diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index c132910af..28429b98f 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -204,6 +204,8 @@ Admission ordering for requests:
 
 Memory reservation flips the order (largest scope first to fail fast): global → database → tenant → engine. Failure at any layer aborts before the next is consulted.
 
+A dispatch refused by the bridge — a full per-core weighted-fair queue, a per-database virtual queue at its fair share, or a tenant at its in-flight cap — surfaces as `SERVER_OVERLOAD` (`57P03`). That class is retryable: the client waits for capacity and resends the same request. `nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total` counts every such refusal.
+
 ### Memory Governor
 
 Located in `nodedb-mem/src/governor.rs`, the `MemoryGovernor` enforces hierarchical memory reservations:
@@ -342,6 +344,7 @@ Counters are incremented at the sites where resources are consumed:
 - **WAL latency**: Group commit fsync completion
 - **Maintenance CPU**: Lease acquisition / release
 - **Replication lag**: Raft follower log application
+- **Dispatch capacity refusals**: bridge dispatcher, at every refusal — WFQ full, per-database suspension, tenant in-flight cap (`nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total`, also the `dispatch_capacity_busy_total` row of `SHOW STATS`)
 
 All metrics are dimensionalized by database and tenant to enable per-customer tracking and alerting.
 
diff --git a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/dispatcher.rs b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/dispatcher.rs
index 35981fd38..9cf62c95c 100644
--- a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/dispatcher.rs
+++ b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/dispatcher.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 
 use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
 use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicU64, Ordering};
 
 use nodedb_bridge::backpressure::{BackpressureConfig, BackpressureController, PressureState};
 use nodedb_bridge::buffer::RingBuffer;
@@ -244,3 +245,29 @@ impl Dispatcher {
         &self.router
     }
 }
+
+/// Dispatches refused because a capacity limit had no room, since process
+/// start.
+///
+/// Every capacity refusal carries [`crate::Error::DispatchCapacity`], which
+/// classifies as `server_overload` and reaches a pgwire client as `57P03`. The
+/// count is process-wide because the condition is the same one whichever core,
+/// database, or tenant hit its limit.
+///
+/// Rendered as `nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total` on `/metrics` and as the
+/// `dispatch_capacity_busy_total` row of `SHOW STATS`.
+static DISPATCH_CAPACITY_BUSY_TOTAL: AtomicU64 = AtomicU64::new(0);
+
+/// Count one dispatch refused on a capacity limit.
+///
+/// Called only from the dispatch paths that raise
+/// [`crate::Error::DispatchCapacity`], so the operator-visible counter and the
+/// client-visible class cannot drift apart.
+pub(crate) fn note_capacity_busy() {
+    DISPATCH_CAPACITY_BUSY_TOTAL.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+}
+
+/// Dispatches refused on a capacity limit since process start.
+pub fn dispatch_capacity_busy_total() -> u64 {
+    DISPATCH_CAPACITY_BUSY_TOTAL.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
+}
diff --git a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/enqueue.rs b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/enqueue.rs
index ada1ef612..2dab2f17f 100644
--- a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/enqueue.rs
+++ b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/enqueue.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,18 @@ use crate::types::Lsn;
 use super::dispatcher::Dispatcher;
 use super::refusal::DispatchRefusal;
 
+/// Refuse a dispatch on a capacity limit, counting it once.
+///
+/// Every capacity refusal goes through here, so the counter the operator reads
+/// and the `57P03` class the client receives always describe the same event.
+fn capacity_refusal(
+    scope: DispatchCapacityScope,
+    request: envelope::Request,
+) -> Box<DispatchRefusal> {
+    super::dispatcher::note_capacity_busy();
+    DispatchRefusal::boxed(crate::Error::DispatchCapacity { scope }, request)
+}
+
 impl Dispatcher {
     /// Dispatch a request to the correct Data Plane core.
     ///
@@ -54,10 +66,7 @@ impl Dispatcher {
                     inflight,
                     cap: self.max_per_tenant_inflight,
                 };
-                return Err(DispatchRefusal::boxed(
-                    crate::Error::DispatchCapacity { scope },
-                    request,
-                ));
+                return Err(capacity_refusal(scope, request));
             }
         }
 
@@ -80,10 +89,7 @@ impl Dispatcher {
                 database_id: request.database_id,
                 core_id,
             };
-            return Err(DispatchRefusal::boxed(
-                crate::Error::DispatchCapacity { scope },
-                request,
-            ));
+            return Err(capacity_refusal(scope, request));
         }
 
         // Enqueue into the WFQ. A full queue hands the request back.
@@ -92,10 +98,7 @@ impl Dispatcher {
                 core_id,
                 capacity: self.per_core_capacity,
             };
-            return Err(DispatchRefusal::boxed(
-                crate::Error::DispatchCapacity { scope },
-                request,
-            ));
+            return Err(capacity_refusal(scope, request));
         }
 
         self.commit_enqueued(core_id, database_id, tenant_id, req_id, wal_lsn);
@@ -129,14 +132,16 @@ impl Dispatcher {
         let cls = self.priority_resolver.priority_for(database_id);
         channel.wfq.set_priority(database_id, cls);
 
-        channel.wfq.try_enqueue(database_id, request).map_err(|_| {
-            crate::Error::DispatchCapacity {
-                scope: DispatchCapacityScope::QueueFull {
-                    core_id,
-                    capacity: self.per_core_capacity,
-                },
-            }
-        })?;
+        if let Err(_request) = channel.wfq.try_enqueue(database_id, request) {
+            let scope = DispatchCapacityScope::QueueFull {
+                core_id,
+                capacity: self.per_core_capacity,
+            };
+            // This path reports a flat `Error` rather than a boxed refusal
+            // that hands the request back, so the count is noted directly.
+            super::dispatcher::note_capacity_busy();
+            return Err(crate::Error::DispatchCapacity { scope });
+        }
 
         self.commit_enqueued(core_id, database_id, tenant_id, req_id, wal_lsn);
         Ok(())
@@ -365,4 +370,76 @@ mod tests {
         let _ = dispatcher.db_pressure_on_core(0, 1);
         let _ = dispatcher.db_pressure_on_core(0, 2);
     }
+
+    /// A capacity refusal counts, whichever limit refused it.
+    ///
+    /// The counter is process-wide, so the assertion is a lower bound: a test
+    /// running beside this one in the same binary may refuse too.
+    #[test]
+    fn capacity_refusals_are_counted_once_each() {
+        let before = crate::bridge::dispatch::dispatch_capacity_busy_total();
+
+        // A full weighted-fair queue. Distinct tenants and databases keep the
+        // tenant cap and the per-database suspension out of play.
+        let (mut dispatcher, _) = Dispatcher::new(1, 4);
+        let mut queue_full = false;
+        for i in 1..=64u64 {
+            let mut request = make_request_for_db(0, i, i);
+            request.tenant_id = TenantId::new(i);
+            match dispatcher.dispatch(request) {
+                Ok(()) => continue,
+                Err(crate::Error::DispatchCapacity {
+                    scope: DispatchCapacityScope::QueueFull { .. },
+                }) => {
+                    queue_full = true;
+                    break;
+                }
+                Err(other) => panic!("expected a queue-full refusal, got: {other}"),
+            }
+        }
+        assert!(
+            queue_full,
+            "a one-core queue of four must fill within 64 distinct requests"
+        );
+
+        // The per-tenant in-flight cap.
+        let (mut dispatcher, _) = Dispatcher::new(1, 4);
+        for i in 0..4u64 {
+            dispatcher
+                .dispatch(make_request_for_db(0, i + 1, i + 1))
+                .unwrap();
+        }
+        let refusal = dispatcher
+            .try_dispatch(make_request_for_db(0, 99, 99))
+            .expect_err("the fifth request exceeds the tenant cap");
+        assert!(
+            matches!(
+                refusal.error,
+                crate::Error::DispatchCapacity {
+                    scope: DispatchCapacityScope::TenantInflight { .. }
+                }
+            ),
+            "the second refusal must be the tenant cap, got: {}",
+            refusal.error
+        );
+
+        let after = crate::bridge::dispatch::dispatch_capacity_busy_total();
+        assert!(
+            after >= before + 2,
+            "two capacity refusals must count at least twice: {before} → {after}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A terminal refusal is not a capacity refusal, so it carries no scope.
+    #[test]
+    fn terminal_refusal_is_not_a_capacity_refusal() {
+        let (mut dispatcher, _) = Dispatcher::new(1, 4);
+        let error = dispatcher
+            .dispatch_to_core(7, make_request(0))
+            .expect_err("core 7 does not exist on a one-core dispatcher");
+        assert!(
+            matches!(error, crate::Error::Dispatch { .. }),
+            "an out-of-range core is a terminal dispatch error, got: {error}"
+        );
+    }
 }
diff --git a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/mod.rs b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/mod.rs
index 2bd5862d2..224d604fb 100644
--- a/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/mod.rs
+++ b/nodedb/src/bridge/dispatch/mod.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ mod test_requests;
 pub use core_channel::{CoreChannel, CoreChannelDataSide};
 pub use dispatcher::{
     BridgeRequest, BridgeResponse, DATA_PLANE_QUEUE_CAPACITY, DatabasePriorityResolver,
-    DefaultPriorityResolver, Dispatcher,
+    DefaultPriorityResolver, Dispatcher, dispatch_capacity_busy_total,
 };
 pub use drain::CorePending;
 pub use outcome_floor::{OutcomeFloor, ResendRefusal, StuckFloor, WriteWindow};
diff --git a/nodedb/src/control/server/http/routes/metrics.rs b/nodedb/src/control/server/http/routes/metrics.rs
index 3afb56ad1..f09052136 100644
--- a/nodedb/src/control/server/http/routes/metrics.rs
+++ b/nodedb/src/control/server/http/routes/metrics.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,19 @@ pub async fn metrics(
     output.push_str("# TYPE nodedb_wal_next_lsn gauge\n");
     output.push_str(&format!("nodedb_wal_next_lsn {wal_lsn}\n\n"));
 
+    // Dispatches refused because a capacity limit had no room. The same refusal
+    // reaches the client as the retryable `57P03` class, so a non-zero counter
+    // tells an operator that bulk writers are backing off rather than failing.
+    output.push_str(
+        "# HELP nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total \
+         Dispatches refused because a dispatch capacity limit had no room.\n",
+    );
+    output.push_str("# TYPE nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total counter\n");
+    output.push_str(&format!(
+        "nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total {}\n\n",
+        crate::bridge::dispatch::dispatch_capacity_busy_total()
+    ));
+
     // Outcome floor: every engine watermark and WAL truncation stays at or
     // below it.
     let outcome_floor = &state.shared.outcome_floor;
diff --git a/nodedb/src/control/server/shared/ddl/neutral/observability.rs b/nodedb/src/control/server/shared/ddl/neutral/observability.rs
index 94cfa2a4f..67ae87431 100644
--- a/nodedb/src/control/server/shared/ddl/neutral/observability.rs
+++ b/nodedb/src/control/server/shared/ddl/neutral/observability.rs
@@ -141,6 +141,13 @@ fn server_stats_rows(state: &SharedState) -> Vec<(String, String)> {
         ));
     }
 
+    // Not a `SystemMetrics` counter: the dispatcher counts its own refusals,
+    // and the row keeps the SQL surface in step with `/metrics`.
+    rows.push((
+        "dispatch_capacity_busy_total".into(),
+        crate::bridge::dispatch::dispatch_capacity_busy_total().to_string(),
+    ));
+
     rows
 }
 
diff --git a/nodedb/tests/wire/cases/pgwire_show_dispatch.rs b/nodedb/tests/wire/cases/pgwire_show_dispatch.rs
index 6a596a9f9..a3d21aa56 100644
--- a/nodedb/tests/wire/cases/pgwire_show_dispatch.rs
+++ b/nodedb/tests/wire/cases/pgwire_show_dispatch.rs
@@ -460,3 +460,69 @@ async fn show_session_set_parameter_round_trips() {
         .expect("SHOW application_name must succeed");
     assert_eq!(rows, vec!["mae8_bootstrap".to_string()]);
 }
+
+// ── Dispatch capacity counter ────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/// Fetch the raw Prometheus text body from `/metrics`.
+async fn fetch_metrics(http_port: u16) -> String {
+    use tokio::io::{AsyncReadExt, AsyncWriteExt};
+
+    let mut stream = tokio::net::TcpStream::connect(("127.0.0.1", http_port))
+        .await
+        .expect("connect to /metrics");
+    let req = b"GET /metrics HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: localhost\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n";
+    stream.write_all(req).await.expect("write metrics request");
+    let mut body = String::new();
+    stream
+        .read_to_string(&mut body)
+        .await
+        .expect("read metrics response");
+    body
+}
+
+/// The dispatcher's refusal counter must be readable from SQL, so an operator
+/// without HTTP access can still see dispatch pressure. A refusal reaches the
+/// client as `57P03`, and this row is the operator's view of the same event.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn show_stats_carries_the_dispatch_capacity_counter() {
+    let server = TestServer::start().await;
+    let rows = server
+        .query_named_rows("SHOW STATS")
+        .await
+        .expect("SHOW STATS must succeed");
+
+    let row = rows
+        .iter()
+        .find(|r| {
+            r.get("name")
+                .map(|name| name == "dispatch_capacity_busy_total")
+                .unwrap_or(false)
+        })
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| {
+            panic!("SHOW STATS must carry dispatch_capacity_busy_total; got {rows:?}")
+        });
+
+    let value = row.get("value").expect("the counter row carries a value");
+    value.parse::<u64>().unwrap_or_else(|_| {
+        panic!("dispatch_capacity_busy_total must be a decimal integer, got {value:?}")
+    });
+}
+
+/// `/metrics` must declare the counter and export it. The declaration is what
+/// a Prometheus scrape uses to read it as a monotonic counter rather than a
+/// gauge.
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn metrics_exposes_the_dispatch_capacity_counter() {
+    let server = TestServer::start().await;
+    let body = fetch_metrics(server.http_port).await;
+
+    assert!(
+        body.contains("# TYPE nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total counter"),
+        "/metrics must declare nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total as a counter"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        body.lines()
+            .any(|line| line.starts_with("nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total ")),
+        "/metrics must export a nodedb_dispatch_capacity_busy_total sample"
+    );
+}