diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments.ts b/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments.ts
index 939ac11..fe034ed 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments.ts
@@ -147,14 +147,12 @@ export class GetAllCFDocuments {
       return doc
     })
 
+    // `total` is the collection size before pagination. It is not part of the CFDocumentSet
+    // body (the CASE schema forbids additional properties) — controllers send it in the
+    // X-Total-Count header.
     return {
       CFDocuments: cfDocuments,
-      // Pagination metadata (if pagination is used)
-      ...(limit !== undefined && {
-        total,
-        limit,
-        offset
-      })
+      total
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/__tests__/GetAllCFDocuments.test.ts b/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/__tests__/GetAllCFDocuments.test.ts
index c8a5d24..b8d3027 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/__tests__/GetAllCFDocuments.test.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/application/case/endpoints/__tests__/GetAllCFDocuments.test.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocuments', () => {
       const result = await getAllCFDocuments.execute({ tenantId, caseVersion })
 
       expect(result).toEqual({
-        CFDocuments: []
+        CFDocuments: [],
+        total: 0
       })
     })
 
@@ -79,7 +80,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocuments', () => {
               identifier: 'doc-2'
             })
           })
-        ])
+        ]),
+        total: 2
       })
     })
 
@@ -108,10 +110,10 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocuments', () => {
           expect.objectContaining({ identifier: 'doc-5' }),
           expect.objectContaining({ identifier: 'doc-6' })
         ]),
-        total: 10,
-        limit: 5,
-        offset: 2
+        total: 10
       })
+      expect(result).not.toHaveProperty('limit')
+      expect(result).not.toHaveProperty('offset')
       expect(result.CFDocuments).toHaveLength(5)
     })
 
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/infrastructure/http/OpenAPISpecGenerator.ts b/apps/opencase/src/infrastructure/http/OpenAPISpecGenerator.ts
index 63f535a..86b55c4 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/infrastructure/http/OpenAPISpecGenerator.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/infrastructure/http/OpenAPISpecGenerator.ts
@@ -205,6 +205,10 @@ export class OpenAPISpecGenerator {
             responses: {
               200: {
                 description: 'This is the response when the request has been completed successfully.',
+                headers: {
+                  'X-Total-Count': { $ref: '#/components/headers/X-Total-Count' },
+                  Link: { $ref: '#/components/headers/Link' }
+                },
                 content: {
                   'application/json': {
                     schema: { $ref: '#/components/schemas/CFDocumentSetDType' }
@@ -310,6 +314,10 @@ export class OpenAPISpecGenerator {
             responses: {
               200: {
                 description: 'This is the response when the request has been completed successfully.',
+                headers: {
+                  'X-Total-Count': { $ref: '#/components/headers/X-Total-Count' },
+                  Link: { $ref: '#/components/headers/Link' }
+                },
                 content: {
                   'application/json': {
                     schema: { $ref: '#/components/schemas/CFAssociationSetDType' }
@@ -1620,6 +1628,16 @@ export class OpenAPISpecGenerator {
         // Note: legacy /oauth/* endpoints were removed in favor of external OIDC (Keycloak).
       },
       components: {
+        headers: {
+          'X-Total-Count': {
+            description: 'The total number of records in the collection (CASE REST binding §3.1).',
+            schema: { type: 'integer', minimum: 0 }
+          },
+          Link: {
+            description: 'Pagination links (first, prev, next, last) per RFC 8288. Only supplied when the request includes limit or offset.',
+            schema: { type: 'string' }
+          }
+        },
         schemas: {
           CFPackageDType: {
             type: 'object',
@@ -1895,10 +1913,7 @@ export class OpenAPISpecGenerator {
               CFDocuments: {
                 type: 'array',
                 items: { $ref: '#/components/schemas/CFDocumentDType' }
-              },
-              total: { type: 'integer' },
-              limit: { type: 'integer' },
-              offset: { type: 'integer' }
+              }
             }
           },
           CFAssociationSetDType: {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
index 0fdc1eb..9590957 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export class CFConceptsControllerV1p0 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl, '1.0')
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFConcepts.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
index 90ff3dc..61cf9ed 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Request, Response } from 'express'
 import { GetCFItemAssociations } from '../../../../../application/case/endpoints/GetCFItemAssociations'
 import { StatusInfoFormatter } from '../../../../../infrastructure/http/StatusInfoFormatter'
-import { absolutizeCaseUris, applyQueryToArray, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, stripExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
+import { absolutizeCaseUris, applyQueryToArray, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, setPaginationHeaders, stripExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
 import { getParam } from '../../../utils/expressParams'
 import type { FileFrameworkStore } from '../../../../../infrastructure/persistence/file/FileFrameworkStore'
 
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ export class CFItemAssociationsControllerV1p0 {
       }
 
       let responseBody: any = { ...result }
+      let total = 0
       if (result?.CFAssociations) {
         const applied = applyQueryToArray(result.CFAssociations, parsed.value)
         if (!applied.ok) return res.status(applied.status).json(applied.body)
@@ -55,11 +56,13 @@ export class CFItemAssociationsControllerV1p0 {
           CFItem: result.CFItem,
           CFAssociations: applied.items
         }
+        total = applied.total
       }
 
       const baseUrl = getBaseUrl(req)
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(responseBody, baseUrl, '1.0')
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripExtensions(body) }
+      setPaginationHeaders(req, res, total, parsed.value)
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
index 97c4c73..a04e688 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export class CFItemTypesControllerV1p0 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl, '1.0')
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFItemTypes.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
index e777f34..f04c4e9 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ export class CFSubjectsControllerV1p0 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl, '1.0')
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFSubjects.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
index 9af5248..882f08c 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p0/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Request, Response } from 'express'
 import { GetAllCFDocuments } from '../../../../../application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments'
 import { StatusInfoFormatter } from '../../../../../infrastructure/http/StatusInfoFormatter'
-import { absolutizeCaseUris, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, stripExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
+import { absolutizeCaseUris, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, setPaginationHeaders, stripExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
 
 export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p0 {
   constructor (private readonly getAllCFDocuments: GetAllCFDocuments) {}
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p0 {
       // by default. Callers can opt out with includeArchived=false.
       const includeArchived = req.query.includeArchived !== 'false'
 
-      const result = await this.getAllCFDocuments.execute({
+      const { total, ...documentSet } = await this.getAllCFDocuments.execute({
         tenantId,
         caseVersion: '1.0',
         limit,
@@ -35,8 +35,9 @@ export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p0 {
       })
 
       const baseUrl = getBaseUrl(req)
-      let body = absolutizeCaseUris(result, baseUrl, '1.0')
+      let body = absolutizeCaseUris(documentSet, baseUrl, '1.0')
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripExtensions(body) }
+      setPaginationHeaders(req, res, total, parsed.value)
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
index 4a1c0c1..e1214fd 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFConceptsController.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export class CFConceptsControllerV1p1 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl)
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripOpenCaseExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFConcepts.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
index 9bded75..68d2524 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemAssociationsController.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Request, Response } from 'express'
 import { GetCFItemAssociations } from '../../../../../application/case/endpoints/GetCFItemAssociations'
 import { StatusInfoFormatter } from '../../../../../infrastructure/http/StatusInfoFormatter'
-import { absolutizeCaseUris, applyQueryToArray, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, stripOpenCaseExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
+import { absolutizeCaseUris, applyQueryToArray, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, setPaginationHeaders, stripOpenCaseExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
 import { getParam } from '../../../utils/expressParams'
 import type { FileFrameworkStore } from '../../../../../infrastructure/persistence/file/FileFrameworkStore'
 
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ export class CFItemAssociationsControllerV1p1 {
 
       // Apply query params to the associations array (filter/sort/paging/fields)
       let responseBody: any = { ...result }
+      let total = 0
       if (result?.CFAssociations) {
         const applied = applyQueryToArray(result.CFAssociations, parsed.value)
         if (!applied.ok) return res.status(applied.status).json(applied.body)
@@ -60,11 +61,13 @@ export class CFItemAssociationsControllerV1p1 {
           CFItem: result.CFItem,
           CFAssociations: applied.items
         }
+        total = applied.total
       }
 
       const baseUrl = getBaseUrl(req)
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(responseBody, baseUrl)
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripOpenCaseExtensions(body) }
+      setPaginationHeaders(req, res, total, parsed.value)
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
index 0fa090c..4c3300d 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFItemTypesController.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export class CFItemTypesControllerV1p1 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl)
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripOpenCaseExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFItemTypes.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
index adde937..60be5e2 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/CFSubjectsController.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export class CFSubjectsControllerV1p1 {
       }
       let body = absolutizeCaseUris(entity, baseUrl)
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripOpenCaseExtensions(body) }
+      res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(result.CFSubjects.length))
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
index b0cb481..57b8c4a 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/GetAllCFDocumentsController.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { Request, Response } from 'express'
 import { GetAllCFDocuments } from '../../../../../application/case/endpoints/GetAllCFDocuments'
 import { StatusInfoFormatter } from '../../../../../infrastructure/http/StatusInfoFormatter'
-import { absolutizeCaseUris, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, stripOpenCaseExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
+import { absolutizeCaseUris, getBaseUrl, parseCaseQueryParams, setEtagAndHandleNotModified, setPaginationHeaders, stripOpenCaseExtensions, wantsOpenCaseExtensions } from '../utils/httpUtils'
 
 export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1 {
   constructor (private readonly getAllCFDocuments: GetAllCFDocuments) {}
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1 {
       // by default. Callers can opt out with includeArchived=false.
       const includeArchived = req.query.includeArchived !== 'false'
 
-      const result = await this.getAllCFDocuments.execute({
+      const { total, ...documentSet } = await this.getAllCFDocuments.execute({
         tenantId,
         caseVersion: '1.1',
         limit,
@@ -35,8 +35,9 @@ export class GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1 {
       })
 
       const baseUrl = getBaseUrl(req)
-      let body = absolutizeCaseUris(result, baseUrl)
+      let body = absolutizeCaseUris(documentSet, baseUrl)
       if (!wantsOpenCaseExtensions(req)) { body = stripOpenCaseExtensions(body) }
+      setPaginationHeaders(req, res, total, parsed.value)
       if (setEtagAndHandleNotModified(req, res, body)) return
       return res.status(200).json(body)
     } catch (error: any) {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/CFItemAssociationsController.test.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/CFItemAssociationsController.test.ts
index da20e9a..d86e8a0 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/CFItemAssociationsController.test.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/CFItemAssociationsController.test.ts
@@ -83,7 +83,24 @@ describe('CFItemAssociationsControllerV1p1', () => {
       expect(responseJson).toHaveBeenCalledWith(absolutizeCaseUris(result as any, 'http://localhost'))
     })
 
-    it('should return 404 when item is not found', async () => {
+    it('should send X-Total-Count and Link headers for a paginated request', async () => {
+      const assoc = (i: number) => ({ identifier: `assoc-${i}`, uri: `/ims/case/v1p1/CFAssociations/assoc-${i}`, associationType: 'isChildOf' })
+      mockGetCFItemAssociations.execute.mockResolvedValue({
+        CFItem: { identifier: '550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000' },
+        CFAssociations: [assoc(0), assoc(1), assoc(2)]
+      } as any)
+      ;(mockRequest as any).originalUrl = '/ims/case/v1p1/CFItemAssociations/550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000?limit=2'
+      mockRequest.query = { limit: '2' }
+
+      await controller.getById(mockRequest as Request, mockResponse as Response)
+
+      expect(responseStatus).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200)
+      expect(responseJson.mock.calls[0][0].CFAssociations).toHaveLength(2)
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).toHaveBeenCalledWith('X-Total-Count', '3')
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).toHaveBeenCalledWith('Link', expect.stringContaining('offset=2>; rel="next"'))
+    })
+
+        it('should return 404 when item is not found', async () => {
       mockStore.resolveItemGlobal.mockReturnValue(null)
       ;(mockRequest as any).tenantId = 'test-tenant'
 
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/GetAllCFDocumentsController.test.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/GetAllCFDocumentsController.test.ts
index d173b00..721c849 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/GetAllCFDocumentsController.test.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/controllers/__tests__/GetAllCFDocumentsController.test.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
             title: 'Test Document',
             lastChangeDateTime: '2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'
           }
-        ]
+        ],
+        total: 1
       }
 
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
@@ -67,15 +68,15 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
         includeArchived: true
       })
       expect(responseStatus).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200)
-      expect(responseJson).toHaveBeenCalledWith(absolutizeCaseUris(result as any, 'http://localhost'))
+      expect(responseJson).toHaveBeenCalledWith(absolutizeCaseUris({ CFDocuments: result.CFDocuments } as any, 'http://localhost'))
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).toHaveBeenCalledWith('X-Total-Count', '1')
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).not.toHaveBeenCalledWith('Link', expect.anything())
     })
 
     it('should handle query parameters', async () => {
       const result = {
         CFDocuments: [],
-        total: 10,
-        limit: 5,
-        offset: 0
+        total: 10
       }
 
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
@@ -106,8 +107,27 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
       expect(responseStatus).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200)
     })
 
+    it('should keep pagination metadata out of the body and send it as headers (CGE-19)', async () => {
+      mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue({ CFDocuments: [], total: 25 })
+      ;(mockRequest as any).isAuthenticated = false
+      ;(mockRequest as any).originalUrl = '/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=4&offset=1'
+      mockRequest.query = { limit: '4', offset: '1' }
+
+      await controller.getAll(mockRequest as Request, mockResponse as Response)
+
+      expect(responseStatus).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200)
+      expect(Object.keys(responseJson.mock.calls[0][0])).toEqual(['CFDocuments'])
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).toHaveBeenCalledWith('X-Total-Count', '25')
+      expect(mockResponse.setHeader).toHaveBeenCalledWith('Link', [
+        '<http://localhost/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=4&offset=0>; rel="first"',
+        '<http://localhost/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=4&offset=0>; rel="prev"',
+        '<http://localhost/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=4&offset=5>; rel="next"',
+        '<http://localhost/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=4&offset=21>; rel="last"'
+      ].join(', '))
+    })
+
     it('should exclude archived documents when includeArchived=false', async () => {
-      mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue({ CFDocuments: [] })
+      mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue({ CFDocuments: [], total: 0 })
       ;(mockRequest as any).tenantId = 'test-tenant'
       ;(mockRequest as any).isAuthenticated = true
       mockRequest.query = { includeArchived: 'false' }
@@ -119,15 +139,13 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
       )
     })
 
-    it('should return every document, total and all, to unauthenticated requests', async () => {
+    it('should return every document to unauthenticated requests', async () => {
       const result = {
         CFDocuments: [
           { identifier: 'doc-public', uri: '/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments/doc-public', title: 'Public', lastChangeDateTime: '2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z' },
           { identifier: 'doc-private', uri: '/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments/doc-private', title: 'Private', lastChangeDateTime: '2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z' }
         ],
-        total: 2,
-        limit: 10,
-        offset: 0
+        total: 2
       }
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
       ;(mockRequest as any).isAuthenticated = false
@@ -141,7 +159,6 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
       expect(responseStatus).toHaveBeenCalledWith(200)
       const body = responseJson.mock.calls[0][0]
       expect(body.CFDocuments.map((d: any) => d.identifier)).toEqual(['doc-public', 'doc-private'])
-      expect(body.total).toBe(2)
     })
 
     it('should strip extensions from the response when X-CASE-EDITOR header is absent', async () => {
@@ -154,7 +171,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
             lastChangeDateTime: '2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
             extensions: { 'ext:opencase': { sourcePackageURI: 'https://example.org/ims/case/v1p1/CFPackages/abc' } }
           }
-        ]
+        ],
+        total: 1
       }
 
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
@@ -180,7 +198,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
               smartschoolId: 'ss-42'
             }
           }
-        ]
+        ],
+        total: 1
       }
 
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
@@ -203,7 +222,8 @@ describe('GetAllCFDocumentsControllerV1p1', () => {
             lastChangeDateTime: '2024-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
             extensions: { 'ext:opencase': { sourcePackageURI: 'https://example.org/ims/case/v1p1/CFPackages/abc' } }
           }
-        ]
+        ],
+        total: 1
       }
 
       mockGetAllCFDocuments.execute.mockResolvedValue(result)
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/__tests__/httpUtils.test.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/__tests__/httpUtils.test.ts
index 98f34a0..e112788 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/__tests__/httpUtils.test.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/__tests__/httpUtils.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-import { stripExtensions, stripOpenCaseExtensions } from '../httpUtils'
+import type { Request, Response } from 'express'
+import { applyQueryToArray, setPaginationHeaders, stripExtensions, stripOpenCaseExtensions } from '../httpUtils'
 
 describe('stripOpenCaseExtensions', () => {
   it('removes only ext:opencase and keeps other extensions on every entity in a package', () => {
@@ -63,3 +64,63 @@ describe('stripExtensions', () => {
     })
   })
 })
+
+describe('setPaginationHeaders', () => {
+  const makeReq = (originalUrl: string) => ({
+    originalUrl,
+    protocol: 'https',
+    get: () => 'case.example.org',
+    header: () => undefined
+  }) as unknown as Request
+
+  const run = (originalUrl: string, total: number, q: { limit?: number, offset?: number }) => {
+    const headers: Record<string, string> = {}
+    const res = { setHeader: (k: string, v: string) => { headers[k] = v } } as unknown as Response
+    setPaginationHeaders(makeReq(originalUrl), res, total, q)
+    return headers
+  }
+
+  const links = (header: string) => Object.fromEntries(
+    header.split(', ').map(l => {
+      const [, url, rel] = /^<([^>]+)>; rel="(\w+)"$/.exec(l)!
+      return [rel, new URL(url).searchParams.get('offset')]
+    })
+  )
+
+  it('sets only X-Total-Count when the request is not paginated', () => {
+    expect(run('/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments', 7, {})).toEqual({ 'X-Total-Count': '7' })
+  })
+
+  it('returns first/prev/next/last links that preserve the other query parameters', () => {
+    const headers = run('/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=10&offset=20&sort=title', 53, { limit: 10, offset: 20 })
+    expect(headers['X-Total-Count']).toBe('53')
+    expect(headers.Link.split(', ')[0]).toBe('<https://case.example.org/ims/case/v1p1/CFDocuments?limit=10&offset=0&sort=title>; rel="first"')
+    expect(links(headers.Link)).toEqual({ first: '0', prev: '10', next: '30', last: '50' })
+  })
+
+  it('omits prev on the first page and next on the last page', () => {
+    expect(links(run('/x?limit=10', 25, { limit: 10 }).Link)).toEqual({ first: '0', next: '10', last: '20' })
+    expect(links(run('/x?limit=10&offset=20', 25, { limit: 10, offset: 20 }).Link)).toEqual({ first: '0', prev: '10', last: '20' })
+  })
+
+  it('keeps last on the same page grid as next when paging from a non-aligned offset', () => {
+    expect(links(run('/x?limit=4&offset=1', 25, { limit: 4, offset: 1 }).Link)).toEqual({ first: '0', prev: '0', next: '5', last: '21' })
+  })
+
+  it('clamps prev to zero and handles an empty collection', () => {
+    expect(links(run('/x?limit=10&offset=3', 0, { limit: 10, offset: 3 }).Link)).toEqual({ first: '0', prev: '0', last: '0' })
+  })
+
+  it('returns only a first link when offset is given without a limit', () => {
+    expect(links(run('/x?offset=5', 9, { offset: 5 }).Link)).toEqual({ first: '0' })
+  })
+})
+
+describe('applyQueryToArray', () => {
+  it('reports the filtered total before the page is cut', () => {
+    const items = Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) => ({ identifier: `id-${i}`, tag: i % 2 === 0 ? 'even' : 'odd' }))
+    const applied = applyQueryToArray(items, { filter: 'even', limit: 2, offset: 1 })
+    expect(applied.ok && applied.total).toBe(4)
+    expect(applied.ok && applied.items.map(i => i.identifier)).toEqual(['id-2', 'id-4'])
+  })
+})
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/httpUtils.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/httpUtils.ts
index 6c47c30..3f274ec 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/httpUtils.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/http-public/v1p1/utils/httpUtils.ts
@@ -175,10 +175,50 @@ export function applyFieldSelectionToEntity (entity: Record<string, any>, fields
   return filtered
 }
 
+/**
+ * Set the CASE pagination headers on a list response. Per the CASE REST binding (§3.1),
+ * the total collection size goes in X-Total-Count — never in the JSON body, whose schemas
+ * forbid additional properties. When the request was paginated (limit/offset supplied),
+ * first/prev/next/last links are also returned in the Link header (RFC 8288).
+ */
+export function setPaginationHeaders (req: Request, res: Response, total: number, q: CaseQueryParams): void {
+  res.setHeader('X-Total-Count', String(total))
+  if (q.limit === undefined && q.offset === undefined) return
+
+  const url = new URL(req.originalUrl ?? req.url ?? '/', getBaseUrl(req))
+  const link = (offset: number, rel: string): string => {
+    url.searchParams.set('offset', String(offset))
+    return `<${url.toString()}>; rel="${rel}"`
+  }
+
+  const offset = q.offset ?? 0
+  const limit = q.limit
+  // Without a limit the response already runs to the end of the collection,
+  // so the only other meaningful page is the start of it.
+  if (limit === undefined) {
+    res.setHeader('Link', link(0, 'first'))
+    return
+  }
+
+  // "last" is the final page reachable by following "next" from this offset, so
+  // the links stay consistent when a caller pages from a non-aligned offset.
+  const last = total === 0
+    ? 0
+    : offset < total
+      ? offset + Math.floor((total - 1 - offset) / limit) * limit
+      : Math.floor((total - 1) / limit) * limit
+
+  const links = [link(0, 'first')]
+  if (offset > 0) links.push(link(Math.max(0, offset - limit), 'prev'))
+  if (offset + limit < total) links.push(link(offset + limit, 'next'))
+  links.push(link(last, 'last'))
+  res.setHeader('Link', links.join(', '))
+}
+
 export function applyQueryToArray<T extends Record<string, any>> (
   items: T[],
   q: CaseQueryParams
-): { ok: true, items: Array<Record<string, any>> } | { ok: false, status: number, body: any } {
+): { ok: true, items: Array<Record<string, any>>, total: number } | { ok: false, status: number, body: any } {
   let out: Array<Record<string, any>> = items
 
   if (q.filter) {
@@ -210,6 +250,8 @@ export function applyQueryToArray<T extends Record<string, any>> (
     })
   }
 
+  // Total is the filtered collection size, before the page is cut from it
+  const total = out.length
   const offset = q.offset ?? 0
   const limit = q.limit
   out = limit !== undefined ? out.slice(offset, offset + limit) : out.slice(offset)
@@ -218,7 +260,7 @@ export function applyQueryToArray<T extends Record<string, any>> (
     out = out.map(it => applyFieldSelectionToEntity(it, q.fields) as T)
   }
 
-  return { ok: true, items: out }
+  return { ok: true, items: out, total }
 }
 
 export function setEtagAndHandleNotModified (req: Request, res: Response, body: unknown): boolean {
diff --git a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/server.ts b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/server.ts
index 314c376..d0048e6 100644
--- a/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/server.ts
+++ b/apps/opencase/src/interfaces/http/server.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,9 @@ export function createServer (container: Container): express.Express {
     origin: true, // Allow all origins (for development) - restrict in production
     credentials: true, // Allow credentials (cookies, authorization headers)
     methods: ['GET', 'POST', 'PUT', 'DELETE', 'OPTIONS', 'PATCH'],
-    allowedHeaders: ['Content-Type', 'Authorization', 'X-Requested-With']
+    allowedHeaders: ['Content-Type', 'Authorization', 'X-Requested-With'],
+    // CASE pagination headers (REST binding §3.1) must be exposed for browser clients to read them
+    exposedHeaders: ['X-Total-Count', 'Link']
   }))
 
   app.use(express.json({ limit: '50mb' }))