Add explicit rate limits and total connection limit

- Make RateLimit explicit in relay builder (500 subs, 60 events/min)
- Add NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS config option (default: 500)
- Update all 4 config locations (src, nix, docs, .env.example)
- Fix documentation error: filter limit 5000→500
- Document Phase 2 deferral decision (per-IP enforcement)

Addresses primary DoS vector (connection exhaustion) with minimal code.
Per-IP rate limiting deferred until abuse detected in production.

Related: issue ff38 (git endpoint throttling - separate concern)

6 files changed, 283 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 707efd4..953ae93 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -277,4 +277,14 @@
 # Examples:
 #   NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST=npub1spam...
 #   NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST=npub1spam...,npub1abuser...
-# NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST=
\ No newline at end of file
+# NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST=
+
+# ============================================================================
+# RATE LIMITING & DOS PROTECTION
+# ============================================================================
+
+# Maximum total connections to the relay
+# Prevents connection exhaustion DoS attacks
+# CLI: --max-connections <count>
+# Default: 500
+# NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS=500
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/explanation/defensive-measures.md b/docs/explanation/defensive-measures.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f7abc30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/explanation/defensive-measures.md
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+# Defensive Measures & Rate Limiting
+
+This document describes the defensive measures implemented in ngit-grasp to protect against abuse, spam, and denial-of-service attacks.
+
+## Overview
+
+ngit-grasp employs multiple layers of defense:
+
+1. **Connection & Subscription Limits** - Per-connection limits on subscriptions and event publishing
+2. **Content Filtering** - Blacklist/whitelist system for repositories and event authors
+3. **Event Validation** - Strict GRASP-01 protocol validation
+4. **Relay Health Management** - Intelligent handling of problematic remote relays
+
+## What's Implemented
+
+### Per-Connection Rate Limits
+
+**Source:** Built-in to rust-nostr relay-builder
+
+- **Subscription limit:** Max 500 concurrent subscriptions per connection
+- **Event publishing limit:** Max 60 events per minute per connection
+- **Subscription ID length:** Max 250 characters
+- **Filter limit:** Max 500 results per query (default)
+
+These limits prevent individual connections from overwhelming the relay.
+
+### Per-IP Connection Monitoring
+
+**Source:** Custom ngit-grasp implementation  
+**Location:** `src/metrics/connection.rs`
+
+- **Status:** Monitoring only (does NOT enforce limits)
+- Tracks connections per IP address internally
+- Flags IPs exceeding threshold (default: 10 connections)
+- **Privacy:** IP addresses never exposed in Prometheus metrics, only aggregate counts
+- Logs warnings when threshold exceeded
+
+**Future:** Could be extended to enforce per-IP connection limits.
+
+### Content Filtering (Blacklists/Whitelists)
+
+**Source:** Custom ngit-grasp implementation  
+**Location:** `src/config.rs`, `src/nostr/builder.rs`
+
+**Event Blacklist:**
+- Block ALL events from specific authors (npubs)
+- Takes precedence over all other validation
+- Events never reach storage or purgatory
+
+**Repository Blacklist:**
+- Block specific repositories, developers, or identifiers
+- Takes precedence over whitelists
+- Three formats: `npub`, `npub/identifier`, `identifier`
+
+**Repository Whitelist:**
+- Curate which repositories are accepted (GRASP-01 mode)
+- Only accept announcements that both list your service AND match whitelist
+- Same three formats as blacklist
+
+**Archive Whitelist (GRASP-05):**
+- Mirror specific repositories even if they don't list your service
+- Same three formats as blacklist
+- Default: read-only mode when enabled
+
+**Privacy:** Blacklists not advertised in NIP-11 metadata.
+
+### Event Validation Plugin System
+
+**Source:** Built-in to rust-nostr relay-builder  
+**Implementation:** Custom GRASP-01 validation in `src/nostr/builder.rs`
+
+- **WritePolicy trait:** Controls which events are accepted
+- **QueryPolicy trait:** Controls which queries are allowed (not currently used)
+- Access to client IP address for future per-IP rate limiting
+- Modular sub-policies for different event types (announcements, state events, PRs)
+
+### Relay Health Management (GRASP-02 Sync)
+
+**Source:** Custom ngit-grasp implementation  
+**Location:** `src/sync/health.rs`
+
+**Exponential Backoff:**
+- Failed connections trigger increasing delays: 5s → 10s → 20s → ... → 1 hour max
+- Prevents hammering dead or slow relays
+
+**Naughty List:**
+- Tracks relays with persistent infrastructure issues (DNS, TLS, protocol errors)
+- Separate from normal connection failures
+- 12-hour expiration (configurable)
+- Reduces retry frequency for broken relays
+
+**Rate Limit Detection:**
+- Detects when remote relay rate limits us
+- Automatic 65-second cooldown
+- Prevents hammering relays that tell us to slow down
+
+**Domain Throttling (Git Data Fetching):**
+- Max 5 concurrent requests per domain
+- Max 30 requests per minute per domain
+- Respectful rate limiting when fetching missing git data
+
+## What's NOT Implemented
+
+### Per-IP Rate Limiting
+
+- **Per-IP connection limits:** Not enforced (only monitored)
+- **Per-IP subscription limits:** Not supported
+- **Per-IP event publishing limits:** Not supported
+
+**Why:** rust-nostr relay-builder tracks limits per WebSocket connection, not per IP address.
+
+**To implement:** Would require custom middleware/WritePolicy to aggregate across connections from the same IP.
+
+### Total Connection Limit
+
+**Status:** Supported by relay-builder but not currently configured in ngit-grasp.
+
+**To implement:** Add `max_connections(n)` to relay builder configuration.
+
+### Query Filtering
+
+**Status:** QueryPolicy trait available but not currently used.
+
+**Potential uses:** Rate limit queries per IP, block expensive queries, restrict access to certain event kinds.
+
+## Future Enhancements: Per-IP Rate Limiting (Deferred)
+
+### Decision: Defer Until Abuse Detected
+
+After comprehensive review (2026-01-14), we decided to defer per-IP rate limiting (Phase 2 & 3) until abuse patterns are detected in production.
+
+**Current protection (Phase 1):**
+- Per-connection limits: 500 subscriptions, 60 events/min
+- Total connection limit: 500 (configurable via `NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS`)
+- Connection monitoring: Tracks IPs, flags abuse at 10 connections
+- Content filtering: Event blacklist, repository blacklist/whitelist
+
+**Deferred features (Phase 2 & 3):**
+- Per-IP connection enforcement (reject after 10 connections)
+- Per-IP event rate limiting (reject after 100 events/min)
+
+### Rationale for Deferral
+
+1. **Config-only approach sufficient** - Total connection limit addresses primary DoS vector
+2. **Git relay context** - Developer users less likely to abuse than general public
+3. **Existing protections strong** - Per-connection limits + content filtering already robust
+4. **Data-driven approach** - Monitor ConnectionTracker metrics, implement if needed
+5. **Minimal maintenance** - Avoid custom rate limiting code until proven necessary
+
+### Implementation Path if Needed
+
+**Preferred approach:** Contribute to rust-nostr/relay-builder as PR
+- Propose IP-based rate limiting as optional feature
+- Let upstream maintain the code
+- Benefits entire Nostr ecosystem
+
+**Fallback:** Implement in ngit-grasp
+- Per-IP connection enforcement via actix middleware
+- Per-IP event rate limiting via token bucket in WritePolicy
+- See issue d6ee for detailed implementation plan
+
+### Monitoring for Abuse
+
+Watch these metrics to determine if Phase 2 is needed:
+- `ngit_connections_per_ip` - IPs exceeding 10 connections
+- `ngit_flagged_abusers` - IPs flagged by ConnectionTracker
+- Event publishing patterns from single IPs
+
+**Trigger for Phase 2:** If abuse detected for 2-4 weeks after Phase 1 deployment
+
+### Related Work
+
+**Git endpoint throttling:** Separate concern, tracked in issue ff38
+- Git HTTP endpoints have different threat model (bandwidth/CPU intensive)
+- Requires separate IP-based throttling (5 concurrent, 30/min per IP)
+- No interaction with relay code
+
+## Summary Table
+
+| Feature | Status | Enforced? | Configurable? |
+|---------|--------|-----------|---------------|
+| **Per-Connection Limits** |
+| Max subscriptions (500) | ✅ Active | Yes | No (relay-builder default) |
+| Event rate limit (60/min) | ✅ Active | Yes | No (relay-builder default) |
+| **Total Connection Limit** |
+| Max connections (500) | ✅ Active | Yes | Yes (`NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS`) |
+| **Per-IP Monitoring** |
+| Connection tracking | ✅ Active | No (monitor only) | Threshold only |
+| **Content Filtering** |
+| Event blacklist | ✅ Active | Yes | Yes |
+| Repository blacklist | ✅ Active | Yes | Yes |
+| Repository whitelist | ✅ Active | Yes (if set) | Yes |
+| Archive whitelist | ✅ Active | Yes (if set) | Yes |
+| **Event Validation** |
+| GRASP-01 validation | ✅ Active | Yes | Via WritePolicy |
+| **Relay Sync Protection** |
+| Exponential backoff | ✅ Active | Yes | Yes |
+| Naughty list | ✅ Active | Yes | Yes (12h default) |
+| Rate limit detection | ✅ Active | Yes | Automatic |
+| Domain throttling | ✅ Active | Yes | Hardcoded (5/30) |
+| **Deferred (Phase 2)** |
+| Per-IP connection limit | ⚠️ Deferred | No | - |
+| Per-IP rate limiting | ⚠️ Deferred | No | - |
+| Query filtering | ⚠️ Available | No | Not implemented |
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- [Configuration Reference](../reference/configuration.md) - All config options for defensive features
+- [Monitoring Overview](monitoring.md) - Prometheus metrics for tracking abuse
+- [GRASP-05 Archive](grasp-05-archive.md) - Archive whitelist details
+- [Architecture](architecture.md) - Overall system design
diff --git a/docs/reference/configuration.md b/docs/reference/configuration.md
index 8b49297..c3001d3 100644
--- a/docs/reference/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/reference/configuration.md
@@ -925,6 +925,46 @@ Event blacklist does **not** affect NIP-11 metadata:
 
 ---
 
+### Rate Limiting & DoS Protection
+
+#### `NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS`
+
+**Description:** Maximum total connections to the relay. Prevents connection exhaustion DoS attacks.  
+**Type:** Integer  
+**Default:** `500`  
+**Required:** No
+
+**Examples:**
+
+```bash
+# Default: 500 connections
+NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS=500
+
+# Higher limit for large public relay
+NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS=1000
+
+# Lower limit for private relay
+NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS=100
+```
+
+**Notes:**
+
+- Limits total concurrent WebSocket connections to the relay
+- Prevents connection exhaustion attacks
+- Works in conjunction with per-connection limits (500 subscriptions, 60 events/min)
+- When limit is reached, new connections are rejected
+- Existing connections continue to work normally
+
+**Related Limits:**
+
+Per-connection limits (built-in to relay-builder, not configurable):
+- Max subscriptions per connection: 500
+- Max events per minute per connection: 60
+- Max subscription ID length: 250 characters
+- Max results per filter: 500
+
+---
+
 ### Logging Configuration
 
 #### `RUST_LOG`
diff --git a/nix/module.nix b/nix/module.nix
index 09c56c1..4117b6d 100644
--- a/nix/module.nix
+++ b/nix/module.nix
@@ -250,6 +250,12 @@ let
         '';
       };
 
+      maxConnections = mkOption {
+        type = types.int;
+        default = 500;
+        description = "Maximum total connections to the relay";
+      };
+
       user = mkOption {
         type = types.str;
         default = "ngit-grasp-${name}";
@@ -295,6 +301,7 @@ let
       NGIT_REPOSITORY_WHITELIST = concatStringsSep "," cfg.repositoryWhitelist;
       NGIT_REPOSITORY_BLACKLIST = concatStringsSep "," cfg.repositoryBlacklist;
       NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST = concatStringsSep "," cfg.eventBlacklist;
+      NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS = toString cfg.maxConnections;
       RUST_LOG = cfg.logLevel;
     } // optionalAttrs (cfg.relayName != null) {
       NGIT_RELAY_NAME = cfg.relayName;
diff --git a/src/config.rs b/src/config.rs
index 0f0d853..0014003 100644
--- a/src/config.rs
+++ b/src/config.rs
@@ -469,6 +469,11 @@ pub struct Config {
     /// All events from these authors are blocked from both relay storage and purgatory
     #[arg(long, env = "NGIT_EVENT_BLACKLIST", default_value = "")]
     pub event_blacklist: String,
+
+    /// Maximum total connections to the relay (default: 500)
+    /// Prevents connection exhaustion DoS attacks
+    #[arg(long, env = "NGIT_MAX_CONNECTIONS", default_value_t = 500)]
+    pub max_connections: usize,
 }
 
 impl Config {
@@ -703,6 +708,7 @@ impl Config {
             repository_whitelist: String::new(),
             repository_blacklist: String::new(),
             event_blacklist: String::new(),
+            max_connections: 500,
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/nostr/builder.rs b/src/nostr/builder.rs
index c2de1df..ef1b700 100644
--- a/src/nostr/builder.rs
+++ b/src/nostr/builder.rs
@@ -624,6 +624,14 @@ pub async fn create_relay(
     let relay = LocalRelayBuilder::default()
         .database(database.clone())
         .write_policy(write_policy.clone())
+        // Explicitly set rate limits (make defaults visible in code)
+        // Per-connection limits: 500 max subscriptions, 60 events/min
+        .rate_limit(RateLimit {
+            max_reqs: 500,        // Max concurrent subscriptions per connection
+            notes_per_minute: 60, // Max events per minute per connection
+        })
+        // Total connection limit to prevent DoS attacks
+        .max_connections(config.max_connections)
         .build();
 
     tracing::info!(