> ## Documentation index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.leadity.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Rate limits

> Too many requests answer 429 with a Retry-After header. Wait that long and try again.

Requests are limited per key and per account, so one runaway integration cannot spend the whole account's allowance, and per network address as a backstop. A request over a limit is refused before it reaches anything that costs money.

## The limits

| Limit | Requests a minute | Counts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Per key, `read` operations | 120 | Every call of an operation whose scope is `read`, such as [`list_leads`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/scrapes/list-leads) or [`estimate_scrape`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/scrapes/estimate-scrape) |
| Per key, `write` operations | 30 | Every call of an operation whose scope is `write`, such as [`stop_scrape`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/scrapes/stop-scrape) |
| Per key, `spend` operations | 12 | Every call of an operation that takes credits |
| Per account | 300 | Every call of every key on the account, API and MCP keys alike |
| Per network address | 600 | Every request to the HTTP API, and separately to the MCP server |
| Checkouts per account | 6 | [`create_checkout`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/billing/create-checkout) and [`create_top_up_checkout`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/billing/create-top-up-checkout) together, beside their `write` limit, because each one opens a checkout at the payment provider |

A call spends its key's limit first and then the account's, so a key that has run out stops before it can draw down what the account's other keys share. A download link spends only the address limit: the token in it is its credential.

## When you are limited

The API answers `429` with the code `rate_limited`, a `Retry-After` header giving the seconds to wait, and the same number as `retryAfterSeconds` in the body:

```http
HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
Retry-After: 12
Content-Type: application/json

{ "error": "rate_limited", "message": "Too many requests. Wait for the Retry-After seconds and try again.", "retryAfterSeconds": 12 }
```

Wait that long, then send the same request again. A spending call retried after a 429 should carry its original `Idempotency-Key`.

## Staying under the limits

- **Poll slowly.** A running scrape needs [`get_scrape_status`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/scrapes/get-scrape-status) every 30 to 60 seconds, not more. See [Polling and status](https://docs.leadity.io/polling).
- **Page large.** Ask for the largest `limit` an operation allows rather than many small pages.
- **Download once.** For a finished scrape's whole list, one call to [`download_leads`](https://docs.leadity.io/api-reference/scrapes/download-leads) replaces hundreds of pages.
- **Cache the catalog.** Niches, prices and territories carry a `version` and change rarely. Keep a copy and refresh it when the version moves.

The limits may change as the API grows. Code that honours `Retry-After` keeps working whatever they are.

> **Note:** A `503 try_again` with `Retry-After` is not a rate limit. It means Leadity could not answer just then, or that a spend's `Idempotency-Key` is still being processed by an earlier request: retry after that many seconds, with the same key on a spend. See [Errors](https://docs.leadity.io/errors) and [Idempotency](https://docs.leadity.io/idempotency).