Rate limits

Overview

The API enforces two independent rate limits to ensure fair usage and system stability. Both must pass for a request to proceed.

Limit	Value
Requests per minute	500 per API key
Request timeout	60 seconds
Complexity budget	750 points per API key, refills every 15 seconds
Max query complexity	750 points per query

Request rate limit

Each API key can make up to 500 requests per minute. This limit applies regardless of query complexity, every request counts as one.

Response headers

Every response includes request rate limit headers:

Header	Description	Example
`X-RateLimit-Remaining`	Requests remaining in the current window	`487`
`X-RateLimit-Reset`	When the rate limit window resets (RFC 1123)	`Sun, 02 Mar 2026 15:30:45 UTC`

Complexity rate limit

In addition to the request limit, each API key has a complexity budget. Every query has a complexity score based on the fields and nesting depth you request. The more data your query asks for, the higher its cost.

Your budget starts at 750 points and refills fully every 15 seconds (50 points per second).
Each query consumes points equal to its complexity score, with a minimum cost of one point.
Queries with a complexity score above 750 are rejected before execution.

How complexity is calculated

Complexity is determined by static analysis of your query before it runs. Deeper nesting and more fields increase the score. The X-Complexity-Cost header on every response tells you what your query cost.

Response headers

Every response includes complexity rate limit headers:

Header	Description	Example
`X-Complexity-Cost`	Complexity score consumed by this query	`46`
`X-Complexity-Remaining`	Points remaining in your complexity budget	`704`
`X-Complexity-Limit`	Maximum budget capacity	`750`
`X-Complexity-Reset`	When the next complexity point restores (RFC 1123)	`Sun, 02 Mar 2026 15:30:45 UTC`

Handling rate limits

When you receive a 429 Too Many Requests response, you have exceeded either the request limit or the complexity budget.

Check the Retry-After header to determine when to retry
Back off and retry after the indicated time
Do not retry immediately, repeated 429s will not reset the window

When throttled by the complexity budget, the response body includes a GraphQL error:

{
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "Complexity budget exhausted. Try a less complex query or wait for your budget to restore.",
      "extensions": {
        "code": "THROTTLED"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Best practices

Batch related data into a single query. GraphQL lets you request multiple fields in one request, use this to reduce your request count.
Request only the fields you need. Smaller queries have lower complexity scores so you can make more of them before exhausting your budget.
Monitor your headers. Watch X-RateLimit-Remaining and X-Complexity-Remaining to slow down before hitting limits rather than reacting to 429s.
Avoid deeply nested queries. Nesting increases complexity quickly so if you need data from multiple levels consider breaking it into separate queries.

Need help?

If you run into any issues or have questions, please reach out to our Support Engineering team by opening a ticket via the Dashboard: https://dashboard.meter.com/support

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