diff --git a/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.c b/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.c
index e6b4eea77..ac1ddf4ef 100644
--- a/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.c
+++ b/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.c
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
+#include <stdatomic.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
 /* ── Constants ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
@@ -1001,6 +1002,25 @@ void cbm_pxc_run_one_ts(CBMFileResult *r, const char *source, int source_len, co
  * `rust_shared_get` supplies the lazily-built shared Rust all-defs registry
  * (the parallel resolver owns its once-guard); NULL means "no shared rust
  * registry available" and rust NULL-filter files take the per-file build. */
+/* Per-file registry-build cost counters (#1669). Surfaced by pass_parallel at
+ * end of resolve. */
+_Atomic uint64_t g_pxc_defs_registered = 0;
+_Atomic uint64_t g_pxc_build_files = 0;
+_Atomic uint64_t g_pxc_filter_files = 0;
+_Atomic uint64_t g_pxc_filter_failed = 0;
+
+void cbm_pxc_filter_stats(uint64_t *defs_registered, uint64_t *build_files, uint64_t *filter_files,
+                          uint64_t *filter_failed) {
+    if (defs_registered)
+        *defs_registered = atomic_load_explicit(&g_pxc_defs_registered, memory_order_relaxed);
+    if (build_files)
+        *build_files = atomic_load_explicit(&g_pxc_build_files, memory_order_relaxed);
+    if (filter_files)
+        *filter_files = atomic_load_explicit(&g_pxc_filter_files, memory_order_relaxed);
+    if (filter_failed)
+        *filter_failed = atomic_load_explicit(&g_pxc_filter_failed, memory_order_relaxed);
+}
+
 void cbm_pxc_dispatch_file(CBMLanguage lang, CBMFileResult *result, const char *source,
                            int source_len, const char *rel, const char *def_module,
                            const CBMCrossLspRegistries *cross_registries,
@@ -1112,7 +1132,17 @@ void cbm_pxc_dispatch_file(CBMLanguage lang, CBMFileResult *result, const char *
             file_defs = filtered;
             file_def_count = filtered_count;
         }
+        atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&g_pxc_filter_files, 1, memory_order_relaxed);
+        if (!filter_succeeded) {
+            atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&g_pxc_filter_failed, 1, memory_order_relaxed);
+        }
     }
+    /* Per-file registry build cost is driven by THIS number. If it tracks the
+     * corpus instead of the file's own module + imports, cross-file LSP is
+     * O(files x corpus_defs) — see #1669. */
+    atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&g_pxc_defs_registered, (uint64_t)file_def_count,
+                              memory_order_relaxed);
+    atomic_fetch_add_explicit(&g_pxc_build_files, 1, memory_order_relaxed);
     if (lang == CBM_LANG_RUST) {
         CBMTypeRegistry *shared = rust_shared_get ? rust_shared_get(rust_shared_ctx) : NULL;
         if (shared) {
diff --git a/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.h b/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.h
index 11269ce62..d60d8fa16 100644
--- a/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.h
+++ b/src/pipeline/pass_lsp_cross.h
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ typedef struct {
 
 /* Return the appropriate pre-built registry for a language, or NULL
  * if none was built (or language has no cross-LSP entrypoint). */
+/* Per-file registry-build cost (#1669): how many defs the per-file cross-LSP
+ * path actually registered, and how often the module filter failed. */
+void cbm_pxc_filter_stats(uint64_t *defs_registered, uint64_t *build_files, uint64_t *filter_files,
+                          uint64_t *filter_failed);
+
 static inline CBMTypeRegistry *cbm_pxc_registry_for_lang(const CBMCrossLspRegistries *r,
                                                          CBMLanguage lang) {
     if (!r)
diff --git a/src/pipeline/pass_parallel.c b/src/pipeline/pass_parallel.c
index ab12f383d..c3eb2aeec 100644
--- a/src/pipeline/pass_parallel.c
+++ b/src/pipeline/pass_parallel.c
@@ -3315,6 +3315,26 @@ int cbm_parallel_resolve(cbm_pipeline_ctx_t *ctx, const cbm_file_info_t *files,
         cbm_log_info("parallel.resolve.cross_lsp_cost", "cross_lsp_ms", cu_buf, "files", nf_buf,
                      "us_per_file", cf_buf, "defs_total", itoa_log(def_count),
                      "us_per_file_per_kdef", pk_buf);
+
+        /* What the per-file registry build actually cost. defs_per_file is the
+         * lever: if it tracks defs_total rather than the file's own module plus
+         * imports, the module filter is not containing the work and cross-file
+         * LSP is O(files x corpus_defs). */
+        uint64_t reg_defs = 0;
+        uint64_t reg_files = 0;
+        uint64_t flt_files = 0;
+        uint64_t flt_failed = 0;
+        cbm_pxc_filter_stats(&reg_defs, &reg_files, &flt_files, &flt_failed);
+        if (reg_files > 0) {
+            char rd_buf[CBM_SZ_32];
+            char ff_buf[CBM_SZ_32];
+            char fp_buf[CBM_SZ_32];
+            snprintf(rd_buf, sizeof(rd_buf), "%llu", (unsigned long long)(reg_defs / reg_files));
+            snprintf(ff_buf, sizeof(ff_buf), "%llu", (unsigned long long)flt_failed);
+            snprintf(fp_buf, sizeof(fp_buf), "%llu", (unsigned long long)flt_files);
+            cbm_log_info("parallel.resolve.perfile_registry", "defs_per_file", rd_buf, "defs_total",
+                         itoa_log(def_count), "filtered_files", fp_buf, "filter_failed", ff_buf);
+        }
     }
 
     cbm_log_info("parallel.resolve.done", "calls", itoa_log(total_calls), "usages",