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

# Rate limits

> Stophy rate limits: 600 requests a minute and 10 running at once per account, free per-IP limits without a key, and how to handle a 429.

| | Limit |
| - | - |
| Requests | 600 a minute per account |
| Running at once | 10 per account |

Every call answers or fails within 25 seconds.

## Without a key

Web search, YouTube search, and YouTube transcripts also work with no API key, over HTTP and [MCP](/mcp-server/keyless). No other endpoints are available without a key.

Free use is capped per IP address. Going over the cap returns a `429`.

[Sign up for an API key](https://stophy.dev/signup) to get 500 free credits, higher limits and every endpoint.

## Headers

Responses include:

* `X-RateLimit-Limit`: your limit
* `X-RateLimit-Remaining`: what is left

## When you go over

| Code | Status | What to do |
| - | - | - |
| `rateLimited` | `429` | Wait for the `Retry-After` header (also `retryAfterSeconds` in the body), then retry. |
| `tooManyInFlight` | `429` | Too many of your calls are running at once. Wait for one to finish, then retry. |

Both are marked `retryable: true`. See [Errors](/api-reference/errors) for a retry loop.