diff --git a/pkg/server/server_sql.go b/pkg/server/server_sql.go
index 652da7e7ab56..1f853486baf7 100644
--- a/pkg/server/server_sql.go
+++ b/pkg/server/server_sql.go
@@ -562,7 +562,7 @@ func newSQLServer(ctx context.Context, cfg sqlServerArgs) (*SQLServer, error) {
 		cfg.clock, cfg.rangeFeedFactory,
 	)
 	cfg.sqlInstanceReader = instancestorage.NewReader(
-		cfg.sqlInstanceStorage, cfg.sqlLivenessProvider.BlockingReader(),
+		cfg.sqlInstanceStorage, cfg.sqlLivenessProvider.CachedReader(),
 		cfg.stopper,
 	)
 
@@ -789,7 +789,7 @@ func newSQLServer(ctx context.Context, cfg sqlServerArgs) (*SQLServer, error) {
 		RowMetrics:         &rowMetrics,
 		InternalRowMetrics: &internalRowMetrics,
 
-		SQLLivenessReader: cfg.sqlLivenessProvider.BlockingReader(),
+		SQLLivenessReader: cfg.sqlLivenessProvider.CachedReader(),
 		JobRegistry:       jobRegistry,
 		Gossip:            cfg.gossip,
 		PodNodeDialer:     cfg.podNodeDialer,
diff --git a/pkg/sql/planner.go b/pkg/sql/planner.go
index f061ce630dc2..89f5a63c1379 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/planner.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/planner.go
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ func (evalCtx *extendedEvalContext) copyFromExecCfg(execCfg *ExecutorConfig) {
 	evalCtx.Settings = execCfg.Settings
 	evalCtx.Codec = execCfg.Codec
 	evalCtx.Tracer = execCfg.AmbientCtx.Tracer
-	evalCtx.SQLLivenessReader = execCfg.SQLLiveness.BlockingReader()
+	evalCtx.SQLLivenessReader = execCfg.SQLLiveness.CachedReader()
 	evalCtx.CompactEngineSpan = execCfg.CompactEngineSpanFunc
 	evalCtx.SetCompactionConcurrency = execCfg.CompactionConcurrencyFunc
 	evalCtx.TestingKnobs = execCfg.EvalContextTestingKnobs