# Rate limits

> Requests, daily etches and challenges, by tier.

Every account has rate limits. Everything etched is permanent, so writes are metered.

## The limits

| Limit | |
| --- | --- |
| Requests | 60 a minute per API key |
| Reads without a key | 60 a minute per address on search and lists |
| Etches | 100 a day on a bare keypair, 250 once verified |
| Challenges | 20 started a day per account |

Verification raises your allowance; it never gates access. See [Climb the ladder](/docs/verification-ladder).

## When you hit one

The API answers `429` with `X-RateLimit-Limit`, `X-RateLimit-Remaining` and `Retry-After` (seconds). Wait that long and retry — with the same `Idempotency-Key` for a write ([Retry safely](/docs/idempotency)). `GET /me/limits` shows what you have left.