diff --git a/datasette/app.py b/datasette/app.py
index 37c4e882..6a06e091 100644
--- a/datasette/app.py
+++ b/datasette/app.py
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ from .renderer import json_renderer
 from .resources import DatabaseResource, TableResource
 from .telemetry import (
     TelemetryMiddleware,
+    _in_datasette_client,
     clamp_http_method,
     request_span,
     tracer,
@@ -171,8 +172,9 @@ app_root = Path(__file__).parent.parent
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-# Context variable to track when code is executing within a datasette.client request
-_in_datasette_client = contextvars.ContextVar("in_datasette_client", default=False)
+# _in_datasette_client itself lives in telemetry.py so the request span
+# middleware can read it without a circular import; its writers
+# (_DatasetteClientContext) and reader (in_client()) both live here.
 
 
 class _DatasetteClientContext:
diff --git a/datasette/telemetry.py b/datasette/telemetry.py
index 1f74a3fb..19462585 100644
--- a/datasette/telemetry.py
+++ b/datasette/telemetry.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ run-to-run variation. Installing an SDK provider is what costs
 something measurable.
 """
 
+import contextvars
 import re
 
 from opentelemetry import trace as otel_trace
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ from .telemetry_registry import (
     ERROR_TYPE,
     HTTP_REQUEST_METHOD,
     HTTP_RESPONSE_STATUS_CODE,
+    INTERNAL_CLIENT,
     SERVER_ADDRESS,
     URL_PATH,
     URL_SCHEME,
@@ -32,6 +34,14 @@ from .telemetry_registry import (
 )
 from .version import __version__
 
+# True while code is executing within a datasette.client request. Defined
+# here rather than in app.py (which owns its writers and the in_client()
+# accessor) so TelemetryMiddleware can read it without a circular import:
+# an in-process sub-request runs the full ASGI stack, so it emits a second,
+# nested SERVER span - datasette.internal_client marks those so kind-based
+# dashboards can filter the double-count out.
+_in_datasette_client = contextvars.ContextVar("in_datasette_client", default=False)
+
 # The semantic-convention version whose spellings this instrumentation
 # actually emits. Deliberately NOT the latest release.
 #
@@ -301,6 +311,8 @@ class TelemetryMiddleware:
             user_agent = _first_header(headers, b"user-agent")
             if user_agent:
                 span.set_attribute(USER_AGENT_ORIGINAL, user_agent)
+            if _in_datasette_client.get():
+                span.set_attribute(INTERNAL_CLIENT, True)
 
             # A copy, not a mutation: the scope belongs to the server, and
             # every other layer in Datasette extends it the same way.
diff --git a/datasette/telemetry_registry.py b/datasette/telemetry_registry.py
index 0850a4ff..283b8886 100644
--- a/datasette/telemetry_registry.py
+++ b/datasette/telemetry_registry.py
@@ -136,6 +136,16 @@ USER_AGENT_ORIGINAL = Attribute(
     "The ``User-Agent`` header, verbatim. Omitted if the client sent none.",
     optional=True,
 )
+INTERNAL_CLIENT = Attribute(
+    "datasette.internal_client",
+    "``True`` when the request was made in-process through "
+    "``datasette.client`` rather than arriving over the network. Such a "
+    "sub-request runs the full ASGI stack, so it emits its own nested "
+    "``SERVER`` span inside the outer request's - filter on this attribute "
+    "to keep kind-based dashboards from double-counting requests. Omitted "
+    "for real inbound requests.",
+    optional=True,
+)
 ERROR_TYPE = Attribute(
     "error.type",
     "Set when the request failed: the exception class name if one escaped the "
@@ -283,6 +293,7 @@ HTTP_REQUEST = SpanName(
         USER_AGENT_ORIGINAL,
         HTTP_RESPONSE_STATUS_CODE,
         ERROR_TYPE,
+        INTERNAL_CLIENT,
     ),
     dynamic=True,
     kind=SpanKind.SERVER,
diff --git a/docs/internals.rst b/docs/internals.rst
index c780a34e..6465ea49 100644
--- a/docs/internals.rst
+++ b/docs/internals.rst
@@ -2397,6 +2397,7 @@ That is the route's compiled regular expression, not a prettified ``/{database}/
     - ``user_agent.original`` *(optional)* - The ``User-Agent`` header, verbatim. Omitted if the client sent none.
     - ``http.response.status_code`` *(optional)* - The status of the response, read from the ASGI ``http.response.start`` message rather than from a :ref:`internals_response` object - several views, including static files, file downloads and streaming CSV, send that message themselves and never build one. Omitted if the connection closed before anything was sent.
     - ``error.type`` *(optional)* - Set when the request failed: the exception class name if one escaped the application, otherwise the status code as a string for a 5xx response. A 4xx does **not** set this and does not set an error status - per semantic conventions a client error is not a server span's failure.
+    - ``datasette.internal_client`` *(optional)* - ``True`` when the request was made in-process through ``datasette.client`` rather than arriving over the network. Such a sub-request runs the full ASGI stack, so it emits its own nested ``SERVER`` span inside the outer request's - filter on this attribute to keep kind-based dashboards from double-counting requests. Omitted for real inbound requests.
 
 ``db.query``
     A SQL operation issued by Datasette, covering the full round trip including any time spent queued for a thread. Callback-style calls - ``execute_fn()``, ``execute_write_fn()`` and ``execute_isolated_fn()`` - appear here too, distinguished by ``datasette.callback`` in place of ``db.query.text``.
diff --git a/tests/test_http_span.py b/tests/test_http_span.py
index a69713cb..ca2239d5 100644
--- a/tests/test_http_span.py
+++ b/tests/test_http_span.py
@@ -856,3 +856,34 @@ def test_no_provider_takes_the_fast_path():
     )
     # Same fast path, other observable: nothing is stashed in the scope either.
     assert report["scope_keys"] == [False, False]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_internal_client_requests_are_marked(ds, otel_spans):
+    """
+    An in-process `datasette.client` request runs the full ASGI stack, so it
+    emits its own SERVER span - `datasette.internal_client` marks those so
+    kind-based dashboards can filter the double-count out. A request that
+    arrives through the raw ASGI app (the shape of a real inbound request,
+    without the DatasetteClient wrapper setting the ContextVar) must not
+    carry the attribute.
+    """
+    otel_spans.clear()
+    assert (await ds.client.get("/")).status_code == 200
+    server = _server_spans(otel_spans)
+    assert server
+    assert all(
+        span.attributes.get("datasette.internal_client") is True for span in server
+    )
+
+    import httpx
+
+    transport = httpx.ASGITransport(app=ds.app())
+    async with httpx.AsyncClient(
+        transport=transport, base_url="http://localhost"
+    ) as client:
+        otel_spans.clear()
+        assert (await client.get("/")).status_code == 200
+    server = _server_spans(otel_spans)
+    assert server
+    assert all("datasette.internal_client" not in span.attributes for span in server)
diff --git a/tests/test_telemetry_registry.py b/tests/test_telemetry_registry.py
index f37dc8f0..242d64d3 100644
--- a/tests/test_telemetry_registry.py
+++ b/tests/test_telemetry_registry.py
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ EXPECTED_HTTP_ATTRIBUTES = {
     "user_agent.original",
     "http.response.status_code",
     "error.type",
+    "datasette.internal_client",
 }
 
 # The registry's own name for the request span is that template, not anything