n8n · error message

n8n: 429 - The service is receiving too many requests from you

RetryableHTTP 429Errors from external services

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The exact message
The service is receiving too many requests from you

What it means

n8n shows this message when a node receives HTTP 429 from the service it is calling. n8n is not limiting you; the external API is. The n8n docs list it as "429 - The service is receiving too many requests from you" in the HTTP Request node's common issues, and the OpenAI node docs use the same text when OpenAI's rate limits are exceeded.

Workflows hit it easily because n8n processes every item that reaches a node: 500 items into an HTTP Request node can mean 500 rapid API calls. Community threads show the same text appearing for quota or billing problems at AI providers, so if you are well under the published rate, check your account's quota as well.

Note that n8n's HTTP Request node does not honor the API's Retry-After header, so you have to space requests yourself.

What it looks like

HTTP Request node > Add Option > Batching
  Items per Batch:     10
  Batch Interval (ms): 2000

Why it happens

  • Many items flow into one API node at once.
  • Several workflows or executions share the same API key.
  • The provider's per-minute or daily quota is exhausted, or the account has a billing problem.
  • Retries fire without enough delay.

How to fix it

  1. Check the service's API documentation for its actual limits.
  2. In the HTTP Request node, add the Batching option: set Items per Batch and a Batch Interval (ms).
  3. Enable Retry On Fail in node Settings and set Wait Between Tries (n8n caps this at 5000 ms and Max Tries at 5).
  4. For longer pauses, use Loop Over Items with a Wait node inside the loop.
  5. For AI providers, check usage, quota and billing in the provider's dashboard.

How to stop it recurring

Design workflows around the API's limit: batch from the start, keep one workflow per API key where possible, and use Loop Over Items plus Wait for slow APIs. Generic guidance is in HTTP 429.

Official documentation: docs.n8n.io/integrations/builtin/handle-rate-limits. See all n8n error messages or the n8n limits and quotas.

Related errors

Definitions

Quick answers

What does "429 - The service is receiving too many requests from you" mean in n8n?

n8n shows this message when a node receives HTTP 429 from the service it is calling. n8n is not limiting you; the external API is. The n8n docs list it as "429 - The service is receiving too many requests from you" in the HTTP Request node's common issues, and the OpenAI node docs use the same text when OpenAI's rate limits are exceeded.

How do I fix "429 - The service is receiving too many requests from you"?

1. Check the service's API documentation for its actual limits. 2. In the HTTP Request node, add the Batching option: set Items per Batch and a Batch Interval (ms). 3. Enable Retry On Fail in node Settings and set Wait Between Tries (n8n caps this at 5000 ms and Max Tries at 5). 4. For longer pauses, use Loop Over Items with a Wait node inside the loop. 5. For AI providers, check usage, quota and billing in the provider's dashboard.

Error handling you can see in the workflow

Autonoly workflows have per-node retries, timeouts, continue-on-fail and error-handler branches, so a failing step can be retried or routed instead of stopping the whole run. Saved workflows have no loop node; lists are worked through by the AI agent or one run per trigger item.

Also see Visual workflow builder.