diff --git a/backend/app/rate_limit.py b/backend/app/rate_limit.py
index 28f69dc..6d8bd69 100644
--- a/backend/app/rate_limit.py
+++ b/backend/app/rate_limit.py
@@ -54,6 +54,12 @@ def _client_key(request: Request) -> str:
 # brute-forcer.
 _auth_limiter = SlidingWindowLimiter(max_hits=10, window_seconds=60)
 
+# Every limiter in the process -- named limits built via `rate_limit()`
+# below register themselves here too, so `reset_all()` (the test hook) and
+# any future process-wide accounting stay correct without each caller
+# having to remember to wire it up.
+_registered_limiters: list[SlidingWindowLimiter] = [_auth_limiter]
+
 
 async def auth_rate_limit(request: Request) -> None:
     """FastAPI dependency: rate-limit auth attempts per client IP.
@@ -68,6 +74,41 @@ async def auth_rate_limit(request: Request) -> None:
     _auth_limiter.check(f"auth:{_client_key(request)}")
 
 
+def rate_limit(name: str, *, max_hits: int, window_seconds: float):
+    """Build a named, per-client-IP FastAPI rate-limit dependency.
+
+    Generalizes the ``auth_rate_limit`` pattern above for other endpoints
+    (e.g. chat send, message report) that want their own independent cap:
+
+        report_rate_limit = rate_limit("message_report", max_hits=5, window_seconds=60)
+
+        @router.post("/report", dependencies=[Depends(report_rate_limit)])
+        ...
+
+    Each call gets its own ``SlidingWindowLimiter`` -- counters for one
+    named limit never bleed into another, even for the same client IP --
+    and reuses ``SlidingWindowLimiter.check`` for the actual sliding-window
+    accounting and the 429 + ``Retry-After`` response. Like
+    ``auth_rate_limit``, the returned dependency is a no-op when
+    ``settings.RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED`` is false, so the checkpoint smoke suite
+    (one client IP for the whole run) doesn't trip on it.
+
+    ``name`` only needs to be unique within the process; it namespaces the
+    per-IP key so it doesn't collide with ``auth_rate_limit`` or any other
+    named limit.
+    """
+    limiter = SlidingWindowLimiter(max_hits=max_hits, window_seconds=window_seconds)
+    _registered_limiters.append(limiter)
+
+    async def _dependency(request: Request) -> None:
+        if not settings.RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED:
+            return
+        limiter.check(f"{name}:{_client_key(request)}")
+
+    return _dependency
+
+
 def reset_all() -> None:
     """Test hook."""
-    _auth_limiter.reset()
+    for limiter in _registered_limiters:
+        limiter.reset()
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_rate_limit.py b/backend/tests/test_rate_limit.py
index 4080548..9b56c95 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_rate_limit.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_rate_limit.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """The auth endpoints are rate-limited per client IP."""
 
 import pytest
+from fastapi import Depends, FastAPI
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 
 from app import rate_limit
@@ -54,3 +55,70 @@ def test_limiter_window_is_per_key():
     with pytest.raises(Exception):
         limiter.check("a")
     limiter.check("b")  # different key, unaffected
+
+
+def _make_named_limit_app():
+    """A tiny standalone app exercising two independent named limits, so
+    these tests don't depend on any sibling endpoint existing yet."""
+    limit_a = rate_limit.rate_limit("test_named_a", max_hits=2, window_seconds=60)
+    limit_b = rate_limit.rate_limit("test_named_b", max_hits=2, window_seconds=60)
+
+    app = FastAPI()
+
+    @app.post("/a", dependencies=[Depends(limit_a)])
+    def _a():
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    @app.post("/b", dependencies=[Depends(limit_b)])
+    def _b():
+        return {"ok": True}
+
+    return TestClient(app)
+
+
+def test_named_limits_do_not_share_counters():
+    client = _make_named_limit_app()
+
+    # Burn out limit "a" entirely.
+    assert client.post("/a").status_code == 200
+    assert client.post("/a").status_code == 200
+    r = client.post("/a")
+    assert r.status_code == 429
+    assert "Retry-After" in r.headers
+
+    # Limit "b" is untouched -- same process, same client IP, different name.
+    assert client.post("/b").status_code == 200
+    assert client.post("/b").status_code == 200
+    assert client.post("/b").status_code == 429
+
+
+def test_named_limit_returns_429_with_retry_after_once_exhausted():
+    client = _make_named_limit_app()
+    client.post("/a")
+    client.post("/a")
+    r = client.post("/a")
+    assert r.status_code == 429
+    retry_after = r.headers["Retry-After"]
+    assert int(retry_after) >= 1
+
+
+def test_named_limit_is_a_noop_when_rate_limiting_disabled():
+    prev = settings.RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED
+    settings.RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED = False
+    try:
+        client = _make_named_limit_app()
+        codes = [client.post("/a").status_code for _ in range(10)]
+        assert codes == [200] * 10
+    finally:
+        settings.RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED = prev
+
+
+def test_reset_all_clears_named_limiters_too():
+    client = _make_named_limit_app()
+    client.post("/a")
+    client.post("/a")
+    assert client.post("/a").status_code == 429
+
+    rate_limit.reset_all()
+
+    assert client.post("/a").status_code == 200