diff --git a/src/skillspector/llm_analyzer_base.py b/src/skillspector/llm_analyzer_base.py
index 8f42a997..6af01bb4 100644
--- a/src/skillspector/llm_analyzer_base.py
+++ b/src/skillspector/llm_analyzer_base.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import asyncio
+import os
 from collections import defaultdict
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from typing import Any, Literal, cast
@@ -50,6 +51,37 @@
 
 logger = get_logger(__name__)
 
+DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY = 10
+
+
+def resolve_max_concurrency() -> int:
+    """Resolve the LLM fan-out concurrency from ``SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY``.
+
+    Defaults to :data:`DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY`. Users on rate-limited
+    providers (free tiers with a low RPM) can set it to ``1`` to serialize
+    requests instead of bursting up to 10 in parallel — a burst that otherwise
+    guarantees 429s, and 429'd batches are dropped from the result (see the
+    analyzer fan-out below). Invalid values fall back to the default; values
+    below 1 are clamped to 1.
+    """
+    raw = os.environ.get("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", "").strip()
+    if not raw:
+        return DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY
+    try:
+        value = int(raw)
+    except ValueError:
+        logger.warning(
+            "Invalid SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY=%r (not an int); using %d",
+            raw,
+            DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY,
+        )
+        return DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY
+    if value < 1:
+        logger.warning("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY=%d < 1; clamping to 1", value)
+        return 1
+    return value
+
+
 # OpenAI suggests ~4 chars per token for English text with BPE tokenizers.
 CHARS_PER_TOKEN = 4
 CHUNK_OVERLAP_LINES = 50
@@ -546,7 +578,7 @@ async def arun_batches(
         self,
         batches: list[Batch],
         *,
-        max_concurrency: int = 10,
+        max_concurrency: int | None = None,
         **kwargs: object,
     ) -> list[tuple[Batch, list]]:
         """Execute LLM calls for all *batches* concurrently.
@@ -555,6 +587,11 @@ async def arun_batches(
         *max_concurrency* LLM requests in parallel.  Both cross-file and
         cross-chunk batches are parallelized in a single gather call.
 
+        When *max_concurrency* is ``None`` (the default) it is resolved from
+        ``SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY`` via :func:`resolve_max_concurrency`,
+        so users on rate-limited providers can serialize the fan-out; an
+        explicit argument still wins.
+
         Failures are isolated per batch: a transient error (timeout, 429,
         oversized-chunk 400, ...) costs only its own batch, which is logged
         and omitted from the result, so one bad call cannot cancel the rest
@@ -565,6 +602,8 @@ async def arun_batches(
 
         The return type mirrors :meth:`run_batches`.
         """
+        if max_concurrency is None:
+            max_concurrency = resolve_max_concurrency()
         outcome = await self.arun_batches_detailed(
             batches, max_concurrency=max_concurrency, **kwargs
         )
@@ -575,7 +614,7 @@ async def arun_batches_detailed(
         self,
         batches: list[Batch],
         *,
-        max_concurrency: int = 10,
+        max_concurrency: int = DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY,
         **kwargs: object,
     ) -> BatchExecutionResult:
         """Execute batches concurrently and retain sanitized per-batch failures."""
diff --git a/tests/nodes/test_llm_analyzer_base.py b/tests/nodes/test_llm_analyzer_base.py
index d552079c..1d9b6a23 100644
--- a/tests/nodes/test_llm_analyzer_base.py
+++ b/tests/nodes/test_llm_analyzer_base.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@
 
 from skillspector.inspection_ledger import LedgerReason, finalize_ledger
 from skillspector.llm_analyzer_base import (
+    DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY,
     Batch,
     BatchExecutionResult,
     BatchFailure,
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
     findings_in_range,
     ledger_events_for_batches,
     number_lines,
+    resolve_max_concurrency,
 )
 from skillspector.models import Finding
 from skillspector.nodes.meta_analyzer import (
@@ -50,6 +52,28 @@
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
+class TestResolveMaxConcurrency:
+    def test_unset_uses_default(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.delenv("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", raising=False)
+        assert resolve_max_concurrency() == DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY
+
+    def test_valid_value(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", "1")
+        assert resolve_max_concurrency() == 1
+
+    def test_blank_uses_default(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", "  ")
+        assert resolve_max_concurrency() == DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY
+
+    def test_invalid_falls_back_to_default(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", "abc")
+        assert resolve_max_concurrency() == DEFAULT_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY
+
+    def test_below_one_clamps_to_one(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("SKILLSPECTOR_MAX_LLM_CONCURRENCY", "0")
+        assert resolve_max_concurrency() == 1
+
+
 class TestEstimateTokens:
     def test_empty_string(self) -> None:
         assert estimate_tokens("") == 0