All glossary terms
Glossary · Tooling
Rate limit
Also known as: 429, API throttle
The maximum number of X API requests an app can make in a given time window.
In depth
X enforces per-endpoint rate limits to prevent API abuse. Posting a tweet has its own limit; reading timelines has another; searching has another. Limits scale with paid API tiers — the free tier allows ~1,500 posts/month.
When you hit a rate limit, the API returns HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header. Well-built automation tools (AutoTweet included) queue requests to stay under the limit; poorly-built ones blast the API and break.
Now put it to work
AutoTweet generates and schedules X content tuned for the algorithm — the same one this glossary just explained.