diff --git a/api/src/app.ts b/api/src/app.ts
index a533b69dff..e1cdf201d2 100644
--- a/api/src/app.ts
+++ b/api/src/app.ts
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ app.use('/auth', authRouter)
 	.use('/fields', fieldsRouter)
 	.use('/files', filesRouter)
 	.use('/folders', foldersRouter)
-	.use('/items', itemsRouter)
+	.use('/items', itemsRouter, responseManager)
 	.use('/permissions', permissionsRouter)
 	.use('/presets', presetsRouter)
 	.use('/relations', relationsRouter)
diff --git a/api/src/controllers/items.ts b/api/src/controllers/items.ts
index 9dc11f8596..b42bac9c7c 100644
--- a/api/src/controllers/items.ts
+++ b/api/src/controllers/items.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ router.get(
 	'/:collection',
 	collectionExists,
 	sanitizeQuery,
-	asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
+	asyncHandler(async (req, res, next) => {
 		const service = new ItemsService(req.collection, { accountability: req.accountability });
 		const metaService = new MetaService({ accountability: req.accountability });
 
@@ -39,10 +39,12 @@ router.get(
 
 		const meta = await metaService.getMetaForQuery(req.collection, req.sanitizedQuery);
 
-		return res.json({
+		res.locals.data = {
 			meta: meta,
 			data: records || null,
-		});
+		};
+
+		return next();
 	})
 );
 
@@ -50,7 +52,7 @@ router.get(
 	'/:collection/:pk',
 	collectionExists,
 	sanitizeQuery,
-	asyncHandler(async (req, res) => {
+	asyncHandler(async (req, res, next) => {
 		if (req.singleton) {
 			throw new RouteNotFoundException(req.path);
 		}
@@ -58,10 +60,11 @@ router.get(
 		const service = new ItemsService(req.collection, { accountability: req.accountability });
 		const primaryKey = req.params.pk.includes(',') ? req.params.pk.split(',') : req.params.pk;
 		const result = await service.readByKey(primaryKey as any, req.sanitizedQuery);
-
-		return res.json({
+		res.locals.data = {
 			data: result || null,
-		});
+		};
+
+		return next();
 	})
 );
 
diff --git a/api/src/middleware/response-manager.ts b/api/src/middleware/response-manager.ts
index a95a4f037e..0e6d8df2cb 100644
--- a/api/src/middleware/response-manager.ts
+++ b/api/src/middleware/response-manager.ts
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ const responseManager: RequestHandler = asyncHandler(async (req, res, next) => {
 
 			const fieldsOut = Object.keys(exportData);
 			const csv = await json2csv.parse(exportData, fieldsOut);
-
+			// will this be ok for larger files?
 			res.setHeader('Content-disposition', 'attachment; filename=export.csv');
 			res.set('Content-Type', 'text/csv');
 			res.status(200).send(csv);