diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c4ac184b..c442b436 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -51,3 +51,4 @@ Thumbs.db
 # =====================
 .vscode/
 .idea/
+.venv/
diff --git a/.jules/bolt.md b/.jules/bolt.md
index 398b9b36..355db886 100644
--- a/.jules/bolt.md
+++ b/.jules/bolt.md
@@ -45,3 +45,7 @@
 ## 2026-02-10 - Group-By for Multi-Count Statistics
 **Learning:** Executing multiple `count()` queries with different filters (e.g., for different statuses) causes redundant database scans and network round-trips.
 **Action:** Use a single SQL `GROUP BY` query to fetch counts for all categories/statuses at once, then process the results in Python.
+
+## 2026-02-11 - File I/O in Hot Paths
+**Learning:** Checking file modification time (`os.path.getmtime`) in a property getter seems harmless ("just a stat call"), but when accessed multiple times per request (e.g., fetching 4 different config values sequentially), the redundant disk I/O compounds and introduces measurable synchronous latency.
+**Action:** Throttle filesystem checks in hot-reloading configurations. Even a small interval (e.g., 5 seconds) effectively eliminates redundant I/O during a single request's lifecycle without sacrificing the ability to hot-reload.
diff --git a/backend/adaptive_weights.py b/backend/adaptive_weights.py
index 944618ba..5b35d4cf 100644
--- a/backend/adaptive_weights.py
+++ b/backend/adaptive_weights.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ class AdaptiveWeights:
     _instance = None
     _weights = None
     _last_loaded = 0
+    _last_checked = 0
 
     def __new__(cls):
         if cls._instance is None:
@@ -40,8 +41,12 @@ def _load_weights(self):
                 self._weights = {}
 
     def _check_reload(self):
-        # Optimization: Checking mtime is fast (stat call).
-        self._load_weights()
+        # Throttle mtime checks to at most once every 5 seconds
+        # This prevents multiple disk I/O operations per request
+        current_time = time.time()
+        if current_time - self._last_checked > 5:
+            self._last_checked = current_time
+            self._load_weights()
 
     def _save_weights(self):
         try: