diff --git a/.agents/skills/writing-changesets/SKILL.md b/.agents/skills/writing-changesets/SKILL.md
index c7444cb5..d7638c83 100644
--- a/.agents/skills/writing-changesets/SKILL.md
+++ b/.agents/skills/writing-changesets/SKILL.md
@@ -37,6 +37,12 @@ Skip changesets for:
   routes under `/_internal/`). These are contributor-facing, not
   consumer-facing.
 
+Create one changeset per coherent user-facing change, not one per file,
+route, or UI surface. Closely related fixes that ship together — such as
+the same error-state improvement across sign-in and recovery forms —
+share one concise changeset. Split them only when consumers could
+meaningfully adopt or release them independently.
+
 If in doubt, add one. An "empty" changeset (intentionally no
 release) can be created with `pnpm changeset add --empty` to
 document the decision.
diff --git a/.changeset/otp-lockout-recovery.md b/.changeset/otp-lockout-recovery.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cd323eda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/otp-lockout-recovery.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+'ePDS': patch
+---
+
+After too many wrong codes, sign-in and account recovery now explain that the old code cannot be used and offer a way to get a fresh one.
+
+**Affects:** End users
+
+**End users:** Use **Send a new code** on the sign-in page, or the nearby **Resend code** button on account-management and recovery forms, instead of retrying a code that has been locked out.
diff --git a/e2e/step-definitions/auth.steps.ts b/e2e/step-definitions/auth.steps.ts
index 71abc40f..dc49a123 100644
--- a/e2e/step-definitions/auth.steps.ts
+++ b/e2e/step-definitions/auth.steps.ts
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ Then(
 )
 
 Then(
-  /^the verification form shows (?:an|the) "([^"]*)" error$/,
+  /^the verification form shows (?:an|the|a) "([^"]*)" error$/,
   async function (this: EpdsWorld, expected: string) {
     const page = getPage(this)
     await expect(page.locator('#error-msg')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 })
@@ -969,3 +969,70 @@ Then('the email input is empty and focused', async function (this: EpdsWorld) {
   await expect(input).toHaveValue('', { timeout: 5_000 })
   await expect(input).toBeFocused({ timeout: 5_000 })
 })
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// "Too many attempts" lockout UX
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+When(
+  'the user submits enough wrong OTPs to trigger the lockout',
+  async function (this: EpdsWorld) {
+    const page = getPage(this)
+    const boxCount = await page.locator('.otp-box').count()
+    if (!this.testEmail) {
+      throw new Error(
+        'No testEmail in world; the email-submit step must run first',
+      )
+    }
+    // better-auth's allowedAttempts is 5 (see auth-service better-auth.ts).
+    // Burn five attempts directly, then trigger the sixth through the form
+    // so the submit handler's error rendering is exercised.
+    const burnDigits = ['0', '1', '2', '3', '4']
+    for (const digit of burnDigits) {
+      await page.evaluate(
+        `fetch('/api/auth/sign-in/email-otp', {
+          method: 'POST',
+          headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+          body: JSON.stringify({ email: ${JSON.stringify(this.testEmail)}, otp: ${JSON.stringify(digit.repeat(boxCount))} }),
+        }).catch(function () {})`,
+      )
+    }
+    await page.evaluate(`(function () {
+      var boxes = document.querySelectorAll('.otp-box');
+      for (var i = 0; i < boxes.length; i++) boxes[i].value = '';
+    })()`)
+    await page.locator('.otp-box').first().focus()
+    await page.keyboard.type('5'.repeat(boxCount))
+    await expect(page.locator('#error-msg')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 })
+  },
+)
+
+Then(
+  'a "Send a new code" inline action is offered',
+  async function (this: EpdsWorld) {
+    const page = getPage(this)
+    await expect(
+      page.locator('#error-msg button.flash-action', {
+        hasText: /send a new code/i,
+      }),
+    ).toBeVisible({ timeout: 5_000 })
+    await expect(page.locator('#error-msg')).toHaveText(
+      /\.\s*Send a new code$/i,
+    )
+  },
+)
+
+When(
+  'the user submits one more wrong OTP after the lockout',
+  async function (this: EpdsWorld) {
+    const page = getPage(this)
+    const boxCount = await page.locator('.otp-box').count()
+    await page.evaluate(`(function () {
+      var boxes = document.querySelectorAll('.otp-box');
+      for (var i = 0; i < boxes.length; i++) boxes[i].value = '';
+    })()`)
+    await page.locator('.otp-box').first().focus()
+    await page.keyboard.type('9'.repeat(boxCount))
+    await expect(page.locator('#error-msg')).toBeVisible({ timeout: 10_000 })
+  },
+)
diff --git a/features/passwordless-authentication.feature b/features/passwordless-authentication.feature
index 09858b62..682abe5b 100644
--- a/features/passwordless-authentication.feature
+++ b/features/passwordless-authentication.feature
@@ -386,6 +386,7 @@ Feature: Passwordless authentication via email OTP
   # programmatically clearing the demo's `oauth_state` cookie just
   # before the OTP submission, which is equivalent to the cookie
   # having lapsed by wall-clock.
+
   # The "Use different email" button on the OTP step takes the user
   # back to the email-entry form so they can sign in with a different
   # address. The form must be EMPTY when they get there — leaving the
@@ -403,6 +404,38 @@ Feature: Passwordless authentication via email OTP
     When the user clicks "Use different email"
     Then the email input is empty and focused
 
+  # better-auth allows five wrong attempts on one code. The sixth
+  # submit returns "Too many attempts" and deletes the verification
+  # row, so the only useful next action is requesting a fresh code.
+  # The banner asserts the rewritten end-user copy from otpErrorText(),
+  # not better-auth's raw developer string, because that mapped wording
+  # is what the user actually reads.
+  @email @too-many-attempts
+  Scenario: "Too many attempts" surfaces a Send-a-new-code action
+    When the demo client initiates an OAuth login
+    Then the browser is redirected to the auth service login page
+    And the login page displays an email input form
+    When the user enters a unique test email and submits
+    Then the login page shows an OTP verification form
+    When the user submits enough wrong OTPs to trigger the lockout
+    Then the verification form shows a "Too many tries — that code is no longer usable." error
+    And a "Send a new code" inline action is offered
+
+  # Once lockout deletes the verification row, later submissions return
+  # the generic "Invalid OTP" response. Retyping cannot recover that
+  # state, so the inline action must still be offered on the follow-up
+  # submit rather than stranding the user on a bare error.
+  @email @too-many-attempts
+  Scenario: After the lockout, further submits still surface a Send-a-new-code action
+    When the demo client initiates an OAuth login
+    Then the browser is redirected to the auth service login page
+    And the login page displays an email input form
+    When the user enters a unique test email and submits
+    Then the login page shows an OTP verification form
+    When the user submits enough wrong OTPs to trigger the lockout
+    And the user submits one more wrong OTP after the lockout
+    Then a "Send a new code" inline action is offered
+
   @email @demo-cookie-expiry @bug-report
   Scenario: Demo client's OAuth cookie has expired by the time of callback — useful error, not generic auth_failed
     When the demo client starts a new OAuth flow with random handle mode
diff --git a/packages/auth-service/src/__tests__/otp-verify-error.test.ts b/packages/auth-service/src/__tests__/otp-verify-error.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d94c2eac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/auth-service/src/__tests__/otp-verify-error.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
+import { pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage } from '../lib/otp-verify-error.js'
+
+// Expected user-facing messages for each error class. Lifted to
+// constants so the tests don't repeat the exact copy at every call
+// site (Sonar flags >3% line duplication on new code).
+const RESEND_MSG =
+  'That code can no longer be used. Click "Resend code" below to get a fresh one.'
+const TYPO_MSG = 'Invalid code. Please try again.'
+const FALLBACK_MSG = 'Verification failed. Please try again.'
+
+describe('pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage', () => {
+  // The OTP verify flows (account-login, recovery) surface three
+  // distinct error states through their server-rendered OTP forms.
+  // The user-facing copy must distinguish them — typing more in
+  // an unrecoverable state just rolls up failed attempts that
+  // could never succeed.
+
+  it.each([
+    ['Too many attempts', RESEND_MSG],
+    ['OTP expired', RESEND_MSG],
+    ['Too many attempts on this code', RESEND_MSG],
+    ['TOO MANY ATTEMPTS', RESEND_MSG], // case-insensitive
+  ])(
+    'points the user at Resend on lockout/aged-out: %s',
+    (errMessage, expected) => {
+      expect(pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(new Error(errMessage))).toBe(expected)
+    },
+  )
+
+  it('asks the user to re-type on a typo', () => {
+    expect(pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(new Error('Invalid OTP'))).toBe(TYPO_MSG)
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to generic verification-failed on unknown errors', () => {
+    expect(
+      pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(new Error('Internal database problem')),
+    ).toBe(FALLBACK_MSG)
+  })
+
+  it.each([['string-thrown'], [null], [undefined]])(
+    'falls back to generic verification-failed on non-Error rejections (%p)',
+    (err) => {
+      expect(pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(err)).toBe(FALLBACK_MSG)
+    },
+  )
+})
diff --git a/packages/auth-service/src/lib/otp-verify-error.ts b/packages/auth-service/src/lib/otp-verify-error.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c7860ffe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/auth-service/src/lib/otp-verify-error.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/**
+ * Shared OTP-verify error-message picker for the server-rendered
+ * sign-in flows (`/account/verify-otp` and `/auth/recover/verify`).
+ *
+ * Both routes call better-auth's `signInEmailOTP` and need to
+ * translate the caught error into user-facing copy. They have the
+ * same three meaningful cases:
+ *
+ *   1. Lockout / aged-out — "Too many attempts" or "OTP expired"
+ *      from better-auth. The current code can no longer succeed, so
+ *      point the user at Resend.
+ *
+ *   2. "Invalid OTP" — usually a recoverable typo. better-auth uses
+ *      the same text after deleting a locked-out row, so these stateless
+ *      server-rendered routes cannot distinguish that later case and must
+ *      avoid claiming certainty they do not have.
+ *
+ *   3. Internal failure — anything else (network, DB, unexpected).
+ *      Show a generic try-again message.
+ *
+ * Returning the message string rather than a structured kind keeps
+ * the call sites simple — they just feed it straight into their
+ * `renderOtpForm({ error: ... })` helper.
+ *
+ * The branching is exported as a pure function so unit tests can
+ * cover all three branches without standing up a router.
+ */
+
+export function pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(err: unknown): string {
+  const errText = err instanceof Error ? err.message.toLowerCase() : ''
+  if (/too many attempts|expir/.test(errText)) {
+    return 'That code can no longer be used. Click "Resend code" below to get a fresh one.'
+  }
+  if (errText.includes('invalid')) {
+    return 'Invalid code. Please try again.'
+  }
+  return 'Verification failed. Please try again.'
+}
diff --git a/packages/auth-service/src/routes/account-login.ts b/packages/auth-service/src/routes/account-login.ts
index 786b795f..1008d0c1 100644
--- a/packages/auth-service/src/routes/account-login.ts
+++ b/packages/auth-service/src/routes/account-login.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import {
   renderEmailTypoGuardMarkup,
   renderEmailTypoGuardScript,
 } from '../lib/email-typo-guard.js'
+import { pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage } from '../lib/otp-verify-error.js'
 
 const logger = createLogger('auth:account-login')
 
@@ -121,17 +122,13 @@ export function createAccountLoginRouter(
       return
     } catch (err: unknown) {
       logger.warn({ err, email }, 'OTP verification failed')
-      const errMsg =
-        err instanceof Error && err.message.includes('invalid')
-          ? 'Invalid or expired code. Please try again.'
-          : 'Verification failed. Please try again.'
       res.type('html').send(
         renderOtpForm({
           email,
           csrfToken: res.locals.csrfToken,
           otpLength: ctx.config.otpLength,
           otpCharset: ctx.config.otpCharset,
-          error: errMsg,
+          error: pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(err),
         }),
       )
     }
diff --git a/packages/auth-service/src/routes/recovery.ts b/packages/auth-service/src/routes/recovery.ts
index 70504f41..3f89ab87 100644
--- a/packages/auth-service/src/routes/recovery.ts
+++ b/packages/auth-service/src/routes/recovery.ts
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ import {
 import { renderError } from '../lib/render-error.js'
 import { AUTH_FLOW_COOKIE, AUTH_FLOW_TTL_MS } from '../lib/auth-flow.js'
 import { heartbeatEnabledFor } from './login-page.js'
+import { pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage } from '../lib/otp-verify-error.js'
 
 const logger = createLogger('auth:recovery')
 
@@ -268,11 +269,11 @@ export function createRecoveryRouter(
       res.redirect(303, '/auth/complete')
     } catch (err: unknown) {
       logger.warn({ err, email }, 'Recovery OTP verification failed')
-      const errMsg =
-        err instanceof Error &&
-        (err.message.includes('invalid') || err.message.includes('expired'))
-          ? 'Invalid or expired code. Please try again.'
-          : 'Verification failed. Please try again.'
+      // Same shape as the account-login flow: distinguish typo
+      // from lockout/aged-out so the user gets pointed at Resend
+      // rather than fighting an "Invalid or expired" error that
+      // more typing can't fix.
+      const errMsg = pickOtpVerifyErrorMessage(err)
       const { customCss, customFaviconUrl, customFaviconUrlDark, backUri } =
         await getFlowBranding(req)
       res.send(