diff --git a/pkg/middleware/metrics.go b/pkg/middleware/metrics.go
index ff17306..6cf2756 100644
--- a/pkg/middleware/metrics.go
+++ b/pkg/middleware/metrics.go
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ type streamMetricsInterceptor struct {
 }
 
 func (s *streamMetricsInterceptor) Recv(msg proto.Message) (err error) {
-	s.observer.OnStreamRecv(s.role, s.info, err, proto.Size(msg))
+	defer func() { s.observer.OnStreamRecv(s.role, s.info, err, proto.Size(msg)) }()
 	return s.StreamHandler.Recv(msg)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/middleware/metrics_test.go b/pkg/middleware/metrics_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..420b669
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/middleware/metrics_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+// Copyright 2023 LiveKit, Inc.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/proto"
+	"google.golang.org/protobuf/types/known/wrapperspb"
+
+	"github.com/livekit/psrpc"
+)
+
+// recvMetricsObserver records the arguments passed to OnStreamRecv. The
+// embedded MetricsObserver is left nil on purpose: only OnStreamOpen (called
+// when the interceptor wraps the handler) and OnStreamRecv are exercised here.
+type recvMetricsObserver struct {
+	MetricsObserver
+	recvCalls int
+	recvErr   error
+	recvBytes int
+}
+
+func (o *recvMetricsObserver) OnStreamOpen(MetricRole, psrpc.RPCInfo) {}
+
+func (o *recvMetricsObserver) OnStreamRecv(_ MetricRole, _ psrpc.RPCInfo, err error, bytes int) {
+	o.recvCalls++
+	o.recvErr = err
+	o.recvBytes = bytes
+}
+
+// recvStreamHandler is a fake downstream handler whose Recv populates the
+// message and returns a configurable error, so the test can tell whether the
+// metric was recorded before or after the handler ran.
+type recvStreamHandler struct {
+	psrpc.StreamHandler
+	err  error
+	fill string
+}
+
+func (h *recvStreamHandler) Recv(msg proto.Message) error {
+	if sv, ok := msg.(*wrapperspb.StringValue); ok {
+		sv.Value = h.fill
+	}
+	return h.err
+}
+
+// TestStreamMetricsRecvObservedAfterHandler guards against recording the recv
+// metric before the downstream handler runs. If OnStreamRecv fires first, the
+// error is always nil and the byte count is measured on an empty message,
+// making recv-side error rates and throughput unobservable. The observation
+// must happen after Recv so it reflects the returned error and populated msg.
+func TestStreamMetricsRecvObservedAfterHandler(t *testing.T) {
+	sentinel := errors.New("recv failed")
+	obs := &recvMetricsObserver{}
+	next := &recvStreamHandler{err: sentinel, fill: "hello world"}
+
+	h := newStreamMetricsInterceptor(obs, ServerRole)(psrpc.RPCInfo{}, next)
+
+	msg := &wrapperspb.StringValue{}
+	err := h.Recv(msg)
+
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, sentinel)
+	require.Equal(t, 1, obs.recvCalls)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, obs.recvErr, sentinel, "OnStreamRecv must observe the error returned by the handler")
+	require.NotZero(t, obs.recvBytes, "OnStreamRecv must observe the size of the populated message, not the empty one")
+	require.Equal(t, proto.Size(msg), obs.recvBytes, "OnStreamRecv byte count must match the populated message")
+}