diff --git a/crates/core/src/ampc/worker.rs b/crates/core/src/ampc/worker.rs
index 5bde34c5..ceb57e4a 100644
--- a/crates/core/src/ampc/worker.rs
+++ b/crates/core/src/ampc/worker.rs
@@ -98,6 +98,12 @@ where
         Ok(res)
     }
 
+    fn send_raw_without_timeout(&self, req: &JobReq<Self::Job>) -> Result<JobResp<Self::Job>> {
+        let mut conn = self.conn()?;
+        let res = block_on(conn.send_without_timeout(req))?;
+        Ok(res)
+    }
+
     fn send<R>(&self, req: R) -> R::Response
     where
         R: RequestWrapper<<Self::Job as Job>::Worker>,
@@ -107,6 +113,19 @@ where
             Resp::User(res) => R::unwrap_response(res).unwrap(),
         }
     }
+
+    fn send_without_timeout<R>(&self, req: R) -> R::Response
+    where
+        R: RequestWrapper<<Self::Job as Job>::Worker>,
+    {
+        match self
+            .send_raw_without_timeout(&Req::User(R::wrap(req)))
+            .unwrap()
+        {
+            Resp::Coordinator(_) => panic!("unexpected coordinator response"),
+            Resp::User(res) => R::unwrap_response(res).unwrap(),
+        }
+    }
 }
 
 pub trait RequestWrapper<W: Worker>: Message<W> {
diff --git a/crates/core/src/distributed/sonic/mod.rs b/crates/core/src/distributed/sonic/mod.rs
index a514cac8..dfef96b8 100644
--- a/crates/core/src/distributed/sonic/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/core/src/distributed/sonic/mod.rs
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    async fn send_without_timeout(&mut self, request: &Req) -> Result<Res> {
+    pub async fn send_without_timeout(&mut self, request: &Req) -> Result<Res> {
         self.awaiting_res = true;
         let bytes = bincode::encode_to_vec(request, common::bincode_config()).unwrap();
 
diff --git a/crates/core/src/entrypoint/ampc/shortest_path/worker.rs b/crates/core/src/entrypoint/ampc/shortest_path/worker.rs
index 3fdfc5e8..d280e380 100644
--- a/crates/core/src/entrypoint/ampc/shortest_path/worker.rs
+++ b/crates/core/src/entrypoint/ampc/shortest_path/worker.rs
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ impl RemoteShortestPathWorker {
     }
 
     pub fn sample_nodes(&self, num_nodes: u64) -> Vec<webgraph::NodeID> {
-        self.send(SampleNodes(num_nodes))
+        self.send_without_timeout(SampleNodes(num_nodes))
     }
 }