diff --git a/core/services/failover/manager.go b/core/services/failover/manager.go
index b01a513b6..3c647a2ce 100644
--- a/core/services/failover/manager.go
+++ b/core/services/failover/manager.go
@@ -713,7 +713,12 @@ func (m *Manager) Subscribe(buffer int) (<-chan Event, func()) {
 }
 
 func (m *Manager) emitLocked(ev Event) {
-	if ev.Type == EventChainSwitched {
+	// Every frontend emits the switch to its own subscribers, but only the
+	// one that decided it counts it, or the cluster-wide total would be N
+	// times the real one. Followers adopt the leader's switches (ApplyChain)
+	// and apply pins the leader applies too. Without a sync layer each
+	// frontend decides for itself, so each counts.
+	if ev.Type == EventChainSwitched && (m.leader || m.sync == nil) {
 		recordSwitch(ev)
 	}
 	for _, c := range m.subs {
diff --git a/core/services/failover/metrics_switch_test.go b/core/services/failover/metrics_switch_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ae1b7957a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/services/failover/metrics_switch_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package failover
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"sync"
+
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
+	sdkmetric "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric"
+	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/metric/metricdata"
+)
+
+var (
+	switchReaderOnce sync.Once
+	switchReader     *sdkmetric.ManualReader
+)
+
+// switchCount reads localai_failover_switches_total. The global provider can
+// only be installed once per process, so every spec shares one reader and
+// compares counts before and after.
+func switchCount() int64 {
+	switchReaderOnce.Do(func() {
+		switchReader = sdkmetric.NewManualReader()
+		otel.SetMeterProvider(sdkmetric.NewMeterProvider(sdkmetric.WithReader(switchReader)))
+	})
+	var rm metricdata.ResourceMetrics
+	Expect(switchReader.Collect(context.Background(), &rm)).To(Succeed())
+	var n int64
+	for _, sm := range rm.ScopeMetrics {
+		for _, mt := range sm.Metrics {
+			if mt.Name != "localai_failover_switches_total" {
+				continue
+			}
+			if sum, ok := mt.Data.(metricdata.Sum[int64]); ok {
+				for _, dp := range sum.DataPoints {
+					n += dp.Value
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return n
+}
+
+var _ = Describe("switch metric", func() {
+	It("counts a switch once across the cluster, on the frontend that decided it", func() {
+		clock := newFakeClock()
+		src := newFakeSource(remote("x"), local("y"), chainCfg("chain", nil, t("x"), t("y")))
+		bus := &loopSync{pins: map[string]string{}}
+		leaderIsA := true
+		gateFor := func(isA bool) LeaderGate {
+			return func(_ context.Context, fn func()) bool {
+				if isA != leaderIsA {
+					return false
+				}
+				fn()
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+		a := New(src, WithClock(clock), WithLeaderGate(gateFor(true)))
+		b := New(src, WithClock(clock), WithLeaderGate(gateFor(false)))
+		bus.add(a)
+		bus.add(b)
+		a.SetStateSync(bus)
+		b.SetStateSync(bus)
+		a.Tick(context.Background())
+		b.Tick(context.Background())
+
+		before := switchCount()
+		a.ReportFailure("x", errBoom) // the leader switches, the follower adopts
+		st, _ := b.ChainStatus("chain")
+		Expect(st.Active).To(Equal("y"))
+		Expect(switchCount() - before).To(Equal(int64(1)))
+
+		before = switchCount()
+		Expect(b.Pin("chain", "x")).To(Succeed()) // applied on both frontends
+		Expect(switchCount() - before).To(Equal(int64(1)))
+	})
+})