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: Obsidian
providerId: obsidian
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: true
tags:
- Productivity
- Knowledge Management
- Markdown
- Notes
- Local-First
- Rate Limiting
- Quotas
- Throttling
description: Obsidian itself does not publish a hosted SaaS API and therefore has no remote
  rate-limit ceilings. The Plugin API runs in-process and is bounded only by the host
  device. The community Local REST API plugin runs on localhost and has no published
  rate-limit policy beyond the device's own throughput. Sync and Publish are managed
  add-ons whose throughput is bounded by the device and Obsidian-operated infrastructure.
notes: There is no public REST/HTTP API surface from Obsidian Inc. that requires shared
  rate-limit budgeting. If using the Local REST API plugin in a high-concurrency
  automation, implement client-side concurrency limits to avoid saturating the local
  Obsidian process.
sources:
- https://obsidian.md/
- https://github.com/coddingtonbear/obsidian-local-rest-api
responseCodes:
  throttled: 429
limits:
- name: Plugin API (In-Process)
  scope: device
  metric: none
  limit: -1
  notes: No platform-imposed rate limit; bounded by local CPU and event loop.
- name: Local REST API Plugin
  scope: device
  metric: none
  limit: -1
  notes: No published rate limit; bounded by local Obsidian process. Recommend client-side
    concurrency caps.
- name: Obsidian Sync (Add-On)
  scope: account
  metric: not published
  limit: not published
  notes: Sync is a closed managed service with no publicly documented rate-limit policy.
- name: Obsidian Publish (Add-On)
  scope: site
  metric: not published
  limit: not published
  notes: Publish is a closed managed service with no publicly documented rate-limit policy.
policies:
- name: Local Concurrency
  description: When automating against the Local REST API plugin, cap concurrent requests
    to keep the local Obsidian UI responsive.
- name: Self-Signed TLS
  description: The Local REST API uses self-signed HTTPS certificates; clients must trust
    the certificate or use the API key over HTTP if enabled.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com