diff --git a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable.java b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable.java
index 97cc2f73ec..3115510adc 100644
--- a/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable.java
+++ b/google-cloud-bigtable/src/main/java/com/google/cloud/bigtable/data/v2/stub/RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 import com.google.common.base.Stopwatch;
 import com.google.common.util.concurrent.RateLimiter;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 import java.util.logging.Level;
 import java.util.logging.Logger;
@@ -64,16 +65,17 @@ class RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable
   // as the server side cap
   private static final double MAX_FACTOR = 1.3;
 
-  private final RateLimiter limiter;
+  private final ConditionalRateLimiter limiter;
 
   private final AtomicReference<Instant> lastQpsChangeTime = new AtomicReference<>(Instant.now());
   private final ServerStreamingCallable<MutateRowsRequest, MutateRowsResponse> innerCallable;
 
   RateLimitingServerStreamingCallable(
       @Nonnull ServerStreamingCallable<MutateRowsRequest, MutateRowsResponse> innerCallable) {
-    this.limiter = RateLimiter.create(DEFAULT_QPS);
+    this.limiter = new ConditionalRateLimiter(DEFAULT_QPS);
     this.innerCallable = Preconditions.checkNotNull(innerCallable, "Inner callable must be set");
-    logger.info("Rate limiting is enabled with initial QPS of " + limiter.getRate());
+    logger.info("BatchWriteFlowControl: Rate limiting callable is initiated with QPS of "
+        + limiter.getRate());
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -93,14 +95,57 @@ public void call(
     innerCallable.call(request, innerObserver, context);
   }
 
+  class ConditionalRateLimiter {
+
+    private AtomicBoolean enabled = new AtomicBoolean(true);
+
+    private final RateLimiter limiter;
+
+    public ConditionalRateLimiter(long defaultQps) {
+      limiter = RateLimiter.create(defaultQps);
+    }
+
+    public double acquire() {
+      if (enabled.get()) {
+        return limiter.acquire();
+      } else {
+        return 0;
+      }
+    }
+
+    public void setEnabled(boolean enabled) {
+      boolean wasEnabled = this.enabled.getAndSet(enabled);
+      if (wasEnabled && !enabled) {
+        logger.fine("BatchWriteFlowControl: rate limiter disabled.");
+      }
+      if (!wasEnabled && enabled) {
+        logger.fine("BatchWriteFlowControl: rate limiter enabled.");
+      }
+    }
+
+    public boolean isEnabled() {
+      return this.enabled.get();
+    }
+
+    public double getRate() {
+      return limiter.getRate();
+    }
+
+    public void setRate(double rate) {
+      logger.fine(
+          "BatchWriteFlowControl: updated rate from " + limiter.getRate() + " to " + rate);
+      limiter.setRate(rate);
+    }
+  }
+
   class RateLimitingResponseObserver extends SafeResponseObserver<MutateRowsResponse> {
     private final ResponseObserver<MutateRowsResponse> outerObserver;
-    private final RateLimiter rateLimiter;
+    private final ConditionalRateLimiter rateLimiter;
 
     private final AtomicReference<Instant> lastQpsChangeTime;
 
     RateLimitingResponseObserver(
-        RateLimiter rateLimiter,
+        ConditionalRateLimiter rateLimiter,
         AtomicReference<Instant> lastQpsChangeTime,
         ResponseObserver<MutateRowsResponse> observer) {
       super(observer);
@@ -116,7 +161,10 @@ protected void onStartImpl(StreamController controller) {
 
     @Override
     protected void onResponseImpl(MutateRowsResponse response) {
+      logger.fine(
+          "BatchWriteFlowControl: response contains RateLimitInfo=" + response.hasRateLimitInfo());
       if (response.hasRateLimitInfo()) {
+        limiter.setEnabled(true);
         RateLimitInfo info = response.getRateLimitInfo();
         // RateLimitInfo is an optional field. However, proto3 sub-message field always
         // have presence even thought it's marked as "optional". Check the factor and
@@ -126,6 +174,8 @@ protected void onResponseImpl(MutateRowsResponse response) {
               info.getFactor(),
               Duration.ofSeconds(com.google.protobuf.util.Durations.toSeconds(info.getPeriod())));
         }
+      } else {
+        limiter.setEnabled(false);
       }
       outerObserver.onResponse(response);
     }
@@ -158,7 +208,7 @@ private void updateQps(double factor, Duration period) {
         logger.log(
             Level.FINE,
             "Updated QPS from {0} to {1}, server returned factor is {2}, capped factor is {3}",
-            new Object[] {currentRate, limiter.getRate(), factor, cappedFactor});
+            new Object[]{currentRate, limiter.getRate(), factor, cappedFactor});
       }
     }
   }