# Limits and costs

> Rate limits, job limits and per-call limits for Instant Expert's MCP server, and how pricing works.

Limits keep research capacity fair and stop runaway agent loops. They apply per Instant Expert account, so every assistant you connect (the ChatGPT plugin included) draws from the same allowance. The numbers on this page are read from the code that enforces them.

## Account limits

| Limit | Value | Applies |
| --- | --- | --- |
| MCP requests | 120 per minute | Per account, shared by every connected assistant |
| Searches, imports and drafts started | 50 per rolling 24 hours | Per account, shared by every connected assistant |
| Per-action budgets | search: 5 per minute, 20 per hour, 50 per day; import: 5 per minute, 10 per hour, 30 per day; draft: 30 per minute, 200 per hour, 500 per day; plan: 5 per minute, 30 per hour, 100 per day | Per account, shared by the website and every connected assistant |
| Job stops if it makes no progress for | 15 minutes | Per job |
| Longest a job can run | 45 minutes | Per job |
| MCP request body | 128 KB | Per HTTP request |
| Website searches without an account | 1 per day | Per network (IP address) |
| Anonymous search ip limits | 2 per minute, 6 per hour, 10 per day | Per network (IP address) |

When you go over the per-minute limit, the server answers with HTTP `429` and a `Retry-After` header. When you go over the daily limit, tools that start work return a `daily_limit` error saying how many seconds to wait. Searches, imports, drafts and outreach plans (`plan_outreach`) also each have per-minute, per-hour and per-day budgets, shared with the website; going over one returns a `rate_limited` error with the number of seconds to wait. Reading tools (`get_job`, `get_search`, `list_requests` and the like) don't count toward the daily limit, but they do count toward the per-minute one, so poll at `poll_after_seconds` rather than in a tight loop.

## Per-call limits

These come straight from the tool schemas (see the [tool reference](https://instant.expert/docs/mcp#tool-reference)).

| Limit | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Search request length (`search_people`) | 2,000 characters |
| Contacts per import (`import_people`) | 100 people |
| Recipients per draft (`queue_requests`) | 100 people |
| Request message length (`queue_requests`) | 500 characters |
| Minimum offer per person (`offer_cents`) | $5 |
| People per `get_search` page | 100 |
| Requests per `list_requests` page | 50 |
| People cards per `show_people` call (ChatGPT) | 8 |
| `idempotency_key` length | 128 characters |

## Costs

Searching, importing and preparing drafts don't cost money; they only count toward the limits above. You pay for requests people accept:

- **Calls** are charged when the person books a time.
- **Written or voice answers** are charged when the reply is completed.
- Requests nobody accepts cost nothing.

Prices include Instant Expert's fee, which is 20% of what you pay: someone who asks for $100 costs you $125. The minimum offer is $5 per person. When you send, one authorization hold is placed for the largest single offer, and each accepted request is then charged separately, up to your total cap (`max_spend_cents`). Cancellations, no-shows and refunds follow the [Terms of Service](https://instant.expert/terms).