What does "rate limited" mean?
Sooner or later your AI agent will tell you it was "rate limited". It sounds like something has gone wrong with your account. Usually nothing has. It is a request to slow down, and it is one of the main ways your accounts are kept safe. Here is what it means, how it differs from other limits and warnings, and what, if anything, you need to do.
In one sentence
Being rate limited means you have been asked to wait because too much happened in too short a time, such as messages sent too close together or the inbox checked too often. Nothing is broken and nothing was sent; you, or your AI agent, simply try again after the wait you were given.
In more detail
A rate is how often something happens: messages a minute, checks an hour. A rate limit is a cap on that speed. It is like a coffee machine that needs a moment between cups. Press the button too soon and it tells you to wait; it does not mean the machine is broken.
Rate limits exist in two places. Platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram and LinkedIn have their own, mostly unpublished, which they use to spot accounts behaving like bots. And tools that send messages for you, such as Spaces, set their own limits below the point where platforms tend to react, so your account slows down before the platform has to step in.
Rate limits are about speed, not totals. A daily limit says how much an account can do in a day. A rate limit says how quickly. You can be well inside your daily total and still be rate limited because three messages went out in the same few seconds.
Reading counts as well as sending. An agent that opens your chat list every few seconds to see whether anything new has arrived is making the account look busy and automated, even though it sends nothing. That is why a well set up agent is told how long to wait before checking again, and why the best way to hear about new messages is to be told, not to keep looking.
Being rate limited by your own sending tool is a good sign: the safety system is working. Being slowed down by the platform itself is a stronger signal, and the right response is to back off for longer. The table below shows a typical case. Names and details are examples.
An example
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 10:00:00 | A café owner asks her agent to answer six Instagram messages that came in overnight. |
| 10:00:05 | The agent sends the first reply. |
| 10:00:07 | It tries to send the second straight away. Spaces holds it back because Instagram replies need at least 15 seconds between them, and tells the agent how long to wait. Nothing is sent. |
| A few seconds later | The agent waits the time it was given and tries again with the same message. It goes out once. |
| 10:02 | All six replies have gone out, spaced apart like a person typing. The owner did nothing and saw nothing go wrong. |
Rate limited, daily limit, restricted: what is the difference?
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Rate limited | Too much in too short a time. Wait a little. | Nothing. The agent waits the time it was given and tries again. |
| Daily limit reached | The account, or this agent, has used its share for the day. | Wait for the next day, or give the agent a bigger share if that suits you. |
| Account resting | The platform pushed back, so the account should stop writing for a while. | Let it rest until the time given. Do not try to get round it. |
| Restricted or security check | The platform has limited the account or wants to confirm it is you. | Open the app and do what it asks. Then let the account warm up again. |
| Paused | You or someone on your team paused sending. | Resume sending when you are ready. |
Only the last two usually need you. A rate limit and a daily limit are part of normal work, and an account resting is the system being careful on your behalf.
Why checking too often counts
It surprises many owners that reading can get you rate limited. To a platform, an account that refreshes its inbox every few seconds all day looks nothing like a person, and that pattern is one of the things platforms watch for.
There are two good ways round it. The first is to read from a saved copy of your messages that stays up to date as new ones arrive, so most reading never has to ask the platform at all. The second is for the agent to wait to be told about new messages, instead of looking again and again. Both keep your agent fully informed without making the account look like a bot.
If your agent is told when it may next check for new messages, it should wait at least that long. The wait is longer during an account's first weeks and after the platform has pushed back.
Notes to give your agent about limits
Most agents handle rate limits well by default, but a few lines in their notes make it certain. Here is an example.
If a send is held back because of a limit, nothing was sent.
Wait the number of seconds you are given, then try again with the same
idempotency key. Do not change the message to get round the limit.
If an account is resting, stop writing on that account until the time given.
Keep answering on other accounts.
Do not check for new messages by reopening the chat list. Wait for new
events instead, and never check more often than you are told.What if...
- You are rate limited many times a day? That usually means the agent is trying to do a lot at once, such as a big batch of messages. Spread the work out, or schedule some for later.
- A customer is waiting? Replies to people who have just written are treated more kindly than other messages, so a rate limit usually delays a reply by seconds, not hours.
- You see "rate limited" while reading old messages? Fetching a long history from the platform is done slowly and in small pages on purpose. Give it time, and ask for recent messages first.
- The account keeps being slowed down by the platform? Cut back on new conversations and posts for a while, and read the platform's own warnings in its app.
- You want to send faster? The limits exist to protect the account. Going faster is the quickest way to get it restricted.
Common mistakes
- Treating a rate limit as an error to fix. It is a pause, not a fault.
- Retrying straight away, again and again. Wait the time you were given.
- Rewording a message to get it past the limit. The limit is about speed, so a new wording does not help and can look like spam.
- Using several tools on one account at once. Their activity adds up, and the platform sees it all.
- Asking the agent to check the inbox every minute. Let it wait for new messages instead.
Why it matters for your business
- A rate limit is one of the cheapest forms of protection your accounts have, and it usually costs you only seconds.
- Knowing the difference between a rate limit and a restriction stops you worrying about the wrong thing.
- Spacing messages out reads more naturally to customers as well as to platforms.
- Keeping reads gentle protects the account even on days when you send very little.
- Your agent can handle rate limits on its own, so you only hear about the cases that need you.
How Spaces handles it
Spaces sets pacing and limits on every connected account, on every channel. For example, it keeps at least 10 seconds between messages on WhatsApp and 20 seconds on LinkedIn, plus caps on new conversations an hour and a day. When a send would break one of these, Spaces holds it, sends nothing, and tells the agent how many seconds to wait. The agent tries again with the same reference number, so the message goes out once. The limits page lists every number, channel by channel.
Reading is paced too. Spaces keeps its own up-to-date copy of your chats and messages, so most reading never touches the platform. Only what the copy does not hold yet, such as older history, is fetched from the platform, slowly and in small pages. Every answer tells the agent how long to wait before checking for new messages again, and agents can wait on Spaces' event stream instead, which answers the moment something arrives and never touches the platform.
If a platform pushes back, Spaces marks the account as resting until a set time and tells the agent to stop writing there until then. A webhook can tell you when that happens. Spaces lowers the risk of restrictions with these limits, warm-up and pacing, but it cannot guarantee a platform will never restrict an account.
In short
Rate limited means "not so fast". Nothing was sent, nothing is broken, and the message goes out after a short wait.
Let your agent wait the time it is given, keep reading gentle, and save your attention for the rarer messages that say an account is resting, restricted or needs a security check.
FAQ
Does being rate limited mean my account is in trouble?
No. It means something happened too quickly and you need to wait a moment. It is a normal part of sending safely, and in most cases your agent handles it without you.
Was my message sent when I was rate limited?
No. In Spaces, a held message is not sent at all. Your agent tries again after the wait, with the same reference number, so it goes out once.
How long do I have to wait?
It depends on the limit. Spaces tells the agent exactly how many seconds to wait, which is often a matter of seconds for pacing and longer for hourly limits.
What is the difference between a rate limit and a daily limit?
A rate limit is about speed: too much in too short a time. A daily limit is about the total for the day. You can hit a rate limit while still having plenty left for the day.
Can reading messages get me rate limited?
Yes. Checking the inbox over and over looks automated to platforms. Spaces reads mostly from its own copy and lets agents wait for new messages, so reading stays gentle.
What does it mean when an account is resting?
The platform asked for the account to slow down. Spaces stops writing on that account until the time it gives, so the account can settle. Other accounts carry on.
Can I raise my rate limits?
No. The pacing on each account is set by Spaces to stay below the point where platforms tend to react, and owners cannot change it. You can give each agent a share of the daily total.
Do replies to customers get rate limited?
They are paced so they never go out in bursts, but they are treated more kindly than new conversations. A customer who has just written usually waits seconds, not hours.