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

# Limits

> Design v3 clients around bounded tool calls, connection lifetime, payload size and seller latency.

v3 shares the platform's transport protections and adds a few bounds of its own. Build for them
from the start; they are what keep one slow seller or one large report from stalling everyone else.

## MCP bounds

| Bound                       | Limit                                                                                          |
| --------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| One MCP connection          | Up to 30 minutes. Deploys may end it sooner.                                                   |
| One tool call               | Up to 30 minutes.                                                                              |
| Structured response size    | Responses over 200 KB are truncated as a safety net. Page with `limit` and `cursor`.           |
| Proposal executions         | One running `request_proposals` execution per buyer account.                                   |
| Each seller in an execution | Bounded to 30 seconds. A seller that does not answer in time is reported as failed or pending. |
| Delivery ranges             | `get_delivery` accepts up to 90 days, or `{ "lifetime": true }`.                               |
| Idempotency keys            | 16 to 255 characters from `A–Z a–z 0–9 _ . : -`. Replays are honored for 24 hours.             |
| Confirmations               | A `pending_confirmation` expires after 15 minutes.                                             |

## REST bounds

| Bound                 | Limit                  |
| --------------------- | ---------------------- |
| General requests      | 100 per minute per key |
| Authentication routes | 40 per 15 minutes      |
| Signup                | 20 per hour            |

A limited request gets `429` with `RATE_LIMITED`, a `Retry-After` header and `RateLimit-*` headers.

## Designing around them

* **Do not hold a call open.** `request_proposals` returns straight away with `running`; follow
  progress with `get` or in the Proposals widget instead of waiting on one call.
* **Keep pages small.** Use cursors and bounded `limit` values, and preserve partial results between
  pages.
* **Expect seller latency.** Sellers and their inventory systems often dominate response time even
  when Semicola itself is healthy.
* **Reuse keys only for true retries.** An idempotency key identifies one logical attempt.

<Note>
  Local development builds shorten some bounds so demos stay snappy, for example a two-minute tool
  call and a 20-second seller window.
</Note>