> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://braintrust.dev/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# BTQL rate limits on Starter and Pro plans

export const plans_0 = "Starter, Pro"

export const deployments_0 = "Any"

export const data_plane_version_0 = undefined

export const use_case_0 = "Use case - BTQL queries with frequent or resource-intensive query patterns"

<Note>
  **Applies to:**

  * Plan - {plans_0}
  * Deployment - {deployments_0}
  * {data_plane_version_0}
  * {use_case_0}
</Note>

## Summary

BTQL queries through the MCP server or API hit rate limits of approximately 20 requests per minute on Free and Pro plans, causing HTTP 429 errors that block productivity. Rate limits are enforced because BTQL queries consume significant backend resources and costs that aren't accounted for in lower-tier plans. Contact sales to discuss increased rate limits for your organization's usage requirements.

## Resolution Steps

### If you're on a Free or Pro plan

#### Step 1: Contact sales

Reach out to discuss higher rate limits based on your usage patterns and requirements.

#### Step 2: Optimize queries while waiting

Reduce query frequency by caching results, batching requests, or adding time delays between queries.

### If you're self-hosting (Hybrid deployment)

#### Step 1: Configure rate limit environment variable

Set `RATELIMIT_BTQL_DEFAULT` to control queries allowed per object per minute.

```text theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
# Example: Allow 100 queries per object per minute
RATELIMIT_BTQL_DEFAULT=100

```

#### Step 2: Update deployment configuration

For AWS deployments, add the variable to `variables.tf`. For GCP/Azure, update `values.yaml` in your Helm configuration.

## Additional Information

### Rate limit behavior

Rate limits apply per object (organization or project) and track queries over a rolling time window. All BTQL/SQL queries count including MCP server queries, API calls, UI filtering, SQL sandbox queries, and SDK queries.

### Query timeout limits

Queries also have a 30-second timeout limit. Self-hosted customers can adjust this using `BRAINSTORE_QUERY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`.