use the events system for triggering a database sync when a :database-create event is triggered.

src/metabase/api/database.clj

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
             [metabase.api.common :refer :all]
             [metabase.db :refer :all]
             [metabase.driver :as driver]
+            [metabase.events :as events]
             (metabase.models common
                              [hydrate :refer [hydrate]]
                              [database :refer [Database]]
@@ -31,10 +32,7 @@
   ;; TODO - we should validate the contents of `details` here based on the engine
   (check-superuser)
   (let-500 [new-db (ins Database :name name :engine engine :details details)]
-    ;; kick off background job to gather schema metadata about our new db
-    (future (driver/sync-database! new-db))
-    ;; make sure we return the newly created db object
-    new-db))
+    (events/publish-event :database-create new-db)))
 
 (defendpoint GET "/form_input"
   "Values of options for the create/edit `Database` UI."

src/metabase/events/sync_database.clj

+(ns metabase.events.sync-database
+  (:require [clojure.core.async :as async]
+            [clojure.tools.logging :as log]
+            [metabase.config :as config]
+            [metabase.db :as db]
+            [metabase.driver :as driver]
+            [metabase.events :as events]
+            [metabase.models.database :refer [Database]]))
+
+
+(def sync-database-topics
+  "The `Set` of event topics which are subscribed to for use in database syncing."
+  #{:database-create})
+
+(def ^:private sync-database-channel
+  "Channel for receiving event notifications we want to subscribe to for database sync events."
+  (async/chan))
+
+
+;;; ## ---------------------------------------- EVENT PROCESSING ----------------------------------------
+
+
+(defn process-sync-database-event
+  "Handle processing for a single event notification received on the revisions-channel"
+  [sync-database-event]
+  ;; try/catch here to prevent individual topic processing exceptions from bubbling up.  better to handle them here.
+  (try
+    (log/info "holla")
+    (when-let [{topic :topic object :item} sync-database-event]
+      (when-let [database (db/sel :one Database :id (events/object->model-id topic object))]
+        (log/info "kicking off" database)
+        ;; just kick off a sync on another thread
+        (future (driver/sync-database! database))))
+    (catch Throwable e
+      (log/warn (format "Failed to process sync-database event. %s" (:topic sync-database-event)) e))))
+
+
+
+;;; ## ---------------------------------------- LIFECYLE ----------------------------------------
+
+
+;; this is what actually kicks off our listener for events
+(when (config/is-prod?)
+  (log/info "Starting database sync events listener")
+  (events/start-event-listener sync-database-topics sync-database-channel process-sync-database-event))