3fb597498e6971553bc3f085",
+                "shasum": ""
+            },
+            "require": {
+                "php": ">=8.4",
+                "psr/http-client": "^1.0",
+                "psr/http-factory": "^1.0",
+                "psr/http-message": "^1.1 || ^2.0",
+                "utopia-php/pools": "^1.0",
+                "utopia-php/span": "^1.1 || ^3.0 || ^4.0"
+            },
+            "require-dev": {
+                "swoole/ide-helper": "^6.0"
+            },
+            "suggest": {
+                "ext-curl": "Required to use the cURL HTTP client adapter.",
+                "ext-simplexml": "Required to decode XML responses with Response::xml().",
+                "ext-swoole": "Required to use the Swoole coroutine HTTP client adapter."
+            },
+            "type": "library",
+            "autoload": {
+                "psr-4": {
+                    "Utopia\\": "src/"
+                }
+            },
+            "notification-url": "https://packagist.org/downloads/",
+            "license": [
+                "MIT"
+            ],
+            "description": "A lightweight PSR-18 HTTP client with cURL and Swoole coroutine backends",
+            "keywords": [
+                "client",
+                "curl",
+                "http",
+                "php",
+                "psr-18",
+                "swoole",
+                "utopia"
+            ],
+            "support": {
+                "issues": "https://github.com/utopia-php/client/issues",
+                "source": "https://github.com/utopia-php/client/tree/0.2.0"
+            },
+            "time": "2026-06-23T12:43:32+00:00"
+        },
         {
             "name": "utopia-php/console",
             "version": "0.1.1",
@@ -2255,46 +2311,6 @@
             },
             "time": "2026-06-18T10:37:40+00:00"
         },
-        {
-            "name": "utopia-php/fetch",
-            "version": "1.1.2",
-            "source": {
-                "type": "git",
-                "url": "https://github.com/utopia-php/fetch.git",
-                "reference": "64f2b3a789480f1deb102ce684dac4217d8e98d5"
-            },
-            "dist": {
-                "type": "zip",
-                "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/utopia-php/fetch/zipball/64f2b3a789480f1deb102ce684dac4217d8e98d5",
-                "reference": "64f2b3a789480f1deb102ce684dac4217d8e98d5",
-                "shasum": ""
-            },
-            "require": {
-                "php": ">=8.1"
-            },
-            "require-dev": {
-                "laravel/pint": "^1.5.0",
-                "phpstan/phpstan": "^1.10",
-                "phpunit/phpunit": "^9.5",
-                "swoole/ide-helper": "^6.0"
-            },
-            "type": "library",
-            "autoload": {
-                "psr-4": {
-                    "Utopia\\Fetch\\": "src/"
-                }
-            },
-            "notification-url": "https://packagist.org/downloads/",
-            "license": [
-                "MIT"
-            ],
-            "description": "A simple library that provides an interface for making HTTP Requests.",
-            "support": {
-                "issues": "https://github.com/utopia-php/fetch/issues",
-                "source": "https://github.com/utopia-php/fetch/tree/1.1.2"
-            },
-            "time": "2026-04-29T11:19:19+00:00"
-        },
         {
             "name": "utopia-php/mongo",
             "version": "1.2.0",
@@ -2455,6 +2471,46 @@
             },
             "time": "2026-03-03T09:05:14+00:00"
         },
+        {
+            "name": "utopia-php/span",
+            "version": "4.0.1",
+            "source": {
+                "type": "git",
+                "url": "https://github.com/utopia-php/span.git",
+                "reference": "d11f2714324cb22b286b2afbf3ea9de32c68de83"
+            },
+            "dist": {
+                "type": "zip",
+                "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/utopia-php/span/zipball/d11f2714324cb22b286b2afbf3ea9de32c68de83",
+                "reference": "d11f2714324cb22b286b2afbf3ea9de32c68de83",
+                "shasum": ""
+            },
+            "require": {
+                "php": ">=8.2"
+            },
+            "require-dev": {
+                "swoole/ide-helper": "^5.0"
+            },
+            "suggest": {
+                "ext-swoole": "Required for coroutine-based storage"
+            },
+            "type": "library",
+            "autoload": {
+                "psr-4": {
+                    "Utopia\\Span\\": "src/Span/"
+                }
+            },
+            "notification-url": "https://packagist.org/downloads/",
+            "license": [
+                "MIT"
+            ],
+            "description": "Simple span tracing library for PHP with coroutine support",
+            "support": {
+                "issues": "https://github.com/utopia-php/span/issues",
+                "source": "https://github.com/utopia-php/span/tree/4.0.1"
+            },
+            "time": "2026-06-20T09:45:06+00:00"
+        },
         {
             "name": "utopia-php/telemetry",
             "version": "0.4.1",
@@ -2924,15 +2980,15 @@
         },
         {
             "name": "phpstan/phpstan",
-            "version": "1.12.33",
+            "version": "2.2.2",
             "dist": {
                 "type": "zip",
-                "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/phpstan/phpstan/zipball/37982d6fc7cbb746dda7773530cda557cdf119e1",
-                "reference": "37982d6fc7cbb746dda7773530cda557cdf119e1",
+                "url": "https://api.github.com/repos/phpstan/phpstan/zipball/e5cc34d491a90e79c216d824f60fe21fd4d93bd6",
+                "reference": "e5cc34d491a90e79c216d824f60fe21fd4d93bd6",
                 "shasum": ""
             },
             "require": {
-                "php": "^7.2|^8.0"
+                "php": "^7.4|^8.0"
             },
             "conflict": {
                 "phpstan/phpstan-shim": "*"
@@ -2951,6 +3007,17 @@
             "license": [
                 "MIT"
             ],
+            "authors": [
+                {
+                    "name": "Ondřej Mirtes"
+                },
+                {
+                    "name": "Markus Staab"
+                },
+                {
+                    "name": "Vincent Langlet"
+                }
+            ],
             "description": "PHPStan - PHP Static Analysis Tool",
             "keywords": [
                 "dev",
@@ -2973,7 +3040,7 @@
                     "type": "github"
                 }
             ],
-            "time": "2026-02-28T20:30:03+00:00"
+            "time": "2026-06-05T09:00:01+00:00"
         },
         {
             "name": "phpunit/php-code-coverage",
@@ -4473,7 +4540,7 @@
     "prefer-stable": false,
     "prefer-lowest": false,
     "platform": {
-        "php": ">=8.0"
+        "php": ">=8.4"
     },
     "platform-dev": {},
     "plugin-api-version": "2.9.0"
diff --git a/phpstan.neon b/phpstan.neon
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1494f51
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phpstan.neon
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+parameters:
+    level: max
+    paths:
+        - src
+        - tests
diff --git a/src/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouse.php b/src/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouse.php
index 407c77b..2a8826e 100644
--- a/src/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouse.php
+++ b/src/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouse.php
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@
 use DateTimeZone;
 use Exception;
 use Throwable;
-use Utopia\Fetch\Client;
+use Utopia\Client;
+use Utopia\Client\Adapter\Curl\Client as CurlAdapter;
+use Utopia\Psr7\Method;
+use Utopia\Psr7\Request\Factory as RequestFactory;
 use Utopia\Query\Query;
 use Utopia\Usage\Metric;
 use Utopia\Usage\Usage;
@@ -92,6 +95,8 @@ class ClickHouse extends SQL
 
     private Client $client;
 
+    private RequestFactory $requestFactory;
+
     protected ?string $tenant = null;
 
     protected bool $sharedTables = false;
@@ -104,21 +109,9 @@ class ClickHouse extends SQL
     /** @var array<array{sql: string, params: array<string, mixed>, duration: float, timestamp: float, success: bool, error?: string}> Query execution log */
     private array $queryLog = [];
 
-    /** @var bool Whether to enable gzip compression for HTTP requests/responses */
-    private bool $enableCompression = false;
-
-    /** @var bool Whether to enable HTTP keep-alive for connection pooling */
-    private bool $enableKeepAlive = true;
-
     /** @var int Number of requests made using this adapter instance */
     private int $requestCount = 0;
 
-    /** @var int Maximum number of retry attempts for failed requests (0 = no retries) */
-    private int $maxRetries = 3;
-
-    /** @var int Initial retry delay in milliseconds (doubles with each retry) */
-    private int $retryDelay = 100;
-
     /** @var string|null Current operation context for better error messages */
     private ?string $operationContext = null;
 
@@ -155,13 +148,17 @@ class ClickHouse extends SQL
      * @param  string  $password  ClickHouse password (default: '')
      * @param  int  $port  ClickHouse HTTP port (default: 8123)
      * @param  bool  $secure  Whether to use HTTPS (default: false)
+     * @param  Client|null  $client  HTTP transport. Defaults to a cURL client
+     *   with persistent connection reuse. Inject your own to control timeouts,
+     *   TLS, or retries — e.g. wrap an adapter in `Utopia\Client\Decorator\Retry`.
      */
     public function __construct(
         string $host,
         string $username = 'default',
         string $password = '',
         int $port = self::DEFAULT_PORT,
-        bool $secure = false
+        bool $secure = false,
+        ?Client $client = null
     ) {
         $this->validateHost($host);
         $this->validatePort($port);
@@ -172,30 +169,12 @@ public function __construct(
         $this->password = $password;
         $this->secure = $secure;
 
-        // Initialize the HTTP client for connection reuse
-        $this->client = new Client();
-        $this->client->addHeader('X-ClickHouse-User', $this->username);
-        $this->client->addHeader('X-ClickHouse-Key', $this->password);
-        $this->client->setTimeout(30_000); // 30 seconds
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Set the HTTP request timeout in milliseconds.
-     *
-     * @param int $milliseconds Timeout in milliseconds (min: 1000ms, max: 600000ms)
-     * @return self
-     * @throws Exception If timeout is out of valid range
-     */
-    public function setTimeout(int $milliseconds): self
-    {
-        if ($milliseconds < 1000) {
-            throw new Exception('Timeout must be at least 1000 milliseconds (1 second)');
-        }
-        if ($milliseconds > 600000) {
-            throw new Exception('Timeout cannot exceed 600000 milliseconds (10 minutes)');
-        }
-        $this->client->setTimeout($milliseconds);
-        return $this;
+        // `withConnectionReuse()` keeps the underlying cURL handle alive across
+        // requests so the TCP/TLS handshake is paid once. Auth and database are
+        // layered on each request via the factory, so an injected client stays
+        // a pure transport.
+        $this->client = $client ?? new Client((new CurlAdapter())->withConnectionReuse());
+        $this->requestFactory = new RequestFactory();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -210,63 +189,6 @@ public function enableQueryLogging(bool $enable = true): self
         return $this;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Enable or disable gzip compression for HTTP requests/responses.
-     *
-     * @param bool $enable Whether to enable compression
-     * @return self
-     */
-    public function setCompression(bool $enable): self
-    {
-        $this->enableCompression = $enable;
-        return $this;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Enable or disable HTTP keep-alive for connection pooling.
-     *
-     * @param bool $enable Whether to enable keep-alive (default: true)
-     * @return self
-     */
-    public function setKeepAlive(bool $enable): self
-    {
-        $this->enableKeepAlive = $enable;
-        return $this;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Set maximum number of retry attempts for failed requests.
-     *
-     * @param int $maxRetries Maximum retry attempts (0-10, 0 = no retries)
-     * @return self
-     * @throws Exception If maxRetries is out of valid range
-     */
-    public function setMaxRetries(int $maxRetries): self
-    {
-        if ($maxRetries < 0 || $maxRetries > 10) {
-            throw new Exception('Max retries must be between 0 and 10');
-        }
-        $this->maxRetries = $maxRetries;
-        return $this;
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Set initial retry delay in milliseconds.
-     * Delay doubles with each retry attempt (exponential backoff).
-     *
-     * @param int $milliseconds Initial delay in milliseconds (10-5000ms)
-     * @return self
-     * @throws Exception If delay is out of valid range
-     */
-    public function setRetryDelay(int $milliseconds): self
-    {
-        if ($milliseconds < 10 || $milliseconds > 5000) {
-            throw new Exception('Retry delay must be between 10 and 5000 milliseconds');
-        }
-        $this->retryDelay = $milliseconds;
-        return $this;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Enable or disable ClickHouse async inserts (server-side batching).
      *
@@ -333,17 +255,13 @@ public function setDualReadSampleRate(float $rate): self
     /**
      * Get connection statistics for monitoring.
      *
-     * @return array{request_count: int, keep_alive_enabled: bool, compression_enabled: bool, query_logging_enabled: bool, max_retries: int, retry_delay: int, async_inserts: bool, async_insert_wait: bool}
+     * @return array{request_count: int, query_logging_enabled: bool, async_inserts: bool, async_insert_wait: bool}
      */
     public function getConnectionStats(): array
     {
         return [
             'request_count' => $this->requestCount,
-            'keep_alive_enabled' => $this->enableKeepAlive,
-            'compression_enabled' => $this->enableCompression,
             'query_logging_enabled' => $this->enableQueryLogging,
-            'max_retries' => $this->maxRetries,
-            'retry_delay' => $this->retryDelay,
             'async_inserts' => $this->asyncInserts,
             'async_insert_wait' => $this->asyncInsertWait,
         ];
@@ -399,9 +317,9 @@ public function healthCheck(): array
         try {
             // Simple connectivity test
             $response = $this->query('SELECT 1 as ping FORMAT JSON');
-            $json = json_decode($response, true);
+            $rows = $this->decodeRows($response);
 
-            if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data'][0]['ping'])) {
+            if (!isset($rows[0]['ping'])) {
                 $result['error'] = 'Invalid response format';
                 return $result;
             }
@@ -409,11 +327,11 @@ public function healthCheck(): array
             // Get server version and uptime
             try {
                 $versionResponse = $this->query('SELECT version() as version, uptime() as uptime FORMAT JSON');
-                $versionJson = json_decode($versionResponse, true);
+                $versionRows = $this->decodeRows($versionResponse);
 
-                if (is_array($versionJson) && isset($versionJson['data'][0])) {
-                    $result['version'] = (string) $versionJson['data'][0]['version'];
-                    $result['uptime'] = (int) $versionJson['data'][0]['uptime'];
+                if (isset($versionRows[0])) {
+                    $result['version'] = self::toStr($versionRows[0]['version'] ?? null);
+                    $result['uptime'] = self::toInt($versionRows[0]['uptime'] ?? null);
                 }
             } catch (Exception $e) {
                 // Version info is optional, don't fail health check
@@ -658,9 +576,8 @@ private function buildTableReference(string $tableName): string
      * @param float $duration Execution duration in seconds
      * @param bool $success Whether the query succeeded
      * @param string|null $error Error message if query failed
-     * @param int $retryAttempt Current retry attempt number
      */
-    private function logQuery(string $sql, array $params, float $duration, bool $success, ?string $error = null, int $retryAttempt = 0): void
+    private function logQuery(string $sql, array $params, float $duration, bool $success, ?string $error = null): void
     {
         if (!$this->enableQueryLogging) {
             return;
@@ -674,10 +591,6 @@ private function logQuery(string $sql, array $params, float $duration, bool $suc
             'success' => $success,
         ];
 
-        if ($retryAttempt > 0) {
-            $logEntry['retry_attempt'] = $retryAttempt;
-        }
-
         if ($error !== null) {
             $logEntry['error'] = $error;
         }
@@ -685,39 +598,6 @@ private function logQuery(string $sql, array $params, float $duration, bool $suc
         $this->queryLog[] = $logEntry;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Determine if an error is retryable.
-     *
-     * @param int|null $httpCode HTTP status code if available
-     * @param string $errorMessage Error message
-     * @return bool True if the error is retryable
-     */
-    private function isRetryableError(?int $httpCode, string $errorMessage): bool
-    {
-        if ($httpCode !== null) {
-            if (in_array($httpCode, [408, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504], true)) {
-                return true;
-            }
-            if ($httpCode >= 400 && $httpCode < 500) {
-                return false;
-            }
-        }
-
-        $retryablePatterns = [
-            'connection', 'timeout', 'timed out', 'refused', 'reset',
-            'broken pipe', 'network', 'temporary', 'unavailable',
-        ];
-
-        $lowerMessage = strtolower($errorMessage);
-        foreach ($retryablePatterns as $pattern) {
-            if (strpos($lowerMessage, $pattern) !== false) {
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-
-        return false;
-    }
-
     /**
      * Set the current operation context for better error messages.
      *
@@ -729,44 +609,6 @@ private function setOperationContext(?string $context): void
         $this->operationContext = $context;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Execute an operation with automatic retry logic and exponential backoff.
-     *
-     * @template T
-     * @param callable(int): T $operation
-     * @param callable(Exception, int|null): bool $shouldRetry
-     * @param callable(Exception, int): Exception $buildException
-     * @return T
-     * @throws Exception
-     */
-    private function executeWithRetry(callable $operation, callable $shouldRetry, callable $buildException): mixed
-    {
-        $attempt = 0;
-        $lastException = null;
-
-        while ($attempt <= $this->maxRetries) {
-            try {
-                return $operation($attempt);
-            } catch (Exception $e) {
-                $lastException = $e;
-
-                if ($attempt < $this->maxRetries && $shouldRetry($e, $attempt)) {
-                    $attempt++;
-                    $delay = $this->retryDelay * (2 ** ($attempt - 1));
-                    usleep($delay * 1000);
-                    continue;
-                }
-
-                throw $buildException($e, $attempt);
-            }
-        }
-
-        throw $buildException(
-            $lastException ?? new Exception('Unknown error occurred'),
-            $this->maxRetries
-        );
-    }
-
     /**
      * Build a contextual error message.
      *
@@ -810,80 +652,109 @@ private function query(string $sql, array $params = []): string
         $queryId = $this->nextQueryId;
         $this->nextQueryId = null;
 
-        return $this->executeWithRetry(
-            function (int $attempt) use ($sql, $params, $queryId): string {
-                $startTime = microtime(true);
-                $scheme = $this->secure ? 'https' : 'http';
-                $url = "{$scheme}://{$this->host}:{$this->port}/";
-                if ($queryId !== null) {
-                    $url .= '?' . http_build_query(['query_id' => $queryId]);
-                }
-
-                $this->client->addHeader('X-ClickHouse-Database', $this->database);
+        $startTime = microtime(true);
+        $scheme = $this->secure ? 'https' : 'http';
 
-                if ($this->enableKeepAlive) {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Connection', 'keep-alive');
-                } else {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Connection', 'close');
-                }
+        // ClickHouse reads `query` and `param_*` from a multipart/form-data
+        // body (the pattern the pre-migration cURL transport used). Keeping the
+        // SQL and bound parameters in the body — rather than the URL query
+        // string — avoids request-line length limits (HTTP 414) on large
+        // `equal`/tag filters. ClickHouse does NOT parse
+        // application/x-www-form-urlencoded bodies, so multipart is required.
+        // Only the tiny query_id, which has no size concern, stays in the URL.
+        $parts = ['query' => $sql];
+        foreach ($params as $key => $value) {
+            $parts['param_' . $key] = $this->formatParamValue($value);
+        }
+        $url = "{$scheme}://{$this->host}:{$this->port}/";
+        if ($queryId !== null) {
+            $url .= '?' . http_build_query(['query_id' => $queryId]);
+        }
 
-                if ($this->enableCompression) {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Accept-Encoding', 'gzip');
-                }
+        $this->requestCount++;
 
-                if ($attempt === 0) {
-                    $this->requestCount++;
-                }
+        $request = $this->requestFactory->multipart(Method::POST, $url, $parts, $this->buildHeaders());
 
-                $body = ['query' => $sql];
-                foreach ($params as $key => $value) {
-                    $body['param_' . $key] = $this->formatParamValue($value);
-                }
+        try {
+            $response = $this->client->sendRequest($request);
+        } catch (Throwable $e) {
+            $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
+            $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage("ClickHouse query failed: {$e->getMessage()}", null, $sql);
+            $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg);
+            throw new Exception($errorMsg, 0, $e);
+        }
 
-                $response = $this->client->fetch(
-                    url: $url,
-                    method: Client::METHOD_POST,
-                    body: $body
-                );
-                $httpCode = $response->getStatusCode();
+        $httpCode = $response->getStatusCode();
+        $bodyStr = (string) $response->getBody();
+        $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
 
-                if ($httpCode !== 200) {
-                    $bodyStr = $response->getBody();
-                    $bodyStr = is_string($bodyStr) ? $bodyStr : '';
-                    $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
-                    $baseError = "ClickHouse query failed with HTTP {$httpCode}: {$bodyStr}";
-                    $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage($baseError, null, $sql);
-                    $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg, $attempt);
+        if ($httpCode !== 200) {
+            $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage("ClickHouse query failed with HTTP {$httpCode}: {$bodyStr}", null, $sql);
+            $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg);
+            throw new Exception($errorMsg);
+        }
 
-                    throw new Exception($errorMsg . '|HTTP_CODE:' . $httpCode);
-                }
+        $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, true);
+        return $bodyStr;
+    }
 
-                $body = $response->getBody();
-                $result = is_string($body) ? $body : '';
-                $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
-                $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, true, null, $attempt);
-                return $result;
-            },
-            function (Exception $e, ?int $httpCode): bool {
-                $exceptionHttpCode = null;
-                if (preg_match('/\|HTTP_CODE:(\d+)$/', $e->getMessage(), $matches)) {
-                    $exceptionHttpCode = (int) $matches[1];
-                }
-                return $this->isRetryableError($exceptionHttpCode, $e->getMessage());
-            },
-            function (Exception $e, int $attempt) use ($sql): Exception {
-                $cleanMessage = preg_replace('/\|HTTP_CODE:\d+$/', '', $e->getMessage());
-                $cleanMessage = is_string($cleanMessage) ? $cleanMessage : $e->getMessage();
-
-                if (strpos($cleanMessage, '[Operation:') !== false) {
-                    return new Exception($cleanMessage, 0, $e);
-                }
+    /**
+     * Decode a ClickHouse `FORMAT JSON` response body into its data rows.
+     * Returns an empty list when the body is not the expected envelope.
+     *
+     * @return array<int, array<string, mixed>>
+     */
+    private function decodeRows(string $response): array
+    {
+        $json = json_decode($response, true);
+        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
+            return [];
+        }
 
-                $baseError = "ClickHouse query execution failed after " . ($attempt + 1) . " attempt(s): {$cleanMessage}";
-                $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage($baseError, null, $sql);
-                return new Exception($errorMsg, 0, $e);
+        $rows = [];
+        foreach ($json['data'] as $row) {
+            if (!is_array($row)) {
+                continue;
             }
-        );
+            $typed = [];
+            foreach ($row as $key => $value) {
+                $typed[(string) $key] = $value;
+            }
+            $rows[] = $typed;
+        }
+
+        return $rows;
+    }
+
+    private static function toInt(mixed $value): int
+    {
+        return is_numeric($value) ? (int) $value : 0;
+    }
+
+    private static function toFloat(mixed $value): float
+    {
+        return is_numeric($value) ? (float) $value : 0.0;
+    }
+
+    private static function toStr(mixed $value): string
+    {
+        return is_scalar($value) ? (string) $value : '';
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Build the per-request headers ClickHouse expects: credentials and target
+     * database. Applied to every request so the injected transport client stays
+     * auth-agnostic.
+     *
+     * @return array<string, string>
+     */
+    private function buildHeaders(): array
+    {
+        return [
+            'X-ClickHouse-User' => $this->username,
+            'X-ClickHouse-Key' => $this->password,
+            'X-ClickHouse-Database' => $this->database,
+        ];
     }
 
     /**
@@ -899,91 +770,50 @@ private function insert(string $table, array $data): void
             return;
         }
 
-        $this->executeWithRetry(
-            function (int $attempt) use ($table, $data): void {
-                $startTime = microtime(true);
-                $scheme = $this->secure ? 'https' : 'http';
-                $escapedTable = $this->escapeIdentifier($table);
-
-                $queryParams = ['query' => "INSERT INTO {$escapedTable} FORMAT JSONEachRow"];
-                if ($this->asyncInserts) {
-                    $queryParams['async_insert'] = '1';
-                    $queryParams['wait_for_async_insert'] = $this->asyncInsertWait ? '1' : '0';
-                }
-                $url = "{$scheme}://{$this->host}:{$this->port}/?" . http_build_query($queryParams);
-
-                $this->client->addHeader('X-ClickHouse-Database', $this->database);
-                $this->client->addHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-ndjson');
-
-                if ($this->enableKeepAlive) {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Connection', 'keep-alive');
-                } else {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Connection', 'close');
-                }
-
-                if ($this->enableCompression) {
-                    $this->client->addHeader('Accept-Encoding', 'gzip');
-                }
-
-                if ($attempt === 0) {
-                    $this->requestCount++;
-                }
-
-                $body = implode("\n", $data);
+        // Inserts are not idempotent: the MergeTree engine has no row-level
+        // deduplication, so a retried insert that reaches the server twice
+        // leaves duplicate rows behind. The default transport does not retry
+        // POST; any injected retry strategy must keep it that way.
+        $startTime = microtime(true);
+        $scheme = $this->secure ? 'https' : 'http';
+        $escapedTable = $this->escapeIdentifier($table);
+        $rowCount = count($data);
 
-                $sql = "INSERT INTO {$escapedTable} FORMAT JSONEachRow";
-                $params = ['rows' => count($data), 'bytes' => strlen($body)];
+        $queryParams = ['query' => "INSERT INTO {$escapedTable} FORMAT JSONEachRow"];
+        if ($this->asyncInserts) {
+            $queryParams['async_insert'] = '1';
+            $queryParams['wait_for_async_insert'] = $this->asyncInsertWait ? '1' : '0';
+        }
+        $url = "{$scheme}://{$this->host}:{$this->port}/?" . http_build_query($queryParams);
 
-                try {
-                    $response = $this->client->fetch(
-                        url: $url,
-                        method: Client::METHOD_POST,
-                        body: $body
-                    );
+        $this->requestCount++;
 
-                    $httpCode = $response->getStatusCode();
+        $body = implode("\n", $data);
+        $sql = "INSERT INTO {$escapedTable} FORMAT JSONEachRow";
+        $params = ['rows' => $rowCount, 'bytes' => strlen($body)];
 
-                    if ($httpCode !== 200) {
-                        $bodyStr = $response->getBody();
-                        $bodyStr = is_string($bodyStr) ? $bodyStr : '';
-                        $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
-                        $rowCount = count($data);
-                        $baseError = "ClickHouse insert failed with HTTP {$httpCode}: {$bodyStr}";
-                        $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage($baseError, $table, "INSERT INTO {$table} ({$rowCount} rows)");
-                        $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg, $attempt);
+        $request = $this->requestFactory->body(Method::POST, $url, $body, 'application/x-ndjson', $this->buildHeaders());
 
-                        throw new Exception($errorMsg . '|HTTP_CODE:' . $httpCode);
-                    }
+        try {
+            $response = $this->client->sendRequest($request);
+        } catch (Throwable $e) {
+            $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
+            $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage("ClickHouse insert failed: {$e->getMessage()}", $table, "INSERT INTO {$table} ({$rowCount} rows)");
+            $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg);
+            throw new Exception($errorMsg, 0, $e);
+        }
 
-                    $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
-                    $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, true, null, $attempt);
-                } finally {
-                    $this->client->removeHeader('Content-Type');
-                }
-            },
-            function (Exception $e, ?int $httpCode): bool {
-                // Never retry inserts. The underlying MergeTree engine has
-                // no row-level deduplication, so a retried insert that hits
-                // the server twice (network blip + first request actually
-                // succeeded) leaves duplicate rows behind. Surface the
-                // failure to the caller instead — they can replay the
-                // batch from durable storage if they choose.
-                return false;
-            },
-            function (Exception $e, int $attempt) use ($table, $data): Exception {
-                $cleanMessage = preg_replace('/\|HTTP_CODE:\d+$/', '', $e->getMessage());
-                $cleanMessage = is_string($cleanMessage) ? $cleanMessage : $e->getMessage();
+        $httpCode = $response->getStatusCode();
+        $duration = microtime(true) - $startTime;
 
-                if (strpos($cleanMessage, '[Operation:') !== false) {
-                    return new Exception($cleanMessage, 0, $e);
-                }
+        if ($httpCode !== 200) {
+            $bodyStr = (string) $response->getBody();
+            $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage("ClickHouse insert failed with HTTP {$httpCode}: {$bodyStr}", $table, "INSERT INTO {$table} ({$rowCount} rows)");
+            $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, false, $errorMsg);
+            throw new Exception($errorMsg);
+        }
 
-                $rowCount = count($data);
-                $baseError = "ClickHouse insert execution failed after " . ($attempt + 1) . " attempt(s): {$cleanMessage}";
-                $errorMsg = $this->buildErrorMessage($baseError, $table, "INSERT INTO {$table} ({$rowCount} rows)");
-                return new Exception($errorMsg, 0, $e);
-            }
-        );
+        $this->logQuery($sql, $params, $duration, true);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1560,10 +1390,6 @@ private function validateMetricData(string $metric, int $value, string $type, ar
         if ($type !== Usage::TYPE_EVENT && $type !== Usage::TYPE_GAUGE) {
             throw new \InvalidArgumentException($prefix . "Invalid type '{$type}'. Allowed: " . Usage::TYPE_EVENT . ', ' . Usage::TYPE_GAUGE);
         }
-
-        if (!is_array($tags)) {
-            throw new Exception($prefix . 'Tags must be an array');
-        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -1977,26 +1803,16 @@ private function parseAggregatedResults(string $result, string $type = 'event'):
             return [];
         }
 
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
-
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
-            return [];
-        }
-
-        $rows = $json['data'];
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
         $metrics = [];
 
         foreach ($rows as $row) {
-            if (!is_array($row)) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
             $document = [];
 
             foreach ($row as $key => $value) {
                 if ($key === 'bucket') {
                     // Map 'bucket' back to 'time' for consistent Metric objects
-                    $parsedTime = (string) $value;
+                    $parsedTime = self::toStr($value);
                     if (strpos($parsedTime, 'T') === false) {
                         $parsedTime = str_replace(' ', 'T', $parsedTime) . '+00:00';
                     }
@@ -2111,13 +1927,13 @@ private function countFromTable(array $queries, string $type, ?int $max = null):
         }
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $params);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data'][0]['total'])) {
+        if (!isset($rows[0]['total'])) {
             return 0;
         }
 
-        return (int) $json['data'][0]['total'];
+        return self::toInt($rows[0]['total']);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2392,7 +2208,7 @@ private function translateInclusiveMidnightForDaily(array $queries): array
     {
         $result = [];
         foreach ($queries as $q) {
-            if (!($q instanceof Query) || $q->getAttribute() !== 'time') {
+            if ($q->getAttribute() !== 'time') {
                 $result[] = $q;
                 continue;
             }
@@ -2479,7 +2295,7 @@ private function tightenUpperBound(?string $current, ?string $candidate): ?strin
      * lower bound while the raw branch keeps the caller's original literal.
      *
      * @param array<Query> $queries
-     * @return array{nonTime: array<Query>, time: array<Query>}
+     * @return array{nonTime: array<int, Query>, time: array<int, Query>}
      */
     private function splitTimeQueries(array $queries): array
     {
@@ -2791,13 +2607,13 @@ private function sumHybridDailyAndRaw(array $queries, array $plan): int
         ";
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $rawWhere['params']);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data'][0]['total'])) {
+        if (!isset($rows[0]['total'])) {
             return 0;
         }
 
-        return (int) $json['data'][0]['total'];
+        return self::toInt($rows[0]['total']);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2830,13 +2646,13 @@ private function sumFromTable(array $queries, string $attribute, string $type):
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $params);
 
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data'][0]['total'])) {
+        if (!isset($rows[0]['total'])) {
             return 0;
         }
 
-        return (int) $json['data'][0]['total'];
+        return self::toInt($rows[0]['total']);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2914,9 +2730,9 @@ public function sumDaily(array $queries = [], string $attribute = 'value'): int
         $sql = "SELECT sum({$escapedAttribute}) as total FROM {$fromTable}{$whereData['clause']} FORMAT JSON";
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $whereData['params']);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        return (is_array($json) && isset($json['data'][0]['total'])) ? (int) $json['data'][0]['total'] : 0;
+        return isset($rows[0]['total']) ? self::toInt($rows[0]['total']) : 0;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -2976,14 +2792,12 @@ public function sumDailyBatch(array $metrics, array $queries = []): array
         ";
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $params);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data'])) {
-            foreach ($json['data'] as $row) {
-                $metricName = $row['metric'] ?? '';
-                if (isset($totals[$metricName])) {
-                    $totals[$metricName] = (int) ($row['total'] ?? 0);
-                }
+        foreach ($rows as $row) {
+            $metricName = self::toStr($row['metric'] ?? null);
+            if (isset($totals[$metricName])) {
+                $totals[$metricName] = self::toInt($row['total'] ?? null);
             }
         }
 
@@ -3140,36 +2954,34 @@ private function getTimeSeriesFromTable(array $metrics, string $interval, string
         ";
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $params);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
         // Initialize result structure
         $output = [];
         foreach ($metrics as $metric) {
-            $output[$metric] = ['total' => 0, 'data' => []];
+            $output[$metric] = ['total' => 0.0, 'data' => []];
         }
 
-        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data'])) {
-            foreach ($json['data'] as $row) {
-                $metricName = $row['metric'] ?? '';
-                $bucketTime = (string) ($row['bucket'] ?? '');
-                $value = (float) ($row['agg_value'] ?? 0);
-
-                if (!isset($output[$metricName])) {
-                    continue;
-                }
+        foreach ($rows as $row) {
+            $metricName = self::toStr($row['metric'] ?? null);
+            $bucketTime = self::toStr($row['bucket'] ?? null);
+            $value = self::toFloat($row['agg_value'] ?? null);
 
-                // Format bucket time
-                $formattedDate = $bucketTime;
-                if (strpos($bucketTime, 'T') === false) {
-                    $formattedDate = str_replace(' ', 'T', $bucketTime) . '+00:00';
-                }
+            if (!isset($output[$metricName])) {
+                continue;
+            }
 
-                $output[$metricName]['total'] += $value;
-                $output[$metricName]['data'][] = [
-                    'value' => $value,
-                    'date' => $formattedDate,
-                ];
+            // Format bucket time
+            $formattedDate = $bucketTime;
+            if (strpos($bucketTime, 'T') === false) {
+                $formattedDate = str_replace(' ', 'T', $bucketTime) . '+00:00';
             }
+
+            $output[$metricName]['total'] += $value;
+            $output[$metricName]['data'][] = [
+                'value' => $value,
+                'date' => $formattedDate,
+            ];
         }
 
         return $output;
@@ -3299,13 +3111,13 @@ private function getTotalFromGauges(string $metric, array $queries): int
         ";
 
         $result = $this->query($sql, $whereData['params']);
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data'][0]['total'])) {
+        if (!isset($rows[0]['total'])) {
             return 0;
         }
 
-        return (int) $json['data'][0]['total'];
+        return self::toInt($rows[0]['total']);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -3385,33 +3197,31 @@ public function getTotalBatch(array $metrics, array $queries = [], ?string $type
             ";
 
             $result = $this->query($sql, $params);
-            $json = json_decode($result, true);
-
-            if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data'])) {
-                foreach ($json['data'] as $row) {
-                    $metricName = $row['metric'] ?? '';
+            $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
 
-                    if (!isset($totals[$metricName])) {
-                        continue;
-                    }
+            foreach ($rows as $row) {
+                $metricName = self::toStr($row['metric'] ?? null);
 
-                    $rowValue = (int) ($row['agg_val'] ?? 0);
-                    if ($rowValue === 0) {
-                        continue;
-                    }
+                if (!isset($totals[$metricName])) {
+                    continue;
+                }
 
-                    if ($type === null
-                        && isset($contributingType[$metricName])
-                        && $contributingType[$metricName] !== $queryType) {
-                        throw new Exception(
-                            "Metric '{$metricName}' exists in both event and gauge tables. "
-                            . "Specify \$type explicitly to avoid ambiguous aggregation."
-                        );
-                    }
+                $rowValue = self::toInt($row['agg_val'] ?? null);
+                if ($rowValue === 0) {
+                    continue;
+                }
 
-                    $contributingType[$metricName] = $queryType;
-                    $totals[$metricName] = $rowValue;
+                if ($type === null
+                    && isset($contributingType[$metricName])
+                    && $contributingType[$metricName] !== $queryType) {
+                    throw new Exception(
+                        "Metric '{$metricName}' exists in both event and gauge tables. "
+                        . "Specify \$type explicitly to avoid ambiguous aggregation."
+                    );
                 }
+
+                $contributingType[$metricName] = $queryType;
+                $totals[$metricName] = $rowValue;
             }
         }
 
@@ -3661,7 +3471,7 @@ private function buildOrderBySql(array $orderAttributes, bool $flip = false): ar
      *
      * @param array<Query> $queries
      * @param string $type 'event' or 'gauge' — used for attribute validation
-     * @return array{filters: array<string>, params: array<string, mixed>, orderBy?: array<string>, orderAttributes?: array<int, array{attribute: string, direction: string}>, limit?: int, offset?: int, groupByInterval?: string, groupBy?: array<int, string>, cursor?: array<string, mixed>, cursorDirection?: string}
+     * @return array{filters: array<int, string>, params: array<string, mixed>, orderBy?: array<string>, orderAttributes?: array<int, array{attribute: string, direction: string}>, limit?: int, offset?: int, groupByInterval?: string, groupBy?: array<int, string>, cursor?: array<string, mixed>, cursorDirection?: string}
      * @throws Exception
      */
     private function parseQueries(array $queries, string $type = 'event'): array
@@ -3875,7 +3685,7 @@ private function parseQueries(array $queries, string $type = 'event'): array
                     break;
 
                 case Query::TYPE_LIMIT:
-                    $limitVal = is_array($values) && !empty($values) ? $values[0] : $values;
+                    $limitVal = !empty($values) ? $values[0] : $values;
                     if (!\is_int($limitVal)) {
                         throw new Exception('Invalid limit value. Expected int');
                     }
@@ -3884,7 +3694,7 @@ private function parseQueries(array $queries, string $type = 'event'): array
                     break;
 
                 case Query::TYPE_OFFSET:
-                    $offsetVal = is_array($values) && !empty($values) ? $values[0] : $values;
+                    $offsetVal = !empty($values) ? $values[0] : $values;
                     if (!\is_int($offsetVal)) {
                         throw new Exception('Invalid offset value. Expected int');
                     }
@@ -3966,28 +3776,19 @@ private function parseResults(string $result, string $type = 'event'): array
             return [];
         }
 
-        $json = json_decode($result, true);
-
-        if (!is_array($json) || !isset($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
-            return [];
-        }
-
-        $rows = $json['data'];
+        $rows = $this->decodeRows($result);
         $metrics = [];
 
         foreach ($rows as $row) {
-            if (!is_array($row)) {
-                continue;
-            }
             $document = [];
 
             foreach ($row as $key => $value) {
                 if ($key === 'tenant') {
-                    $document[$key] = $value !== null ? (string) $value : null;
+                    $document[$key] = $value !== null ? self::toStr($value) : null;
                 } elseif ($key === 'value') {
-                    $document[$key] = $value !== null ? (int) $value : null;
+                    $document[$key] = $value !== null ? self::toInt($value) : null;
                 } elseif ($key === 'time') {
-                    $parsedTime = (string)$value;
+                    $parsedTime = self::toStr($value);
                     if (strpos($parsedTime, 'T') === false) {
                         $parsedTime = str_replace(' ', 'T', $parsedTime) . '+00:00';
                     }
diff --git a/tests/Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.php b/tests/Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.php
index a31c72a..5749ae8 100644
--- a/tests/Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.php
+++ b/tests/Benchmark/BenchmarkBase.php
@@ -253,11 +253,14 @@ protected function captureCHStats(string $queryId): array
             $raw = $query->invoke($this->adapter, $sql, []);
             $rawString = is_string($raw) ? $raw : '';
             $json = json_decode($rawString, true);
-            if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data'][0]) && is_array($json['data'][0])) {
+            if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data']) && isset($json['data'][0]) && is_array($json['data'][0])) {
                 $row = $json['data'][0];
-                $stats['rows_read'] = (int) ($row['rows_read'] ?? 0);
-                $stats['read_bytes'] = (int) ($row['read_bytes'] ?? 0);
-                $stats['query_duration_ms'] = (float) ($row['query_duration_ms'] ?? 0);
+                $rowsRead = $row['rows_read'] ?? 0;
+                $readBytes = $row['read_bytes'] ?? 0;
+                $queryDuration = $row['query_duration_ms'] ?? 0;
+                $stats['rows_read'] = is_numeric($rowsRead) ? (int) $rowsRead : 0;
+                $stats['read_bytes'] = is_numeric($readBytes) ? (int) $readBytes : 0;
+                $stats['query_duration_ms'] = is_numeric($queryDuration) ? (float) $queryDuration : 0.0;
             }
         } catch (Throwable $e) {
         }
@@ -292,7 +295,7 @@ protected function captureProjectionsUsed(string $queryId): array
             $raw = $query->invoke($this->adapter, $sql, []);
             $rawString = is_string($raw) ? $raw : '';
             $json = json_decode($rawString, true);
-            if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data'])) {
+            if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
                 return [];
             }
             $row = $json['data'][0];
diff --git a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseDimRoutingTest.php b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseDimRoutingTest.php
index ac8a1a2..2f26f02 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseDimRoutingTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseDimRoutingTest.php
@@ -276,11 +276,11 @@ private function projectionsForQueryId(string $queryId): array
 
         $raw = $this->queryRaw($this->adapter, $sql);
         $json = json_decode($raw, true);
-        if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data'])) {
+        if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
             return [];
         }
         $row = $json['data'][0];
-        $projections = $row['projections'] ?? [];
+        $projections = is_array($row) ? ($row['projections'] ?? []) : [];
         $out = [];
         foreach (is_array($projections) ? $projections : [] as $p) {
             if (is_string($p)) {
diff --git a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseGaugeDimRoutingTest.php b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseGaugeDimRoutingTest.php
index 46e5a31..d3c7c01 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseGaugeDimRoutingTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseGaugeDimRoutingTest.php
@@ -219,11 +219,11 @@ private function projectionsForQueryId(string $queryId): array
 
         $raw = $this->queryRaw($this->adapter, $sql);
         $json = json_decode($raw, true);
-        if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data'])) {
+        if (!is_array($json) || empty($json['data']) || !is_array($json['data'])) {
             return [];
         }
         $row = $json['data'][0];
-        $projections = $row['projections'] ?? [];
+        $projections = is_array($row) ? ($row['projections'] ?? []) : [];
         $out = [];
         foreach (is_array($projections) ? $projections : [] as $p) {
             if (is_string($p)) {
diff --git a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseSchemaTest.php b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseSchemaTest.php
index 952dd77..50049b6 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseSchemaTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseSchemaTest.php
@@ -132,8 +132,11 @@ public function testSetupBackfillsServiceResourceOnLegacyGaugesTable(): void
         $rawString = $this->queryRaw($legacyAdapter, "SHOW CREATE TABLE {$fullName} FORMAT JSON");
         $json = json_decode($rawString, true);
         $ddl = '';
-        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data'][0]['statement']) && is_string($json['data'][0]['statement'])) {
-            $ddl = $json['data'][0]['statement'];
+        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data']) && isset($json['data'][0]) && is_array($json['data'][0])) {
+            $statement = $json['data'][0]['statement'] ?? '';
+            if (is_string($statement)) {
+                $ddl = $statement;
+            }
         }
 
         $this->assertStringContainsString('`service` LowCardinality(Nullable(String))', $ddl);
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@ private function showCreate(string $table): string
         $database = $this->databaseName($this->adapter);
         $raw = $this->queryRaw($this->adapter, "SHOW CREATE TABLE `{$database}`.`{$table}` FORMAT JSON");
         $json = json_decode($raw, true);
-        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data'][0]) && is_array($json['data'][0])) {
+        if (is_array($json) && isset($json['data']) && is_array($json['data']) && isset($json['data'][0]) && is_array($json['data'][0])) {
             $statement = $json['data'][0]['statement'] ?? '';
             if (is_string($statement)) {
                 return $statement;
diff --git a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseTest.php b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseTest.php
index c145765..92f0a83 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/Adapter/ClickHouseTest.php
@@ -681,7 +681,6 @@ public function testHealthCheck(): void
         $health = $adapter->healthCheck();
 
         // Assert basic structure
-        $this->assertIsArray($health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('healthy', $health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('host', $health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('port', $health);
@@ -712,7 +711,6 @@ public function testHealthCheckFailure(): void
         $health = $adapter->healthCheck();
 
         // Assert basic structure
-        $this->assertIsArray($health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('healthy', $health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('host', $health);
 
@@ -733,152 +731,6 @@ public function testHealthCheckFailure(): void
         }
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Test setTimeout() method with valid timeout
-     */
-    public function testSetTimeoutValid(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-
-        // Test setting valid timeout
-        $result = $adapter->setTimeout(5000); // 5 seconds
-
-        // Should return self for chaining
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Test that it still works after setting timeout
-        $health = $adapter->healthCheck();
-        $this->assertTrue($health['healthy']);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test setTimeout() with minimum timeout (1 second)
-     */
-    public function testSetTimeoutMinimum(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port);
-        $adapter->setTimeout(1000); // 1 second minimum
-
-        $this->assertTrue(true); // If we reach here, no exception was thrown
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test setTimeout() with maximum timeout (10 minutes)
-     */
-    public function testSetTimeoutMaximum(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port);
-        $adapter->setTimeout(600000); // 10 minutes maximum
-
-        $this->assertTrue(true); // If we reach here, no exception was thrown
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test setTimeout() with timeout below minimum
-     */
-    public function testSetTimeoutBelowMinimum(): void
-    {
-        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
-        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Timeout must be at least 1000 milliseconds');
-
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port);
-        $adapter->setTimeout(999); // Below minimum
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test setTimeout() with timeout above maximum
-     */
-    public function testSetTimeoutAboveMaximum(): void
-    {
-        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
-        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Timeout cannot exceed 600000 milliseconds');
-
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port);
-        $adapter->setTimeout(600001); // Above maximum
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test compression functionality
-     */
-    public function testCompression(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-        $adapter->setNamespace('utopia_usage_compression_test');
-        $adapter->setTenant('1');
-
-        if ($database = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE')) {
-            $adapter->setDatabase($database);
-        }
-
-        $usage = new Usage($adapter);
-        $usage->setup();
-
-        // Test enabling compression
-        $result = $adapter->setCompression(true);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Test disabling compression
-        $result = $adapter->setCompression(false);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Enable compression for all subsequent operations
-        $adapter->setCompression(true);
-
-        // Insert data using addBatch with compression enabled
-        $batchResult = $usage->addBatch([
-            ['metric' => 'compression.test.batch', 'value' => 50, 'tags' => ['service' => 'batch']],
-            ['metric' => 'compression.test.batch', 'value' => 75, 'tags' => ['service' => 'batch']],
-            ['metric' => 'compression.test.single', 'value' => 100, 'tags' => ['service' => 'single']],
-        ], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertTrue($batchResult);
-
-        // Verify find query works with compression
-        $metrics = $usage->find([], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertIsArray($metrics);
-
-        // Verify count query works with compression
-        $count = $usage->count([], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertIsInt($count);
-
-        // Verify sum operation works with compression
-        $sum = $usage->sum([
-            \Utopia\Query\Query::equal('metric', ['compression.test.batch']),
-        ], 'value', Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertIsInt($sum);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Test connection pooling functionality
      */
@@ -901,25 +753,12 @@ public function testConnectionPooling(): void
         $usage = new Usage($adapter);
         $usage->setup();
 
-        // Test enabling keep-alive
-        $result = $adapter->setKeepAlive(true);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Test disabling keep-alive
-        $result = $adapter->setKeepAlive(false);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Re-enable for testing
-        $adapter->setKeepAlive(true);
-
-        // Get initial stats
+        // Connection reuse is always on (the transport client holds the cURL
+        // handle for its lifetime). Stats expose the request counter so callers
+        // can confirm requests are flowing over the pooled connection.
         $stats = $adapter->getConnectionStats();
-        $this->assertIsArray($stats);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('request_count', $stats);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('keep_alive_enabled', $stats);
-        $this->assertArrayHasKey('compression_enabled', $stats);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('query_logging_enabled', $stats);
-        $this->assertTrue($stats['keep_alive_enabled']);
 
         $initialCount = $stats['request_count'];
 
@@ -936,114 +775,6 @@ public function testConnectionPooling(): void
         $this->assertGreaterThanOrEqual(3, $newStats['request_count'] - $initialCount);
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Test retry logic configuration
-     */
-    public function testRetryConfiguration(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-
-        // Test setting max retries
-        $result = $adapter->setMaxRetries(5);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Test setting retry delay
-        $result = $adapter->setRetryDelay(200);
-        $this->assertInstanceOf(ClickHouseAdapter::class, $result);
-
-        // Verify stats reflect configuration
-        $stats = $adapter->getConnectionStats();
-        $this->assertSame(5, $stats['max_retries']);
-        $this->assertSame(200, $stats['retry_delay']);
-
-        // Test valid retry range (0-10)
-        $adapter->setMaxRetries(0);
-        $stats = $adapter->getConnectionStats();
-        $this->assertSame(0, $stats['max_retries']);
-
-        $adapter->setMaxRetries(10);
-        $stats = $adapter->getConnectionStats();
-        $this->assertSame(10, $stats['max_retries']);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test retry validation errors
-     */
-    public function testRetryValidation(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-
-        // Test max retries below minimum
-        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
-        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Max retries must be between 0 and 10');
-        $adapter->setMaxRetries(-1);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test retry delay validation
-     */
-    public function testRetryDelayValidation(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-
-        // Test retry delay below minimum
-        $this->expectException(\Exception::class);
-        $this->expectExceptionMessage('Retry delay must be between 10 and 5000 milliseconds');
-        $adapter->setRetryDelay(5);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * Test retry logic with successful operations
-     */
-    public function testRetryWithSuccessfulOperations(): void
-    {
-        $host = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_HOST') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $username = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_USER') ?: 'default';
-        $password = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PASSWORD') ?: 'clickhouse';
-        $port = (int) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_PORT') ?: 8123);
-        $secure = (bool) (getenv('CLICKHOUSE_SECURE') ?: false);
-
-        $adapter = new ClickHouseAdapter($host, $username, $password, $port, $secure);
-        $adapter->setNamespace('utopia_usage_retry_test');
-        $adapter->setTenant('1');
-        $adapter->setMaxRetries(2);
-        $adapter->setRetryDelay(50);
-
-        if ($database = getenv('CLICKHOUSE_DATABASE')) {
-            $adapter->setDatabase($database);
-        }
-
-        $usage = new Usage($adapter);
-        $usage->setup();
-
-        // These operations should succeed on first attempt (no retries needed)
-        $result = $usage->addBatch([
-            ['metric' => 'retry.test', 'value' => 100, 'tags' => ['service' => 'success']],
-        ], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertTrue($result);
-
-        $count = $usage->count([], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
-        $this->assertIsInt($count);
-    }
-
     /**
      * Test error messages include operation context
      */
@@ -1059,7 +790,6 @@ public function testErrorMessagesIncludeContext(): void
         $adapter->setNamespace('utopia_usage_error_test');
         $adapter->setDatabase('nonexistent_db_for_testing_errors_12345');
         $adapter->setTenant('1');
-        $adapter->setMaxRetries(0); // Disable retries for faster test
 
         $usage = new Usage($adapter);
 
diff --git a/tests/Usage/Adapter/DatabaseTest.php b/tests/Usage/Adapter/DatabaseTest.php
index 779450c..2d142f8 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/Adapter/DatabaseTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/Adapter/DatabaseTest.php
@@ -207,7 +207,6 @@ public function testHealthCheck(): void
         $health = $adapter->healthCheck();
 
         // Assert basic structure
-        $this->assertIsArray($health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('healthy', $health);
 
         // Assert connection is healthy
@@ -246,7 +245,6 @@ public function testHealthCheckWithNonExistentDatabase(): void
         $health = $adapter->healthCheck();
 
         // Assert basic structure
-        $this->assertIsArray($health);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('healthy', $health);
 
         // Assert connection failed
diff --git a/tests/Usage/MetricTest.php b/tests/Usage/MetricTest.php
index f542b97..eba1029 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/MetricTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/MetricTest.php
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ public function testGetEventSchemaReturnsAttributeDefinitions(): void
     {
         $schema = Metric::getEventSchema();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($schema);
         // 3 core (metric, value, time) + 24 dimension columns from EVENT_COLUMNS.
         $this->assertCount(3 + count(Metric::EVENT_COLUMNS), $schema);
 
@@ -47,7 +46,6 @@ public function testGetGaugeSchemaReturnsAttributeDefinitions(): void
     {
         $schema = Metric::getGaugeSchema();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($schema);
         // 3 core (metric, value, time) + 4 GAUGE_COLUMNS.
         $this->assertCount(3 + count(Metric::GAUGE_COLUMNS), $schema);
 
@@ -78,8 +76,6 @@ public function testGetEventIndexesReturnsIndexDefinitions(): void
     {
         $indexes = Metric::getEventIndexes();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($indexes);
-
         $ids = array_column($indexes, '$id');
         $this->assertNotContains('index-userAgent', $ids, 'userAgent index must be dropped');
     }
@@ -91,7 +87,6 @@ public function testGetGaugeIndexesReturnsIndexDefinitions(): void
     {
         $indexes = Metric::getGaugeIndexes();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($indexes);
         $this->assertCount(count(Metric::GAUGE_COLUMNS), $indexes);
     }
 
@@ -155,7 +150,7 @@ public function testValidateAcceptsValidEventData(): void
 
         // Should not throw exception
         Metric::validate($validData, 'event');
-        $this->assertTrue(true);
+        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -172,7 +167,7 @@ public function testValidateAcceptsValidGaugeData(): void
         ];
 
         Metric::validate($validData, 'gauge');
-        $this->assertTrue(true);
+        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -186,7 +181,7 @@ public function testValidateAcceptsMinimalData(): void
         ];
 
         Metric::validate($minimalData, 'event');
-        $this->assertTrue(true);
+        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -269,7 +264,7 @@ public function testValidateAcceptsDateTimeForTime(): void
         ];
 
         Metric::validate($data, 'event');
-        $this->assertTrue(true);
+        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -284,7 +279,7 @@ public function testValidateAcceptsDatetimeStringForTime(): void
         ];
 
         Metric::validate($data, 'event');
-        $this->assertTrue(true);
+        $this->expectNotToPerformAssertions();
     }
 
     /**
@@ -489,7 +484,6 @@ public function testGetAttributesReturnsAllAttributes(): void
         $metric = new Metric($data);
         $attributes = $metric->getAttributes();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($attributes);
         $this->assertEquals('metric-1', $attributes['$id']);
         $this->assertEquals('requests', $attributes['metric']);
         $this->assertEquals(100, $attributes['value']);
@@ -600,7 +594,6 @@ public function testToArrayReturnsArray(): void
         $metric = new Metric($data);
         $array = $metric->toArray();
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($array);
         $this->assertEquals('metric-1', $array['$id']);
         $this->assertEquals('requests', $array['metric']);
         $this->assertEquals(100, $array['value']);
diff --git a/tests/Usage/UsageBase.php b/tests/Usage/UsageBase.php
index 3e8d568..1dcbd3f 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/UsageBase.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/UsageBase.php
@@ -137,7 +137,6 @@ public function testGetTotalBatch(): void
         // Event metrics batch
         $totals = $this->usage->getTotalBatch(['requests', 'bandwidth'], [], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($totals);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('requests', $totals);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('bandwidth', $totals);
 
@@ -160,7 +159,6 @@ public function testGetTotalBatchWithMissingMetric(): void
     public function testGetTotalBatchEmpty(): void
     {
         $totals = $this->usage->getTotalBatch([]);
-        $this->assertIsArray($totals);
         $this->assertEmpty($totals);
     }
 
@@ -179,7 +177,6 @@ public function testGetTimeSeries(): void
             Usage::TYPE_EVENT,
         );
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($results);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('requests', $results);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('total', $results['requests']);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('data', $results['requests']);
@@ -662,7 +659,6 @@ public function testGroupByWithoutGroupByIntervalReturnsDimOnlyAggregate(): void
             Query::equal('metric', ['gbi-requests']),
         ], Usage::TYPE_EVENT);
 
-        $this->assertIsArray($rows);
         foreach ($rows as $row) {
             $this->assertArrayNotHasKey('time', $row->getArrayCopy());
             $this->assertArrayHasKey('service', $row->getArrayCopy());
diff --git a/tests/Usage/UsageQueryTest.php b/tests/Usage/UsageQueryTest.php
index 64bf7fe..924c6e3 100644
--- a/tests/Usage/UsageQueryTest.php
+++ b/tests/Usage/UsageQueryTest.php
@@ -110,7 +110,6 @@ public function testRemoveGroupByInterval(): void
 
     public function testValidIntervalsConstant(): void
     {
-        $this->assertIsArray(UsageQuery::VALID_INTERVALS);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('1m', UsageQuery::VALID_INTERVALS);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('5m', UsageQuery::VALID_INTERVALS);
         $this->assertArrayHasKey('15m', UsageQuery::VALID_INTERVALS);