diff --git a/lib/messaging/queue-workers/player_crawl.go b/lib/messaging/queue-workers/player_crawl.go
index 4247d4c..4143c1a 100644
--- a/lib/messaging/queue-workers/player_crawl.go
+++ b/lib/messaging/queue-workers/player_crawl.go
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import (
 	"raidhub/lib/messaging/routing"
 	"raidhub/lib/services/player"
 	"raidhub/lib/utils/logging"
+	"raidhub/lib/utils/network"
+	"raidhub/lib/web/bungie"
 
 	amqp "github.com/rabbitmq/amqp091-go"
 )
@@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ func PlayerCrawlTopic() processing.Topic {
 	return processing.NewTopic(processing.TopicConfig{
 		QueueName:             routing.PlayerCrawl,
 		MinWorkers:            5,
-		MaxWorkers:            70,
+		MaxWorkers:            50,
 		DesiredWorkers:        20,
 		KeepInReady:           true,
 		PrefetchCount:         1,
@@ -44,6 +46,11 @@ func processPlayerCrawl(worker processing.WorkerInterface, message amqp.Delivery
 		return err
 	}
 
+	// Wait if a global Cloudflare throttle is active to avoid amplifying retry storms
+	if err := bungie.WaitForCloudflareThrottle(worker.Context()); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	if !tryStartPlayerCrawl(membershipId) {
 		worker.Debug("PLAYER_CRAWL_DEDUPED", map[string]any{
 			logging.MEMBERSHIP_ID: membershipId,
@@ -63,6 +70,9 @@ func processPlayerCrawl(worker processing.WorkerInterface, message amqp.Delivery
 		worker.Warn("PLAYER_CRAWL_ERROR", err, map[string]any{
 			logging.MEMBERSHIP_ID: membershipId,
 		})
+		if network.IsCloudflareError(err) {
+			bungie.SignalCloudflareThrottle()
+		}
 		return err
 	}
 
diff --git a/lib/web/bungie/cloudflare_throttle.go b/lib/web/bungie/cloudflare_throttle.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0620bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/web/bungie/cloudflare_throttle.go
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package bungie
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"raidhub/lib/utils/logging"
+)
+
+const (
+	// cloudflareThrottleDuration is how long all workers pause after the throttle is activated.
+	cloudflareThrottleDuration = 60 * time.Second
+
+	// cloudflareThrottleWindow is the sliding window over which errors are counted.
+	cloudflareThrottleWindow = 10 * time.Second
+
+	// cloudflareThrottleMinErrors is the minimum number of Cloudflare errors within
+	// cloudflareThrottleWindow required to activate the global throttle.
+	cloudflareThrottleMinErrors = 3
+)
+
+var (
+	cloudflareThrottleMu  sync.Mutex
+	cloudflareThrottleCh  chan struct{} // closed when NOT throttled; open (blocks) when throttled
+	cloudflareIsThrottled bool
+	cloudflareGeneration  int         // incremented on each new throttle activation; guards against stale timer callbacks
+	cloudflareErrorTimes  []time.Time // sliding window of recent Cloudflare error timestamps
+	cloudflareThrottleLog = logging.NewLogger("CLOUDFLARE_THROTTLE")
+)
+
+func init() {
+	// Start in unthrottled state: a closed channel unblocks all Select receivers immediately.
+	cloudflareThrottleCh = make(chan struct{})
+	close(cloudflareThrottleCh)
+}
+
+// SignalCloudflareThrottle records a Cloudflare error and activates a global pause when
+// cloudflareThrottleMinErrors errors occur within cloudflareThrottleWindow.
+// All callers of WaitForCloudflareThrottle will block for cloudflareThrottleDuration.
+// If the throttle is already active, this is a no-op.
+func SignalCloudflareThrottle() {
+	cloudflareThrottleMu.Lock()
+	defer cloudflareThrottleMu.Unlock()
+
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	// Append the current error and prune events outside the sliding window.
+	cloudflareErrorTimes = append(cloudflareErrorTimes, now)
+	cutoff := now.Add(-cloudflareThrottleWindow)
+	start := 0
+	for start < len(cloudflareErrorTimes) && cloudflareErrorTimes[start].Before(cutoff) {
+		start++
+	}
+	cloudflareErrorTimes = cloudflareErrorTimes[start:]
+
+	// Only activate the throttle once the threshold is reached.
+	if len(cloudflareErrorTimes) < cloudflareThrottleMinErrors {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// If already throttled, nothing to do — the existing timer will clear it.
+	if cloudflareIsThrottled {
+		return
+	}
+
+	cloudflareGeneration++
+	gen := cloudflareGeneration
+
+	// Replace the closed channel with a new open channel so waiters will block.
+	cloudflareIsThrottled = true
+	cloudflareThrottleCh = make(chan struct{})
+	cloudflareThrottleLog.Warn("CLOUDFLARE_THROTTLE_ACTIVATED", nil, map[string]any{
+		"duration_s":  int(cloudflareThrottleDuration.Seconds()),
+		"error_count": len(cloudflareErrorTimes),
+		"window_s":    int(cloudflareThrottleWindow.Seconds()),
+	})
+
+	// Capture the current channel so the timer callback releases the right set of waiters.
+	// The generation counter guards against the unlikely race where this timer fires after
+	// the throttle has already been cleared and a new throttle period has started.
+	ch := cloudflareThrottleCh
+	time.AfterFunc(cloudflareThrottleDuration, func() {
+		cloudflareThrottleMu.Lock()
+		defer cloudflareThrottleMu.Unlock()
+		if cloudflareIsThrottled && cloudflareGeneration == gen {
+			cloudflareIsThrottled = false
+			close(ch) // Release all current waiters atomically
+			cloudflareThrottleLog.Info("CLOUDFLARE_THROTTLE_CLEARED", nil)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+// WaitForCloudflareThrottle blocks until the global Cloudflare throttle is inactive or ctx is done.
+// Returns ctx.Err() if the context is cancelled while waiting.
+func WaitForCloudflareThrottle(ctx context.Context) error {
+	cloudflareThrottleMu.Lock()
+	ch := cloudflareThrottleCh
+	cloudflareThrottleMu.Unlock()
+
+	// If ch is closed (not throttled), this select arm returns immediately with no goroutine spawned.
+	select {
+	case <-ch:
+		return nil
+	case <-ctx.Done():
+		return ctx.Err()
+	}
+}