diff --git a/instrumentation.ts b/instrumentation.ts
index e9326579d3ee4..d52af7b7ea36b 100644
--- a/instrumentation.ts
+++ b/instrumentation.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import * as Sentry from '@sentry/nextjs';
-
 import {tracesSampler} from 'sentry-docs/tracesSampler';
 
 export function register() {
@@ -51,20 +50,6 @@ export function register() {
         }
         return metric;
       },
-
-      // temporary change for investigating edge middleware tx names
-      beforeSendTransaction(event) {
-        if (
-          event.transaction?.includes('middleware GET') &&
-          event.contexts?.trace?.data
-        ) {
-          event.contexts.trace.data = {
-            ...event.contexts.trace.data,
-            'sentry.source': 'custom',
-          };
-        }
-        return event;
-      },
     });
   }
 }
diff --git a/middleware.ts b/middleware.ts
index fc00a973fb14f..067ee41eaa760 100644
--- a/middleware.ts
+++ b/middleware.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,20 @@
 import * as Sentry from '@sentry/nextjs';
 import type {NextRequest} from 'next/server';
 import {NextResponse, userAgent} from 'next/server';
-import {AI_AGENT_PATTERN, type TrafficType} from 'sentry-docs/lib/trafficClassification';
+import {
+  AI_AGENT_PATTERN,
+  matchPattern,
+  type TrafficType,
+} from 'sentry-docs/lib/trafficClassification';
 
 // DEVELOPER_DOCS is set via next.config.ts env field (inlined at build time for edge runtime).
 // NEXT_PUBLIC_DEVELOPER_DOCS is the canonical env var; DEVELOPER_DOCS is the build-time alias.
 const isDeveloperDocs =
   process.env.DEVELOPER_DOCS || process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_DEVELOPER_DOCS;
 
-const BASE_URL = isDeveloperDocs ? 'https://develop.sentry.dev' : 'https://docs.sentry.io';
+const BASE_URL = isDeveloperDocs
+  ? 'https://develop.sentry.dev'
+  : 'https://docs.sentry.io';
 
 export const config = {
   // learn more: https://nextjs.org/docs/pages/building-your-application/routing/middleware#matcher
@@ -24,6 +30,14 @@ export const config = {
 
 // This function can be marked `async` if using `await` inside
 export function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
+  // Classify once per request and record it as a counter. This metric — not
+  // trace sampling — is the source of truth for agent/bot/user traffic: the
+  // middleware root span is created by Next.js before any request data reaches
+  // Sentry, so classification is impossible at trace-sampling time (see
+  // src/tracesSampler.ts).
+  const classification = classifyTraffic(request);
+  recordClassification(request, classification);
+
   // First, handle canonical URL redirects for deprecated paths
   const canonicalRedirect = handleRedirects(request);
   if (canonicalRedirect) {
@@ -31,7 +45,32 @@ export function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
   }
 
   // Then, check for AI/LLM clients and redirect to markdown if appropriate
-  return handleAIClientRedirect(request);
+  return handleAIClientRedirect(request, classification);
+}
+
+type TrafficClassification = ReturnType<typeof classifyTraffic>;
+
+/**
+ * Records the per-request traffic classification as a counter metric.
+ * Every request the middleware sees is counted — no sampling — making this
+ * the system of record for agent/bot/user traffic on the docs site.
+ */
+function recordClassification(
+  request: NextRequest,
+  classification: TrafficClassification
+): void {
+  const agent =
+    classification.trafficType === 'ai_agent'
+      ? matchPattern(request.headers.get('user-agent') ?? '', AI_AGENT_PATTERN)
+      : undefined;
+
+  Sentry.metrics.count('docs.request.classified', 1, {
+    attributes: {
+      traffic_type: classification.trafficType,
+      device_type: classification.deviceType,
+      ...(agent && {agent}),
+    },
+  });
 }
 
 // don't send Permanent Redirects (301) in dev mode - it gets cached for "localhost" by the browser
@@ -123,8 +162,10 @@ function wantsMarkdown(request: NextRequest): boolean {
  * These headers are added to the REQUEST (not response) so tracesSampler can read them.
  * Uses NextResponse.next({ request: { headers } }) pattern to modify the request.
  */
-function createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request: NextRequest): Headers {
-  const classification = classifyTraffic(request);
+function createClassifiedRequestHeaders(
+  request: NextRequest,
+  classification: TrafficClassification
+): Headers {
   const headers = new Headers(request.headers);
   headers.set('x-traffic-type', classification.trafficType);
   headers.set('x-device-type', classification.deviceType);
@@ -134,10 +175,13 @@ function createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request: NextRequest): Headers {
 /**
  * Creates a pass-through response with traffic classification headers on the request.
  */
-function nextWithClassification(request: NextRequest): NextResponse {
+function nextWithClassification(
+  request: NextRequest,
+  classification: TrafficClassification
+): NextResponse {
   return NextResponse.next({
     request: {
-      headers: createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request),
+      headers: createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request, classification),
     },
   });
 }
@@ -145,10 +189,14 @@ function nextWithClassification(request: NextRequest): NextResponse {
 /**
  * Creates a rewrite response with traffic classification headers on the request.
  */
-function rewriteWithClassification(request: NextRequest, destination: URL): NextResponse {
+function rewriteWithClassification(
+  request: NextRequest,
+  destination: URL,
+  classification: TrafficClassification
+): NextResponse {
   return NextResponse.rewrite(destination, {
     request: {
-      headers: createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request),
+      headers: createClassifiedRequestHeaders(request, classification),
     },
   });
 }
@@ -169,7 +217,10 @@ function mdToCanonicalPath(mdPathname: string): string {
 /**
  * Handles redirection to markdown versions for AI/LLM clients
  */
-const handleAIClientRedirect = (request: NextRequest) => {
+const handleAIClientRedirect = (
+  request: NextRequest,
+  classification: TrafficClassification
+) => {
   const userAgentString = request.headers.get('user-agent') || '';
   const acceptHeader = request.headers.get('accept') || '';
   const url = request.nextUrl;
@@ -207,8 +258,11 @@ const handleAIClientRedirect = (request: NextRequest) => {
   // engine crawlers consolidate ranking to the human-readable URL instead of indexing the
   // raw markdown. AI agents don't act on this header, so LLM ingestion is unaffected.
   if (url.pathname.endsWith('.md')) {
-    const response = nextWithClassification(request);
-    response.headers.set('Link', `<${BASE_URL}${mdToCanonicalPath(url.pathname)}>; rel="canonical"`);
+    const response = nextWithClassification(request, classification);
+    response.headers.set(
+      'Link',
+      `<${BASE_URL}${mdToCanonicalPath(url.pathname)}>; rel="canonical"`
+    );
     return response;
   }
 
@@ -221,7 +275,7 @@ const handleAIClientRedirect = (request: NextRequest) => {
       url.pathname
     )
   ) {
-    return nextWithClassification(request);
+    return nextWithClassification(request, classification);
   }
 
   // Check for markdown request (Accept header, user-agent, or manual)
@@ -248,11 +302,11 @@ const handleAIClientRedirect = (request: NextRequest) => {
 
     // Rewrite to serve markdown inline (same URL, different content)
     // The next.config.ts rewrite rule maps *.md to /md-exports/*.md
-    return rewriteWithClassification(request, newUrl);
+    return rewriteWithClassification(request, newUrl, classification);
   }
 
   // Default: pass through with traffic classification headers
-  return nextWithClassification(request);
+  return nextWithClassification(request, classification);
 };
 
 const handleRedirects = (request: NextRequest) => {
diff --git a/src/tracesSampler.ts b/src/tracesSampler.ts
index f4a53ead9d8c5..fcb77a2ac71b1 100644
--- a/src/tracesSampler.ts
+++ b/src/tracesSampler.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-import * as Sentry from '@sentry/nextjs';
-
 import {
   AI_AGENT_PATTERN,
   BOT_PATTERN,
@@ -41,107 +39,81 @@ function getHeaderValue(
 const VALID_TRAFFIC_TYPES = new Set<TrafficType>(['ai_agent', 'bot', 'user', 'unknown']);
 
 /**
- * Gets middleware traffic classification from headers.
- * Validates that traffic type is one of the expected values.
+ * Gets the traffic classification the middleware stamped onto the forwarded
+ * request via the `x-traffic-type` header (see middleware.ts).
  */
-function getMiddlewareClassification(headers?: Record<string, string>): {
-  deviceType: string | undefined;
-  trafficType: TrafficType | undefined;
-} {
+function getForwardedTrafficType(
+  headers?: Record<string, string>
+): TrafficType | undefined {
   const rawTrafficType = getHeaderValue(headers, 'x-traffic-type');
-  return {
-    deviceType: getHeaderValue(headers, 'x-device-type'),
-    trafficType: VALID_TRAFFIC_TYPES.has(rawTrafficType as TrafficType)
-      ? (rawTrafficType as TrafficType)
-      : undefined,
-  };
+  return VALID_TRAFFIC_TYPES.has(rawTrafficType as TrafficType)
+    ? (rawTrafficType as TrafficType)
+    : undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Middleware root spans are created by Next.js itself ('Middleware.execute')
+ * before any request data reaches Sentry, so they can never be classified
+ * here — and they carry no useful detail (the name is collapsed to
+ * `middleware GET`). Per-request traffic classification is recorded as the
+ * `docs.request.classified` metric in middleware.ts instead.
+ */
+function isMiddlewareRootSpan(samplingContext: SamplingContext): boolean {
+  return (
+    samplingContext.attributes?.['next.span_type'] === 'Middleware.execute' ||
+    samplingContext.attributes?.['sentry.op'] === 'http.server.middleware' ||
+    samplingContext.name === 'middleware' ||
+    Boolean(samplingContext.name?.startsWith('middleware '))
+  );
 }
 
 /**
  * Determines trace sample rate based on traffic classification.
- * Uses middleware classification headers when available, falls back to user-agent pattern matching.
  *
  * Sample rates (from shared config):
+ * - Middleware root spans: 0% (unclassifiable by architecture and information-free;
+ *   traffic counting happens in middleware.ts via the docs.request.classified metric)
  * - AI agents: 100% (full visibility into agentic docs consumption)
  * - Bots/crawlers: 0% (filter out noise)
  * - Real users: 30%
  * - Unknown: 30% (tracked separately for visibility)
  *
- * AI agents are checked first; if something matches both AI and bot patterns, we sample it.
+ * Classification prefers the `x-traffic-type` header stamped by the middleware
+ * onto forwarded requests, falling back to user-agent pattern matching for
+ * requests that didn't pass through the middleware. AI agents are checked
+ * before bots; if something matches both patterns, we sample it.
  */
 export function tracesSampler(samplingContext: SamplingContext): number {
-  const headers = samplingContext.normalizedRequest?.headers;
-
-  // Check for middleware classification headers first (most reliable)
-  const middlewareClassification = getMiddlewareClassification(headers);
-
-  // If middleware provided valid classification, use it
-  if (middlewareClassification.trafficType) {
-    const {trafficType, deviceType} = middlewareClassification;
-    const sampleRate = SAMPLE_RATES[trafficType];
+  if (isMiddlewareRootSpan(samplingContext)) {
+    return 0;
+  }
 
-    Sentry.metrics.count('docs.trace.sampled', 1, {
-      attributes: {
-        sample_rate: sampleRate,
-        traffic_type: trafficType,
-        device_type: deviceType || 'unknown',
-      },
-    });
+  const headers = samplingContext.normalizedRequest?.headers;
 
-    return sampleRate;
+  // Trust the classification the middleware stamped onto the forwarded request
+  const forwardedType = getForwardedTrafficType(headers);
+  if (forwardedType) {
+    return SAMPLE_RATES[forwardedType];
   }
 
   // Fallback to user-agent pattern matching if no middleware classification
-  // This handles cases where middleware didn't run (API routes, etc.)
+  // (e.g. requests that bypass the middleware matcher)
   const userAgent =
     getHeaderValue(headers, 'user-agent') ??
     (samplingContext.attributes?.['http.user_agent'] as string | undefined) ??
     (samplingContext.attributes?.['user_agent.original'] as string | undefined);
 
-  // No user-agent = unknown traffic, track it explicitly
   if (!userAgent) {
-    Sentry.metrics.count('docs.trace.sampled', 1, {
-      attributes: {
-        sample_rate: SAMPLE_RATES.unknown,
-        traffic_type: 'unknown',
-        device_type: 'unknown',
-      },
-    });
     return SAMPLE_RATES.unknown;
   }
 
-  // Check for AI agents first
-  const aiAgent = matchPattern(userAgent, AI_AGENT_PATTERN);
-  if (aiAgent) {
-    Sentry.metrics.count('docs.trace.sampled', 1, {
-      attributes: {
-        sample_rate: SAMPLE_RATES.ai_agent,
-        traffic_type: 'ai_agent',
-        agent_match: aiAgent,
-      },
-    });
+  if (matchPattern(userAgent, AI_AGENT_PATTERN)) {
     return SAMPLE_RATES.ai_agent;
   }
 
-  // Check for bots/crawlers
-  const bot = matchPattern(userAgent, BOT_PATTERN);
-  if (bot) {
-    Sentry.metrics.count('docs.trace.sampled', 1, {
-      attributes: {
-        sample_rate: SAMPLE_RATES.bot,
-        traffic_type: 'bot',
-        bot_match: bot,
-      },
-    });
+  if (matchPattern(userAgent, BOT_PATTERN)) {
     return SAMPLE_RATES.bot;
   }
 
-  // Sample real users at default rate
-  Sentry.metrics.count('docs.trace.sampled', 1, {
-    attributes: {
-      sample_rate: SAMPLE_RATES.user,
-      traffic_type: 'user',
-    },
-  });
   return SAMPLE_RATES.user;
 }