diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 6b261a2d..5d7ab012 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -347,6 +347,14 @@ GITLAWB_TASK_READ_RATE_LIMIT=1200
 # brake caps a single-source flood. Uses GITLAWB_TRUSTED_PROXY below to resolve
 # the client IP. 0 disables. Default 120.
 GITLAWB_CREATE_RATE_LIMIT=120
+# Per-DID creation requests allowed inside the window below (repo create,
+# issue create, PR create, register, fork). 0 is rejected at startup: it would
+# silently disable the limiter. Default 10.
+GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_MAX=10
+# Window the per-DID creation count above applies over, in seconds. 0 is
+# rejected at startup: every timestamp would prune immediately, disabling the
+# limiter. Default 3600.
+GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_SECS=3600
 
 # ── Peer-sync rate limiting (per client IP, uses GITLAWB_TRUSTED_PROXY below) ─
 # /api/v1/peers/announce and /api/v1/sync/notify accept unsigned requests from
diff --git a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/config.rs b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/config.rs
index efa97701..2cba7684 100644
--- a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/config.rs
+++ b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/config.rs
@@ -244,6 +244,29 @@ pub struct Config {
     #[arg(long, env = "GITLAWB_SHUTDOWN_GRACE_SECS", default_value_t = 30)]
     pub shutdown_grace_secs: u64,
 
+    /// Maximum number of creation requests (repo create, issue create, PR
+    /// create, register, fork) allowed per DID within the rate-limit window.
+    /// 0 is rejected at parse time: it would silently disable the limiter
+    /// (RateLimiter treats max_requests == 0 as allow-all), not block every
+    /// creation request.
+    #[arg(
+        long,
+        env = "GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_MAX",
+        default_value_t = 10,
+        value_parser = clap::value_parser!(u32).range(1..)
+    )]
+    pub rate_limit_max_requests: u32,
+
+    /// Rate-limit window size, in seconds, over which
+    /// `rate_limit_max_requests` applies. 0 is rejected at parse time: every
+    /// timestamp would prune immediately, silently disabling the limiter.
+    #[arg(
+        long,
+        env = "GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_SECS",
+        default_value_t = 3600,
+        value_parser = clap::value_parser!(u64).range(1..)
+    )]
+    pub rate_limit_window_secs: u64,
     /// Maximum wall-clock time a single served git operation (upload-pack /
     /// receive-pack through `run_git_service`) may run before it is aborted and
     /// its process group torn down, in seconds. Bounds a git that neither
diff --git a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/main.rs b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/main.rs
index 14911907..2c8698ba 100644
--- a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/main.rs
@@ -356,9 +356,14 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
     );
 
     // Per-DID limiter for the creation endpoints. Keyed on the authenticated
-    // DID (attacker-varied), so bound its key set to cap memory.
-    let rate_limiter =
-        rate_limit::RateLimiter::new_bounded(10, std::time::Duration::from_secs(3600), 200_000);
+    // DID (attacker-varied), so bound its key set to cap memory. Max and window
+    // are operator-configurable via GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_MAX /
+    // GITLAWB_RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_SECS; both reject 0 at parse time.
+    let rate_limiter = rate_limit::RateLimiter::new_bounded(
+        config.rate_limit_max_requests as usize,
+        std::time::Duration::from_secs(config.rate_limit_window_secs),
+        200_000,
+    );
 
     // Per-client-IP flood brake for the creation endpoints. The per-DID limiter
     // above is bypassed by a DID farm (one throwaway did:key per repo), which is
diff --git a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/rate_limit.rs b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/rate_limit.rs
index 6cbca4af..d5ed801a 100644
--- a/crates/gitlawb-node/src/rate_limit.rs
+++ b/crates/gitlawb-node/src/rate_limit.rs
@@ -70,6 +70,14 @@ impl RateLimiter {
         self.window.min(Duration::from_secs(1))
     }
 
+    /// The configured window, exposed so a 429 can carry an honest
+    /// `retry-after`: a hardcoded value lies when the operator retunes the
+    /// window, and a client that honors the header would retry into another
+    /// 429 until the real window elapses.
+    pub fn window(&self) -> Duration {
+        self.window
+    }
+
     pub(crate) async fn check(&self, key: &str) -> bool {
         // max_requests == 0 means the limiter is disabled, not "block all".
         if self.max_requests == 0 {
@@ -293,12 +301,7 @@ pub async fn rate_limit_by_did(request: Request, next: Next) -> Response {
 
     if let (Some(limiter), Some(did)) = (limiter, did) {
         if !limiter.check(&did).await {
-            return (
-                StatusCode::TOO_MANY_REQUESTS,
-                [("retry-after", "60")],
-                RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE,
-            )
-                .into_response();
+            return too_many_requests(limiter.window().as_secs());
         }
     }
 
@@ -409,10 +412,10 @@ pub const RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE: &str = "rate limit exceeded — try again later";
 /// The shared 429 response for the per-IP flood brakes. Route-agnostic: this
 /// middleware now serves the push path AND the peer-sync routes, so the message
 /// stays generic (the offending path is recorded in the warn log below).
-pub fn too_many_requests() -> Response {
+pub fn too_many_requests(retry_after_secs: u64) -> Response {
     (
         StatusCode::TOO_MANY_REQUESTS,
-        [("retry-after", "60")],
+        [("retry-after", retry_after_secs.to_string())],
         RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGE,
     )
         .into_response()
@@ -481,7 +484,7 @@ pub async fn rate_limit_by_ip(request: Request, next: Next) -> Response {
         if let Some(key) = client_key(request.headers(), peer, limiter.trust) {
             if !limiter.limiter.check(&key).await {
                 tracing::warn!(key = %key, path = %request.uri().path(), "per-IP rate limit exceeded");
-                return too_many_requests();
+                return too_many_requests(limiter.limiter.window().as_secs());
             }
         }
     }