diff --git a/commands/SeedNode.ts b/commands/SeedNode.ts
index 41bad90..025134b 100644
--- a/commands/SeedNode.ts
+++ b/commands/SeedNode.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import { gzipSync, unzipSync } from 'node:zlib'
+import { spawn, type ChildProcess } from 'node:child_process'
+import { availableParallelism } from 'node:os'
 import { setTimeout as sleep } from 'node:timers/promises'
 import { BaseCommand, flags } from '@adonisjs/core/ace'
 import { CommandOptions } from '@adonisjs/core/types/ace'
@@ -78,10 +80,19 @@ export default class SeedNode extends BaseCommand {
   })
   declare fetch: string
 
+  @flags.number({
+    description:
+      'Processes the ranges and inspections are spread over; one process uses one core (default: SEED_PROCESSES or the number of cores)',
+    default: process.env.SEED_PROCESSES ? Number(process.env.SEED_PROCESSES) : availableParallelism(),
+  })
+  declare processes: number
+
   @flags.boolean({ description: 'Stop when there is nothing to lease instead of waiting' })
   declare once: boolean
 
   private stopping = false
+  /** In a worker process: its number, in front of its log lines. */
+  private readonly child = process.env.SEED_PROCESS ?? ''
 
   public async run() {
     const base = (this.url ?? process.env.SEED_URL ?? '').replace(/\/+$/, '')
@@ -91,15 +102,19 @@ export default class SeedNode extends BaseCommand {
       this.exitCode = 1
       return
     }
+    // JavaScript runs on one core per process: several slots are spread over worker processes.
+    const processes = Math.max(1, Math.min(this.processes || 1, this.ranges + this.inspectors))
+    if (!this.child && processes > 1) return this.supervise(base, token, processes)
+
     const stop = () => {
-      if (!this.stopping) this.logger.info('Stopping: giving back the ranges in progress…')
+      if (!this.stopping && !this.child) this.logger.info('Stopping: giving back the ranges in progress…')
       this.stopping = true
     }
     process.on('SIGTERM', stop)
     process.on('SIGINT', stop)
 
     const api = new SeedApi(base, token, (message) => this.logger.warning(message))
-    this.logger.info(
+    if (!this.child) this.logger.info(
       `Seeding node for ${base}: ${this.ranges} range(s) at once, ${this.fetch === 'direct' ? 'own NNTP connections' : 'headers through the seed API'}` +
         (this.inspectors > 0 ? `; ${this.inspectors} inspection(s) at once, articles through the seed API.` : '.')
     )
@@ -107,11 +122,62 @@ export default class SeedNode extends BaseCommand {
       ...Array.from({ length: this.ranges }, (_, i) => this.work(api, i + 1)),
       ...Array.from({ length: this.inspectors }, (_, i) => this.inspect(api, i + 1)),
     ])
+    if (!this.child) this.logger.info('Seeding node stopped.')
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Runs the slots in `processes` worker processes (this command again, with
+   * SEED_PROCESS set), each with its share of the ranges and inspections. A
+   * worker that exits while the node runs is restarted; SIGTERM/SIGINT are
+   * passed on, and the node stops when all workers have given their work back.
+   */
+  private async supervise(base: string, token: string, processes: number) {
+    // Slots dealt out in turn (ranges first, then inspections), so every process has work.
+    const share = (from: number, to: number, i: number) =>
+      Array.from({ length: to - from }, (_, k) => from + k).filter((k) => k % processes === i).length
+    this.logger.info(
+      `Seeding node for ${base}: ${this.ranges} range(s) and ${this.inspectors} inspection(s) at once, over ${processes} processes, ` +
+        `${this.fetch === 'direct' ? 'own NNTP connections' : 'articles and headers through the seed API'}.`
+    )
+    const children = new Set<ChildProcess>()
+    const start = (n: number): Promise<void> =>
+      new Promise((resolve) => {
+        const args = [
+          ...process.execArgv,
+          process.argv[1],
+          'seed:node',
+          `--ranges=${share(0, this.ranges, n - 1)}`,
+          `--inspectors=${share(this.ranges, this.ranges + this.inspectors, n - 1)}`,
+          `--fetch=${this.fetch}`,
+          `--chunk=${this.chunk}`,
+          `--submit-every=${this.submitEvery}`,
+          ...(this.once ? ['--once'] : []),
+        ]
+        const child = spawn(process.execPath, args, {
+          env: { ...process.env, SEED_URL: base, SEED_TOKEN: token, SEED_PROCESS: String(n) },
+          stdio: 'inherit',
+        })
+        children.add(child)
+        child.on('exit', (code, signal) => {
+          children.delete(child)
+          if (this.stopping || this.once || code === 0) return resolve()
+          this.logger.warning(`Process ${n} exited (${signal ?? code}); restarting in 10 s`)
+          setTimeout(() => start(n).then(resolve), 10_000)
+        })
+      })
+    const stop = (signal: NodeJS.Signals) => {
+      if (!this.stopping) this.logger.info('Stopping: giving back the ranges and inspections in progress…')
+      this.stopping = true
+      for (const child of children) child.kill(signal)
+    }
+    process.on('SIGTERM', () => stop('SIGTERM'))
+    process.on('SIGINT', () => stop('SIGINT'))
+    await Promise.all(Array.from({ length: processes }, (_, i) => start(i + 1)))
     this.logger.info('Seeding node stopped.')
   }
 
   private async work(api: SeedApi, worker: number) {
-    const log = (message: string) => this.logger.info(`[${worker}] ${message}`)
+    const log = (message: string) => this.logger.info(`[${this.child && `${this.child}/`}${worker}] ${message}`)
     // The NNTP connection is opened for a lease and kept while leases keep coming; with
     // nothing to lease it's closed, so an idle node holds no connections.
     let client: XoverClient | undefined
@@ -162,7 +228,7 @@ export default class SeedNode extends BaseCommand {
    * indexer applies them; a job left unanswered goes back after 10 minutes.
    */
   private async inspect(api: SeedApi, slot: number) {
-    const log = (message: string) => this.logger.info(`[inspect ${slot}] ${message}`)
+    const log = (message: string) => this.logger.info(`[inspect ${this.child && `${this.child}/`}${slot}] ${message}`)
     const fetchArticle = (id: string) => api.get(`/api/v1/seed/articles?id=${encodeURIComponent(id)}`, 4)
     while (!this.stopping) {
       let jobs: InspectJob[] = []
diff --git a/seed-node/README.md b/seed-node/README.md
index 4b6fe32..84dc10e 100644
--- a/seed-node/README.md
+++ b/seed-node/README.md
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ for the same name replaces the token; `--disable` revokes it.
 | `SEED_TOKEN` | the token from step 1 |
 | `SEED_RANGES` | ranges seeded at once. Start with 2–4; `0` for no seeding. |
 | `SEED_INSPECTORS` | inspections and archive walks at once (default `0`). Try 2–4 on a machine with spare cores. |
+| `SEED_PROCESSES` | optional: how many processes the ranges and inspections are spread over, one CPU core each. Default: the number of cores (never more than ranges + inspections). Lower it to leave cores free. |
 | `SEED_FETCH=direct` and `NNTP_*` | optional: seed with this node's own NNTP account (see the commented lines). `NNTP_TLS_SERVERNAME` only through a tunnel: the news server's real hostname, for the TLS certificate check. |
 
 Nothing else: the database, Redis and web server settings the indexer
diff --git a/seed-node/node.env.example b/seed-node/node.env.example
index 5c0c285..c612640 100644
--- a/seed-node/node.env.example
+++ b/seed-node/node.env.example
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ SEED_TOKEN=sn_replace_me
 SEED_RANGES=4
 # Content inspections and archive walks at once (CPU for decoding and parsing; articles come through the seed API).
 SEED_INSPECTORS=0
+# Ranges and inspections are spread over this many processes, one core each (default: the number of cores).
+# SEED_PROCESSES=4
 
 # Optional: SEED_FETCH=direct seeds with this node's own NNTP account instead of through the seed API.
 # SEED_FETCH=direct