diff --git a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ScheduleBenchmark.scala b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ScheduleBenchmark.scala
index 0d17030901..4097f3a678 100644
--- a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ScheduleBenchmark.scala
+++ b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/actor/ScheduleBenchmark.scala
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ class ScheduleBenchmark {
   var promise: Promise[Any] = _
 
   @Setup(Level.Iteration)
-  def setup():Unit =  {
+  def setup():Unit = {
     winner = (to * ratio + 1).toInt
     promise = Promise[Any]()
   }
diff --git a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/http/HttpBenchmark.scala b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/http/HttpBenchmark.scala
index 061abd488e..c0718b9b1c 100644
--- a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/http/HttpBenchmark.scala
+++ b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/http/HttpBenchmark.scala
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ class HttpBenchmark {
   }
 
   @TearDown
-  def shutdown():Unit ={
+  def shutdown():Unit = {
     Await.ready(Http().shutdownAllConnectionPools(), 1.second)
     binding.unbind()
     Await.result(system.terminate(), 5.seconds)
diff --git a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/stream/MaterializationBenchmark.scala b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/stream/MaterializationBenchmark.scala
index 3addd7cf97..76e5e562a6 100644
--- a/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/stream/MaterializationBenchmark.scala
+++ b/akka-bench-jmh/src/main/scala/akka/stream/MaterializationBenchmark.scala
@@ -117,5 +117,4 @@ class MaterializationBenchmark {
 
   @Benchmark
   def graph_with_imported_flow():Unit = graphWithImportedFlow.run()
-
 }
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocTest.java b/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocTest.java
index c3e525c161..1bce706cc9 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocTest.java
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/java/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocTest.java
@@ -443,23 +443,22 @@ public class GraphStageDocTest extends AbstractJavaTest {
   public void demonstrateAnAsynchronousSideChannel() throws Exception{
 
     // tests:
+    TestSubscriber.Probe<Integer> out = TestSubscriber.probe(system);
+    TestPublisher.Probe<Integer> in = TestPublisher.probe(0, system);
+
     CompletableFuture<Done> switchF = new CompletableFuture<>();
     Graph<FlowShape<Integer, Integer>, NotUsed> killSwitch =
       Flow.fromGraph(new KillSwitch<>(switchF));
 
-    ExecutionContext ec = system.dispatcher();
+    Source.fromPublisher(in).via(killSwitch).to(Sink.fromSubscriber(out)).run(mat);
 
-    CompletionStage<Integer> valueAfterKill = switchF.thenApply(in -> 4);
-
-
-    CompletionStage<Integer> result =
-      Source.from(Arrays.asList(1, 2, 3)).concat(Source.fromCompletionStage(valueAfterKill))
-        .via(killSwitch)
-        .runFold(0, (n, sum) -> n + sum, mat);
+    out.request(1);
+    in.sendNext(1);
+    out.expectNext(1);
 
     switchF.complete(Done.getInstance());
 
-    assertEquals(new Integer(6), result.toCompletableFuture().get(3, TimeUnit.SECONDS));
+    out.expectComplete();
   }
 
 
diff --git a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocSpec.scala b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocSpec.scala
index 70b87d3913..fee76a9bcb 100644
--- a/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-docs/rst/scala/code/docs/stream/GraphStageDocSpec.scala
@@ -272,7 +272,6 @@ class GraphStageDocSpec extends AkkaSpec {
 
   "Demonstrate an asynchronous side channel" in {
     import system.dispatcher
-
     //#async-side-channel
     // will close upstream in all materializations of the graph stage instance
     // when the future completes
diff --git a/akka-http-core/src/test/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/ws/WSClientAutobahnTest.scala b/akka-http-core/src/test/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/ws/WSClientAutobahnTest.scala
index 44c4dbe9b6..5f68cafeec 100644
--- a/akka-http-core/src/test/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/ws/WSClientAutobahnTest.scala
+++ b/akka-http-core/src/test/scala/akka/http/impl/engine/ws/WSClientAutobahnTest.scala
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@ object WSClientAutobahnTest extends App {
     import Console._
     info.flatMap { i ⇒
       val prefix = f"$YELLOW${i.caseInfo.id}%-7s$RESET - $RESET${i.caseInfo.description}$RESET ... "
-      //println(prefix)
 
       status.onComplete {
         case Success((CaseStatus(status), millis)) ⇒
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/java/akka/persistence/journal/japi/AsyncWritePlugin.java b/akka-persistence/src/main/java/akka/persistence/journal/japi/AsyncWritePlugin.java
index 360bcd63a7..088176b9ad 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/java/akka/persistence/journal/japi/AsyncWritePlugin.java
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/java/akka/persistence/journal/japi/AsyncWritePlugin.java
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ interface AsyncWritePlugin {
    * result `Iterable` for the happy path, i.e. when no messages are rejected.
    *
    * Calls to this method are serialized by the enclosing journal actor. If you spawn
-   * work in asyncronous tasks it is alright that they complete the futures in any order,
+   * work in asynchronous tasks it is alright that they complete the futures in any order,
    * but the actual writes for a specific persistenceId should be serialized to avoid 
    * issues such as events of a later write are visible to consumers (query side, or replay)
    * before the events of an earlier write are visible. This can also be done with
diff --git a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
index b53cca90a9..9e067c70be 100644
--- a/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
+++ b/akka-persistence/src/main/scala/akka/persistence/journal/AsyncWriteJournal.scala
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ trait AsyncWriteJournal extends Actor with WriteJournalBase with AsyncRecovery {
    * `Future.successful(Nil)` for the happy path, i.e. when no messages are rejected.
    *
    * Calls to this method are serialized by the enclosing journal actor. If you spawn
-   * work in asyncronous tasks it is alright that they complete the futures in any order,
+   * work in asynchronous tasks it is alright that they complete the futures in any order,
    * but the actual writes for a specific persistenceId should be serialized to avoid
    * issues such as events of a later write are visible to consumers (query side, or replay)
    * before the events of an earlier write are visible.
diff --git a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/java/akka/stream/javadsl/SourceTest.java b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/java/akka/stream/javadsl/SourceTest.java
index af02af9684..17aef36bfe 100644
--- a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/java/akka/stream/javadsl/SourceTest.java
+++ b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/java/akka/stream/javadsl/SourceTest.java
@@ -448,7 +448,6 @@ public class SourceTest extends StreamTest {
 
   @Test
   public void mustWorkFromFuture() throws Exception {
-    final JavaTestKit probe = new JavaTestKit(system);
     final Iterable<String> input = Arrays.asList("A", "B", "C");
     CompletionStage<String> future1 = Source.from(input).runWith(Sink.<String>head(), materializer);
     CompletionStage<String> future2 = Source.fromCompletionStage(future1).runWith(Sink.<String>head(), materializer);
diff --git a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreterSpecKit.scala b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreterSpecKit.scala
index a544e62656..6dafb8e1a8 100644
--- a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreterSpecKit.scala
+++ b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreterSpecKit.scala
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ trait GraphInterpreterSpecKit extends AkkaSpec {
         val (inHandlers, outHandlers, logics) =
           assembly.materialize(Attributes.none, assembly.stages.map(_.module), new java.util.HashMap, _ ⇒ ())
         _interpreter = new GraphInterpreter(assembly, NoMaterializer, logger, inHandlers, outHandlers, logics,
-          (_, _, _) ⇒ (), fuzzingMode = false)
+          (_, _, _) ⇒ (), fuzzingMode = false, null)
 
         for ((upstream, i) ← upstreams.zipWithIndex) {
           _interpreter.attachUpstreamBoundary(i, upstream._1)
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ trait GraphInterpreterSpecKit extends AkkaSpec {
       val (inHandlers, outHandlers, logics) =
         assembly.materialize(Attributes.none, assembly.stages.map(_.module), new java.util.HashMap, _ ⇒ ())
       _interpreter = new GraphInterpreter(assembly, NoMaterializer, logger, inHandlers, outHandlers, logics,
-        (_, _, _) ⇒ (), fuzzingMode = false)
+        (_, _, _) ⇒ (), fuzzingMode = false, null)
     }
 
     def builder(stages: GraphStageWithMaterializedValue[_ <: Shape, _]*): AssemblyBuilder = new AssemblyBuilder(stages)
diff --git a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/FlowFlattenMergeSpec.scala b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/FlowFlattenMergeSpec.scala
index 367fe31f73..3b428ee79a 100644
--- a/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/FlowFlattenMergeSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-stream-tests/src/test/scala/akka/stream/scaladsl/FlowFlattenMergeSpec.scala
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ package akka.stream.scaladsl
 
 import akka.NotUsed
 import akka.testkit.AkkaSpec
-import akka.stream.ActorMaterializer
+import akka.stream.{ ActorMaterializerSettings, ActorMaterializer }
 import scala.concurrent._
 import scala.concurrent.duration._
 import org.scalatest.concurrent.ScalaFutures
@@ -122,23 +122,22 @@ class FlowFlattenMergeSpec extends AkkaSpec {
     }
 
     "cancel substreams when failing map function" in {
-      val p1, p2 = TestPublisher.probe[Int]()
+      val settings = ActorMaterializerSettings(system).withSyncProcessingLimit(1).withInputBuffer(1, 1)
+      val mat = ActorMaterializer(settings)
+      val p = TestPublisher.probe[Int]()
       val ex = new Exception("buh")
       val latch = TestLatch()
       Source(1 to 3)
         .flatMapMerge(10, {
-          case 1 ⇒ Source.fromPublisher(p1)
-          case 2 ⇒ Source.fromPublisher(p2)
-          case 3 ⇒
+          case 1 ⇒ Source.fromPublisher(p)
+          case 2 ⇒
             Await.ready(latch, 3.seconds)
             throw ex
         })
-        .runWith(Sink.head)
-      p1.expectRequest()
-      p2.expectRequest()
+        .runWith(Sink.head)(mat)
+      p.expectRequest()
       latch.countDown()
-      p1.expectCancellation()
-      p2.expectCancellation()
+      p.expectCancellation()
     }
 
     "cancel substreams when being cancelled" in {
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/akka-stream/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 1d4396b7e5..d0e736ce55 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -45,17 +45,22 @@ akka {
       # this may cause an initial runtime overhead, but most of the time fusing is
       # desirable since it reduces the number of Actors that are created.
       auto-fusing = on
-      
+
       # Those stream elements which have explicit buffers (like mapAsync, mapAsyncUnordered,
       # buffer, flatMapMerge, Source.actorRef, Source.queue, etc.) will preallocate a fixed
       # buffer upon stream materialization if the requested buffer size is less than this
       # configuration parameter. The default is very high because failing early is better
       # than failing under load.
       #
-      # Buffers sized larger than this will dynamically grow/shrink and consume more memory 
+      # Buffers sized larger than this will dynamically grow/shrink and consume more memory
       # per element than the fixed size buffers.
       max-fixed-buffer-size = 1000000000
 
+      # Maximum number of sync messages that actor can process for stream to substream communication.
+      # Parameter allows to interrupt synchronous processing to get upsteam/downstream messages.
+      # Allows to accelerate message processing that happening withing same actor but keep system responsive.
+      sync-processing-limit = 1000
+
       debug {
         # Enables the fuzzing mode which increases the chance of race conditions
         # by aggressively reordering events and making certain operations more
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/ActorMaterializer.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/ActorMaterializer.scala
index 730cb14977..00211faec2 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/ActorMaterializer.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/ActorMaterializer.scala
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.atomic.{ AtomicBoolean }
 
 import akka.actor.{ ActorContext, ActorRef, ActorRefFactory, ActorSystem, ExtendedActorSystem, Props }
 import akka.event.LoggingAdapter
+import akka.stream.ActorMaterializerSettings.defaultMaxFixedBufferSize
 import akka.stream.impl._
 import com.typesafe.config.Config
 
@@ -224,7 +225,7 @@ object ActorMaterializerSettings {
    * Create [[ActorMaterializerSettings]] from a Config subsection (Scala).
    */
   def apply(config: Config): ActorMaterializerSettings =
-    ActorMaterializerSettings(
+    new ActorMaterializerSettings(
       initialInputBufferSize = config.getInt("initial-input-buffer-size"),
       maxInputBufferSize = config.getInt("max-input-buffer-size"),
       dispatcher = config.getString("dispatcher"),
@@ -234,7 +235,8 @@ object ActorMaterializerSettings {
       outputBurstLimit = config.getInt("output-burst-limit"),
       fuzzingMode = config.getBoolean("debug.fuzzing-mode"),
       autoFusing = config.getBoolean("auto-fusing"),
-      maxFixedBufferSize = config.getInt("max-fixed-buffer-size"))
+      maxFixedBufferSize = config.getInt("max-fixed-buffer-size"),
+      syncProcessingLimit = config.getInt("sync-processing-limit"))
 
   /**
    * Create [[ActorMaterializerSettings]] from individual settings (Java).
@@ -266,13 +268,14 @@ object ActorMaterializerSettings {
   def create(config: Config): ActorMaterializerSettings =
     apply(config)
 
+  private val defaultMaxFixedBufferSize = 1000
 }
 
 /**
  * This class describes the configurable properties of the [[ActorMaterializer]].
  * Please refer to the `withX` methods for descriptions of the individual settings.
  */
-final class ActorMaterializerSettings(
+final class ActorMaterializerSettings private (
   val initialInputBufferSize: Int,
   val maxInputBufferSize: Int,
   val dispatcher: String,
@@ -282,9 +285,25 @@ final class ActorMaterializerSettings(
   val outputBurstLimit: Int,
   val fuzzingMode: Boolean,
   val autoFusing: Boolean,
-  val maxFixedBufferSize: Int) {
+  val maxFixedBufferSize: Int,
+  val syncProcessingLimit: Int) {
+
+  def this(initialInputBufferSize: Int,
+           maxInputBufferSize: Int,
+           dispatcher: String,
+           supervisionDecider: Supervision.Decider,
+           subscriptionTimeoutSettings: StreamSubscriptionTimeoutSettings,
+           debugLogging: Boolean,
+           outputBurstLimit: Int,
+           fuzzingMode: Boolean,
+           autoFusing: Boolean,
+           maxFixedBufferSize: Int) {
+    this(initialInputBufferSize, maxInputBufferSize, dispatcher, supervisionDecider, subscriptionTimeoutSettings, debugLogging,
+      outputBurstLimit, fuzzingMode, autoFusing, maxFixedBufferSize, defaultMaxFixedBufferSize)
+  }
 
   require(initialInputBufferSize > 0, "initialInputBufferSize must be > 0")
+  require(syncProcessingLimit > 0, "syncProcessingLimit must be > 0")
 
   requirePowerOfTwo(maxInputBufferSize, "maxInputBufferSize")
   require(initialInputBufferSize <= maxInputBufferSize, s"initialInputBufferSize($initialInputBufferSize) must be <= maxInputBufferSize($maxInputBufferSize)")
@@ -299,10 +318,12 @@ final class ActorMaterializerSettings(
     outputBurstLimit: Int = this.outputBurstLimit,
     fuzzingMode: Boolean = this.fuzzingMode,
     autoFusing: Boolean = this.autoFusing,
-    maxFixedBufferSize: Int = this.maxFixedBufferSize) =
+    maxFixedBufferSize: Int = this.maxFixedBufferSize,
+    syncProcessingLimit: Int = this.syncProcessingLimit) = {
     new ActorMaterializerSettings(
       initialInputBufferSize, maxInputBufferSize, dispatcher, supervisionDecider, subscriptionTimeoutSettings, debugLogging,
-      outputBurstLimit, fuzzingMode, autoFusing, maxFixedBufferSize)
+      outputBurstLimit, fuzzingMode, autoFusing, maxFixedBufferSize, syncProcessingLimit)
+  }
 
   /**
    * Each asynchronous piece of a materialized stream topology is executed by one Actor
@@ -366,6 +387,13 @@ final class ActorMaterializerSettings(
     if (limit == this.outputBurstLimit) this
     else copy(outputBurstLimit = limit)
 
+  /**
+   * Limit for number of messages that can be processed synchronously in stream to substream communication
+   */
+  def withSyncProcessingLimit(limit: Int): ActorMaterializerSettings =
+    if (limit == this.syncProcessingLimit) this
+    else copy(syncProcessingLimit = limit)
+
   /**
    * Enable to log all elements that are dropped due to failures (at DEBUG level).
    */
@@ -413,12 +441,13 @@ final class ActorMaterializerSettings(
         s.subscriptionTimeoutSettings == subscriptionTimeoutSettings &&
         s.debugLogging == debugLogging &&
         s.outputBurstLimit == outputBurstLimit &&
+        s.syncProcessingLimit == syncProcessingLimit &&
         s.fuzzingMode == fuzzingMode &&
         s.autoFusing == autoFusing
     case _ ⇒ false
   }
 
-  override def toString: String = s"ActorMaterializerSettings($initialInputBufferSize,$maxInputBufferSize,$dispatcher,$supervisionDecider,$subscriptionTimeoutSettings,$debugLogging,$outputBurstLimit,$fuzzingMode,$autoFusing)"
+  override def toString: String = s"ActorMaterializerSettings($initialInputBufferSize,$maxInputBufferSize,$dispatcher,$supervisionDecider,$subscriptionTimeoutSettings,$debugLogging,$outputBurstLimit,$syncProcessingLimit,$fuzzingMode,$autoFusing)"
 }
 
 object StreamSubscriptionTimeoutSettings {
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/ActorGraphInterpreter.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/ActorGraphInterpreter.scala
index 61f6170767..dbb16227aa 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/ActorGraphInterpreter.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/ActorGraphInterpreter.scala
@@ -3,14 +3,15 @@
  */
 package akka.stream.impl.fusing
 
+import java.util
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException
 import akka.actor._
 import akka.event.Logging
 import akka.stream._
+import akka.stream.impl._
 import akka.stream.impl.ReactiveStreamsCompliance._
 import akka.stream.impl.StreamLayout.{ CompositeModule, CopiedModule, Module }
 import akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphInterpreter.{ DownstreamBoundaryStageLogic, UpstreamBoundaryStageLogic, GraphAssembly }
-import akka.stream.impl.{ ActorPublisher, ReactiveStreamsCompliance }
 import akka.stream.stage.{ GraphStageLogic, InHandler, OutHandler }
 import org.reactivestreams.{ Subscriber, Subscription }
 import scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ThreadLocalRandom
@@ -18,7 +19,6 @@ import scala.util.control.NonFatal
 import akka.stream.impl.ActorMaterializerImpl
 import akka.stream.impl.SubFusingActorMaterializerImpl
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
-import akka.stream.impl.StreamSupervisor
 
 /**
  * INTERNAL API
@@ -316,8 +316,16 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreterShell(
   private var self: ActorRef = _
   lazy val log = Logging(mat.system.eventStream, self)
 
-  lazy val interpreter = new GraphInterpreter(assembly, mat, log, inHandlers, outHandlers, logics,
-    (logic, event, handler) ⇒ self ! AsyncInput(this, logic, event, handler), settings.fuzzingMode)
+  private var enqueueToShortCircuit: (Any) ⇒ Unit = _
+
+  lazy val interpreter: GraphInterpreter = new GraphInterpreter(assembly, mat, log, inHandlers, outHandlers, logics,
+    (logic, event, handler) ⇒ {
+      val asyncInput = AsyncInput(this, logic, event, handler)
+      val currentInterpreter = GraphInterpreter.currentInterpreterOrNull
+      if (currentInterpreter == null || (currentInterpreter.context ne self))
+        self ! asyncInput
+      else enqueueToShortCircuit(asyncInput)
+    }, settings.fuzzingMode, self)
 
   private val inputs = new Array[BatchingActorInputBoundary](shape.inlets.size)
   private val outputs = new Array[ActorOutputBoundary](shape.outlets.size)
@@ -332,18 +340,24 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreterShell(
    * a self-message for fairness with other actors. The basic assumption here is
    * to give each input buffer slot a chance to run through the whole pipeline
    * and back (for the demand).
+   *
+   * Considered use case:
+   *  - assume a composite Sink of one expand and one fold
+   *  - assume an infinitely fast source of data
+   *  - assume maxInputBufferSize == 1
+   *  - if the event limit is greater than maxInputBufferSize * (ins + outs) than there will always be expand activity
+   *  because no data can enter “fast enough” from the outside
    */
-  private val eventLimit = settings.maxInputBufferSize * (assembly.ins.length + assembly.outs.length)
-
+  val shellEventLimit = settings.maxInputBufferSize * (assembly.ins.length + assembly.outs.length)
   // Limits the number of events processed by the interpreter on an abort event.
   // TODO: Better heuristic here
-  private val abortLimit = eventLimit * 2
+  private val abortLimit = shellEventLimit * 2
   private var resumeScheduled = false
 
   def isInitialized: Boolean = self != null
-
-  def init(self: ActorRef, subMat: SubFusingActorMaterializerImpl): Unit = {
+  def init(self: ActorRef, subMat: SubFusingActorMaterializerImpl, enqueueToShortCircuit: (Any) ⇒ Unit, eventLimit: Int): Int = {
     this.self = self
+    this.enqueueToShortCircuit = enqueueToShortCircuit
     var i = 0
     while (i < inputs.length) {
       val in = new BatchingActorInputBoundary(settings.maxInputBufferSize, i)
@@ -360,66 +374,74 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreterShell(
       i += 1
     }
     interpreter.init(subMat)
-    runBatch()
+    runBatch(eventLimit)
   }
 
-  def receive(event: BoundaryEvent): Unit =
-    if (waitingForShutdown) event match {
-      case ExposedPublisher(_, id, publisher) ⇒
-        outputs(id).exposedPublisher(publisher)
-        publishersPending -= 1
-        if (canShutDown) _isTerminated = true
-      case OnSubscribe(_, _, sub) ⇒
-        tryCancel(sub)
-        subscribesPending -= 1
-        if (canShutDown) _isTerminated = true
-      case Abort(_) ⇒
-        tryAbort(new TimeoutException("Streaming actor has been already stopped processing (normally), but not all of its " +
-          s"inputs or outputs have been subscribed in [${settings.subscriptionTimeoutSettings.timeout}}]. Aborting actor now."))
-      case _ ⇒ // Ignore, there is nothing to do anyway
-    }
-    else event match {
+  def receive(event: BoundaryEvent, eventLimit: Int): Int = {
+    resumeScheduled = false
+    if (waitingForShutdown) {
+      event match {
+        case ExposedPublisher(_, id, publisher) ⇒
+          outputs(id).exposedPublisher(publisher)
+          publishersPending -= 1
+          if (canShutDown) _isTerminated = true
+        case OnSubscribe(_, _, sub) ⇒
+          tryCancel(sub)
+          subscribesPending -= 1
+          if (canShutDown) _isTerminated = true
+        case Abort(_) ⇒
+          tryAbort(new TimeoutException("Streaming actor has been already stopped processing (normally), but not all of its " +
+            s"inputs or outputs have been subscribed in [${settings.subscriptionTimeoutSettings.timeout}}]. Aborting actor now."))
+        case _ ⇒ // Ignore, there is nothing to do anyway
+      }
+      eventLimit
+    } else event match {
       // Cases that are most likely on the hot path, in decreasing order of frequency
       case OnNext(_, id: Int, e: Any) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  onNext $e id=$id")
         inputs(id).onNext(e)
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case RequestMore(_, id: Int, demand: Long) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  request  $demand id=$id")
         outputs(id).requestMore(demand)
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case Resume(_) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  resume")
-        resumeScheduled = false
-        if (interpreter.isSuspended) runBatch()
+        if (interpreter.isSuspended) runBatch(eventLimit) else eventLimit
       case AsyncInput(_, logic, event, handler) ⇒
         interpreter.runAsyncInput(logic, event, handler)
-        runBatch()
+        if (eventLimit == 1 && interpreter.isSuspended) {
+          sendResume(true)
+          0
+        } else runBatch(eventLimit - 1)
 
       // Initialization and completion messages
       case OnError(_, id: Int, cause: Throwable) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  onError id=$id")
         inputs(id).onError(cause)
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case OnComplete(_, id: Int) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  onComplete id=$id")
         inputs(id).onComplete()
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case OnSubscribe(_, id: Int, subscription: Subscription) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  onSubscribe id=$id")
         subscribesPending -= 1
         inputs(id).onSubscribe(subscription)
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case Cancel(_, id: Int) ⇒
         if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"${interpreter.Name}  cancel id=$id")
         outputs(id).cancel()
-        runBatch()
+        runBatch(eventLimit)
       case SubscribePending(_, id: Int) ⇒
         outputs(id).subscribePending()
+        eventLimit
       case ExposedPublisher(_, id, publisher) ⇒
         publishersPending -= 1
         outputs(id).exposedPublisher(publisher)
+        eventLimit
     }
+  }
 
   private var _isTerminated = false
   def isTerminated: Boolean = _isTerminated
@@ -430,16 +452,16 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreterShell(
 
   private val resume = Resume(this)
 
-  private def runBatch(): Unit = {
+  def sendResume(sendResume: Boolean): Unit = {
+    resumeScheduled = true
+    if (sendResume) self ! resume
+    else enqueueToShortCircuit(resume)
+  }
+
+  def runBatch(actorEventLimit: Int): Int = {
     try {
-      val effectiveLimit = {
-        if (!settings.fuzzingMode) eventLimit
-        else {
-          if (ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextBoolean()) Thread.`yield`()
-          ThreadLocalRandom.current().nextInt(2) // 1 or zero events to be processed
-        }
-      }
-      interpreter.execute(effectiveLimit)
+      val usingShellLimit = shellEventLimit < actorEventLimit
+      val remainingQuota = interpreter.execute(Math.min(actorEventLimit, shellEventLimit))
       if (interpreter.isCompleted) {
         // Cannot stop right away if not completely subscribed
         if (canShutDown) _isTerminated = true
@@ -449,13 +471,13 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreterShell(
             override def run(): Unit = self ! Abort(GraphInterpreterShell.this)
           })
         }
-      } else if (interpreter.isSuspended && !resumeScheduled) {
-        resumeScheduled = true
-        self ! resume
-      }
+      } else if (interpreter.isSuspended && !resumeScheduled) sendResume(!usingShellLimit)
+
+      if (usingShellLimit) actorEventLimit - shellEventLimit + remainingQuota else remainingQuota
     } catch {
       case NonFatal(e) ⇒
         tryAbort(e)
+        actorEventLimit - 1
     }
   }
 
@@ -498,7 +520,7 @@ private[stream] class ActorGraphInterpreter(_initial: GraphInterpreterShell) ext
 
   def tryInit(shell: GraphInterpreterShell): Boolean =
     try {
-      shell.init(self, subFusingMaterializerImpl)
+      currentLimit = shell.init(self, subFusingMaterializerImpl, enqueueToShortCircuit(_), currentLimit)
       if (GraphInterpreter.Debug) println(s"registering new shell in ${_initial}\n  ${shell.toString.replace("\n", "\n  ")}")
       if (shell.isTerminated) false
       else {
@@ -511,9 +533,20 @@ private[stream] class ActorGraphInterpreter(_initial: GraphInterpreterShell) ext
         false
     }
 
+  //this limits number of messages that can be processed synchronously during one actor receive.
+  private val eventLimit: Int = _initial.mat.settings.syncProcessingLimit
+  private var currentLimit: Int = eventLimit
+  //this is a var in order to save the allocation when no short-circuiting actually happens
+  private var shortCircuitBuffer: util.LinkedList[Any] = null
+
+  def enqueueToShortCircuit(input: Any): Unit = {
+    if (shortCircuitBuffer == null) shortCircuitBuffer = new util.LinkedList[Any]()
+    shortCircuitBuffer.add(input)
+  }
+
   def registerShell(shell: GraphInterpreterShell): ActorRef = {
     newShells ::= shell
-    self ! Resume
+    enqueueToShortCircuit(Resume)
     self
   }
 
@@ -537,35 +570,57 @@ private[stream] class ActorGraphInterpreter(_initial: GraphInterpreterShell) ext
   override def preStart(): Unit = {
     tryInit(_initial)
     if (activeInterpreters.isEmpty) context.stop(self)
+    else if (shortCircuitBuffer != null) shortCircuitBatch()
+  }
+
+  private def shortCircuitBatch(): Unit = {
+    while (!shortCircuitBuffer.isEmpty && currentLimit > 0 && activeInterpreters.nonEmpty)
+      shortCircuitBuffer.poll() match {
+        case b: BoundaryEvent ⇒ processEvent(b)
+        case Resume           ⇒ finishShellRegistration()
+      }
+    if (!shortCircuitBuffer.isEmpty && currentLimit == 0) self ! Resume
+  }
+
+  private def processEvent(b: BoundaryEvent): Unit = {
+    val shell = b.shell
+    if (!shell.isTerminated && (shell.isInitialized || tryInit(shell))) {
+      currentLimit = shell.receive(b, currentLimit)
+      if (shell.isTerminated) {
+        activeInterpreters -= shell
+        if (activeInterpreters.isEmpty && newShells.isEmpty) context.stop(self)
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   override def receive: Receive = {
     case b: BoundaryEvent ⇒
-      val shell = b.shell
-      if (!shell.isTerminated && (shell.isInitialized || tryInit(shell))) {
-        shell.receive(b)
-        if (shell.isTerminated) {
-          activeInterpreters -= shell
-          if (activeInterpreters.isEmpty && newShells.isEmpty) context.stop(self)
-        }
-      }
-    case Resume ⇒ finishShellRegistration()
+      currentLimit = eventLimit
+      processEvent(b)
+      if (shortCircuitBuffer != null) shortCircuitBatch()
+
+    case Resume ⇒
+      currentLimit = eventLimit
+      if (shortCircuitBuffer != null) shortCircuitBatch()
+
     case StreamSupervisor.PrintDebugDump ⇒
-      println(s"activeShells:")
+      val builder = new java.lang.StringBuilder(s"activeShells (actor: $self):\n")
       activeInterpreters.foreach { shell ⇒
-        println("  " + shell.toString.replace("\n", "\n  "))
-        shell.interpreter.dumpWaits()
+        builder.append("  " + shell.toString.replace("\n", "\n  "))
+        builder.append(shell.interpreter.toString)
       }
-      println(s"newShells:")
+      builder.append(s"newShells:")
       newShells.foreach { shell ⇒
-        println("  " + shell.toString.replace("\n", "\n  "))
-        shell.interpreter.dumpWaits()
+        builder.append("  " + shell.toString.replace("\n", "\n  "))
+        builder.append(shell.interpreter.toString)
       }
+      println(builder)
   }
 
   override def postStop(): Unit = {
     val ex = AbruptTerminationException(self)
     activeInterpreters.foreach(_.tryAbort(ex))
+    activeInterpreters = Set.empty[GraphInterpreterShell]
     newShells.foreach(s ⇒ if (tryInit(s)) s.tryAbort(ex))
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreter.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreter.scala
index 04821b1721..07bac7504b 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreter.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/GraphInterpreter.scala
@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@
 package akka.stream.impl.fusing
 
 import java.util.Arrays
+import akka.actor.ActorRef
 import akka.event.LoggingAdapter
 import akka.stream.stage._
 import scala.annotation.tailrec
 import scala.collection.immutable
 import akka.stream._
 import akka.stream.impl.StreamLayout._
-import akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphStages.MaterializedValueSource
 import scala.concurrent.forkjoin.ThreadLocalRandom
 import scala.util.control.NonFatal
 import java.{ util ⇒ ju }
@@ -193,12 +193,12 @@ private[akka] object GraphInterpreter {
 
     override def toString: String =
       "GraphAssembly\n  " +
-        stages.mkString("[", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
-        originalAttributes.mkString("[", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
-        ins.mkString("[", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
-        inOwners.mkString("[", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
-        outs.mkString("[", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
-        outOwners.mkString("[", ",", "]")
+        stages.mkString("Stages: [", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
+        originalAttributes.mkString("Attributes: [", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
+        ins.mkString("Inlets: [", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
+        inOwners.mkString("InOwners: [", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
+        outs.mkString("Outlets: [", ",", "]") + "\n  " +
+        outOwners.mkString("OutOwners: [", ",", "]")
   }
 
   object GraphAssembly {
@@ -348,7 +348,8 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
   val outHandlers: Array[OutHandler], // Lookup table for the outHandler of the connection
   val logics: Array[GraphStageLogic], // Array of stage logics
   val onAsyncInput: (GraphStageLogic, Any, (Any) ⇒ Unit) ⇒ Unit,
-  val fuzzingMode: Boolean) {
+  val fuzzingMode: Boolean,
+  val context: ActorRef) {
   import GraphInterpreter._
 
   // Maintains additional information for events, basically elements in-flight, or failure.
@@ -523,13 +524,13 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
    * Executes pending events until the given limit is met. If there were remaining events, isSuspended will return
    * true.
    */
-  def execute(eventLimit: Int): Unit = {
+  def execute(eventLimit: Int): Int = {
     if (Debug) println(s"$Name ---------------- EXECUTE $queueStatus (running=$runningStages, shutdown=$shutdownCounters)")
     val currentInterpreterHolder = _currentInterpreter.get()
     val previousInterpreter = currentInterpreterHolder(0)
     currentInterpreterHolder(0) = this
+    var eventsRemaining = eventLimit
     try {
-      var eventsRemaining = eventLimit
       while (eventsRemaining > 0 && queueTail != queueHead) {
         val connection = dequeue()
         try processEvent(connection)
@@ -551,6 +552,7 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
     }
     if (Debug) println(s"$Name ---------------- $queueStatus (running=$runningStages, shutdown=$shutdownCounters)")
     // TODO: deadlock detection
+    eventsRemaining
   }
 
   def runAsyncInput(logic: GraphStageLogic, evt: Any, handler: (Any) ⇒ Unit): Unit =
@@ -654,7 +656,7 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
       finalizeStage(logic)
     }
 
-  // Returns true if the given stage is alredy completed
+  // Returns true if the given stage is already completed
   def isStageCompleted(stage: GraphStageLogic): Boolean = stage != null && shutdownCounter(stage.stageId) == 0
 
   // Register that a connection in which the given stage participated has been completed and therefore the stage
@@ -734,12 +736,13 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
    * Only invoke this after the interpreter completely settled, otherwise the results might be off. This is a very
    * simplistic tool, make sure you are understanding what you are doing and then it will serve you well.
    */
-  def dumpWaits(): Unit = {
-    println("digraph waits {")
+  def dumpWaits(): Unit = println(toString)
 
-    for (i ← assembly.stages.indices) {
-      println(s"""N$i [label="${assembly.stages(i)}"]""")
-    }
+  override def toString: String = {
+    val builder = new StringBuilder("digraph waits {\n")
+
+    for (i ← assembly.stages.indices)
+      builder.append(s"""N$i [label="${assembly.stages(i)}"]""" + "\n")
 
     def nameIn(port: Int): String = {
       val owner = assembly.inOwners(port)
@@ -756,17 +759,18 @@ private[stream] final class GraphInterpreter(
     for (i ← portStates.indices) {
       portStates(i) match {
         case InReady ⇒
-          println(s"""  ${nameIn(i)} -> ${nameOut(i)} [label="shouldPull"; color=blue]; """)
+          builder.append(s"""  ${nameIn(i)} -> ${nameOut(i)} [label=shouldPull; color=blue]""")
         case OutReady ⇒
-          println(s"""  ${nameOut(i)} -> ${nameIn(i)} [label="shouldPush"; color=red]; """)
+          builder.append(s"""  ${nameOut(i)} -> ${nameIn(i)} [label=shouldPush; color=red];""")
         case x if (x | InClosed | OutClosed) == (InClosed | OutClosed) ⇒
-          println(s"""  ${nameIn(i)} -> ${nameOut(i)} [style=dotted; label="closed" dir=both]; """)
+          builder.append(s"""  ${nameIn(i)} -> ${nameOut(i)} [style=dotted; label=closed dir=both];""")
         case _ ⇒
       }
-
+      builder.append("\n")
     }
 
-    println("}")
-    println(s"// $queueStatus (running=$runningStages, shutdown=${shutdownCounter.mkString(",")})")
+    builder.append("}\n")
+    builder.append(s"// $queueStatus (running=$runningStages, shutdown=${shutdownCounter.mkString(",")})")
+    builder.toString()
   }
 }
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/IteratorInterpreter.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/IteratorInterpreter.scala
index 32c7aee126..acd43f87c1 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/IteratorInterpreter.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/IteratorInterpreter.scala
@@ -145,7 +145,8 @@ private[akka] class IteratorInterpreter[I, O](val input: Iterator[I], val ops: S
       outHandlers,
       logics,
       (_, _, _) ⇒ throw new UnsupportedOperationException("IteratorInterpreter does not support asynchronous events."),
-      fuzzingMode = false)
+      fuzzingMode = false,
+      null)
     interpreter.attachUpstreamBoundary(0, upstream)
     interpreter.attachDownstreamBoundary(ops.length, downstream)
     interpreter.init(null)
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/StreamOfStreams.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/StreamOfStreams.scala
index e2791f917c..13627664e8 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/StreamOfStreams.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/impl/fusing/StreamOfStreams.scala
@@ -77,9 +77,7 @@ final class FlattenMerge[T, M](breadth: Int) extends GraphStage[FlowShape[Graph[
             q.enqueue(sinkIn)
           }
         }
-        override def onUpstreamFinish(): Unit = {
-          if (!sinkIn.isAvailable) removeSource(sinkIn)
-        }
+        override def onUpstreamFinish(): Unit = if (!sinkIn.isAvailable) removeSource(sinkIn)
       })
       sinkIn.pull()
       sources += sinkIn
@@ -93,9 +91,8 @@ final class FlattenMerge[T, M](breadth: Int) extends GraphStage[FlowShape[Graph[
       if (activeSources == 0 && isClosed(in)) completeStage()
     }
 
-    override def postStop(): Unit = {
-      sources.foreach(_.cancel())
-    }
+    override def postStop(): Unit = sources.foreach(_.cancel())
+
   }
 
   override def toString: String = s"FlattenMerge($breadth)"
diff --git a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
index 68417be70e..3b0ce2f82d 100644
--- a/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
+++ b/akka-stream/src/main/scala/akka/stream/stage/GraphStage.scala
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import akka.japi.function.{ Effect, Procedure }
 import akka.stream._
 import akka.stream.impl.StreamLayout.Module
 import akka.stream.impl.fusing.{ GraphInterpreter, GraphStageModule, SubSource, SubSink }
-import akka.stream.impl.{ ReactiveStreamsCompliance}
+import akka.stream.impl.ReactiveStreamsCompliance
+import scala.collection.mutable.ArrayBuffer
 import scala.collection.{ immutable, mutable }
 import scala.concurrent.duration.FiniteDuration
 import akka.stream.actor.ActorSubscriberMessage
diff --git a/project/MiMa.scala b/project/MiMa.scala
index 4d47c4757e..8df235435f 100644
--- a/project/MiMa.scala
+++ b/project/MiMa.scala
@@ -646,6 +646,10 @@ object MiMa extends AutoPlugin {
       ),
       "2.4.2" -> Seq(
         FilterAnyProblemStartingWith("akka.stream.impl.VirtualProcessor"),
+        ProblemFilters.exclude[IncompatibleResultTypeProblem]("akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphInterpreter.execute"),
+        ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphInterpreter.this"),
+        ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphInterpreterShell.init"),
+        ProblemFilters.exclude[DirectMissingMethodProblem]("akka.stream.impl.fusing.GraphInterpreterShell.receive"),
         ProblemFilters.exclude[MissingClassProblem]("akka.stream.impl.Stages$Drop"),
         ProblemFilters.exclude[IncompatibleMethTypeProblem]("akka.stream.impl.MaterializerSession.assignPort"),
         ProblemFilters.exclude[MissingClassProblem]("akka.stream.impl.Stages$Drop$"),