Rate Limits | OpenModels Documentation

OpenModels uses monthly spend limits to help teams control usage and prevent unexpected credit burn. This page covers per-key monthly spend limits, not request-per-minute or token-per-minute quotas. Limits are based on USD spend, not raw request count.

For transient HTTP 429, 502, 503, or 504 handling, see Errors.

Monthly spend limits

A monthly spend limit caps how much one API key can spend during the current month. In the OpenModels dashboard, each key shows its current monthly spend against its configured limit.

Example:

$42.30 / $200 monthly limit

When a key has no monthly limit, the dashboard shows it as Unlimited. Unlimited keys can continue spending available credits until the account balance is exhausted or the key is revoked.

How limits work

Monthly limits are tracked per API key.

Setting	Meaning
Monthly spend	The amount already consumed by the API key in the current month
Monthly limit	The maximum spend allowed for that API key during the month
Unlimited	No configured monthly spend cap for that key
Active	The key can send requests
Revoked	The key can no longer authenticate requests

Requests consume credits according to the selected route’s pricing unit. The spend from each request is added to the API key’s monthly spend.

Set a monthly limit

You can set a monthly spend limit when creating an API key:

Open API Keys in the OpenModels dashboard.
Select Create key.
Enter a key name, such as Production, Development, or CI / Testing.
Enable Monthly spend limit.
Enter the monthly dollar amount.
Create the key and store it securely.

The dashboard describes this setting as: Block requests when limit is reached.

The dashboard includes quick presets such as $10, $20, $50, $100, and $200.

What happens when a limit is reached

When monthly spend reaches the configured limit, requests for that API key are blocked. This protects your credit balance from continued usage through that key.

To restore traffic, you can:

Increase the monthly spend limit for the key.
Create a new key with a higher limit.
Route production traffic through a different active key.
Wait until the monthly usage window resets.

Revoking a key immediately stops new requests from authenticating with that key.

Monitor usage

Use Usage to monitor spend and token volume across models and API keys.

The Usage page shows:

Requests
Input tokens
Output tokens
Total spend
Tokens per day
Requests per day
Spend per day
Breakdown by model
Breakdown by API key

Use the API key breakdown to identify which key is consuming credits. Use the model breakdown to identify which models are driving spend.

Credits and limits

Credits and monthly limits are related, but they are not the same thing.

Concept	Scope	Purpose
Credits	Account-wide balance	Pays for model usage across supported models and API keys
Monthly spend limit	Per API key	Caps how much one key can spend in the current month
Usage	Account, model, and key analytics	Shows requests, tokens, and spend over time

Credits are shared across supported models and API keys. A monthly limit only controls spend through the specific API key where the limit is configured.

Recommended setup

For production usage, create separate keys for each environment:

Key	Recommended limit
Production	Higher monthly limit based on expected traffic
Development	Lower monthly limit for daily testing
CI / Testing	Low or temporary limit to prevent accidental spend

Use separate keys so you can monitor, rotate, revoke, and cap each workload independently.

Security notes

Treat API keys like passwords.
Never commit keys to source control.
Store keys in environment variables or a secrets manager.
Set per-key monthly limits to cap spend.
Rotate keys immediately if you suspect a leak.