diff --git a/cmd/tailscaled/tailscaled.go b/cmd/tailscaled/tailscaled.go
index 7cded7647..63b4d3a0d 100644
--- a/cmd/tailscaled/tailscaled.go
+++ b/cmd/tailscaled/tailscaled.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 	"tailscale.com/ipn/ipnserver"
 	"tailscale.com/logpolicy"
 	"tailscale.com/paths"
+	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
 	"tailscale.com/wgengine"
 	"tailscale.com/wgengine/magicsock"
 )
@@ -51,6 +52,7 @@ func main() {
 	socketpath := getopt.StringLong("socket", 's', paths.DefaultTailscaledSocket(), "Path of the service unix socket")
 
 	logf := wgengine.RusagePrefixLog(log.Printf)
+	logf = logger.RateLimitedFn(logf, 1, 1, 100)
 
 	err := fixconsole.FixConsoleIfNeeded()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/ipn/e2e_test.go b/ipn/e2e_test.go
index f1bdcf1e9..ac652b11e 100644
--- a/ipn/e2e_test.go
+++ b/ipn/e2e_test.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 	"tailscale.com/control/controlclient"
 	"tailscale.com/tailcfg"
 	"tailscale.com/tstest"
+	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
 	"tailscale.com/wgengine"
 	"tailscale.com/wgengine/magicsock"
 	"tailscale.com/wgengine/router"
@@ -191,12 +192,10 @@ type testNode struct {
 // Create a new IPN node.
 func newNode(t *testing.T, prefix string, https *httptest.Server, weirdPrefs bool) testNode {
 	t.Helper()
-	logfe := func(fmt string, args ...interface{}) {
-		t.Logf(prefix+".e: "+fmt, args...)
-	}
-	logf := func(fmt string, args ...interface{}) {
-		t.Logf(prefix+": "+fmt, args...)
-	}
+
+	logfe := logger.WithPrefix(t.Logf, prefix+"e: ")
+
+	logf := logger.WithPrefix(t.Logf, prefix+": ")
 
 	var err error
 	httpc := https.Client()
diff --git a/ipn/ipnserver/server_test.go b/ipn/ipnserver/server_test.go
index 549b617c3..582f53a53 100644
--- a/ipn/ipnserver/server_test.go
+++ b/ipn/ipnserver/server_test.go
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
+	"tailscale.com/types/logger"
+
 	"tailscale.com/ipn"
 	"tailscale.com/ipn/ipnserver"
 	"tailscale.com/safesocket"
@@ -32,12 +34,14 @@ func TestRunMultipleAccepts(t *testing.T) {
 	defer os.RemoveAll(td)
 	socketPath := filepath.Join(td, "tailscale.sock")
 
-	logf := func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+	ulogf := func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
 		format = strings.TrimRight(format, "\n")
 		println(fmt.Sprintf(format, args...))
 		t.Logf(format, args...)
 	}
 
+	logf := logger.RateLimitedFn(ulogf, 1, 1, 100)
+
 	connect := func() {
 		for i := 1; i <= 2; i++ {
 			logf("connect %d ...", i)
diff --git a/types/logger/logger.go b/types/logger/logger.go
index 51b69fcf8..c60282ddb 100644
--- a/types/logger/logger.go
+++ b/types/logger/logger.go
@@ -8,12 +8,18 @@
 package logger
 
 import (
+	"container/list"
+	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"log"
+	"sync"
+
+	"golang.org/x/time/rate"
 )
 
 // Logf is the basic Tailscale logger type: a printf-like func.
 // Like log.Printf, the format need not end in a newline.
+// Logf functions should be safe for concurrent use.
 type Logf func(format string, args ...interface{})
 
 // WithPrefix wraps f, prefixing each format with the provided prefix.
@@ -42,3 +48,56 @@ func (w funcWriter) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
 
 // Discard is a Logf that throws away the logs given to it.
 func Discard(string, ...interface{}) {}
+
+// limitData is used to keep track of each format string's associated
+// rate-limiting data.
+type limitData struct {
+	lim        *rate.Limiter // the token bucket associated with this string
+	msgBlocked bool          // whether a "duplicate error" message has already been logged
+	ele        *list.Element // list element used to access this string in the cache
+}
+
+// RateLimitedFn implements rate limiting by fstring on a given Logf.
+// Messages are allowed through at a maximum of f messages/second, in
+// bursts of up to b messages at a time. Up to m strings will be held at a time.
+func RateLimitedFn(logf Logf, f float64, b int, m int) Logf {
+	r := rate.Limit(f)
+	msgLim := make(map[string]*limitData)
+	msgCache := list.New() // a rudimentary LRU that limits the size of the map
+	mu := &sync.Mutex{}
+
+	return func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		rl, ok := msgLim[format]
+		if ok {
+			msgCache.MoveToFront(rl.ele)
+			if rl.lim.Allow() {
+				mu.Lock()
+				rl.msgBlocked = false
+				mu.Unlock()
+				logf(format, args...)
+			} else {
+				if !rl.msgBlocked {
+					rl.msgBlocked = true
+					mu.Unlock()
+					logf("Repeated messages were suppressed by rate limiting. Original message: %s",
+						fmt.Sprintf(format, args...))
+				} else {
+					mu.Unlock()
+				}
+			}
+		} else {
+			msgLim[format] = &limitData{rate.NewLimiter(r, b), false, msgCache.PushFront(format)}
+			msgLim[format].lim.Allow()
+			mu.Unlock()
+			logf(format, args...)
+		}
+
+		mu.Lock()
+		if msgCache.Len() > m {
+			delete(msgLim, msgCache.Back().Value.(string))
+			msgCache.Remove(msgCache.Back())
+		}
+		mu.Unlock()
+	}
+}
diff --git a/types/logger/logger_test.go b/types/logger/logger_test.go
index b6ecee403..f1a5be2cf 100644
--- a/types/logger/logger_test.go
+++ b/types/logger/logger_test.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 package logger
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
 	"log"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -19,3 +20,43 @@ func TestStdLogger(t *testing.T) {
 	lg := StdLogger(t.Logf)
 	lg.Printf("plumbed through")
 }
+
+func TestRateLimiter(t *testing.T) {
+
+	// Testing function. args[0] should indicate what should
+	logTester := func(want []string) Logf {
+		i := 0
+		return func(format string, args ...interface{}) {
+			got := fmt.Sprintf(format, args...)
+			if i >= len(want) {
+				t.Fatalf("Logging continued past end of expected input: %s", got)
+			}
+			if got != want[i] {
+				t.Fatalf("wanted: %s \n got: %s", want[i], got)
+			}
+			i++
+		}
+	}
+
+	want := []string{
+		"boring string with constant formatting (constant)",
+		"templated format string no. 0",
+		"Repeated messages were suppressed by rate limiting. Original message: boring string with constant formatting (constant)",
+		"Repeated messages were suppressed by rate limiting. Original message: templated format string no. 1",
+		"Make sure this string makes it through the rest (that are blocked) 4",
+		"4 shouldn't get filtered.",
+	}
+
+	lg := RateLimitedFn(logTester(want), 1, 1, 50)
+	var prefixed Logf
+	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
+		lg("boring string with constant formatting %s", "(constant)")
+		lg("templated format string no. %d", i)
+		if i == 4 {
+			lg("Make sure this string makes it through the rest (that are blocked) %d", i)
+			prefixed = WithPrefix(lg, string('0'+i))
+			prefixed(" shouldn't get filtered.")
+		}
+	}
+
+}