diff --git a/internal/server/app.go b/internal/server/app.go
index fd92d96bf..ab624c753 100644
--- a/internal/server/app.go
+++ b/internal/server/app.go
@@ -832,8 +832,6 @@ func (app *Application) reinitializeAfterConnect(ctx context.Context, dbConn *da
 	app.Auth = authSvc
 
 	dbRL := api.NewDBRateLimiter(dbConn.Pool())
-	// Periodic cleanup also evicts expired keys with no subsequent allowed request.
-	app.startRateLimiterCleanup(dbRL)
 	app.RateLimiter = dbRL
 	log.Println("Initialized database-backed rate limiter with shared replica counters")
 
@@ -938,6 +936,11 @@ func (app *Application) reinitializeAfterConnect(ctx context.Context, dbConn *da
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create API handler")
 	}
 
+	// Periodic cleanup also evicts expired keys with no subsequent allowed
+	// request. Started last: on any earlier error ensureDB closes the pool, and
+	// a worker started before that would keep ticking against it.
+	app.startRateLimiterCleanup(dbRL)
+
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/server/app_rl_cleanup_test.go b/internal/server/app_rl_cleanup_test.go
index 77a0df711..ac398dc06 100644
--- a/internal/server/app_rl_cleanup_test.go
+++ b/internal/server/app_rl_cleanup_test.go
@@ -2,9 +2,14 @@ package server
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"os"
+	"runtime"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
+	"github.com/LeanerCloud/cloud-commitments-platform/internal/database"
+	"github.com/LeanerCloud/cloud-commitments-platform/internal/testutil"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
@@ -34,3 +39,89 @@ func TestStartRateLimiterCleanup_SurvivesRequestCtxAndStopsOnClose(t *testing.T)
 		t.Fatal("worker ctx not canceled on Close")
 	}
 }
+
+// dbRLWorkerCreator is the "created by" frame every goroutine launched by
+// api.DBRateLimiter.StartCleanupWorker carries in a full stack dump.
+const dbRLWorkerCreator = "created by github.com/LeanerCloud/cloud-commitments-platform/internal/api.(*DBRateLimiter).StartCleanupWorker"
+
+// liveDBRLWorkers counts the DBRateLimiter cleanup goroutines running now.
+func liveDBRLWorkers() int {
+	buf := make([]byte, 1<<20)
+	for {
+		n := runtime.Stack(buf, true)
+		if n < len(buf) {
+			return strings.Count(string(buf[:n]), dbRLWorkerCreator)
+		}
+		buf = make([]byte, 2*len(buf))
+	}
+}
+
+// newReinitTestApp builds a pre-DB Application whose reinitializeAfterConnect
+// runs without a database, AWS or secret store: the stores and services it
+// wires only touch the pool when used, the encryption key comes from the raw
+// env var, and the AWS config loads from empty files.
+func newReinitTestApp(t *testing.T) *Application {
+	t.Helper()
+	for _, key := range []string{
+		"CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_KEY_SECRET_ARN", "CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_KEY_SECRET_NAME",
+		"CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_KEY_SECRET_ID", "CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_ALLOW_DEV_KEY",
+		"CUDLY_SIGNING_KEY_ID", "CUDLY_SIGNING_KEY_VAULT_URL", "CUDLY_SIGNING_KEY_NAME",
+		"CUDLY_SIGNING_KEY_RESOURCE", "AWS_PROFILE", "AWS_LAMBDA_RUNTIME_API",
+	} {
+		t.Setenv(key, "")
+	}
+	t.Setenv("CREDENTIAL_ENCRYPTION_KEY", strings.Repeat("12", 32))
+	t.Setenv("SCHEDULED_TASK_AUTH_MODE", "disabled")
+	t.Setenv("AWS_CONFIG_FILE", os.DevNull)
+	t.Setenv("AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE", os.DevNull)
+	t.Setenv("AWS_EC2_METADATA_DISABLED", "true")
+	t.Setenv("AWS_REGION", "us-east-1")
+
+	app, err := NewApplicationFromDeps(testutil.TestContext(t), ApplicationConfig{
+		DefaultTerm: 3, DefaultCoverage: 80, DashboardURL: "https://rl-cleanup.example.test",
+	}, ExternalDeps{
+		EmailSender: &noopEmailSender{},
+		DBConfig:    &database.Config{Host: "localhost", Port: 5432, Database: "cudly_test", User: "test", Password: "test", SSLMode: "disable"},
+	})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = app.Close() }) // idempotent; covers early test failures
+	return app
+}
+
+// TestReinitializeAfterConnect_CleanupWorkerOutlivesRequestCtx pins the call
+// site (#1137): the worker reinitializeAfterConnect starts must not stop when
+// the request context that triggered the lazy DB connect ends (#269), and must
+// stop on Close. Starting it with dbRL.StartCleanupWorker(ctx) fails this.
+func TestReinitializeAfterConnect_CleanupWorkerOutlivesRequestCtx(t *testing.T) {
+	app := newReinitTestApp(t)
+	before := liveDBRLWorkers()
+
+	reqCtx, cancelReq := context.WithCancel(testutil.TestContext(t))
+	require.NoError(t, app.reinitializeAfterConnect(reqCtx, &database.Connection{}))
+	require.Equal(t, before+1, liveDBRLWorkers(), "reinitializeAfterConnect must start one cleanup worker")
+
+	cancelReq()
+	assert.Never(t, func() bool { return liveDBRLWorkers() <= before },
+		300*time.Millisecond, 10*time.Millisecond,
+		"cleanup worker stopped with the request ctx; it must run on the app lifetime ctx")
+
+	require.NoError(t, app.Close())
+	assert.Eventually(t, func() bool { return liveDBRLWorkers() == before },
+		2*time.Second, 10*time.Millisecond, "cleanup worker must stop on Close")
+}
+
+// TestReinitializeAfterConnect_NoCleanupWorkerWhenLaterStepFails: ensureDB
+// closes the pool when reinitializeAfterConnect fails, so a worker started
+// before the failing step would tick against a closed pool until a retry
+// replaced it or Close canceled it (#1137).
+func TestReinitializeAfterConnect_NoCleanupWorkerWhenLaterStepFails(t *testing.T) {
+	app := newReinitTestApp(t)
+	// A missing shared-config profile fails the AWS config load, a step that
+	// runs after the rate limiter is built.
+	t.Setenv("AWS_PROFILE", "cudly-rl-cleanup-missing-profile")
+	before := liveDBRLWorkers()
+
+	err := app.reinitializeAfterConnect(testutil.TestContext(t), &database.Connection{})
+	require.ErrorContains(t, err, "failed to load AWS config")
+	assert.Equal(t, before, liveDBRLWorkers(), "a failed reinitializeAfterConnect must not leave a cleanup worker running")
+}