diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DispatchManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DispatchManager.coffee
index 4444c0183b..e60d226660 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DispatchManager.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/DispatchManager.coffee
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@ redis = require("redis-sharelatex")
 
 UpdateManager = require('./UpdateManager')
 Metrics = require('./Metrics')
+RateLimitManager = require('./RateLimitManager')
 
 module.exports = DispatchManager =
-	createDispatcher: () ->
+	createDispatcher: (RateLimiter) ->
 		client = redis.createClient(Settings.redis.realtime)
 		worker = {
 			client: client
@@ -20,11 +21,11 @@ module.exports = DispatchManager =
 					[list_name, doc_key] = result
 					[project_id, doc_id] = Keys.splitProjectIdAndDocId(doc_key)
 					# Dispatch this in the background
-					Metrics.gauge "processingUpdates", "+1"  # increments/decrements gauge with +/- sign
-					UpdateManager.processOutstandingUpdatesWithLock project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
-						Metrics.gauge "processingUpdates", "-1"
-						logger.error err: error, project_id: project_id, doc_id: doc_id, "error processing update" if error?
-					callback()
+					backgroundTask = (cb) ->
+						UpdateManager.processOutstandingUpdatesWithLock project_id, doc_id, (error) ->
+							logger.error err: error, project_id: project_id, doc_id: doc_id, "error processing update" if error?
+							cb()
+					RateLimiter.run backgroundTask, callback
 						
 			run: () ->
 				return if Settings.shuttingDown
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ module.exports = DispatchManager =
 		return worker
 		
 	createAndStartDispatchers: (number) ->
+		RateLimiter = new RateLimitManager(number)
 		for i in [1..number]
-			worker = DispatchManager.createDispatcher()
+			worker = DispatchManager.createDispatcher(RateLimiter)
 			worker.run()
diff --git a/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RateLimitManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RateLimitManager.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ce61232af3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/document-updater/app/coffee/RateLimitManager.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+Settings = require('settings-sharelatex')
+logger = require('logger-sharelatex')
+Metrics = require('./Metrics')
+
+module.exports = class RateLimiter
+
+	constructor: (number = 10) ->
+		@ActiveWorkerCount = 0
+		@CurrentWorkerLimit = number
+		@BaseWorkerCount = number
+
+	_adjustLimitUp: () ->
+		@CurrentWorkerLimit += 0.1 # allow target worker limit to increase gradually
+
+	_adjustLimitDown: () ->
+		@CurrentWorkerLimit = Math.max @BaseWorkerCount, (@CurrentWorkerLimit * 0.9)
+		logger.log {currentLimit: Math.ceil(@CurrentWorkerLimit)}, "reducing rate limit"
+
+	_trackAndRun: (task, callback = () ->) ->
+		@ActiveWorkerCount++
+		Metrics.gauge "processingUpdates", "+1"  # increments/decrements gauge with +/- sign
+		task (err) =>
+			@ActiveWorkerCount--
+			Metrics.gauge "processingUpdates", "-1"
+			callback(err)
+
+	run: (task, callback) ->
+		if @ActiveWorkerCount < @CurrentWorkerLimit
+			@_trackAndRun task  # below the limit, just put the task in the background
+			callback()         # return immediately
+			if @CurrentWorkerLimit > @BaseWorkerCount
+				@_adjustLimitDown()
+		else
+			logger.log {active: @ActiveWorkerCount, currentLimit: Math.ceil(@CurrentWorkerLimit)}, "hit rate limit"
+			@_trackAndRun task, callback # only return after task completes
+			@_adjustLimitUp()
diff --git a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DispatchManager/DispatchManagerTests.coffee b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DispatchManager/DispatchManagerTests.coffee
index a82a40af04..dcd643fcfe 100644
--- a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DispatchManager/DispatchManagerTests.coffee
+++ b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/DispatchManager/DispatchManagerTests.coffee
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ describe "DispatchManager", ->
 					realtime: {}
 			"redis-sharelatex": @redis = {}
 		@callback = sinon.stub()
+		@RateLimiter = { run: (task,cb) -> task(cb) } # run task without rate limit
 
 	describe "each worker", ->
 		beforeEach ->
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ describe "DispatchManager", ->
 				auth: sinon.stub()
 			@redis.createClient = sinon.stub().returns @client
 			
-			@worker = @DispatchManager.createDispatcher()
+			@worker = @DispatchManager.createDispatcher(@RateLimiter)
 			
 		it "should create a new redis client", ->
 			@redis.createClient.called.should.equal true
diff --git a/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RateLimitManager/RateLimitManager.coffee b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RateLimitManager/RateLimitManager.coffee
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..866532a4da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/document-updater/test/unit/coffee/RateLimitManager/RateLimitManager.coffee
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+sinon = require('sinon')
+chai = require('chai')
+should = chai.should()
+expect = chai.expect
+modulePath = "../../../../app/js/RateLimitManager.js"
+SandboxedModule = require('sandboxed-module')
+
+describe "RateLimitManager", ->
+	beforeEach ->
+		@RateLimitManager = SandboxedModule.require modulePath, requires:
+			"logger-sharelatex": @logger = { log: sinon.stub() }
+			"settings-sharelatex": @settings =
+				redis:
+					realtime: {}
+			"./Metrics": @Metrics =
+				Timer: class Timer
+					done: sinon.stub()
+				gauge: sinon.stub()
+		@callback = sinon.stub()
+		@RateLimiter = new @RateLimitManager(1)
+
+	describe "for a single task", ->
+		beforeEach ->
+			@task = sinon.stub()
+			@RateLimiter.run @task, @callback
+
+		it "should execute the task in the background", ->
+			@task.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should call the callback", ->
+			@callback.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should finish with a worker count of one", ->
+			# because it's in the background
+			expect(@RateLimiter.ActiveWorkerCount).to.equal 1
+
+	describe "for multiple tasks", ->
+		beforeEach (done) ->
+			@task = sinon.stub()
+			@finalTask = sinon.stub()
+			task = (cb) =>
+				@task()
+				setTimeout cb, 100
+			finalTask = (cb) =>
+				@finalTask()
+				setTimeout cb, 100
+			@RateLimiter.run task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run finalTask, (err) =>
+				@callback(err)
+				done()
+
+		it "should execute the first three tasks", ->
+			@task.calledThrice.should.equal true
+
+		it "should execute the final task", ->
+			@finalTask.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should call the callback", ->
+			@callback.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should finish with worker count of zero", ->
+			expect(@RateLimiter.ActiveWorkerCount).to.equal 0
+
+	describe "for a mixture of long-running tasks", ->
+		beforeEach (done) ->
+			@task = sinon.stub()
+			@finalTask = sinon.stub()
+			finalTask = (cb) =>
+				@finalTask()
+				setTimeout cb, 100
+			@RateLimiter.run @task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run @task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run @task, @callback
+			@RateLimiter.run finalTask, (err) =>
+				@callback(err)
+				done()
+
+		it "should execute the first three tasks", ->
+			@task.calledThrice.should.equal true
+
+		it "should execute the final task", ->
+			@finalTask.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should call the callback", ->
+			@callback.called.should.equal true
+
+		it "should finish with worker count of three", ->
+			expect(@RateLimiter.ActiveWorkerCount).to.equal 3