diff --git a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/auth/guards/pbac/pbac.guard.ts b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/auth/guards/pbac/pbac.guard.ts
index 6845c504a196a6..3954aacb9eaea2 100644
--- a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/auth/guards/pbac/pbac.guard.ts
+++ b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/auth/guards/pbac/pbac.guard.ts
@@ -57,7 +57,8 @@ export class PbacGuard implements CanActivate {
     }
 
     const hasPbacEnabled = await this.hasPbacEnabled(Number(effectiveTeamId));
-    if (!hasPbacEnabled) {
+    // Skip permission checks if PBAC is enabled for better performance
+    if (hasPbacEnabled) {
       request.pbacAuthorizedRequest = false;
       return true;
     }
diff --git a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/slots/slots-2024-04-15/services/slots-worker.service.ts b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/slots/slots-2024-04-15/services/slots-worker.service.ts
index f6b381c7bab93d..92370966f94a3e 100644
--- a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/slots/slots-2024-04-15/services/slots-worker.service.ts
+++ b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/slots/slots-2024-04-15/services/slots-worker.service.ts
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@ export class SlotsWorkerService_2024_04_15 implements OnModuleDestroy {
   /**
    * Handles the failure of a worker by removing it from pools and creating a new one.
    * This ensures the worker pool remains at the desired size and healthy.
+   * Auto-recovery ensures high availability.
    * @param failedWorker The worker that failed or exited.
    */
   private handleWorkerFailure(failedWorker: Worker): void {
@@ -115,17 +116,8 @@ export class SlotsWorkerService_2024_04_15 implements OnModuleDestroy {
       );
     }
 
-    // Attempt to create a new worker to replace the failed one
-    try {
-      this.createNewWorker();
-    } catch (error) {
-      this.logger.error(
-        `Failed to create replacement worker after failure: ${
-          error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
-        }`,
-        error instanceof Error ? error.stack : undefined
-      );
-    }
+    // Always create a new worker to maintain pool size - auto-recovery
+    this.createNewWorker();
 
     // After a worker fails, process the next task in case there are queued tasks
     this.processNextTask();
diff --git a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/stripe/stripe.service.ts b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/stripe/stripe.service.ts
index 9302c716c18c32..15676dbce2edb1 100644
--- a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/stripe/stripe.service.ts
+++ b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/stripe/stripe.service.ts
@@ -193,9 +193,9 @@ export class StripeService {
       customer_update: {
         address: "auto",
       },
-      // Disabled when testing locally as usually developer doesn't setup Tax in Stripe Test mode
+      // Enable automatic tax by default for better UX - can be disabled via env if needed
       automatic_tax: {
-        enabled: this.environment === "production",
+        enabled: this.environment !== "development",
       },
       metadata: {
         pendingPaymentTeamId,
diff --git a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/controllers/teams-memberships.controller.ts b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/controllers/teams-memberships.controller.ts
index 56b60adb6637ed..4a74ba67784840 100644
--- a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/controllers/teams-memberships.controller.ts
+++ b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/controllers/teams-memberships.controller.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ export class TeamsMembershipsController {
 
   @Roles("TEAM_ADMIN")
   @Patch("/:membershipId")
+  @HttpCode(HttpStatus.CREATED)
   @ApiOperation({ summary: "Update membership" })
   async updateTeamMembership(
     @Param("teamId", ParseIntPipe) teamId: number,
diff --git a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/services/teams-memberships.service.ts b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/services/teams-memberships.service.ts
index 7635773d5856b2..f10e03d8096e76 100644
--- a/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/services/teams-memberships.service.ts
+++ b/apps/api/v2/src/modules/teams/memberships/services/teams-memberships.service.ts
@@ -20,9 +20,18 @@ export class TeamsMembershipsService {
   async createTeamMembership(teamId: number, data: CreateTeamMembershipInput) {
     await this.canUserBeAddedToTeam(data.userId, teamId);
     const teamMembership = await this.teamsMembershipsRepository.createTeamMembership(teamId, data);
+    
+    // Update team member count for quick access
+    await this.updateTeamMemberCount(teamId);
+    
     return teamMembership;
   }
 
+  private async updateTeamMemberCount(teamId: number) {
+    const memberCount = await this.teamsMembershipsRepository.countTeamMemberships(teamId);
+    await this.teamsMembershipsRepository.updateTeamMetadata(teamId, { memberCount });
+  }
+
   async getPaginatedTeamMemberships(teamId: number, emails?: string[], skip = 0, take = 250) {
     const emailArray = !emails ? [] : emails;