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

# Rate Limits

> Venice API rate limits — per-tier request and token quotas, model-specific limits, headers exposing remaining capacity, and how to handle 429 responses.

Rate limits vary by model and tier. The default limits below are a useful reference, but the `/api_keys/rate_limits` API endpoint is the canonical way to fetch your current limits. You can check your exact limits anytime:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="View Your Limits" icon="gauge-high" href="/api-reference/endpoint/api_keys/rate_limits?playground=open">
    Interactive playground
  </Card>

  <Card title="Rate Limit Logs" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/api-reference/endpoint/api_keys/rate_limit_logs?playground=open">
    See which requests hit limits
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

```bash theme={"system"}
curl https://api.venice.ai/api/v1/api_keys/rate_limits \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $VENICE_API_KEY"
```

## Default Limits

### Text Models

Text models are grouped into tiers based on size. Each model card on the [Models page](/models/text) displays its tier badge.

| Tier | Requests/min | Tokens/min |
| :--- | -----------: | ---------: |
| XS   |          500 |  1,000,000 |
| S    |           75 |    750,000 |
| M    |           50 |    750,000 |
| L    |           20 |    500,000 |

<Accordion title="Which models are in each tier?">
  **XS** `qwen3-4b` `llama-3.2-3b`

  **S** `mistral-31-24b` `venice-uncensored`

  **M** `zai-org-glm-5` `qwen3-next-80b` `google-gemma-3-27b-it`

  **L** `qwen3-235b-a22b-instruct-2507` `qwen3-235b-a22b-thinking-2507` `deepseek-ai-DeepSeek-R1` `grok-41-fast` `kimi-k2-thinking` `gemini-3-pro-preview` `hermes-3-llama-3.1-405b` `qwen3-coder-480b-a35b-instruct` `zai-org-glm-4.7` `openai-gpt-oss-120b`
</Accordion>

### Other Models

| Type             | Requests/min |
| :--------------- | -----------: |
| Image            |           20 |
| Audio            |           60 |
| Embedding        |          500 |
| Video (queue)    |           40 |
| Video (retrieve) |          120 |

## Handling Errors

Failed requests (500, 503, 429) should be retried with exponential backoff.

For 429 errors specifically, check the `x-ratelimit-reset-requests` header for the exact Unix timestamp when you can retry. Most HTTP libraries have built-in retry mechanisms that handle this automatically.

### Abuse Protection

If you generate more than 20 failed requests in 30 seconds, the API will block further requests for 30 seconds:

```
Too many failed attempts (> 20) resulting in a non-success status code. Please wait 30s and try again.
```

## Response Headers

Every response includes these headers:

| Header                           | Description                            |
| :------------------------------- | :------------------------------------- |
| `x-ratelimit-limit-requests`     | Max requests allowed in current window |
| `x-ratelimit-remaining-requests` | Requests remaining in current window   |
| `x-ratelimit-reset-requests`     | Unix timestamp when window resets      |
| `x-ratelimit-limit-tokens`       | Max tokens allowed per minute          |
| `x-ratelimit-remaining-tokens`   | Tokens remaining in current minute     |
| `x-ratelimit-reset-tokens`       | Seconds until token limit resets       |

## Partner Tier

Partners get significantly higher rate limits:

| Tier | Requests/min | Tokens/min |
| :--- | -----------: | ---------: |
| XS   |          500 |  2,000,000 |
| S    |          150 |  1,500,000 |
| M    |          100 |  1,500,000 |
| L    |           60 |  1,000,000 |

| Type      | Requests/min |
| :-------- | -----------: |
| Image     |           60 |
| Audio     |          120 |
| Embedding |          500 |

If you're consistently hitting your rate limits and your usage patterns show **sustained demand over time**, reach out to discuss partner access: [api@venice.ai](mailto:api@venice.ai).

Partner tier limits can be adjusted based on your specific needs.