diff --git a/weed/mq/kafka/protocol/fetch.go b/weed/mq/kafka/protocol/fetch.go
index 757056cdb..f14fcf8a3 100644
--- a/weed/mq/kafka/protocol/fetch.go
+++ b/weed/mq/kafka/protocol/fetch.go
@@ -247,7 +247,10 @@ func (h *Handler) handleFetch(ctx context.Context, correlationID uint32, apiVers
 	// Use the client's requested MaxWaitTime plus a small buffer
 	// The 100ms buffer provides backpressure for downstream consumers (like Schema Registry's
 	// internal consumer) that may need time to catch up after rapid writes
-	deadline := time.After(time.Duration(maxWaitMs)*time.Millisecond + 100*time.Millisecond)
+	deadline := time.After(time.Duration(maxWaitMs)*time.Millisecond - 50*time.Millisecond)
+	if maxWaitMs < 50 {
+		deadline = time.After(time.Duration(maxWaitMs) * time.Millisecond)
+	}
 
 	// Collect results one by one with shared deadline
 	for i, pf := range pending {