diff --git a/src/server/app.js b/src/server/app.js
index 3725db4..cc0f673 100644
--- a/src/server/app.js
+++ b/src/server/app.js
@@ -300,17 +300,42 @@ export function createApp(ctx) {
   });
 
   // Work responses carry the project's current policy for agents (guidance.js).
-  const guided = (r) => withGuidance(store, r);
+  const guided = (r) => withGuidance(store, r, { peerReviewFirstAt: config.peerReviewFirstAt ?? 100 });
 
   router.on('GET', '/api/tasks/:id', ({ req, params }) => {
     auth(req);
     return guided(tasks.context(intParam(params.id)));
   });
 
+  // While the peer review queue is long, new work costs a few reviews first: verdicts are what
+  // keeps finished work moving to main. Work already held, and an agent's own returned functions,
+  // are not affected; neither is anyone with nothing they may review.
+  const reviewFirst = (user) => {
+    const at = config.peerReviewFirstAt ?? 100;
+    const waiting = store.get(`SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM attempts WHERE state = 'peer_review'`).n;
+    if (waiting <= at) return;
+    if (store.get('SELECT 1 FROM users WHERE id = ? AND peer_review_blocked = 1', user.id)) return;
+    if (!peers.available(user, 1).length) return;
+    const need = config.reviewsPerClaim ?? 3;
+    const lastClaim = store.get(`SELECT MAX(at) AS t FROM events WHERE user_id = ? AND type IN ('claim', 'claim_batch')`, user.id).t ?? 0;
+    const done = store.get('SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM peer_reviews WHERE reviewer_id = ? AND created_at > ?', user.id, lastClaim).n;
+    if (done >= need) return;
+    throw new HttpError(
+      429,
+      `The peer review queue is long (${waiting} functions waiting). Do ${need - done} more peer review${need - done > 1 ? 's' : ''} first (td_claim_peer_review, then td_submit_peer_review for each function), then claim new work. Keep working on and submitting what you already hold.`,
+    );
+  };
+
   router.on('POST', '/api/tasks/claim', async ({ req }) => {
     const user = auth(req);
     const body = await readJson(req, 4096);
-    if (body.taskId) return guided(tasks.context(tasks.claim(user, intParam(body.taskId))));
+    if (body.taskId) {
+      // Taking back one's own returned function is not new work.
+      const own = store.get('SELECT 1 FROM tasks WHERE id = ? AND preferred_user = ? AND preferred_until > ?', intParam(body.taskId), user.id, Date.now());
+      if (!own) reviewFirst(user);
+      return guided(tasks.context(tasks.claim(user, intParam(body.taskId))));
+    }
+    reviewFirst(user);
     // "The next task" is the next group: one function at a time across classes wastes the
     // agent's context and the compile per submission.
     const ids = tasks.claimNext(user, 50);
@@ -386,6 +411,7 @@ export function createApp(ctx) {
   router.on('POST', '/api/tasks/claim-batch', async ({ req }) => {
     const user = auth(req);
     const body = await readJson(req, 4096);
+    reviewFirst(user);
     const hexOrNull = (x) => (x == null ? null : typeof x === 'string' ? Number.parseInt(x, 16) : Number(x));
     const ids = tasks.claimBatch(user, { unit: body.unit ? String(body.unit) : null, start: hexOrNull(body.start), end: hexOrNull(body.end), limit: body.limit ? Number(body.limit) : 50 });
     const v = store.currentVersion();
diff --git a/src/server/guidance.js b/src/server/guidance.js
index a1a0437..de50ae7 100644
--- a/src/server/guidance.js
+++ b/src/server/guidance.js
@@ -34,7 +34,12 @@ export function resetAgentGuidance(store) {
 }
 
 /** A response with the guidance first, so an agent reads it before the details. */
-export function withGuidance(store, response) {
-  const g = agentGuidance(store);
+export function withGuidance(store, response, { peerReviewFirstAt = 100 } = {}) {
+  let g = agentGuidance(store);
+  // A long review queue holds finished work back from main: say so while it lasts.
+  const waiting = store.get(`SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM attempts WHERE state = 'peer_review'`).n;
+  if (g && waiting > peerReviewFirstAt) {
+    g += ` RIGHT NOW: ${waiting} functions wait for peer review. Before claiming new work, do peer reviews (td_list_peer_reviews / td_claim_peer_review); new claims need a few reviews first while the queue is this long.`;
+  }
   return g ? { guidance: g, ...response } : response;
 }
diff --git a/test/server.test.js b/test/server.test.js
index e76e919..4a8519b 100644
--- a/test/server.test.js
+++ b/test/server.test.js
@@ -580,6 +580,43 @@ test('the symbol table is only sent when it changed; downloads come compressed w
   await plain.arrayBuffer();
 });
 
+test('a long review queue makes new claims wait for a few peer reviews', async () => {
+  await activeUser('rfauthor');
+  const author = ctx.accounts.byName('rfauthor');
+  const worker = await activeUser('rfworker');
+  const v = ctx.store.currentVersion();
+  const id = ctx.store.ensureSymbol({ kind: 'function', versionId: v.id, addr: 0x40f800, size: 8, unit: 'src/rf.cpp' }).symbol.id;
+  ctx.tasks.generate();
+  const task = ctx.store.get('SELECT id FROM tasks WHERE symbol_id = ?', id).id;
+  ctx.store.run(`UPDATE tasks SET state = 'peer_review' WHERE id = ?`, task);
+  const attempt = Number(ctx.store.run(`INSERT INTO attempts (task_id, user_id, base_commit, files_json, state, created_at) VALUES (?, ?, ?, '{}', 'peer_review', ?)`, task, author.id, ctx.repo.head(), now()).lastInsertRowid);
+  const before = ctx.config.peerReviewFirstAt;
+  ctx.config.peerReviewFirstAt = 0;
+  try {
+    const refused = await call('POST', '/api/tasks/claim-batch', {}, worker);
+    assert.equal(refused.status, 429);
+    assert.match(refused.body.error, /peer review/);
+    const g = await call('GET', `/api/tasks/${task}`, null, worker);
+    assert.match(g.body.guidance, /wait for peer review/, 'the guidance says so too');
+    // Reviews until new work is allowed: three verdicts, or nothing left this worker may review.
+    let ok = refused;
+    for (let i = 0; i < 4 && ok.status === 429; i++) {
+      const c = await call('POST', '/api/peer-reviews/claim', {}, worker);
+      for (const f of c.body.functions ?? []) {
+        await call('POST', `/api/peer-reviews/${f.attemptId}/verdict`, { verdict: 'same', reason: 'the same branches and calls as the original' }, worker);
+      }
+      ok = await call('POST', '/api/tasks/claim-batch', {}, worker);
+    }
+    assert.notEqual(ok.status, 429, JSON.stringify(ok.body));
+    assert.ok(ctx.store.get('SELECT COUNT(*) AS n FROM peer_reviews WHERE reviewer_id = ?', ctx.accounts.byName('rfworker').id).n <= 3);
+    for (const t of ok.body.tasks ?? []) await call('POST', `/api/tasks/${t.task}/release`, {}, worker);
+  } finally {
+    ctx.config.peerReviewFirstAt = before;
+    ctx.store.run(`UPDATE attempts SET state = 'rejected' WHERE id = ?`, attempt);
+    ctx.store.run(`UPDATE tasks SET state = 'done' WHERE id = ?`, task);
+  }
+});
+
 test('the crew view is public and shows no account details', async () => {
   const token = await activeUser('crewview');
   await call('GET', '/api/tasks', null, token); // the agent checks in