diff --git a/bottleneck-cluster/README.md b/bottleneck-cluster/README.md
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+# Does Bottleneck's rate limit hold across Node `cluster` workers?
+
+This repo's own rate limiter had a bug: each process enforced the delay
+independently, so the limiter reported a perfect interval while the host on the
+other end received every request at once. The fix was an atomic claim in
+MongoDB, and the test that caught it asserts on **what the server received**
+rather than on what the limiter reported.
+
+That test generalises. This directory points the same idea at
+[Bottleneck](https://github.com/SGrondin/bottleneck), which is the most widely
+used rate limiter on npm.
+
+## Result
+
+Bottleneck's default is `datastore: "local"`, and `LocalDatastore` keeps
+`_nextRequest` as an instance field. There is no IPC in the library: every
+occurrence of "cluster" in its source refers to *Redis* Cluster, not Node's
+`cluster` module. So under `cluster` with default options, each worker holds an
+independent limiter.
+
+Configured `minTime: 500` (2 requests/second), 6 workers, 6 requests each,
+measured at the server:
+
+| arm | min gap | gaps under minTime | rate | limiter's self-report |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| 1 worker, `local` (control) | 487.6 ms | 0/5 | 2.01/s | 498.4 ms |
+| **6 workers, `local` (default)** | **0.1 ms** | **30/35** | **14.04/s** | **495.8 ms** |
+| 6 workers, `ioredis` (control) | 483.7 ms | 0/35 | 2.00/s | n/a |
+
+The aggregate rate tracks the worker count:
+
+| workers | rate | vs intended |
+|---|---|---|
+| 1 | 2.01/s | 1.00x |
+| 2 | 4.42/s | 2.21x |
+| 4 | 9.22/s | 4.61x |
+| 6 | 14.04/s | 7.02x |
+| 8 | 18.61/s | 9.30x |
+
+**This is not a bug in Bottleneck.** `local` means local, and clustering via
+Redis is documented. The finding is that the default configuration degrades
+silently under `cluster`: the limiter's own self-report stays at ~497 ms in
+every arm, including the ones where the server is being hit 7x too fast.
+
+Both controls matter. The 1-worker arm shows the harness measures spacing
+correctly when spacing is happening; the `ioredis` arm shows it passes a
+correctly coordinated limiter. Without them, "0.1 ms" is indistinguishable from
+a broken test.
+
+## Run it
+
+```bash
+npm install
+npm run control     # 1 worker, local     -> expect 0 violations
+npm test            # 6 workers, local    -> expect ~30/35 violations
+docker run -d --rm -p 6379:6379 redis:7-alpine
+npm run redis       # 6 workers, ioredis  -> expect 0 violations
+```
+
+Any arm: `node harness.js --workers N --datastore local|ioredis --min-time MS --reqs K`
+
+## Method
+
+The primary process starts an HTTP server on a random port and records
+`process.hrtime.bigint()` for every arrival. It forks N workers; each builds one
+`Bottleneck` with `minTime` and `maxConcurrent: 1`, and schedules K GETs through
+it. Each worker also reports the gaps between its *own* job starts, which is the
+limiter's view, so the two can be compared in the same run.
+
+Measured on Node v24.11.1, Bottleneck 2.19.5, macOS. Numbers above are from
+three repeats of each arm; the `local` 6-worker arm gave 30, 30 and 31
+violations out of 35.
diff --git a/bottleneck-cluster/harness.js b/bottleneck-cluster/harness.js
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+// Does Bottleneck's rate limit hold across Node `cluster` workers?
+//
+// Measured from the SERVER's side: a real HTTP server records the arrival time
+// of every request, and the verdict is the smallest gap between consecutive
+// arrivals. The limiter's own opinion is recorded separately, so the two can be
+// compared.
+//
+//   node harness.js --workers 6 --datastore local --min-time 500 --reqs 5
+//
+// Arms: 1 worker (control, must pass), N workers local, N workers ioredis.
+const cluster = require('node:cluster');
+const http = require('node:http');
+
+const arg = (n, d) => { const i = process.argv.indexOf('--' + n); return i === -1 ? d : process.argv[i + 1]; };
+const WORKERS   = Number(arg('workers', 6));
+const DATASTORE = arg('datastore', 'local');
+const MIN_TIME  = Number(arg('min-time', 500));
+const REQS      = Number(arg('reqs', 5));
+const REDIS     = arg('redis', '127.0.0.1:6379');
+
+if (cluster.isPrimary) {
+  const arrivals = [];
+  const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+    arrivals.push({ t: process.hrtime.bigint(), w: req.headers['x-worker'] });
+    res.writeHead(200); res.end('ok');
+  });
+
+  server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+    const port = server.address().port;
+    const selfReports = [];
+    let done = 0;
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < WORKERS; i++) {
+      const w = cluster.fork({ PORT: port, WID: String(i), DATASTORE, MIN_TIME, REQS, REDIS });
+      w.on('message', (m) => selfReports.push(m));
+      w.on('exit', () => {
+        if (++done === WORKERS) { server.close(); report(arrivals, selfReports); }
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
+  function report(arrivals, selfReports) {
+    arrivals.sort((a, b) => (a.t < b.t ? -1 : 1));
+    const gaps = [];
+    for (let i = 1; i < arrivals.length; i++) gaps.push(Number(arrivals[i].t - arrivals[i - 1].t) / 1e6);
+    const span = Number(arrivals.at(-1).t - arrivals[0].t) / 1e6;
+    const violations = gaps.filter((g) => g < MIN_TIME * 0.9).length;
+
+    // What each worker's own limiter thought its spacing was.
+    const selfGaps = selfReports.flatMap((r) => r.gaps);
+    const selfMin = Math.min(...selfGaps);
+
+    const out = {
+      arm: `${WORKERS} worker(s), datastore=${DATASTORE}`,
+      configured_min_time_ms: MIN_TIME,
+      requests: arrivals.length,
+      server_min_gap_ms: +Math.min(...gaps).toFixed(1),
+      server_median_gap_ms: +gaps.sort((a, b) => a - b)[Math.floor(gaps.length / 2)].toFixed(1),
+      gaps_under_min_time: `${violations}/${gaps.length}`,
+      effective_rate_per_sec: +((arrivals.length - 1) / (span / 1000)).toFixed(2),
+      intended_rate_per_sec: +(1000 / MIN_TIME).toFixed(2),
+      limiter_self_reported_min_gap_ms: +selfMin.toFixed(1),
+    };
+    console.log(JSON.stringify(out, null, 2));
+  }
+} else {
+  const Bottleneck = require('bottleneck');
+  const opts = { minTime: Number(process.env.MIN_TIME), maxConcurrent: 1 };
+  if (process.env.DATASTORE === 'ioredis') {
+    const [host, port] = process.env.REDIS.split(':');
+    Object.assign(opts, { datastore: 'ioredis', clearDatastore: false,
+      clientOptions: { host, port: Number(port) }, id: 'politeness-test' });
+  }
+  const limiter = new Bottleneck(opts);
+  const starts = [];
+  const get = () => new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const req = http.get({ host: '127.0.0.1', port: Number(process.env.PORT), path: '/p',
+      headers: { 'x-worker': process.env.WID } }, (res) => { res.resume(); res.on('end', resolve); });
+    req.on('error', reject);
+  });
+
+  (async () => {
+    const n = Number(process.env.REQS);
+    await Promise.all(Array.from({ length: n }, () => limiter.schedule(() => {
+      starts.push(Number(process.hrtime.bigint()) / 1e6);
+      return get();
+    })));
+    const gaps = starts.sort((a, b) => a - b).slice(1).map((t, i) => t - starts[i]);
+    process.send({ gaps });
+    await limiter.disconnect?.();
+    process.exit(0);
+  })().catch((e) => { console.error('worker error', e.message); process.exit(1); });
+}
diff --git a/bottleneck-cluster/package.json b/bottleneck-cluster/package.json
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+{
+  "name": "bottleneck-cluster-harness",
+  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "private": true,
+  "description": "Does Bottleneck's rate limit hold across Node cluster workers? Measured from the server's side.",
+  "scripts": {
+    "control": "node harness.js --workers 1 --datastore local --min-time 500 --reqs 6",
+    "test": "node harness.js --workers 6 --datastore local --min-time 500 --reqs 6",
+    "redis": "node harness.js --workers 6 --datastore ioredis --min-time 500 --reqs 6"
+  },
+  "dependencies": { "bottleneck": "^2.19.5", "ioredis": "^5.4.1" },
+  "license": "MIT"
+}