# Rate limit

Canonical page: /glossary/rate-limit

API keys & secrets glossary, Keys & secrets. Rate Limit: What It Means for Your API Key

**Short answer:** A rate limit is a cap a service places on how many requests a given API key, account, or IP address can make within a time window, such as 50 requests per minute. Exceeding it usually returns an error rather than queuing the extra requests.

## Why it matters

Rate limits exist to keep a shared service usable for everyone, and they are often tied directly to the API key making the request, which is one more reason a leaked key causing unexpected traffic is a problem you want to notice quickly.

## In Claude Keychain

Claude Keychain's audit log shows every time a key was used, which is one of the simplest ways to notice unusual activity, such as far more calls than you'd expect, before it eats into a rate limit or a bill.

## Common questions

**Does Claude Keychain enforce rate limits?**

No, rate limits are set and enforced by the service the key belongs to, not by Claude Keychain.

**What should I do if I keep hitting a rate limit?**

Check whether something is calling the API more often than expected, then look at the provider's options for a higher limit if the usage is legitimate.

## Related

[API key](/glossary/api-key), [API key rotation](/glossary/api-key-rotation), [Webhook secret](/glossary/webhook-secret)