# What rate limits does the DunSocial API have?

> General API routes allow about 100 requests a minute per user or IP, auth routes about 20 per 15 minutes, CLI device login about 30 per 15 minutes & AI routes about 20 a minute. A 429 includes X-RateLimit headers. X also has a separate monthly posting cap.

Updated: 2026-10-05.

## The limits

The API limits are approximate & documented per scope:

| Scope | Limit |
|-------|-------|
| General `/api/*` | About 100 requests per minute per authenticated user, or per client IP |
| Auth `/api/auth/*` | About 20 requests per 15 minutes per client IP |
| CLI device login `/api/cli/auth/*` | About 30 requests per 15 minutes per client IP |
| AI `/api/ai/*` | About 20 requests per minute |

The word "about" is deliberate. Use the response headers, not a hard-coded number, to decide your pace.

## What a limited response looks like

You get a 429 status & `X-RateLimit-*` headers. Back off, then retry. A 429 is also what you see when a workspace hits its X monthly posting cap, which is a different limit.

## The X posting cap

X has a monthly cap on posts per workspace. Scheduling or publishing to X past it returns a 429.

Check usage before a large batch:

```bash
curl https://api.dunsocial.com/api/posts/x-cap-usage \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "X-Workspace-Id: YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID"
```

Backing off won't help with the monthly cap. It resets with the period, so plan the batch around it.

## Retrying with backoff

Retry a 429 & the occasional 500 with exponential backoff, & stop after a few attempts:

```bash
for delay in 1 2 4 8; do
  curl -sf -X POST "$URL" -H "Authorization: Bearer $DUN_TOKEN" && break
  sleep $delay
done
```

Don't retry a 401 or 403 without fixing auth or permissions. Those won't succeed by waiting.

DunSocial's rate-limit headers show where a client stands, so use them to pace requests when you can.

## Staying under the limit

- Fetch account ids once & reuse them
- Upload media once & reuse the asset id
- Send one request that targets several accounts instead of one request per account
- Validate with a single call before a batch, not per post

DunSocial's schedule route accepts several account ids in one request, so a multi-platform post is one call, not one per platform.

## Bulk work

For a large batch, spread requests across the minute rather than firing them all at once. A short pause between calls keeps you well under the general limit.

DunSocial's CLI & SDK report a rate limit clearly, with exit code 6 in the CLI, so a script can tell it apart from other failures.

## Related guides

- [What do DunSocial API error codes mean?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-api-and-sdk-guides/what-do-dunsocial-api-error-codes-mean.md)
- [How to schedule a post with the DunSocial API](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-api-and-sdk-guides/how-to-schedule-a-post-with-the-dunsocial-api.md)
- [How to bulk schedule social media posts](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/social-media-scheduler/how-to-bulk-schedule-social-media-posts.md)
- [What do the DunSocial CLI exit codes mean?](https://www.dunsocial.com/hub/dunsocial-cli-guides/what-do-the-dunsocial-cli-exit-codes-mean.md)

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## Company

- Product: DunSocial, https://www.dunsocial.com
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