diff --git a/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-1.md b/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-1.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bbf2b51082
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-1.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-backend': minor
+---
+
+Added opentelemetry metrics for SCM events:
+
+- `catalog.events.scm.messages` with attribute `eventType`: Counter for the number of SCM events actually received by the catalog backend. The `eventType` is currently either `location` or `repository`.
diff --git a/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-2.md b/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-2.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ed78bbc175
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/orange-mugs-post-2.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@backstage/plugin-catalog-node': minor
+---
+
+Added the ability for SCM events subscribers to mark the fact that they have taken actions based on events, which produces output metrics:
+
+- `catalog.events.scm.actions` with attribute `action`: Counter for the number of actions actually taken by catalog internals or other subscribers, based on SCM events. The `action` is currently either `create`, `delete`, `refresh`, or `move`.
diff --git a/.github/vale/config/vocabularies/Backstage/accept.txt b/.github/vale/config/vocabularies/Backstage/accept.txt
index 2c4b234fb2..f6f37b17cf 100644
--- a/.github/vale/config/vocabularies/Backstage/accept.txt
+++ b/.github/vale/config/vocabularies/Backstage/accept.txt
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ openapi
 OpenSearch
 OpenShift
 openssl
+opentelemetry
 orgs
 overridable
 padding
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.test.ts
index f12293fa1f..e1bd8ec386 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.test.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ describe('DefaultLocationStore', () => {
   const mockScmEvents = {
     subscribe: jest.fn(),
     publish: jest.fn(),
+    markEventActionTaken: jest.fn(),
   };
   let subscriber: CatalogScmEventsServiceSubscriber | undefined;
 
@@ -362,6 +363,11 @@ describe('DefaultLocationStore', () => {
               },
             ],
           });
+
+          expect(mockScmEvents.markEventActionTaken).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            count: 1,
+            action: 'delete',
+          });
         });
       });
 
@@ -483,6 +489,15 @@ describe('DefaultLocationStore', () => {
             ],
             removed: [],
           });
+
+          expect(mockScmEvents.markEventActionTaken).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            count: 1,
+            action: 'delete',
+          });
+          expect(mockScmEvents.markEventActionTaken).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            count: 1,
+            action: 'create',
+          });
         });
       });
 
@@ -589,6 +604,11 @@ describe('DefaultLocationStore', () => {
               },
             ],
           });
+
+          expect(mockScmEvents.markEventActionTaken).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            count: 1,
+            action: 'delete',
+          });
         });
       });
 
@@ -709,6 +729,11 @@ describe('DefaultLocationStore', () => {
             ],
             removed: [],
           });
+
+          expect(mockScmEvents.markEventActionTaken).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+            count: 1,
+            action: 'move',
+          });
         });
       });
     });
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.ts
index 305bd611dc..bfd4270696 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/DefaultLocationStore.ts
@@ -305,16 +305,40 @@ export class DefaultLocationStore implements LocationStore, EntityProvider {
     }
 
     if (exactLocationsToDelete.size > 0) {
-      await this.#deleteLocationsByExactUrl(exactLocationsToDelete);
+      const count = await this.#deleteLocationsByExactUrl(
+        exactLocationsToDelete,
+      );
+      this.scmEvents.markEventActionTaken({
+        count,
+        action: 'delete',
+      });
     }
     if (locationPrefixesToDelete.size > 0) {
-      await this.#deleteLocationsByUrlPrefix(locationPrefixesToDelete);
+      const count = await this.#deleteLocationsByUrlPrefix(
+        locationPrefixesToDelete,
+      );
+      this.scmEvents.markEventActionTaken({
+        count,
+        action: 'delete',
+      });
     }
     if (exactLocationsToCreate.size > 0) {
-      await this.#createLocationsByExactUrl(exactLocationsToCreate);
+      const count = await this.#createLocationsByExactUrl(
+        exactLocationsToCreate,
+      );
+      this.scmEvents.markEventActionTaken({
+        count,
+        action: 'create',
+      });
     }
     if (locationPrefixesToMove.size > 0) {
-      await this.#moveLocationsByUrlPrefix(locationPrefixesToMove);
+      const count = await this.#moveLocationsByUrlPrefix(
+        locationPrefixesToMove,
+      );
+      this.scmEvents.markEventActionTaken({
+        count,
+        action: 'move',
+      });
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.test.ts
index fb54caab1b..e6c1c701d3 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.test.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ describe('GenericScmEventRefreshProvider', () => {
         return { unsubscribe: () => {} };
       }),
       publish: jest.fn(),
+      markEventActionTaken: jest.fn(),
     };
 
     const store = new GenericScmEventRefreshProvider(knex, scmEvents, {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.ts
index 9d62ef1bdf..31cb6eb62b 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/providers/GenericScmEventRefreshProvider.ts
@@ -150,6 +150,8 @@ export class GenericScmEventRefreshProvider implements EntityProvider {
 
       count += Number(result);
     }
+
+    this.#scmEvents.markEventActionTaken({ count, action: 'refresh' });
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
index 26b09b9eea..a032fd732e 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/CatalogPlugin.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ import {
 } from '@backstage/plugin-catalog-node/alpha';
 import { eventsServiceRef } from '@backstage/plugin-events-node';
 import { Permission } from '@backstage/plugin-permission-common';
+import { metrics } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { merge } from 'lodash';
 import { CatalogBuilder } from './CatalogBuilder';
 import { actionsRegistryServiceRef } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api/alpha';
@@ -301,6 +302,24 @@ export const catalogPlugin = createBackendPlugin({
           catalog,
           actionsRegistry,
         });
+
+        // Track SCM event message counts as a metric
+        const meter = metrics.getMeter('default');
+        const scmEventsMessagesCounter = meter.createCounter<{
+          eventType: string;
+        }>('catalog.events.scm.messages', {
+          description:
+            'Number of SCM event messages received by the catalog backend',
+          unit: 'short',
+        });
+        catalogScmEvents.subscribe({
+          onEvents: async e => {
+            for (const event of e) {
+              const eventType = event.type.split('.')[0];
+              scmEventsMessagesCounter.add(1, { eventType });
+            }
+          },
+        });
       },
     });
   },
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.test.ts
index aa3ed3a551..e13d33d58d 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-backend/src/service/createRouter.test.ts
@@ -1429,6 +1429,7 @@ describe('POST /locations/by-query works end to end', () => {
     const mockScmEvents = {
       subscribe: jest.fn(),
       publish: jest.fn(),
+      markEventActionTaken: jest.fn(),
     };
 
     const store = new DefaultLocationStore(knex, mockScmEvents, {
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/package.json b/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
index f8ce28451b..b06bd8ca08 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/package.json
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-node": "workspace:^",
     "@backstage/types": "workspace:^",
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "^1.9.0",
     "lodash": "^4.17.21",
     "yaml": "^2.0.0"
   },
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/report-alpha.api.md b/plugins/catalog-node/report-alpha.api.md
index aad7518921..0598834c67 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/report-alpha.api.md
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/report-alpha.api.md
@@ -125,6 +125,7 @@ export type CatalogScmEventContext = {
 
 // @alpha
 export interface CatalogScmEventsService {
+  markEventActionTaken(options: { count?: number; action: string }): void;
   publish(events: CatalogScmEvent[]): Promise<void>;
   subscribe(subscriber: CatalogScmEventsServiceSubscriber): {
     unsubscribe: () => void;
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.test.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.test.ts
index 4adbb3b736..91a21894c8 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.test.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.test.ts
@@ -15,11 +15,21 @@
  */
 
 import { createDeferred } from '@backstage/types';
+import { MetricsAPI } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { DefaultCatalogScmEventsService } from './DefaultCatalogScmEventsService';
 
 describe('DefaultCatalogScmEventsService', () => {
+  const counterAdd = jest.fn();
+  const mockMetrics = {
+    getMeter: () => ({
+      createCounter: () => ({
+        add: counterAdd,
+      }),
+    }),
+  } as unknown as MetricsAPI;
+
   it('should publish and subscribe to events', async () => {
-    const service = new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService();
+    const service = new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService(mockMetrics);
 
     const subscriber1 = {
       onEvents: jest.fn(),
@@ -53,7 +63,7 @@ describe('DefaultCatalogScmEventsService', () => {
   });
 
   it('waits for all subscribers to acknowledge the events', async () => {
-    const service = new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService();
+    const service = new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService(mockMetrics);
 
     const work1 = createDeferred<void>();
     const work2 = createDeferred<void>();
@@ -102,4 +112,12 @@ describe('DefaultCatalogScmEventsService', () => {
 
     expect(completed).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  it('marks event actions taken', () => {
+    const service = new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService(mockMetrics);
+
+    service.markEventActionTaken({ action: 'refresh' });
+
+    expect(counterAdd).toHaveBeenCalledWith(1, { action: 'refresh' });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.ts
index 7610b7fd0a..b61878bbae 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/DefaultCatalogScmEventsService.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
+import { Counter, MetricsAPI } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import {
   CatalogScmEvent,
   CatalogScmEventsService,
@@ -21,19 +22,36 @@ import {
 } from './types';
 
 /**
- * The default implementation of the {@link CatalogScmEventsService}/{@link catalogScmEventsServiceRef}.
+ * The default implementation of the
+ * {@link CatalogScmEventsService}/{@link catalogScmEventsServiceRef}.
  *
  * @internal
  * @remarks
  *
  * This implementation is in-memory, which requires the producers and consumer
  * (the catalog backend) to be deployed together.
+ *
+ * It's defined in here instead of in the catalog-backend plugin because this
+ * allows us to have a default factory whether you happen to be co-installed
+ * with the catalog-backend plugin or not.
  */
 export class DefaultCatalogScmEventsService implements CatalogScmEventsService {
   readonly #subscribers: Set<CatalogScmEventsServiceSubscriber>;
+  readonly #metrics: {
+    actions: Counter<{ action: string }>;
+  };
 
-  constructor() {
+  constructor(metrics: MetricsAPI) {
     this.#subscribers = new Set();
+
+    const meter = metrics.getMeter('default');
+    this.#metrics = {
+      actions: meter.createCounter('catalog.events.scm.actions', {
+        description:
+          'Number of actions taken as a result of SCM event messages',
+        unit: 'short',
+      }),
+    };
   }
 
   subscribe(subscriber: CatalogScmEventsServiceSubscriber): {
@@ -58,4 +76,8 @@ export class DefaultCatalogScmEventsService implements CatalogScmEventsService {
       }),
     );
   }
+
+  markEventActionTaken(options: { count?: number; action: string }): void {
+    this.#metrics.actions.add(options.count ?? 1, { action: options.action });
+  }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/catalogScmEventsServiceRef.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/catalogScmEventsServiceRef.ts
index 1f5bc7165f..f940581ca0 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/catalogScmEventsServiceRef.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/catalogScmEventsServiceRef.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
   createServiceFactory,
   createServiceRef,
 } from '@backstage/backend-plugin-api';
+import { metrics } from '@opentelemetry/api';
 import { CatalogScmEventsService } from './types';
 import { DefaultCatalogScmEventsService } from './DefaultCatalogScmEventsService';
 
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ export const catalogScmEventsServiceRef =
         service,
         deps: {},
         createRootContext() {
-          return new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService();
+          return new DefaultCatalogScmEventsService(metrics);
         },
         factory(_, ctx) {
           return ctx;
diff --git a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/types.ts b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/types.ts
index 87cf31fc01..72161cacde 100644
--- a/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/types.ts
+++ b/plugins/catalog-node/src/scmEvents/types.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,26 @@ export interface CatalogScmEventsService {
    * guarantees.
    */
   publish(events: CatalogScmEvent[]): Promise<void>;
+
+  /**
+   * As a consumer of SCM events, mark that you have taken an action as a result
+   * of an SCM event.
+   *
+   * This is typically used to record metrics or other observability signals
+   * about how SCM events are handled, for example counting how many refresh,
+   * delete, create, or move operations are triggered by incoming events.
+   */
+  markEventActionTaken(options: {
+    /**
+     * The number of actions taken of the given type. Defaults to 1.
+     */
+    count?: number;
+    /**
+     * The type of action taken - typically "refresh", "delete",
+     * "create", or "move".
+     */
+    action: string;
+  }): void;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 64f87ae3eb..2a41ca71e4 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -5460,6 +5460,7 @@ __metadata:
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-common": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/plugin-permission-node": "workspace:^"
     "@backstage/types": "workspace:^"
+    "@opentelemetry/api": "npm:^1.9.0"
     lodash: "npm:^4.17.21"
     msw: "npm:^1.0.0"
     yaml: "npm:^2.0.0"