diff --git a/api/app/Controllers/JsonController.php b/api/app/Controllers/JsonController.php
index f5b74d7..da5f80e 100644
--- a/api/app/Controllers/JsonController.php
+++ b/api/app/Controllers/JsonController.php
@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ class JsonController extends \Controller
     protected function throttle(string $key, int $max, int $window): bool
     {
         $ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'] ?? '0.0.0.0';
+        // Trusted server-local / whitelisted callers are never throttled: the static-site build
+        // fetches the read API from the box itself thousands of times per build. The throttle is
+        // for public abuse (real client IPs), not our own build. See Functions::isTrustedIp.
+        if (\Functions::isTrustedIp($ip)) {
+            return false;
+        }
         $count = (int) \Db::getValue(
             "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM `api_requests`
              WHERE `requesting_ip` = ? AND `request` = ?
diff --git a/api/app/Helpers/Functions.php b/api/app/Helpers/Functions.php
index daebe19..6c25f36 100644
--- a/api/app/Helpers/Functions.php
+++ b/api/app/Helpers/Functions.php
@@ -186,6 +186,31 @@ class Functions {
 
 
 
+    /**
+     * True for trusted, server-local / whitelisted callers that should bypass public rate
+     * limits (e.g. the SSG build hammering the read API from the box itself).
+     *  - loopback (127.0.0.1, ::1)
+     *  - the server's own address (same-host request)
+     *  - anything in the optional TRUSTED_IPS config list (comma-separated IPs or CIDRs —
+     *    e.g. the server's public IP, an internal build host, or a private range like 10.0.0.0/8)
+     * Deliberately does NOT blanket-trust all private ranges: behind a private-IP reverse proxy
+     * that would exempt every visitor. Add specific ranges to TRUSTED_IPS if your setup wants them.
+     */
+    public static function isTrustedIp($ip) {
+        if ($ip === '127.0.0.1' || $ip === '::1') return true;
+        $serverAddr = $_SERVER['SERVER_ADDR'] ?? '';
+        if ($serverAddr !== '' && $ip === $serverAddr) return true;
+        if (defined('TRUSTED_IPS') && TRUSTED_IPS) {
+            foreach (array_filter(array_map('trim', explode(',', TRUSTED_IPS))) as $entry) {
+                if ($ip === $entry) return true;
+                if (strpos($entry, '/') !== false
+                    && filter_var($ip, FILTER_VALIDATE_IP, FILTER_FLAG_IPV4)
+                    && self::ip_in_range($ip, $entry)) return true;
+            }
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
     public static function ip_in_range($ip, $range) {
         if (strpos($range, '/') == false)
             $range .= '/32';
diff --git a/api/public/index.php b/api/public/index.php
index efc71a4..38d06d7 100644
--- a/api/public/index.php
+++ b/api/public/index.php
@@ -1,4 +1,16 @@
 <?php
+// Harden the session cookie before it is created (login state rides on it).
+if (session_status() !== PHP_SESSION_ACTIVE) {
+    $https = (($_SERVER['HTTPS'] ?? '') !== '' && $_SERVER['HTTPS'] !== 'off')
+        || ($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO'] ?? '') === 'https';
+    session_set_cookie_params([
+        'lifetime' => 0,
+        'path'     => '/',
+        'httponly' => true,
+        'secure'   => $https,
+        'samesite' => 'Lax',
+    ]);
+}
 @session_start();
 require dirname(__DIR__) . '/vendor/autoload.php';
 require dirname(__DIR__) . '/config.php';