specification: API Commons Rate Limits
specificationVersion: '0.1'
schema: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/interface-research/main/schema/api-commons.yml#/$defs/RateLimits
provider: Character.AI
providerId: character-ai
created: '2026-05-08'
# Provenance stamped 2026-08-11: this artifact was written by the API Evangelist
# bulk sweep dated 2026-05-08, not harvested from the provider. See roadmap#35.
method: generated
modified: '2026-05-08'
reconciled: false
tags:
- AI
- LLM
- Chatbots
- Personas
- Consumer
- Rate Limiting
- Quotas
- Throttling
description: >-
  Character.AI is a consumer chat product without a public developer API.
  Practical rate limiting takes the form of in-app waits during peak demand
  on the free tier (mitigated by the c.ai+ subscription tier which gets
  priority access). No formal RPM/TPM developer limits are published.
notes: >-
  Free-tier users see longer wait times during peak load; c.ai+ subscribers
  get priority. There is no public RPM / TPM specification.
sources:
- https://character.ai/
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
limits:
- name: Free-Tier Throttling
  scope: account
  metric: in_app_wait
  limit: variable, peak-load dependent
  notes: Free users may experience increased wait times for chat responses during peak demand.
- name: c.ai+ Priority Access
  scope: account
  metric: priority
  limit: prioritized over free tier
  notes: c.ai+ subscribers receive priority queuing and faster responses.
- name: Developer API
  scope: not_applicable
  metric: not_offered
  limit: not offered
  notes: Character.AI does not publish a public developer API or its rate limits.
policies:
- name: Subscribe for Priority
  description: c.ai+ subscription mitigates wait-times during peak demand.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com