diff --git a/backend/app/services/download_service.py b/backend/app/services/download_service.py
index 5295dcd..66e960b 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/download_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/download_service.py
@@ -407,6 +407,7 @@ class DownloadService:
         await self._update_source_health(
             source_id=ctx["source_id"], status=status, error_message=ev.error,
             error_type=dl_result.error_type.value if dl_result.error_type else None,
+            retry_after_seconds=getattr(dl_result, "retry_after_seconds", None),
         )
         await self._apply_backfill_lifecycle(ctx, dl_result)
         await self.async_session.commit()
@@ -501,7 +502,7 @@ class DownloadService:
 
     async def _update_source_health(
         self, *, source_id: int, status: str, error_message: str | None,
-        error_type: str | None = None,
+        error_type: str | None = None, retry_after_seconds: float | None = None,
     ) -> None:
         """FC-3d: update Source.{consecutive_failures, last_error, last_checked_at}.
 
@@ -533,7 +534,17 @@ class DownloadService:
             # by error class without opening Logs per row.
             source.error_type = error_type
             if error_type == "rate_limited":
-                await set_platform_cooldown(self.async_session, source.platform)
+                # plan #708 B1: honor the server's Retry-After when the native
+                # client surfaced one (clamped to a sane [60, 3600] window so a
+                # tiny hint can't leave the platform effectively un-cooled and a
+                # huge one can't strand it for hours); else the flat default.
+                if retry_after_seconds is not None:
+                    seconds = int(min(max(retry_after_seconds, 60), 3600))
+                    await set_platform_cooldown(
+                        self.async_session, source.platform, seconds=seconds,
+                    )
+                else:
+                    await set_platform_cooldown(self.async_session, source.platform)
         elif status == "skipped":
             source.last_error = None
         source.last_checked_at = now
diff --git a/backend/app/services/gallery_dl.py b/backend/app/services/gallery_dl.py
index d9e9541..3add0e1 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/gallery_dl.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/gallery_dl.py
@@ -163,6 +163,10 @@ class DownloadResult:
     run_stats: dict | None = None
     cursor: str | None = None
     posts_processed: int = 0
+    # Plan #708 B1 — the server's Retry-After seconds on a RATE_LIMITED result, so
+    # the platform cooldown matches the hint instead of a flat default. None when
+    # unknown (no header, or not a rate-limit failure).
+    retry_after_seconds: float | None = None
 
 
 def extract_errors_warnings(stderr: str) -> str:
diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
index f2af42f..69846db 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_client.py
@@ -108,11 +108,21 @@ class PatreonAPIError(Exception):
     `status_code` carries the HTTP status when the failure was an HTTP response
     (None for transport-level / parse failures), so the ingester can map it to a
     DownloadResult.error_type (429 → rate_limited, 404 → not_found, …).
+    `retry_after` carries the server's `Retry-After` seconds on a terminal 429, so
+    the platform cooldown can match the server's hint instead of a flat default
+    (plan #708 B1).
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, message: str, *, status_code: int | None = None):
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        message: str,
+        *,
+        status_code: int | None = None,
+        retry_after: float | None = None,
+    ):
         super().__init__(message)
         self.status_code = status_code
+        self.retry_after = retry_after
 
 
 class PatreonAuthError(PatreonAPIError):
@@ -294,10 +304,22 @@ class PatreonClient:
                 status_code=resp.status_code,
             )
         if resp.status_code != 200:
+            # A persistent 429 (retries exhausted) is terminal RATE_LIMITED — carry
+            # the server's raw Retry-After seconds so the cooldown matches its hint
+            # (plan #708 B1). Header is uncapped here; the cooldown clamps it.
+            retry_after = None
+            if resp.status_code == 429:
+                hdr = resp.headers.get("Retry-After")
+                if hdr:
+                    try:
+                        retry_after = float(hdr)
+                    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+                        retry_after = None
             raise PatreonAPIError(
                 f"Patreon posts API returned HTTP {resp.status_code} "
                 f"(campaign_id={campaign_id})",
                 status_code=resp.status_code,
+                retry_after=retry_after,
             )
         try:
             payload = resp.json()
diff --git a/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py b/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
index 3862088..5915da7 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/patreon_ingester.py
@@ -162,10 +162,14 @@ class PatreonIngester(Ingester):
             else:
                 error_type = ErrorType.NETWORK_ERROR
         log.warning("Patreon ingest failed (%s): %s", error_type.value, message)
-        return _result(
+        result = _result(
             success=False, return_code=1,
             error_type=error_type, error_message=message,
         )
+        # plan #708 B1: carry the server's Retry-After up to the cooldown.
+        if error_type == ErrorType.RATE_LIMITED:
+            result.retry_after_seconds = getattr(exc, "retry_after", None)
+        return result
 
 
 async def verify_patreon_credential(
diff --git a/tests/test_download_service.py b/tests/test_download_service.py
index 354e04e..a4b4779 100644
--- a/tests/test_download_service.py
+++ b/tests/test_download_service.py
@@ -437,6 +437,40 @@ async def test_finalize_error_increments_failures_and_sets_error(db):
     assert row.last_checked_at is not None
 
 
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_rate_limited_cooldown_honors_retry_after(db, monkeypatch):
+    """plan #708 B1: a RATE_LIMITED result with a Retry-After stamps the platform
+    cooldown at that duration, clamped to [60, 3600]; no hint → the flat default."""
+    from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, MagicMock
+
+    from backend.app.services import download_service as dl_mod
+    from backend.app.services.download_service import DownloadService
+
+    source_id, _event_id = await _seed_source_with_health(db, suffix="rl")
+    cooldown = AsyncMock()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(dl_mod, "set_platform_cooldown", cooldown)
+    svc = DownloadService(
+        async_session=db, sync_session=None,
+        gdl=MagicMock(), importer=MagicMock(), cred_service=MagicMock(),
+    )
+
+    async def _health(retry):
+        cooldown.reset_mock()
+        await svc._update_source_health(
+            source_id=source_id, status="error", error_message="rate limited",
+            error_type="rate_limited", retry_after_seconds=retry,
+        )
+
+    await _health(120.0)
+    assert cooldown.await_args.kwargs["seconds"] == 120  # honored as-is
+    await _health(5.0)
+    assert cooldown.await_args.kwargs["seconds"] == 60  # floored
+    await _health(99999.0)
+    assert cooldown.await_args.kwargs["seconds"] == 3600  # capped
+    await _health(None)
+    assert "seconds" not in cooldown.await_args.kwargs  # default cooldown
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_finalize_skipped_preserves_failures_clears_error(db):
     from backend.app.services.download_service import DownloadService
diff --git a/tests/test_patreon_client.py b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
index f2939e2..0426147 100644
--- a/tests/test_patreon_client.py
+++ b/tests/test_patreon_client.py
@@ -327,6 +327,18 @@ def test_fetch_persistent_429_raises_after_retries(monkeypatch):
     assert not isinstance(ei.value, PatreonAuthError)
 
 
+def test_fetch_persistent_429_surfaces_retry_after(monkeypatch):
+    """plan #708 B1: a terminal 429 carries the server's raw Retry-After seconds
+    (uncapped here — the cooldown clamps) so the platform cooldown matches it."""
+    client, _slept = _client_with_sequence(
+        monkeypatch, [_FakeResp(429, headers={"Retry-After": "120"})] * 10,
+    )
+    with pytest.raises(PatreonAPIError) as ei:
+        client._fetch("5555", None)
+    assert ei.value.status_code == 429
+    assert ei.value.retry_after == 120.0
+
+
 def test_request_sleep_paces_before_fetch(monkeypatch):
     client = PatreonClient(cookies_path=None, request_sleep=1.5)
     monkeypatch.setattr(