diff --git a/docs/api/errors.md b/docs/api/errors.md
index 66595d92..e74a46f4 100644
--- a/docs/api/errors.md
+++ b/docs/api/errors.md
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ HTTP response, `error` is available at the top level and mirrored under
 | Unexpected invoice creation failure | 500 | `api_error` | `invoice_creation_failed` |
 
 Request validation failures, including non-positive or excessive amounts, use
-FastAPI's standard 422 validation response. Only the 503 mint failures are retryable. Use backoff and honor any mint
-cooldown. The compatibility endpoints `/lightning/*` and
+FastAPI's standard 422 validation response. Only the 503 mint failures are retryable. Use backoff and honor the
+`Retry-After` header when present. The compatibility endpoints `/lightning/*` and
 `/v1/balance/lightning/*` retain their original string `detail` errors and
 legacy status behavior.
 
diff --git a/routstr/lightning.py b/routstr/lightning.py
index 98ade521..e7b8046a 100644
--- a/routstr/lightning.py
+++ b/routstr/lightning.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import asyncio
 import hashlib
+import math
 import re
 import secrets
 import time
@@ -244,10 +245,8 @@ async def _request_mint_with_fallback(
             )
             continue
     if all_rate_limited:
-        retry_after = max(
-            (mint_cooldown_remaining(mint) for mint in candidates), default=0.0
-        )
-        raise MintCooldownError("all configured mints", retry_after)
+        slowest = max(candidates, key=mint_cooldown_remaining)
+        raise MintCooldownError(slowest, mint_cooldown_remaining(slowest))
     raise MintConnectionError(f"All mints failed for request_mint: {tried}")
 
 
@@ -279,6 +278,7 @@ def _invoice_error(
     *,
     structured: bool,
     legacy_message: str | None = None,
+    headers: dict[str, str] | None = None,
 ) -> HTTPException:
     """Build either the legacy string detail or the v2 typed envelope."""
     detail: str | dict[str, dict[str, str]]
@@ -286,7 +286,18 @@ def _invoice_error(
         detail = {"error": {"message": message, "type": error_type, "code": code}}
     else:
         detail = legacy_message or message
-    return HTTPException(status_code=status_code, detail=detail)
+    return HTTPException(status_code=status_code, detail=detail, headers=headers)
+
+
+def _mint_retry_after(error: BaseException) -> int | None:
+    current: BaseException | None = error
+    seen: set[int] = set()
+    while current is not None and id(current) not in seen:
+        seen.add(id(current))
+        if isinstance(current, MintCooldownError):
+            return math.ceil(current.retry_after_seconds)
+        current = current.__cause__ or current.__context__
+    return None
 
 
 def _invoice_creation_error(error: Exception, *, structured: bool) -> HTTPException:
@@ -296,12 +307,14 @@ def _invoice_creation_error(error: Exception, *, structured: bool) -> HTTPExcept
             status_code=500, detail="Failed to create Lightning invoice"
         )
     if is_mint_rate_limited(error):
+        retry_after = _mint_retry_after(error)
         return _invoice_error(
             503,
             "Cashu mint rate-limited; retry after cooldown",
             "mint_rate_limited",
             "lightning_mint_rate_limited",
             structured=True,
+            headers={"Retry-After": str(retry_after)} if retry_after else None,
         )
     if is_mint_connection_error(error):
         return _invoice_error(
diff --git a/tests/integration/test_lightning_invoice_rip08.py b/tests/integration/test_lightning_invoice_rip08.py
index 76ac0115..d3915e0e 100644
--- a/tests/integration/test_lightning_invoice_rip08.py
+++ b/tests/integration/test_lightning_invoice_rip08.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from httpx import AsyncClient
 from sqlmodel.ext.asyncio.session import AsyncSession
 
 from routstr.core.db import ApiKey
+from routstr.mint import MintCooldownError
 from routstr.wallet import MintConnectionError
 
 RIP08_PATH = "/lightning/invoice"
@@ -317,6 +318,22 @@ async def test_create_invoice_maps_mint_failures(
     assert resp.json()["detail"]["error"]["code"] == code
 
 
+@pytest.mark.integration
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_v2_create_invoice_rate_limited_sets_retry_after(
+    integration_client: AsyncClient,
+) -> None:
+    with patch(
+        "routstr.lightning.generate_lightning_invoice",
+        side_effect=MintCooldownError("https://mint.example.com", 12.4),
+    ):
+        resp = await integration_client.post(V2_PATH, json={"amount_sats": 100})
+
+    assert resp.status_code == 503
+    assert resp.headers["Retry-After"] == "13"
+    assert resp.json()["detail"]["error"]["code"] == "lightning_mint_rate_limited"
+
+
 @pytest.mark.integration
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_compatibility_create_failure_keeps_generic_error(