diff --git a/pkg/mcp/agentic/queue.go b/pkg/mcp/agentic/queue.go
index 22aef9f..e538db0 100644
--- a/pkg/mcp/agentic/queue.go
+++ b/pkg/mcp/agentic/queue.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"syscall"
+	"time"
 
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 )
@@ -19,11 +20,22 @@ type DispatchConfig struct {
 	WorkspaceRoot   string `yaml:"workspace_root"`
 }
 
+// RateConfig controls pacing between task dispatches.
+type RateConfig struct {
+	ResetUTC       string `yaml:"reset_utc"`       // Daily quota reset time (UTC), e.g. "06:00"
+	DailyLimit     int    `yaml:"daily_limit"`      // Max requests per day (0 = unknown)
+	MinDelay       int    `yaml:"min_delay"`        // Minimum seconds between task starts
+	SustainedDelay int    `yaml:"sustained_delay"`  // Delay when pacing for full-day use
+	BurstWindow    int    `yaml:"burst_window"`     // Hours before reset where burst kicks in
+	BurstDelay     int    `yaml:"burst_delay"`      // Delay during burst window
+}
+
 // AgentsConfig is the root of config/agents.yaml.
 type AgentsConfig struct {
-	Version     int            `yaml:"version"`
-	Dispatch    DispatchConfig `yaml:"dispatch"`
-	Concurrency map[string]int `yaml:"concurrency"` // per-agent type limits
+	Version     int                `yaml:"version"`
+	Dispatch    DispatchConfig     `yaml:"dispatch"`
+	Concurrency map[string]int    `yaml:"concurrency"`
+	Rates       map[string]RateConfig `yaml:"rates"`
 }
 
 // loadAgentsConfig reads config/agents.yaml from the code path.
@@ -46,7 +58,6 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) loadAgentsConfig() *AgentsConfig {
 		return &cfg
 	}
 
-	// Defaults: 1 claude, 3 gemini
 	return &AgentsConfig{
 		Dispatch: DispatchConfig{
 			DefaultAgent:    "claude",
@@ -59,6 +70,37 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) loadAgentsConfig() *AgentsConfig {
 	}
 }
 
+// delayForAgent calculates how long to wait before spawning the next task
+// for a given agent type, based on rate config and time of day.
+func (s *PrepSubsystem) delayForAgent(agent string) time.Duration {
+	cfg := s.loadAgentsConfig()
+	rate, ok := cfg.Rates[agent]
+	if !ok || rate.SustainedDelay == 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+
+	// Parse reset time
+	resetHour, resetMin := 6, 0
+	fmt.Sscanf(rate.ResetUTC, "%d:%d", &resetHour, &resetMin)
+
+	now := time.Now().UTC()
+	resetToday := time.Date(now.Year(), now.Month(), now.Day(), resetHour, resetMin, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	if now.Before(resetToday) {
+		// Reset hasn't happened yet today — reset was yesterday
+		resetToday = resetToday.AddDate(0, 0, -1)
+	}
+	nextReset := resetToday.AddDate(0, 0, 1)
+	hoursUntilReset := nextReset.Sub(now).Hours()
+
+	// Burst mode: if within burst window of reset, use burst delay
+	if rate.BurstWindow > 0 && hoursUntilReset <= float64(rate.BurstWindow) {
+		return time.Duration(rate.BurstDelay) * time.Second
+	}
+
+	// Sustained mode
+	return time.Duration(rate.SustainedDelay) * time.Second
+}
+
 // countRunningByAgent counts running workspaces for a specific agent type.
 func (s *PrepSubsystem) countRunningByAgent(agent string) int {
 	home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
@@ -80,7 +122,6 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) countRunningByAgent(agent string) int {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Verify PID is actually alive
 		if st.PID > 0 {
 			proc, err := os.FindProcess(st.PID)
 			if err == nil && proc.Signal(syscall.Signal(0)) == nil {
@@ -97,22 +138,18 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) canDispatchAgent(agent string) bool {
 	cfg := s.loadAgentsConfig()
 	limit, ok := cfg.Concurrency[agent]
 	if !ok || limit <= 0 {
-		return true // no limit set or unlimited
+		return true
 	}
 	return s.countRunningByAgent(agent) < limit
 }
 
-// canDispatch checks the legacy global limit (backwards compat).
+// canDispatch is kept for backwards compat.
 func (s *PrepSubsystem) canDispatch() bool {
-	return true // per-agent limits handle this now
-}
-
-// canDispatchFor checks per-agent concurrency.
-func (s *PrepSubsystem) canDispatchFor(agent string) bool {
-	return s.canDispatchAgent(agent)
+	return true
 }
 
 // drainQueue finds the oldest queued workspace and spawns it if a slot is available.
+// Applies rate-based delay between spawns.
 func (s *PrepSubsystem) drainQueue() {
 	home, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
 	wsRoot := filepath.Join(home, "Code", "host-uk", "core", ".core", "workspace")
@@ -122,7 +159,6 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) drainQueue() {
 		return
 	}
 
-	// Find oldest queued workspace that has a free slot for its agent type
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		if !entry.IsDir() {
 			continue
@@ -134,12 +170,21 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) drainQueue() {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Check per-agent limit
 		if !s.canDispatchAgent(st.Agent) {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Found a queued workspace with a free slot — spawn it
+		// Apply rate delay before spawning
+		delay := s.delayForAgent(st.Agent)
+		if delay > 0 {
+			time.Sleep(delay)
+		}
+
+		// Re-check concurrency after delay (another task may have started)
+		if !s.canDispatchAgent(st.Agent) {
+			continue
+		}
+
 		srcDir := filepath.Join(wsDir, "src")
 		prompt := "Read PROMPT.md for instructions. All context files (CLAUDE.md, TODO.md, CONTEXT.md, CONSUMERS.md, RECENT.md) are in the parent directory. Work in this directory."
 
@@ -167,13 +212,11 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) drainQueue() {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		// Update status to running
 		st.Status = "running"
 		st.PID = cmd.Process.Pid
 		st.Runs++
 		writeStatus(wsDir, st)
 
-		// Monitor this one too
 		go func() {
 			cmd.Wait()
 			outFile.Close()
@@ -184,10 +227,9 @@ func (s *PrepSubsystem) drainQueue() {
 				writeStatus(wsDir, st2)
 			}
 
-			// Recursively drain — pick up next queued item
 			s.drainQueue()
 		}()
 
-		return // Only spawn one at a time per drain call
+		return
 	}
 }