{
  "object": "doc",
  "title": "What are the Cartroute API rate limits?",
  "description": "Per-key and per-IP limits, RateLimit headers and Retry-After.",
  "section": "Concepts",
  "url": "https://cart-route.com/docs/rate-limits",
  "updated": "2026-09-23",
  "prev": "https://cart-route.com/docs/errors",
  "next": "https://cart-route.com/docs/idempotency",
  "text": "The API allows 120 requests per minute per API key and 30 per minute per IP address for calls without a key. Every response reports the current state in `RateLimit-*` headers, and a `429` adds `Retry-After`. Rate-limited calls are never charged.\n\n## Which headers report the limit?\n\n| Header | Meaning |\n\n| `RateLimit-Limit` | Requests allowed in the window. |\n\n| `RateLimit-Remaining` | Requests left in the current window. |\n\n| `RateLimit-Reset` | Seconds until the window resets. |\n\n| `RateLimit-Policy` | The policy, e.g. `120;w=60`. |\n\n| `Retry-After` | On 429 only: seconds to wait before retrying. |\n\n## What should an agent do when limited?\n\nSleep for `Retry-After` seconds and resend the same request with the same `Idempotency-Key`. Do not retry immediately in a loop: every retry inside the window is itself rejected. For planned bursts, pace requests using `RateLimit-Remaining` instead of waiting to be rejected.\n\n## Are there other limits?\n\n- `POST /api/v1/accounts`: five accounts per IP per hour.\n\n- Anonymous web searches on cart-route.com: five per visitor per day; logged-in searches use credits instead.\n\n- Request bodies: 32 KB for the REST API, 64 KB for MCP.\n\n## Can I get a higher limit?\n\nThe Scale plan allows 600 requests per minute and Enterprise is set per contract. Email [sales@cart-route.com](mailto:sales@cart-route.com)."
}