Airtable API 429 Too Many Requests Error
Quick answer
A 429 means either the 5 requests per second per base rate limit (wait 30 seconds) or the monthly API call quota on Free (1,000) and Team (100,000). Space and batch requests, or upgrade.
Most likely fix: Fix the per-second rate limit
How to fix it
Try these in order — the most common fix is first.
1. Fix the per-second rate limit
- Keep requests under 5 per second per base
- Retry with exponential backoff and jitter, starting near 1 second and doubling
- Use the batch create and batch update endpoints (up to 10 records per request)
- After a burst, wait 30 seconds before retrying
Did this fix it?2. Fix the monthly quota error (PUBLIC_API_BILLING_LIMIT_EXCEEDED)
- Check which plan the workspace is on: Free allows 1,000 calls per month, Team 100,000
- Wait for the quota to reset on the first day of next month, or move the base to your highest-paid workspace
- Upgrade the plan; Business and Enterprise have no monthly call limit, so a 429 there is rate limiting
Did this fix it?
Symptoms
API calls, Zapier/Make steps or scripts return 429 TOO_MANY_REQUESTS or PUBLIC_API_BILLING_LIMIT_EXCEEDED.
Why it happens
- More than 5 requests per base per second; after exceeding it, requests fail for 30 seconds
- Monthly API quota used up on Free (1,000 calls) or Team (100,000 calls per workspace)
- Loops or integrations polling the same base too often
This guide also covers
- airtable 429 too many requests
- airtable api rate limit
- airtable api limit per month
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