diff --git a/src/aphront/storage/connection/mysql/AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection.php b/src/aphront/storage/connection/mysql/AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection.php
index ea0b585..7ae52a2 100644
--- a/src/aphront/storage/connection/mysql/AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection.php
+++ b/src/aphront/storage/connection/mysql/AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection.php
@@ -1,163 +1,170 @@
 <?php
 
 /**
  * @phutil-external-symbol class mysqli
  */
 final class AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection
   extends AphrontBaseMySQLDatabaseConnection {
 
   public function escapeUTF8String($string) {
     $this->validateUTF8String($string);
     return $this->escapeBinaryString($string);
   }
 
   public function escapeBinaryString($string) {
     return $this->requireConnection()->escape_string($string);
   }
 
   public function getInsertID() {
     return $this->requireConnection()->insert_id;
   }
 
   public function getAffectedRows() {
     return $this->requireConnection()->affected_rows;
   }
 
   protected function closeConnection() {
     $this->requireConnection()->close();
   }
 
   protected function connect() {
     if (!class_exists('mysqli', false)) {
       throw new Exception(
         'About to call new mysqli(), but the PHP MySQLi extension is not '.
         'available!');
     }
 
     $user = $this->getConfiguration('user');
     $host = $this->getConfiguration('host');
     $port = $this->getConfiguration('port');
     $database = $this->getConfiguration('database');
 
     $pass = $this->getConfiguration('pass');
     if ($pass instanceof PhutilOpaqueEnvelope) {
       $pass = $pass->openEnvelope();
     }
 
     // If the host is "localhost", the port is ignored and mysqli attempts to
     // connect over a socket.
     if ($port) {
       if ($host === 'localhost' || $host === null) {
         $host = '127.0.0.1';
       }
     }
 
-    $conn = @new mysqli(
+    $conn = mysqli_init();
+
+    $timeout = $this->getConfiguration('timeout');
+    if ($timeout) {
+      $conn->options(MYSQLI_OPT_CONNECT_TIMEOUT, $timeout);
+    }
+
+    @$conn->real_connect(
       $host,
       $user,
       $pass,
       $database,
       $port);
 
     $errno = $conn->connect_errno;
     if ($errno) {
       $error = $conn->connect_error;
       throw new AphrontConnectionQueryException(
         "Attempt to connect to {$user}@{$host} failed with error ".
         "#{$errno}: {$error}.", $errno);
     }
 
     $ok = @$conn->set_charset('utf8mb4');
     if (!$ok) {
       $ok = $conn->set_charset('utf8');
     }
 
     return $conn;
   }
 
   protected function rawQuery($raw_query) {
     return @$this->requireConnection()->query($raw_query);
   }
 
   protected function rawQueries(array $raw_queries) {
     $conn = $this->requireConnection();
 
     $have_result = false;
     $results = array();
 
     foreach ($raw_queries as $key => $raw_query) {
       if (!$have_result) {
         // End line in front of semicolon to allow single line comments at the
         // end of queries.
         $have_result = $conn->multi_query(implode("\n;\n\n", $raw_queries));
       } else {
         $have_result = $conn->next_result();
       }
 
       array_shift($raw_queries);
 
       $result = $conn->store_result();
       if (!$result && !$this->getErrorCode($conn)) {
         $result = true;
       }
       $results[$key] = $this->processResult($result);
     }
 
     if ($conn->more_results()) {
       throw new Exception('There are some results left in the result set.');
     }
 
     return $results;
   }
 
   protected function freeResult($result) {
     $result->free_result();
   }
 
   protected function fetchAssoc($result) {
     return $result->fetch_assoc();
   }
 
   protected function getErrorCode($connection) {
     return $connection->errno;
   }
 
   protected function getErrorDescription($connection) {
     return $connection->error;
   }
 
   public function supportsAsyncQueries() {
     return defined('MYSQLI_ASYNC');
   }
 
   public function asyncQuery($raw_query) {
     $this->checkWrite($raw_query);
     $async = $this->beginAsyncConnection();
     $async->query($raw_query, MYSQLI_ASYNC);
     return $async;
   }
 
   public static function resolveAsyncQueries(array $conns, array $asyncs) {
     assert_instances_of($conns, 'AphrontMySQLiDatabaseConnection');
     assert_instances_of($asyncs, 'mysqli');
 
     $read = $error = $reject = array();
     foreach ($asyncs as $async) {
       $read[] = $error[] = $reject[] = $async;
     }
 
     if (!mysqli::poll($read, $error, $reject, 0)) {
       return array();
     }
 
     $results = array();
     foreach ($read as $async) {
       $key = array_search($async, $asyncs, $strict = true);
       $conn = $conns[$key];
       $conn->endAsyncConnection($async);
       $results[$key] = $conn->processResult($async->reap_async_query());
     }
     return $results;
   }
 
 }