Tweet Limit Exceeded

I have been getting the same error for over a week now without being able to check from any app I have tried

Do you think it's possible that there's some other automated service that is regularly accessing your account via the API, perhaps something that you've signed up for a while back?

One easy way to check this would be to change your password and see if the API limit problem still recurs.

If the problem gets fixed by the password change, then you'll know it's some other service that's regularly connecting to your account that's making you go over the limit. If not, then at least we've eliminated one possibility and can continue troubleshooting.

Yeah I thought that might have been the case as well so I changed my password. Unfortunately it did not work.

It seems that you're using Twhirl (at least based on the error message that was reported), which uses the Twitter API to communicate with Twitter.

I was hoping I could download a copy of Twhirl to see if I could replicate the problem you're experiencing, but their site seems to be temporarily down. 8-(

I use TwitBin, which is a different Twitter app (it's a Firefox extension that creates a sidebar in the web browser) and have not encountered the API limit problem that you mention. I'm able to check for new updates from friends, check for direct messages, check for replies, etc with Twitbin.

Anyway, for what it's worth, Twitter's API limit has a max number of requests per hour per user. It's usually 70 per hour although when there's heavy volume, they will lower the limit to 50 per hour, sometimes lower.

So the 5-min wait isn't something that's imposed by Twitter, it's actually a feature of Twhirl. A review of the Twhirl blog explains why Twhirl chose five (5) minutes as its timeframe for pausing, when in fact Twitter's limit is hourly:

If twhirl tries to access the API, but the limit is exceeded, Twitter returns an error. Twhirl understands this, informs you about it and pauses automatic requests for five minutes. Why five minutes? Under normal conditions, the limit will be exceeded to the end of the 60 minutes. Waiting five minutes might get you out of the period and you have 70 fresh requests. Twhirl will issue one request after the five minute wait to see if you are unlocked again, and pause another five minutes if not (and so on). If Twitter has unlocked your account, it will resume normal automatic requests.

Therefore, it' s not automatic that after five minutes, you'll be able to send a request again. It's Twhirl's way of reducing the number of times it hits Twitter to check if it's been an hour and you can make requests again.

It's my understanding (based on the Twitter API documentation) that the following activities are counted against the rate limit of the API:
- checking for new updates from your friends (the usual culprit)
- checking your own earlier updates
- deleting an update
- fav'ing an update
- following a new user
- unfollowing a new user
- blocking a user
- checking for direct messages
- deleting a direct message

In contrast, these updates are NOT counted against the rate limit:
- updating your own status
- sending a direct message

I'm getting the same error no matter what external application I use. Twitterific, Twhirl, Spaz, etc. all do the same thing. Rate limit exceeded.

But I've been able to use the web interface without any problems. No idea what's causing this, but it's getting to be very frustrating.

I've not tried Twitterfic, Twhirl, or Spaz. But I've got Twitbin open and working fine right now.

If you feel up to experimenting a bit, it would be great if you could try using Twitbin (it's a Firefox extension) and see if it works. If it still doesn't work, then at least we can conclude that the problem is with your account and not with the other third-party apps.

P.S. Yes, there's no limit with the standard web interface (http://twitter.com/home), or the mobile web interface (http://m.twitter.com). There's also no limit if you set up an IM device.

Alright, gave it a shot (even had to redownload Firefox2 - I've been using the 3beta and the nightles). Same result.

Account is the same as my username on here.

Hi Ryan... I also just saw that the Twhirl website is back up, so I finally was able to download the app and and try it out. Twhirl also works fine with my account... so it does seem like the problem is with your account.

I *did* notice, though, that when Twhirl refreshes, it makes several requests each time you refresh -- it gets updates, direct messages, and @replies. So each time you refresh, you're actually hitting the API thrice (because those are three separate requests).

Anyway, given the results of our experiments, there are two possibilities that come to mind:

a) your account is actually okay but you've currently exceeded the max number of API requests per user per hour (which is usually 70/hour). In which case we need to wait for an hour before trying again. OR

b) your account really has a problem because it doesn't give you your new allocation of requests per hour after the hour has elapsed.

In either case, the situation implies we'd need to wait an hour and try connecting again later.

Twhirl's working now, but its really odd because I've had several occurrences of this bug over the last two weeks trying these different apps. But it's working right this minute, so I'll assume something got fixed either on my end or Twitter's end. Either way, I'm happy.

Thanks for the replies, mate.

Still getting the error with Spaz and Twhirl. Computer was off for the last 12 hours so no chance of them being working behind the scenes on my end.

Twitbin is garnering the same response. Different wording, but still the same result

Same problem with me. Limit exceeded all the time.

I have been receiving this same error for the past few days using Spaz. I come home from work and open Spaz, error. Close Spaz and check via website. I have been using a 5 minute refresh in Spaz ever since the slowdown during MacWorld, and have now even gone to 7 minutes, and it still is getting the 400 error.

My username is thedogman and starting yesterday I too have been
getting this error no matter what program I try when I never had before. It has to be a Twitter problem as nothing has changed on my end.

Just think for every one of us that struggled to find this board thru the Twitter help/faq there are probably 10-20+ others for each one of us that just never bothered reporting this error. I know I almost didnt.

The fact that this problem seems to be cross client for most people is what really worries me. However, I was able to get Spaz working again just by rebooting my machine. This is not something that I normally do, instead keeping it running 24/7 so that the internet and other programs are always available and I do not have to wait for the boot cycle.

But yeah, I did a reboot, fixed dinner, ate dinner and came back 2 hours after the reboot and Spaz was working. Was it the reboot? Was it something else? Only time will tell (as in the next time it happens).

Knock me down with a feather but I ate breakfast, saw your reply, rebooted and everything is fine. I leave my laptop on all the time or in sleep mode almost never shutting it down or rebooting.

You may be on to something.

Glad to hear it is working for you guys. Still not for me even leaving my machine off all night long.

This is definitely a shot in the dark, but here goes... Is there a chance that you have another machine (perhaps at work?) which has a third-party app installed and which hasn't been shut down lately?

Sadly nope. I have a laptop for work, but it is sitting right here powered off and has not been plugged in for three days so no chance of a hidden charge keeping it running.

If it was not for having changed my password I would think it was some hidden service or web ap causing it

About ten days ago I noticed my Twitterific wouldn't connect upon launch, not even once. I wasn't using the Twitter site, it was the first thing I launched when I dialed up that morning. The error log says I've connected too many times.

I'm wondering if my website badge is to blame (http://hoshichan.com/), as the badge loads on every page? I never had a problem with Twitterific before this, but suddenly I can't get it to load no matter what.

Any ideas?

I think that you may be correct in the idea that your website badge is interfacing and with enough website traffic it could use up your alottment. I don't really know how the badges work, but you would think that since they actually come from Twitter they would not me held to the same limitations as the clients that use the API.

You would think so -- otherwise what's the point of having a badge on your website, if it makes it so you can't even view your own feed....

If the badge is doing it, that's pretty stupid. If not, then what on earth is responsible? I don't access Twitter from anything else, Twitterific is/was IT.

I do not know what is going on. After my previous posting I also received the error on Spaz, so I changed my frequency to 10 minutes instead of 5. Rebooted my computer and then like 3 hours later I just started Spaz again, and received the error. I do not have a badge on any website, although I did visit the badge page on Twitter, and with 3 badges being shown attached to my account....who knows.

It's been suggested (but not confirmed) in the Twitter Development Google Group that the Twitter Facebook box that sits on Facebook profiles (not the Twitter-Facebook Status App itself ) may be making requests through the API.

I'm therefore curious -- do any of you have that installed on your Facebook profile pages?

I had it installed once upon a time , but removed it. I just went ahead and blocked it so we shall see.

Ugh! YES!! Going to remove it right now, that's infuriating.

Yep, that did the trick. Suddenly Twitterific works like a champ. (Stupid Facebook!)