diff --git a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
index cc4e7b861..d0ead090b 100644
--- a/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
+++ b/docs/CURRENT-STATE.md
@@ -3005,7 +3005,11 @@ down | auth-failed` (plus the unchanged `missing-key`/`unsupported`) with
 >   usable per point, while an uncached absent height still returns 502 rather
 >   than becoming a fabricated ground value. A position the upstream answers
 >   with a null ellipsoid is reported as an absent height rather than a refresh
->   failure, and is left uncached so a later poll re-asks it. Client geoid
+>   failure, and is left uncached so a later poll re-asks it. After a 429 that
+>   outlasts its retries, the proxy pauses upstream calls for the `Retry-After`
+>   (60 seconds when none, at most 10 minutes): cached and stale points are still
+>   served, uncached points get 502 and use the page's geoid fallback, and the
+>   pause is logged once by the request that started it. Client geoid
 >   fallbacks wait 60 seconds before retrying and self-heal to Re:Earth on the
 >   first later successful fetch. Smaller chunks reduce timeout risk; complete
 >   camera batches still wait for their sequential requests, and unresolved
diff --git a/server/providers/terrain.js b/server/providers/terrain.js
index 4d122d7ac..b217cd900 100644
--- a/server/providers/terrain.js
+++ b/server/providers/terrain.js
@@ -225,6 +225,7 @@ export function terrainHeightsProxy(options = {}) {
       // Rate-limited: asking again only extends the limit. Cached points are
       // still served; the rest resolve on the page through its geoid.
       const error = new Error('HTTP 429');
+      error.status = 429;
       error.coolingDown = true;
       throw error;
     }
@@ -233,18 +234,23 @@ export function terrainHeightsProxy(options = {}) {
     for (let i = 0; i < points.length; i += UPSTREAM_CHUNK) {
       const chunk = points.slice(i, i + UPSTREAM_CHUNK);
       let chunkResults = [];
+      // Re-checked per chunk for when a request spans several chunks again;
+      // today requests are capped at one chunk (MAX_POINTS).
       if (Date.now() >= rateLimitedUntil) {
         try {
           chunkResults = await fetchTerrainChunkWithRetry(chunk);
         } catch (error) {
           firstError = firstError || error;
-          if (error?.message === 'HTTP 429')
-            rateLimitedUntil =
+          // Concurrent 429s extend the pause, never cut it short.
+          if (error?.status === 429)
+            rateLimitedUntil = Math.max(
+              rateLimitedUntil,
               Date.now() +
-              Math.min(
-                terrainRetryAfterMs(error.retryAfter) ?? RATE_LIMIT_PAUSE_MS,
-                RATE_LIMIT_PAUSE_MAX_MS,
-              );
+                Math.min(
+                  terrainRetryAfterMs(error.retryAfter) ?? RATE_LIMIT_PAUSE_MS,
+                  RATE_LIMIT_PAUSE_MAX_MS,
+                ),
+            );
         }
       }
       // Keep later chunks aligned even if a malformed upstream response omits
@@ -322,7 +328,7 @@ export function terrainHeightsProxy(options = {}) {
           // Logged once, when the pause began.
         } else if (outcome.upstreamError) {
           const pause =
-            outcome.upstreamError.message === 'HTTP 429' &&
+            outcome.upstreamError.status === 429 &&
             Date.now() < rateLimitedUntil
               ? ` (HTTP 429; pausing upstream for ${Math.ceil((rateLimitedUntil - Date.now()) / 1000)} s)`
               : '';
diff --git a/src/data/terrainHeightsProxy.js b/src/data/terrainHeightsProxy.js
index c83b30a87..562d4d7c1 100644
--- a/src/data/terrainHeightsProxy.js
+++ b/src/data/terrainHeightsProxy.js
@@ -145,6 +145,7 @@ export async function fetchTerrainChunkWithRetry(
       const res = await fetchImpl(url, signal ? { signal } : {});
       if (!res.ok) {
         const error = new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
+        error.status = res.status;
         error.retryable = res.status === 429 || res.status >= 500;
         error.retryAfter = res.headers?.get?.('retry-after') ?? null;
         throw error;
diff --git a/src/tooling/environmentProviders.test.mjs b/src/tooling/environmentProviders.test.mjs
index 52dcd8351..e541a8069 100644
--- a/src/tooling/environmentProviders.test.mjs
+++ b/src/tooling/environmentProviders.test.mjs
@@ -421,8 +421,18 @@ test('after a 429 the terrain proxy leaves the upstream alone and logs once', as
     calls += 1;
     return new Response('', { status: 429 });
   });
+  t.mock.timers.enable({ apis: ['Date', 'setTimeout'], now: 1_000_000 });
   const request = install(terrainHeightsProxy());
-  await request('/?points=1,2');
+  // The retries' backoff runs on mocked time.
+  let settled = false;
+  const first = request('/?points=1,2').then(() => {
+    settled = true;
+  });
+  for (let step = 0; step < 60 && !settled; step += 1) {
+    await new Promise((resolve) => setImmediate(resolve));
+    t.mock.timers.tick(1_000);
+  }
+  await first;
   const afterFirst = calls;
   assert.ok(afterFirst >= 1);
   assert.equal(warnings.length, 1);