diff --git a/server/api/chat/generate.post.ts b/server/api/chat/generate.post.ts
index d6ced58..fbca3b6 100644
--- a/server/api/chat/generate.post.ts
+++ b/server/api/chat/generate.post.ts
@@ -44,15 +44,13 @@ export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
 
     const { messages, topicId, parentMessageId, model: { modelId, providerId, args }, providerApiKey } = result.data;
 
-    const fetchPromises = [];
-
-    fetchPromises.push(httpClient.fetchOne(httpClient.query('providers').Where('id', '=', providerId)));
-    fetchPromises.push(httpClient.fetchOne(httpClient.query('models').Where('id', '=', modelId)));
-    fetchPromises.push(httpClient.fetchOne(
-        httpClient.query('generations').Where('topicId', '=', topicId).Where('status', '=', 'pending'),
-    ));
-
-    const [provider, model, existingPendingGenerations] = await Promise.all(fetchPromises) as [Entity<typeof schema, 'providers'> | null, Entity<typeof schema, 'models'> | null, Entity<typeof schema, 'generations'> | null];
+    const [provider, model, existingPendingGenerations] = await Promise.all([
+        httpClient.fetchOne(httpClient.query('providers').Where('id', '=', providerId)),
+        httpClient.fetchOne(httpClient.query('models').Where('id', '=', modelId)),
+        httpClient.fetchOne(
+            httpClient.query('generations').Where('topicId', '=', topicId).Where('status', '=', 'pending'),
+        ),
+    ]);
     if (provider === null || provider.userId !== userId) {
         throw createError({
             statusCode: 400,
@@ -93,9 +91,19 @@ export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
     }
 
     const { gateway } = providerDetails.data;
-    assert(gateway !== null, 'Invalid gateway');
+    if (gateway === null) {
+        throw createError({
+            statusCode: 500,
+            statusMessage: 'Invalid gateway',
+            data: {
+                code: 'INVALID_GATEWAY',
+                ok: false,
+            }
+        });
+    }
 
     const generationId = nanoid();
+    // TODO: do these inserts on the client so that the feedback is instant
     const message = await httpClient.insert('messages', {
         topicId,
         userId,
@@ -368,6 +376,7 @@ async function generateResponse(
     const activeParts = new Map<string, { id: string; accumulatedContent: string; providerOptions?: any }>();
     const activeToolCalls = new Map<string, void>();
 
+    // TODO: somehow let the user turn on and off tools
     const tools = {
         // writeFile: tool({
         //     inputSchema: z.object({
@@ -480,7 +489,7 @@ async function generateResponse(
 
             switch (token.type) {
                 case 'start': {
-                    requestStart = Date.now();
+                    requestStart = performance.now();
                 } break;
                 case 'start-step': {
                     curStepIdx++;
@@ -538,7 +547,7 @@ async function generateResponse(
                 case 'text-delta':
                 case 'reasoning-delta': {
                     if (ttft === undefined) {
-                        ttft = Date.now() - requestStart!;
+                        ttft = performance.now() - requestStart!;
                     }
 
                     type = token.type.split('-')[0] as 'text' | 'reasoning';
@@ -788,7 +797,7 @@ async function generateResponse(
                         const tokenStreamStart = requestStart! + ttft;
                         // this is the *real* request duration, excluding the 
                         // TTFT
-                        const requestDuration = Date.now() - tokenStreamStart;
+                        const requestDuration = performance.now() - tokenStreamStart;
 
                         tps = token.totalUsage.outputTokens / (requestDuration / 1000);
                     }