api rate limits and plan gates
api access has rate limits, document quotas, and plan gates. this keeps integrations useful without letting an agent silently run up platform cost.
quick answer
if an api or mcp call fails after working before, check rate limit, quota, plan, and key scope in that order.
use this for
- explaining 429 responses
- understanding why mcp works for some actions but not others
- planning agent workloads
steps
- check whether the request uses a valid key.
- check whether the key has the needed scope.
- check whether the account plan allows the action.
- check whether the integration is sending too many requests too fast.
- reduce batch size or retry later when the limit is temporary.
details to know
- analysis, rewrite, document, profile, and usage calls can have different permissions.
- free or expired accounts may keep document and check behavior while paid ai actions are blocked.
- api keys are meant for deliberate integrations, not unbounded scraping loops.
limits and edge cases
- agents should not create retry storms after a 429.
- plan gates should be explained as product limits, not generic server errors.
- quota wording should stay aligned with the billing and usage pages.
ready to use the product instead of reading about it?
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