What causes "Cohere API 429 Too Many Requests Error"?

Trial key per-minute limit (Chat 20/min for Command A, R+, R, R7B per the docs; Rerank 10/min) Trial key monthly cap of 1,000 API calls Bursty parallel requests or loops without delay Newer Chat variants (for example Command A Reasoning) where Production keys behave like trial keys

How do I fix "Cohere API 429 Too Many Requests Error"?

1. Slow down and retry with backoff: Catch the 429 response in your client Wait and retry with exponential backoff (1s, 2s, 4s, up to a cap) Limit concurrency to stay under the per-minute limit for your endpoint 2. Check which limit you hit: Open dashboard.cohere.com and check usage for the key Compare against the rate limits page in docs.cohere.com If it is the monthly cap, calls fail until the month resets or you upgrade 3. Move to a Production key: Dashboard > Billing and Usage (account Owner only) Add a payment method and apply for a Production key Production Chat limit is 500/min for the main Command models; ask support@cohere.com for higher limits

Cohere API 429 Too Many Requests Error

Workaround available API (Python, JS, REST) Updated November 14, 2026Based on 3 user reportsHow we research

Quick answer

A 429 means you hit a rate limit. On a trial key it is usually the 20 requests per minute Chat limit or the 1,000 calls per month cap; a Production key raises per-minute limits.

Most likely fix: Slow down and retry with backoff

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. Slow down and retry with backoff
1. Catch the 429 response in your client
2. Wait and retry with exponential backoff (1s, 2s, 4s, up to a cap)
3. Limit concurrency to stay under the per-minute limit for your endpoint
Did this fix it?
2. Check which limit you hit
1. Open dashboard.cohere.com and check usage for the key
2. Compare against the rate limits page in docs.cohere.com
3. If it is the monthly cap, calls fail until the month resets or you upgrade
Did this fix it?
3. Move to a Production key
1. Dashboard > Billing and Usage (account Owner only)
2. Add a payment method and apply for a Production key
3. Production Chat limit is 500/min for the main Command models; ask support@cohere.com for higher limits
Did this fix it?

Symptoms

Requests fail with HTTP 429 and messages like 'You are past the per minute request limit, please wait and try again later'.

Why it happens

Trial key per-minute limit (Chat 20/min for Command A, R+, R, R7B per the docs; Rerank 10/min)
Trial key monthly cap of 1,000 API calls
Bursty parallel requests or loops without delay
Newer Chat variants (for example Command A Reasoning) where Production keys behave like trial keys