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

# Rate Limits & Fair Usage

> Per-window request allowances, burst protection, and what does and does not count toward your limits.

# Rate Limits & Fair Usage

Your **primary quota** is your plan's request allowance per **usage window** (for example, 20 requests per 5 hours on Free, 800 per 5 hours on Pro). Every plan also has a **weekly request cap** that resets Monday 00:00 UTC. Openference additionally applies a **per-minute burst limit** — a hard cap on requests per minute per API key — to keep the platform responsive for all users.

Your window quota resets on a fixed schedule (your full allowance returns at each reset; the exact time is shown in the dashboard). The per-minute burst limit is enforced over a sliding 60-second window per API key.

## Your plan quota

Each plan includes a request allowance per usage window, which resets in full on a fixed schedule. See the [per-plan limits table](/billing/plans#plan-limits-at-a-glance) for every plan's window allowance, weekly cap, and burst limit, or check the [Pricing page](https://openference.com/pricing) and the dashboard under Billing, where your next reset time is shown.

When you exceed your included requests in the current window, on-demand overage or credit balance can continue to cover usage (when configured on your account).

## Weekly usage cap

In addition to the per-window allowance, every plan has a **weekly request cap**. This is a soft ceiling on total requests over a 7-day period — it prevents sustained round-the-clock usage from monopolizing shared capacity, while leaving comfortable headroom for normal heavy workloads.

* Each plan's weekly cap is listed in the [per-plan limits table](/billing/plans#plan-limits-at-a-glance) (for example, 13,000 requests per week on Pro).
* The weekly cap resets every **Monday 00:00 UTC**. Your full weekly allowance returns at each reset.
* The dashboard shows your weekly usage as a percentage of your plan's weekly quota, plus a countdown to the next Monday reset, in the **Included Request Usage** card.
* When you reach the weekly cap, on-demand overage or credit balance can continue to cover usage (when configured on your account) — the same behavior as the per-window allowance.
* The per-minute burst limit (below) is separate and unaffected.

If you consistently reach the weekly cap, upgrade to a plan with a larger weekly allowance.

## Burst protection

The burst limit is **not** your plan quota. It is a hard per-minute request cap that prevents any single API key from overwhelming shared capacity. Requests beyond it return 429 immediately and it is **not** bypassed by credits — only your per-window allowance can be extended with on-demand credits.

* Applies to any 60-second rolling window
* For typical interactive IDE use, you will not hit it
* For unattended or high-frequency agents, Auto Agent plans offer higher per-minute caps (up to 99 requests per minute) and larger per-window allowances
* If you are hitting burst limits regularly, upgrade your plan or add credits for on-demand overage

## What counts

A request counts toward limits when the final status recorded is:

* `success`
* `client_error` (4xx from client or bad request)

**Upstream errors and capacity unavailable (502, and 529 "Overloaded" when no providers are available) do not count.**

## Behavior on exceed

The API returns HTTP **429 Too Many Requests** with one of:

1. **Plan quota or burst limit** — Messages such as "Request limit exceeded (800 per 5 hours)", "Weekly request limit exceeded", or "Too many requests per minute". Per-window and weekly quota overage may be bypassed with on-demand credits when configured; the per-minute burst limit is not bypassed by credits.
2. **Abuse/capacity throttle** — `"Temporary rate limit applied due to high load"` Applies a temporary lower burst limit to **this key only**. Credits do **not** bypass. This is a rate reduction, not a block — retry shortly at the reduced rate using the short `Retry-After` header (or `retry_after_seconds` in the body), which is typically under a minute and is **not** the full throttle duration.

When no providers are available for a model, the API returns **529 Overloaded** (Anthropic-native) with a `Retry-After` header; this does not consume quota.

## Temporary abuse throttling

When automated signals detect a single API key sending disproportionately high volume, Openference may apply a **temporary reduced burst limit** to that key for a short period. This protects shared capacity for all users. Normal interactive IDE use within plan limits should not trigger it.

The throttle is a **rate reduction, not a lockout**: the key keeps serving requests at the reduced rate (returned in the `max_rpm` field) throughout that window, so you can retry shortly at the lower rate instead of waiting out the full duration. The `Retry-After` header and `retry_after_seconds` body field give the short wait until your next retry under the reduced rate (typically under a minute) — they do **not** reflect the remaining throttle time, so do not infer a long wait from them.

See [Plans & Usage](/billing/plans) for how window allowances and overage work.