How rate limits work
API and MCP requests are rate-limited per workspace based on your plan. Each request consumes credits, which represent milliseconds of backend compute. The cost depends on query complexity: simple lookups consume approximately 5 credits, items pages approximately 50, and filtered creator searches approximately 350.
Rate limits enforce two ceilings on credit consumption:
Burst capacity — a temporary allowance above your sustainable rate. Burst capacity absorbs short traffic spikes.
Sustained rate — the enforced ceiling for ongoing usage, expressed in credits per second. This rate refills at a constant pace over time.
When either limit is reached, further requests in that workspace are rejected until the window resets.
Rate limits by plan
Rate limits are enforced per workspace and vary by plan:
Plan | Burst capacity | Sustained rate |
Startup | 5,000 credits | 50 credits/second |
Growth | 15,000 credits | 250 credits/second |
Agency | 15,000 credits | 250 credits/second |
Enterprise | 60,000 credits | 1,000 credits/second |
The Base plan (fallback) includes 5,000 burst and 50 credits/second.
API Add-On
If you've added the API Add-On to your workspace, you receive an additional 5,000 burst capacity and 50 credits/second sustained rate per workspace.
Enforcement
Rate limit enforcement transitioned to hard rejection on August 10, 2026. Requests that exceed your plan's limits are now rejected immediately. You may start hitting limits without having changed your own usage — the change is enforced on the platform side.
Rejected requests return an HTTP 429 (Too Many Requests) response.
Common Questions
What should I do if my workspace is hitting rate limits?
Review your request patterns and query complexity. Consider:
Batching multiple queries into a single request where possible
Caching results locally to avoid redundant API calls
Spreading large workloads across multiple time windows
Upgrading your plan if sustained usage exceeds your current limits
Can I increase my rate limits without changing my plan?
The API Add-On provides additional capacity (5,000 burst + 50 credits/second per workspace). For plan upgrades or Enterprise-specific adjustments, contact your Customer Success Manager.
How do I know how many credits a request will cost?
Query cost varies by complexity. You can estimate by reviewing the types of requests you make: simple profile lookups are relatively cheap (~5 credits), while filtered searches across many creators cost more (~350 credits). When a request is rejected, the HTTP 429 response includes rate limit metadata to help you understand your current consumption.