Two different things people mean by "API rate limit"#
1. The platform's own undocumented or partially-documented anti-spam throttle — Meta, TikTok and others rarely publish an exact number, and it moves. 2. SkedCast's own conservative pacing default per connected account, designed to stay well inside whatever that undocumented ceiling actually is, and which you can loosen per account if your use case needs it. The table below is the second — SkedCast's own default, not a platform-published spec.
SkedCast's default posting pace, per connected account#
| Platform | Default daily cap | Default spacing between posts |
|---|---|---|
| X (Twitter) | 100/day | ~5 min |
| 100/day | ~10 min | |
| 80/day | ~15 min | |
| Facebook Pages | 50/day | ~1 min |
| TikTok | 15/day | ~60 min |
| YouTube | 5/day | ~30 min |
| Threads | 200/day | ~5 min |
| 20/day | ~30 min | |
| Bluesky | 1,000/day | 30s |
| Telegram | No default cap | 30s |
Instagram API rate limit#
Instagram doesn't publish an exact posting-frequency ceiling, so the row above is SkedCast's own conservative default for that platform: 80 posts/day per connected account with roughly 15 minutes of spacing between posts, loosenable per account if your use case needs it.
SkedCast's own API request budget (separate from posting pace)#
This is a second, unrelated limit: how many /v1 requests your API key or MCP connection can make per minute, independent of how many of those are actual publishes. Every response carries RateLimit-Limit / RateLimit-Remaining / RateLimit-Reset headers; a throttled request returns 429 rate_limited with Retry-After (seconds). MCP applies the same idea with a separate, tighter budget for destructive tools (delete, cancel, bulk undo).
What each 429 code means#
| Code | Whose fault, and the fix |
|---|---|
rate_limited | You've hit your key's or app's request budget. Back off for Retry-After seconds. |
tenant_quota_exceeded | Your workspace's own reserved quota for a platform is used up. Wait for the window reset, reduce volume, or upgrade your plan. |
platform_capacity_exhausted | SkedCast's own shared platform capacity is exhausted — not your fault. Retry after Retry-After; upgrading your plan won't help this one. |
FAQ
- What is Instagram's API rate limit for posting?
- Instagram does not publish an exact posting-frequency limit. SkedCast's own conservative default is 80 posts/day per account with roughly 15 minutes of spacing — overridable per account, not a hard platform ceiling.
- What happens if I hit a rate limit?
- You get a 429 with a Retry-After header and a machine-readable code (rate_limited, tenant_quota_exceeded, or platform_capacity_exhausted) telling you whose limit it was and whether retrying or upgrading helps.