diff --git a/server/middleware/03.rate-limit.js b/server/middleware/03.rate-limit.js
index ac87ef7..5ee6103 100644
--- a/server/middleware/03.rate-limit.js
+++ b/server/middleware/03.rate-limit.js
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
   const path = getRequestURL(event).pathname
   if (!path.startsWith('/api/')) return
 
+  // Bypass rate limiting in test/dev opt-in mode so parallel E2E runs from a
+  // single IP (127.0.0.1) do not exhaust the per-IP budget. Mirrors the gate
+  // used by /api/dev/* endpoints — only set in development and by Playwright.
+  if (process.env.ALLOW_DEV_TEST_ENDPOINTS === 'true') return
+
   const ip = getClientIp(event)
 
   try {