diff --git a/quickwit/quickwit-common/src/tower/rate.rs b/quickwit/quickwit-common/src/tower/rate.rs
index 7d365a0668a..90f3ff99dd9 100644
--- a/quickwit/quickwit-common/src/tower/rate.rs
+++ b/quickwit/quickwit-common/src/tower/rate.rs
@@ -46,10 +46,9 @@ impl ConstantRate {
     ///
     /// # Panics
     ///
-    /// This function panics if `period` is 0.
+    /// This function panics if `period` is 0 while work is != 0.
     pub const fn new(work: u64, period: Duration) -> Self {
-        assert!(!period.is_zero());
-
+        assert!(!period.is_zero() || work == 0u64);
         Self { work, period }
     }
 
@@ -69,8 +68,10 @@ impl ConstantRate {
     ///
     /// This function panics if `new_period` is 0.
     pub fn rescale(&self, new_period: Duration) -> Self {
+        if self.work == 0u64 {
+            return Self::new(0u64, new_period);
+        }
         assert!(!new_period.is_zero());
-
         let new_work = self.work() as u128 * new_period.as_nanos() / self.period().as_nanos();
         Self::new(new_work as u64, new_period)
     }
@@ -90,6 +91,20 @@ impl Rate for ConstantRate {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    #[should_panic]
+    fn test_rescale_zero_duration_panics() {
+        ConstantRate::bytes_per_period(ByteSize::b(1), Duration::default());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_rescale_zero_duration_accepted_if_no_work() {
+        let rate = ConstantRate::bytes_per_period(ByteSize::b(0), Duration::default());
+        let rescaled_rate = rate.rescale(Duration::from_secs(1));
+        assert_eq!(rescaled_rate.work_bytes(), ByteSize::b(0));
+        assert_eq!(rescaled_rate.period(), Duration::from_secs(1));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_rescale() {
         let rate = ConstantRate::bytes_per_period(ByteSize::mib(5), Duration::from_secs(5));
diff --git a/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/Cargo.toml b/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/Cargo.toml
index 495a6cee2df..5ac233859f8 100644
--- a/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/Cargo.toml
+++ b/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/Cargo.toml
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ mockall = { workspace = true }
 rand = { workspace = true }
 rand_distr = { workspace = true }
 tempfile = { workspace = true }
+tokio = { workspace = true, features = ["test-util"]}
 
 quickwit-actors = { workspace = true, features = ["testsuite"] }
 quickwit-cluster = { workspace = true, features = ["testsuite"] }
diff --git a/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/src/ingest_v2/rate_meter.rs b/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/src/ingest_v2/rate_meter.rs
index be0d9e9230f..b2eb4748916 100644
--- a/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/src/ingest_v2/rate_meter.rs
+++ b/quickwit/quickwit-ingest/src/ingest_v2/rate_meter.rs
@@ -17,9 +17,8 @@
 // You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 // along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
-use std::time::Instant;
-
 use quickwit_common::tower::ConstantRate;
+use tokio::time::Instant;
 
 /// A naive rate meter that tracks how much work was performed during a period of time defined by
 /// two successive calls to `harvest`.
@@ -47,10 +46,7 @@ impl RateMeter {
     /// Returns the average work rate since the last call to this method and resets the internal
     /// state.
     pub fn harvest(&mut self) -> ConstantRate {
-        self.harvest_inner(Instant::now())
-    }
-
-    fn harvest_inner(&mut self, now: Instant) -> ConstantRate {
+        let now = Instant::now();
         let elapsed = now.duration_since(self.harvested_at);
         let rate = ConstantRate::new(self.total_work, elapsed);
         self.total_work = 0;
@@ -67,20 +63,25 @@ mod tests {
 
     use super::*;
 
-    #[test]
-    fn test_rate_meter() {
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn test_rate_meter() {
+        tokio::time::pause();
         let mut rate_meter = RateMeter::default();
-        assert_eq!(rate_meter.total_work, 0);
 
-        let now = Instant::now();
-        rate_meter.harvested_at = now;
+        let rate = rate_meter.harvest();
+        assert_eq!(rate.work(), 0);
+        assert!(rate.period().is_zero());
 
-        let rate = rate_meter.harvest_inner(now + Duration::from_millis(100));
+        tokio::time::advance(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+
+        let rate = rate_meter.harvest();
         assert_eq!(rate.work(), 0);
         assert_eq!(rate.period(), Duration::from_millis(100));
 
         rate_meter.update(1);
-        let rate = rate_meter.harvest_inner(now + Duration::from_millis(200));
+        tokio::time::advance(Duration::from_millis(100)).await;
+
+        let rate = rate_meter.harvest();
         assert_eq!(rate.work(), 1);
         assert_eq!(rate.period(), Duration::from_millis(100));
     }