diff --git a/noq-proto/src/congestion/bbr3/mod.rs b/noq-proto/src/congestion/bbr3/mod.rs
index f90753e8de..d3b3066a8f 100644
--- a/noq-proto/src/congestion/bbr3/mod.rs
+++ b/noq-proto/src/congestion/bbr3/mod.rs
@@ -458,6 +458,12 @@ pub struct Bbr3 {
     /// equivalent to BBR.full_bw_reached: A boolean that records whether BBR estimates that it has
     /// ever fully utilized its available bandwidth over the lifetime of the connection.
     full_bw_reached: bool,
+    /// Whether the pacing rate has been re-derived from a measured RTT. At construction no SRTT
+    /// exists, so the initial pacing rate is InitialCwnd / 1 ms (~266 Mbps for a 12 kB window)
+    /// and, until startup exits, BBRSetPacingRate only ever raises it. A path that stays
+    /// app-limited never exits startup and would therefore never be paced at all (Linux BBR:
+    /// `has_seen_rtt` / `bbr_init_pacing_rate_from_rtt`).
+    has_seen_rtt: bool,
     /// equivalent to BBR.full_bw_now: A boolean that records whether BBR estimates that it has
     /// fully utilized its available bandwidth since it most recetly started looking.
     full_bw_now: bool,
@@ -659,6 +665,7 @@ impl Bbr3 {
             extra_acked_delivered: 0,
             extra_acked_filter: MaxFilter::new(EXTRA_ACKED_FILTER_LEN as u64),
             full_bw_reached: false,
+            has_seen_rtt: false,
             full_bw_now: false,
             full_bw: 0.0,
             full_bw_count: 0,
@@ -1663,6 +1670,15 @@ impl Bbr3 {
         _app_limited: bool,
         rtt: &RttEstimator,
     ) {
+        if !self.has_seen_rtt && rtt.has_sample() {
+            // equivalent to BBRInitPacingRate with a real SRTT: the 1 ms placeholder used at
+            // construction is replaced by InitialCwnd / SRTT once the path has an RTT sample
+            self.has_seen_rtt = true;
+            let srtt = rtt.get().as_secs_f64().max(0.001);
+            let nominal_bandwidth = self.initial_cwnd as f64 / srtt;
+            self.pacing_rate = self.startup_pacing_gain * nominal_bandwidth;
+            self.set_send_quantum();
+        }
         self.check_recovery_done(sent);
         self.delivered += bytes;
         self.delivered_time = Some(now);
@@ -2232,6 +2248,50 @@ mod test {
         assert_eq!(bbr3.reno_rounds_bound, 63);
     }
 
+    /// The initial pacing rate is a placeholder computed with a 1 ms RTT (no SRTT exists at
+    /// construction), and `BBRSetPacingRate` only ever raises the rate before startup exits. A
+    /// flow that stays application-limited never exits startup, so without re-deriving the rate
+    /// from the first RTT sample it is never paced at all. Mirrors Linux BBR's
+    /// `bbr_init_pacing_rate_from_rtt` on `has_seen_rtt`.
+    #[test]
+    fn initial_pacing_rate_follows_first_rtt_sample() {
+        let config = Bbr3Config {
+            initial_window: 12_000,
+            probe_rng_seed: None,
+            startup_pacing_gain: None,
+            default_pacing_gain: None,
+            probe_bw_down_pacing_gain: None,
+            probe_bw_up_pacing_gain: None,
+            probe_bw_up_cwnd_gain: None,
+            probe_rtt_cwnd_gain: None,
+            drain_pacing_gain: None,
+            pacing_margin_percent: None,
+            default_cwnd_gain: None,
+        };
+        let mut bbr3 = Bbr3::new(Arc::new(config), 1200);
+        // placeholder: InitialCwnd / 1 ms
+        let placeholder = STARTUP_PACING_GAIN * 12_000.0 / 0.001;
+        assert!((bbr3.pacing_rate - placeholder).abs() < 1.0);
+
+        // one packet sent and acknowledged with a measured 40 ms RTT
+        let t0 = Instant::now();
+        let mut rtt = RttEstimator::new(Duration::from_millis(333));
+        rtt.update(Duration::ZERO, Duration::from_millis(40));
+        bbr3.on_packet_sent(t0, 1200, 0, SpaceKind::Data);
+        let t1 = t0 + Duration::from_millis(40);
+        bbr3.on_ack(t1, t0, 1200, 0, SpaceKind::Data, false, &rtt);
+
+        // re-derived from the sample: InitialCwnd / SRTT, far below the placeholder
+        let expected = STARTUP_PACING_GAIN * 12_000.0 / rtt.get().as_secs_f64();
+        assert!(
+            (bbr3.pacing_rate - expected).abs() / expected < 0.01,
+            "pacing_rate {} B/s, expected {} B/s (placeholder was {})",
+            bbr3.pacing_rate,
+            expected,
+            placeholder
+        );
+    }
+
     /// A.1: Exiting STARTUP on a bandwidth plateau.
     /// equivalent to: <https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-ietf-ccwg-bbr-06.html#name-exiting-startup-on-bandwidt>
     /// Drives a flow through the real `on_packet_sent`/`on_ack`/`on_end_acks`
diff --git a/noq-proto/src/connection/paths.rs b/noq-proto/src/connection/paths.rs
index fca5361396..221e68bb96 100644
--- a/noq-proto/src/connection/paths.rs
+++ b/noq-proto/src/connection/paths.rs
@@ -797,6 +797,12 @@ impl RttEstimator {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Whether at least one RTT sample has been taken (before that, [`Self::get`] returns the
+    /// configured initial estimate).
+    pub fn has_sample(&self) -> bool {
+        self.smoothed.is_some()
+    }
+
     /// The current best RTT estimation.
     pub fn get(&self) -> Duration {
         self.smoothed.unwrap_or(self.latest)