Rate limits

The free tier is 30 cost units a minute and 600 a day for each API key. Each key has its own count, and the REST API and the MCP server draw from the same counter for that key. You can have up to 5 active keys. A revoked key's count goes with it, and a new key starts at zero.

Cost unitsCopy Anchor Link

A call costs units, not one call each. The cost is set per tool, from 1 to 5 units today, and the Tool costs page lists every tool under its cost, generated from the registry. Each tool's own page says its cost too.

Most tools cost 1 to 3 units, and a few heavier lookups cost 5. Asking the source itself for a record (upstream: true on fetch_record) adds 3 more.

With 30 units a minute, a few 5 unit calls use most of a minute, so plan around the tool's cost and not the number of calls.

Check your allowanceCopy Anchor Link

GET /v1/usage with a key returns that key's own count and when each window resets. Asking does not use any allowance:

{
  "minute": { "used": 4, "limit": 30, "resets_at": "2026-10-27T18:00:00Z" },
  "day": { "used": 112, "limit": 600, "resets_at": "2026-10-28T00:00:00Z" },
  "unit": "cost units"
}

Your account page shows the same numbers for each of your keys.

When you go overCopy Anchor Link

You get HTTP 429 with a retry-after header (seconds) and an error body that names the window that ran out:

{ "error": { "code": "rate_limited", "message": "...", "retry_after_seconds": 41, "window": "minute" } }

Wait that long and try again. MCP clients get the same refusal. Only the key that went over is refused.

There are also daily budgets for the whole service, and a kill switch. When one applies you get 503 (budget_exhausted, kill_switch or limits_unavailable). The service fails closed: if it cannot count, it refuses.

Higher limitsCopy Anchor Link

On your account page, Request higher limits sends us a note with your name, email, B.C. resident answer and each key's current usage. The request is for your account, not for one key. We can unlock an affordable paid tier, and we will be in touch with pricing. Pressing it twice inside 24 hours does not send a second note.