diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index eb038548463..55be426f551 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -336,15 +336,16 @@ GEM
     rails-dom-testing (2.0.3)
       activesupport (>= 4.2.0)
       nokogiri (>= 1.6)
-    rails-html-sanitizer (1.5.0)
-      loofah (~> 2.19, >= 2.19.1)
-    rails_failover (1.0.0)
-      activerecord (> 6.0, < 7.1)
+    rails-html-sanitizer (1.6.0)
+      loofah (~> 2.21)
+      nokogiri (~> 1.14)
+    rails_failover (2.0.1)
+      activerecord (>= 6.1, <= 7.1)
       concurrent-ruby
-      railties (> 6.0, < 7.1)
-    rails_multisite (4.0.1)
-      activerecord (> 5.0, < 7.1)
-      railties (> 5.0, < 7.1)
+      railties (>= 6.1, <= 7.1)
+    rails_multisite (5.0.0)
+      activerecord (>= 6.0)
+      railties (>= 6.0)
     railties (7.0.4.3)
       actionpack (= 7.0.4.3)
       activesupport (= 7.0.4.3)
diff --git a/config/application.rb b/config/application.rb
index 9850f85bf70..0962bccb6ca 100644
--- a/config/application.rb
+++ b/config/application.rb
@@ -94,7 +94,6 @@ module Discourse
     config.active_record.cache_versioning = false # our custom cache class doesn’t support this
     config.action_controller.forgery_protection_origin_check = false
     config.active_record.belongs_to_required_by_default = false
-    config.active_record.legacy_connection_handling = true
     config.active_record.yaml_column_permitted_classes = [
       Hash,
       HashWithIndifferentAccess,
diff --git a/lib/freedom_patches/rails_multisite.rb b/lib/freedom_patches/rails_multisite.rb
index 0a78baaf320..608bf580b03 100644
--- a/lib/freedom_patches/rails_multisite.rb
+++ b/lib/freedom_patches/rails_multisite.rb
@@ -12,18 +12,17 @@ module RailsMultisite
 
           reading_role = :"#{db}_#{ActiveRecord.reading_role}"
           spec = RailsMultisite::ConnectionManagement.connection_spec(db: db)
+          handler = ActiveRecord::Base.connection_handler
 
-          ActiveRecord::Base.connection_handlers[reading_role] ||= begin
-            handler = ActiveRecord::ConnectionAdapters::ConnectionHandler.new
-            RailsFailover::ActiveRecord.establish_reading_connection(handler, spec)
-            handler
-          end
-
+          RailsFailover::ActiveRecord.establish_reading_connection(
+            handler,
+            spec.to_hash,
+            role: reading_role,
+          )
           ActiveRecord::Base.connected_to(role: reading_role) { yield(db) if block_given? }
         rescue => e
           STDERR.puts "URGENT: Failed to initialize site #{db}: " \
                         "#{e.class} #{e.message}\n#{e.backtrace.join("\n")}"
-
           # the show must go on, don't stop startup if multisite fails
         end
       end