diff --git a/src/backend/services/metering/MeteringService.ts b/src/backend/services/metering/MeteringService.ts
index 7813d7b62..c946a3789 100644
--- a/src/backend/services/metering/MeteringService.ts
+++ b/src/backend/services/metering/MeteringService.ts
@@ -146,6 +146,9 @@ export class MeteringService extends PuterService {
     static CREDIT_CACHE_MS = 15_000;
     static CREDIT_CACHE_LIMIT = 50_000;
 
+    /** Where "about to run out" starts, as a fraction of the month allowance. */
+    static NEAR_LIMIT_FRACTION = 0.9;
+
     /**
      * How long usage that isn't decided on may sit in memory before it is
      * written, and how many actor buckets are held at once. Egress and
@@ -172,6 +175,12 @@ export class MeteringService extends PuterService {
         { policy: SubscriptionPolicy; expiresAt: number }
     >();
 
+    /** Uuid → the last budget state announced, so a retry loop emits once. */
+    private creditAlertState = new Map<
+        string,
+        'ok' | 'near-limit' | 'exhausted'
+    >();
+
     /** Uuid → whether the actor had budget left. See CREDIT_CACHE_MS. */
     private creditCache = new Map<
         string,
@@ -1276,6 +1285,8 @@ export class MeteringService extends PuterService {
     /** Local-only drop. The announcement path is `invalidateActorCredits`. */
     #dropCachedCredits(userUuid: string): void {
         this.creditCache.delete(userUuid);
+        // Added capacity re-arms the alert: the next exhaustion is news again.
+        this.creditAlertState.delete(userUuid);
     }
 
     async #refreshCredits(actor: Actor): Promise<void> {
@@ -1333,14 +1344,66 @@ export class MeteringService extends PuterService {
             this.rememberHasCredits(userId, true);
             return;
         }
-        this.rememberHasCredits(
-            userId,
-            MeteringService.remainingFrom(
-                allowanceUsed,
-                monthUsageAllowance,
-                addons,
-            ) > 0,
+        const remaining = MeteringService.remainingFrom(
+            allowanceUsed,
+            monthUsageAllowance,
+            addons,
         );
+        this.rememberHasCredits(userId, remaining > 0);
+        this.#noteCreditState(
+            userId,
+            remaining,
+            allowanceUsed,
+            monthUsageAllowance,
+            addons,
+        );
+    }
+
+    /** Transitions only: a blocked actor retries, and every retry lands here. */
+    #noteCreditState(
+        userUuid: string,
+        remaining: number,
+        allowanceUsed: number,
+        monthUsageAllowance: number,
+        addons: UsageAddons | null | undefined,
+    ): void {
+        // Purchased credits are spendable, so the allowance alone warns early.
+        const capacity =
+            (monthUsageAllowance || 0) + (addons?.purchasedCredits || 0);
+        const state =
+            remaining <= 0
+                ? 'exhausted'
+                : remaining <=
+                    capacity * (1 - MeteringService.NEAR_LIMIT_FRACTION)
+                  ? 'near-limit'
+                  : 'ok';
+
+        if (this.creditAlertState.get(userUuid) === state) return;
+        // Same FIFO bound as `creditCache`; this map has one entry per actor.
+        if (
+            this.creditAlertState.size >= MeteringService.CREDIT_CACHE_LIMIT &&
+            !this.creditAlertState.has(userUuid)
+        ) {
+            const oldest = this.creditAlertState.keys().next().value;
+            if (oldest !== undefined) this.creditAlertState.delete(oldest);
+        }
+        this.creditAlertState.set(userUuid, state);
+        if (state === 'ok') return;
+
+        try {
+            this.clients.event.emit(
+                'metering.credit-state',
+                {
+                    user_uuid: userUuid,
+                    state,
+                    allowance_used: allowanceUsed,
+                    month_usage_allowance: monthUsageAllowance,
+                },
+                {},
+            );
+        } catch (e) {
+            console.warn('[metering] credit-state emit failed:', e);
+        }
     }
 
     private rememberHasCredits(userId: string, hasCredits: boolean): void {
diff --git a/src/backend/services/team/CreditState.test.ts b/src/backend/services/team/CreditState.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c67fbfaea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/backend/services/team/CreditState.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (C) 2024-present Puter Technologies Inc.
+ *
+ * This file is part of Puter.
+ *
+ * Puter is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published
+ * by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
+import type { Actor } from '../../core/actor';
+import { PuterServer } from '../../server.ts';
+import { setupTestServer } from '../../testUtil.ts';
+
+describe('credit-state transitions', () => {
+    let server: PuterServer;
+    let service: PuterServer['services']['team'];
+    let owner: { id: number };
+
+    /** Resolved per seat: a seat is on the common tier like any account. */
+    const allowanceOf = async (actor: Actor) =>
+        (await server.services.metering.getActorSubscription(actor))
+            .monthUsageAllowance;
+
+    /** Credit-state events seen since the last reset. */
+    const states: Array<{ state: string; user_uuid: string }> = [];
+
+    const makeUser = async () => {
+        const username = `cr_${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`;
+        const created = (await server.stores.user.create({
+            username,
+            uuid: uuidv4(),
+            password: null,
+            email: `${username}@test.local`,
+        })) as unknown as { id: number };
+        return { id: created.id, username };
+    };
+
+    const freeHandle = () => `cw-${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`;
+
+    /**
+     * A team with its own owner and one real provisioned seat. The owner
+     * is per-test so mail is attributable: these handlers run detached, and a
+     * shared recipient would let a late send land in the next test's tally.
+     */
+    const makeSeat = async () => {
+        const owner = await makeUser();
+        const team = await service.createTeam(owner.id, {
+            name: 'Credit Co',
+            handle: freeHandle(),
+        });
+        const username = `seat_${Math.random().toString(36).slice(2, 10)}`;
+        const created = await service.provisionAccount(team.uid, owner.id, {
+            username,
+            email: `${username}@test.local`,
+        });
+        const user = await server.stores.user.getById(created.userId);
+        const ownerRow = await server.stores.user.getById(owner.id);
+        return {
+            team,
+            user: user!,
+            owner: ownerRow!,
+            actor: { user } as unknown as Actor,
+        };
+    };
+
+    /** Spend `fraction` of the seat's own monthly allowance. */
+    const spend = async (actor: Actor, fraction: number) =>
+        server.services.metering.incrementUsage(
+            actor,
+            'kv:read',
+            1,
+            Math.floor((await allowanceOf(actor)) * fraction),
+        );
+
+    /** Forget what this process has announced, as a second node would not know. */
+    const asAnotherNode = (uuid: string) => {
+        (
+            server.services.metering as unknown as {
+                creditAlertState: Map<string, string>;
+            }
+        ).creditAlertState.delete(uuid);
+    };
+
+    beforeAll(async () => {
+        // The cap has its own suite; these tests need many teams.
+        server = await setupTestServer({
+            teams_enabled: true,
+            max_teams_per_user: 100,
+        } as never);
+        service = server.services.team;
+        owner = await makeUser();
+
+        server.clients.event.on('metering.credit-state', ((
+            _k: string,
+            d: { state: string; user_uuid: string },
+        ) => {
+            states.push(d);
+        }) as never);
+
+    });
+
+    beforeEach(() => {
+        states.length = 0;
+    });
+
+    afterAll(async () => {
+        vi.restoreAllMocks();
+        await server?.shutdown();
+    });
+
+    // -- the transition signal ----------------------------------------
+
+    it('announces near-limit when the member passes 90%', async () => {
+        const { actor, user } = await makeSeat();
+        states.length = 0;
+
+        await spend(actor, 0.95);
+
+        const mine = states.filter((s) => s.user_uuid === user.uuid);
+        expect(mine.map((s) => s.state)).toEqual(['near-limit']);
+    });
+
+    it('does not warn a member whose purchased credits carry them past the allowance', async () => {
+        const { actor, user } = await makeSeat();
+        const allowance = await allowanceOf(actor);
+        await server.services.metering.updateAddonCredit(user.uuid, allowance);
+        states.length = 0;
+
+        await spend(actor, 0.95);
+
+        expect(states.filter((s) => s.user_uuid === user.uuid)).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it('says nothing while the member is comfortably inside the allowance', async () => {
+        const { actor, user } = await makeSeat();
+        states.length = 0;
+
+        await spend(actor, 0.5);
+
+        expect(states.filter((s) => s.user_uuid === user.uuid)).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it('announces exhausted once, however many times the member retries', async () => {
+        const { actor, user } = await makeSeat();
+        await spend(actor, 1);
+        states.length = 0;
+
+        // Increments, not cached reads: a cache hit never recomputes the
+        // state, so a read loop would pass this test without exercising it.
+        for (let i = 0; i < 50; i++) {
+            await spend(actor, 0.01);
+        }
+
+        expect(states.filter((s) => s.user_uuid === user.uuid)).toHaveLength(0);
+    });
+
+    it('crosses both lines in order, one announcement each', async () => {
+        const { actor, user } = await makeSeat();
+        states.length = 0;
+
+        await spend(actor, 0.95);
+        await spend(actor, 0.1);
+
+        const mine = states.filter((s) => s.user_uuid === user.uuid);
+        expect(mine.map((s) => s.state)).toEqual(['near-limit', 'exhausted']);
+    });
+
+});