diff --git a/drb-c2-core/app/internal/llm_correlator.py b/drb-c2-core/app/internal/llm_correlator.py
index 3f2862b..e51f85b 100644
--- a/drb-c2-core/app/internal/llm_correlator.py
+++ b/drb-c2-core/app/internal/llm_correlator.py
@@ -260,18 +260,36 @@ def _log_llm_failure(where: str, call_id: str, model: str, exc: Exception) -> No
     that will never fix itself, so it gets ERROR and says what to do.
     """
     text = str(exc)
-    if "404" in text or "not found" in text.lower() or "no longer available" in text.lower():
-        if model not in _dead_models:
-            _dead_models.add(model)
-            logger.error(
-                f"{where}: model {model!r} is unavailable -- the LLM correlation tier "
-                f"is DISABLED and every call is falling back to rules-only. Update "
-                f"CORR_CHEAP_MODEL/CORR_SMART_MODEL in config.py. Google said: {text}"
-            )
+    low  = text.lower()
+
+    if "404" in text or "not found" in low or "no longer available" in low:
+        _log_tier_down(where, model, "model is unavailable",
+                       "Update CORR_CHEAP_MODEL/CORR_SMART_MODEL in config.py", text)
         return
+
+    # A depleted balance reads as 429, the same status as an ordinary rate limit,
+    # but it is the opposite kind of problem: a rate limit clears on its own and a
+    # dead account never does. Matching on the billing wording keeps a burst of
+    # rate limits at WARNING while an empty account escalates like a bad model ID.
+    if "credits are depleted" in low or "prepayment" in low or "billing" in low:
+        _log_tier_down(where, model, "the Gemini account is out of credit",
+                       "Top up billing at https://ai.studio/projects", text)
+        return
+
     logger.warning(f"{where} failed for call {call_id}: {text}")
 
 
+def _log_tier_down(where: str, model: str, problem: str, fix: str, text: str) -> None:
+    """ERROR once per model, not once per call — this runs at radio-traffic volume."""
+    if model in _dead_models:
+        return
+    _dead_models.add(model)
+    logger.error(
+        f"{where}: {problem} ({model!r}) -- the LLM correlation tier is DISABLED "
+        f"and every call is falling back to rules-only. {fix}. API said: {text}"
+    )
+
+
 async def tiebreak(rules_decision: dict, llm_decision: dict, ctx: dict) -> dict:
     """
     Run the smart tiebreaker (corr_smart_model) when rules and LLM disagree.