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The ChatGrid API uses a sliding-window rate limiter to protect the platform from abuse and ensure fair usage.

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Limits

Auth methodDefault limitWindow
API keyConfigurable per key (default 120 req/min)1 minute
JWT200 req/min1 minute
API key rate limits can be customized when the key is created. Contact support if you need higher limits.

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Rate limit headers

Every response includes rate limit headers so you can track your usage:
HeaderDescription
X-RateLimit-LimitMaximum requests allowed in the current window
X-RateLimit-RemainingRequests remaining before the limit is reached
X-RateLimit-ResetUnix epoch timestamp (seconds) when the window resets
Example response headers: 
X-RateLimit-Limit: 120
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 117
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1711843260

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Exceeding the limit

When you exceed your rate limit, the API returns a 429 status code with a Retry-After header indicating how many seconds to wait: 
{
  "object": "error",
  "status": 429,
  "code": "rate_limit_exceeded",
  "message": "Rate limit exceeded"
}

HTTP/1.1 429 Too Many Requests
Retry-After: 42
X-RateLimit-Limit: 120
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 0
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1711843260

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Best practices

  1. Check headers proactively. Monitor X-RateLimit-Remaining and slow down before hitting the limit.
  2. Implement exponential backoff. On 429 responses, wait at least Retry-After seconds, then retry with increasing delays.
  3. Use batch endpoints. The batch nodes endpoint lets you perform up to 100 operations in a single request.
  4. Cache responses. For data that does not change often (board metadata, node positions), cache locally to reduce request volume. 
import time
import requests

def make_request(url, headers):
    response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)

    if response.status_code == 429:
        retry_after = int(response.headers.get("Retry-After", 5))
        time.sleep(retry_after)
        return make_request(url, headers)

    return response