diff --git a/internal/middleware/middleware.go b/internal/middleware/middleware.go
index f6eb83d..7b433c7 100644
--- a/internal/middleware/middleware.go
+++ b/internal/middleware/middleware.go
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5/middleware"
 	"github.com/go-chi/cors"
 	"github.com/go-chi/httprate"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	metrics "github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/metrics/prometheus"
 	ghmm "github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/middleware"
 	"github.com/slok/go-http-metrics/middleware/std"
@@ -63,6 +64,10 @@ type Middleware struct {
 	log      *slog.Logger
 	config   *config.Config
 	clientIP *clientip.Resolver
+
+	// metricsRegistry is the registry Metrics registers its metrics with.
+	// nil is Prometheus' default registry, the one /metrics serves.
+	metricsRegistry prometheus.Registerer
 }
 
 // New creates a new Middleware instance.
@@ -212,7 +217,9 @@ func (s *Middleware) CORS() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 // Metrics returns a Prometheus metrics middleware.
 func (s *Middleware) Metrics() func(http.Handler) http.Handler {
 	mdlw := ghmm.New(ghmm.Config{
-		Recorder: metrics.NewRecorder(metrics.Config{}),
+		Recorder: metrics.NewRecorder(metrics.Config{
+			Registry: s.metricsRegistry,
+		}),
 	})
 
 	return func(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
diff --git a/internal/middleware/middleware_internal_test.go b/internal/middleware/middleware_internal_test.go
index 91ba3f3..5801513 100644
--- a/internal/middleware/middleware_internal_test.go
+++ b/internal/middleware/middleware_internal_test.go
@@ -3,12 +3,15 @@ package middleware
 import (
 	"bytes"
 	"log/slog"
+	"maps"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"net/url"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/go-chi/chi/v5"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promhttp"
 
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/config"
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ func TestMetricsRecordsServedRequest(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// The line /metrics shows once one GET /test has been served.
 	const want = `http_request_duration_seconds_count{` +
-		`code="200",handler="/test",method="GET",service=""} 1`
+		`code="200",handler="unmatched",method="GET",service=""} 1`
 
 	mw := &Middleware{log: slog.Default(), config: &config.Config{}}
 
@@ -220,6 +223,83 @@ func TestMetricsRecordsServedRequest(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestMetricsLabelsRequestsByRoute checks that the metrics middleware labels
+// each request with the pattern of the route that answers it, never with its
+// path: two paths one route answers share that route's pattern, and requests
+// no route answers, a 404 or a 405, share "unmatched". With a label per path,
+// any client could add series to the registry without limit. The middleware
+// registers with a registry of its own here, as another test in this package
+// registers with Prometheus' default registry, which can be done only once.
+func TestMetricsLabelsRequestsByRoute(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	registry := prometheus.NewRegistry()
+	mw := &Middleware{
+		log:             slog.Default(),
+		config:          &config.Config{},
+		metricsRegistry: registry,
+	}
+
+	// The image route is in a subrouter, as in pixa's router.
+	router := chi.NewRouter()
+	router.Use(mw.Metrics())
+	router.Route("/v1", func(r chi.Router) {
+		r.Get("/image/*", func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
+		})
+	})
+
+	for _, req := range []struct{ method, path string }{
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/image/a.example.com/one.jpg/1x1.png"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/image/b.example.com/two.jpg/1x1.png"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/no-such-route"},
+		{http.MethodGet, "/v1/no-such-route"},
+		{http.MethodPost, "/v1/image/a.example.com/one.jpg/1x1.png"},
+	} {
+		router.ServeHTTP(httptest.NewRecorder(), httptest.NewRequestWithContext(
+			t.Context(), req.method, req.path, nil))
+	}
+
+	got := requestCountsByHandler(t, registry)
+	t.Logf("requests counted by handler label: %v", got)
+
+	want := map[string]uint64{"/v1/image/*": 2, "unmatched": 3}
+	if !maps.Equal(got, want) {
+		t.Errorf("requests counted by handler label = %v, want %v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+// requestCountsByHandler returns how many requests the request duration
+// histogram in registry counted under each value of its handler label.
+func requestCountsByHandler(
+	t *testing.T, registry *prometheus.Registry,
+) map[string]uint64 {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	families, err := registry.Gather()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("registry.Gather() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	counts := map[string]uint64{}
+
+	for _, family := range families {
+		if family.GetName() != "http_request_duration_seconds" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		for _, metric := range family.GetMetric() {
+			for _, label := range metric.GetLabel() {
+				if label.GetName() == "handler" {
+					counts[label.GetValue()] += metric.GetHistogram().GetSampleCount()
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	return counts
+}
+
 // TestLoggingLeavesOutSubmittedSigningKey checks that a login, a POST /
 // whose form carries the signing key, leaves no trace of the key in the
 // request's log line.