diff --git a/docs/metrics.md b/docs/metrics.md
index 70ba670f..8ed49ef8 100644
--- a/docs/metrics.md
+++ b/docs/metrics.md
@@ -148,10 +148,13 @@ Steps:
 
 ### Storage Request-Loss Diagnostics (collected via ZMQ, exposed on controller)
 
-Arrivals are counted when the worker decodes a request, while `tq_storage_request_ops` only
-advances once one completes, so a sustained gap between them means requests are arriving and
-not finishing. The counters are cumulative per operation and carry no request identity, so
-they characterise a unit, not any individual request.
+Arrivals are counted when the worker decodes a request, and `tq_storage_request_ops` when its
+handler returns or raises. The same worker answers the collector, so these counters are only
+reported between requests: they cannot show a handler that is still running, and a unit stuck
+in one stops answering, leaving its gauges at their last values (the timeout diagnosis then
+reports `unit_not_serving`). To see handlers in progress, use the storage unit's own endpoint
+below. The counters are cumulative per operation and carry no request identity, so they
+characterise a unit, not any individual request.
 
 | Metric | Type | Labels | Description |
 |--------|------|--------|-------------|
@@ -183,10 +186,14 @@ prevented every drop in that window.
 | Metric | Type | Labels | Description |
 |--------|------|--------|-------------|
 | `tq_storage_request_duration_seconds` | Histogram | `op_type` | Request latency (buckets: 1ms–5s) |
-| `tq_storage_request_total` | Counter | `op_type` | Total requests processed |
+| `tq_storage_request_total` | Counter | `op_type` | Requests whose handler has started |
 | `tq_storage_request_errors_total` | Counter | `op_type` | Total request errors |
 | `tq_storage_request_samples_total` | Counter | `op_type` | Total samples processed per operation |
 
+This endpoint is served by its own thread rather than the worker, so `tq_storage_request_total`
+minus `tq_storage_request_duration_seconds_count` (observed when a handler returns or raises)
+gives the handlers still running, even while the worker is stuck.
+
 > **Note on naming**: The ZMQ-collected gauges on the controller avoid all Prometheus reserved suffixes (`_total`, `_bucket`, `_sum`, `_count`, `_info`, `_created`) and the reserved `le` label to prevent type metadata conflicts that break `label_values()` queries. P50/P99 are computed on the storage unit side and sent as pre-calculated values. The storage unit's own endpoint uses standard Counter/Histogram naming conventions.
 
 ## Grafana Dashboard
diff --git a/transfer_queue/storage/simple_storage.py b/transfer_queue/storage/simple_storage.py
index ca8ad853..56d21dfa 100644
--- a/transfer_queue/storage/simple_storage.py
+++ b/transfer_queue/storage/simple_storage.py
@@ -1397,13 +1397,14 @@ def _handle_get_metrics(self) -> ZMQMessage:
             for op_type in ("PUT_DATA", "UPDATE_DATA", "GET_DATA", "CLEAR_DATA", "DUMP_ROWS", "LOAD_ROWS"):
                 try:
                     hist = self._metrics.request_duration.labels(op_type=op_type)
-                    counter = self._metrics.request_total.labels(op_type=op_type)
                     duration_sum = hist._sum.get()
                     # Build cumulative counts once, reuse for total and quantiles
                     cumulative_counts = self._cumulative_bucket_counts(hist)
                     duration_count = cumulative_counts[-1] if cumulative_counts else 0
                     op_stats[op_type] = {
-                        "request_count": counter._value.get(),
+                        # Observed when the handler returns or raises. request_total counts entry and
+                        # agrees only because this worker answers GET_METRICS after each handler.
+                        "request_count": duration_count,
                         "latency_avg": duration_sum / duration_count if duration_count > 0 else 0,
                         "latency_p50": self._quantile_from_cumulative(hist, cumulative_counts, 0.50),
                         "latency_p99": self._quantile_from_cumulative(hist, cumulative_counts, 0.99),