FrequencyCaps API

Send-frequency throttling policy per contact / channel Base path: /api/v1/frequency-caps Endpoint count: 5

title: “Errors worth branching on” description: “Per-endpoint failure templates matching the envelope — what actually fires, what to retry, what to surface to the operator.”

Errors worth branching on

These five failures cover the frequency-cap upsert (POST /api/v1/frequency-caps), saved from every quiet-hours form. Each block below is a full { error, meta } envelope as the API returns it, and the matrix at the bottom answers retry vs surface for the same five classes. For the platform-wide decision table these branches plug into, see the error handling guide.

401 — Unauthorized

  {
    "error": {
      "code": "UNAUTHORIZED",
      "message": "The API key is invalid, expired, or lacks the required scope.",
      "status": 401
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_frequenca1",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }

A 401 on this page is the bearer key failing before the route ran — it never means the resource is wrong. Rotate the key or re-mint the scoped token; retrying the same request changes nothing.

403 — Forbidden

  {
    "error": {
      "code": "FORBIDDEN",
      "message": "The key is valid but does not have the scope this operation requires.",
      "status": 403
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_frequenca1f",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }

A 403 means the key authenticated but the operation is gated by scope — check the key’s scopes on the developer page; a 403 is never a data-not-found shape.

422 — Schema

  {
    "error": {
      "code": "VALIDATION_ERROR",
      "message": "The request failed input validation.",
      "status": 422,
      "details": { "field": "window", "value": "hourly", "expected": "one of minute, hour, day, week" }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_frequencb2",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }

A 422 means the payload did not match the request schema — branch on error.details.field and resend with one of minute, hour, day, week for the window instead of blind-retrying the same body.

429 — Rate

  {
    "error": {
      "code": "RATE_LIMITED",
      "message": "Too many requests in the current window.",
      "status": 429,
      "details": { "retry_after": 12 }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_frequencc3",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z",
      "docs_url": "https://docs.orbit.devotel.io/errors/RATE_LIMITED"
    }
  }

The Retry-After header and error.details.retry_after are both set on every 429 — resend the SAME request after the lower of the two.

409 — Conflict

  {
    "error": {
      "code": "CAP_CONFLICTING_RULE",
      "message": "This cap overlaps an existing rule for the same scope and channel.",
      "status": 409,
      "details": { "conflicting_rule_id": "cap_0192" }
    },
    "meta": {
      "request_id": "req_frequencd4",
      "timestamp": "2026-09-03T12:00:00Z"
    }
  }

Patch the existing rule or narrow the scope — a retry creates no new rule.

60-second retry matrix

Class	Meaning	Branch response
401 `UNAUTHORIZED`	the bearer key itself fails	Surface. Rotate the key or re-mint the scoped token; do not retry the same request.
403 `FORBIDDEN`	the key lacks this operation’s scope	Surface. Fix the key’s scope set; a retry with the same key never heals it.
422 `VALIDATION_ERROR`	the payload does not match the schema	Fix, then resend intentionally. Branch on `error.details.field`; a blind retry repeats the same 422.
429 `RATE_LIMITED`	the window quota is exhausted	Retry after `error.details.retry_after` (or the `Retry-After` header) with the same request body.
`CAP_CONFLICTING_RULE` (409 conflict)	Patch the existing rule or narrow the scope	Branch on `error.code`. A retry creates no new rule.

List per-org frequency-cap rules

GET /api/v1/frequency-caps

Returns every frequency-cap rule configured for the calling organization, newest first. Frequency caps throttle how many messages one contact may receive within a rolling time window (per-channel, or across all channels when scope is global). Use this to review the rules in effect before adding a new one.

string (enum: true|false)

Sandbox opt-in for Clerk-session-authenticated requests. Set to true to route the call through the test-mode pipeline: no real provider delivery, no credits deducted, response meta.test_mode: true. Ignored for live API keys (dv_live_sk_*) — server-to-server clients must use a test-prefixed key (dv_test_sk_*) to exercise sandbox. Test-prefixed keys unconditionally enable sandbox regardless of this header.

cURL

curl -X GET "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps" \
  -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_your_key_here" 

Node.js

import { Orbit } from '@devotel-orbit/node'

const orbit = new Orbit({
  apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
})

const res = await fetch('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
  },
})
console.log(await res.json())

Python

import os, requests

headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["ORBIT_API_KEY"]}
r = requests.get("https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps", headers=headers)
print(r.json())

package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"net/http"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps", nil)
	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", os.Getenv("ORBIT_API_KEY"))

	http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
}

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps')
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req['X-API-Key'] = ENV['ORBIT_API_KEY']


res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'GET');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('ORBIT_API_KEY'),

]);

echo curl_exec($ch);

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "msg_3f6a81c2d4e5471a9b0c2d5e",
      "organization_id": "string",
      "channel": "sms",
      "scope": "channel",
      "window_seconds": 0,
      "max_count": 0,
      "applies_to_categories": null,
      "enabled": false,
      "created_at": "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
      "updated_at": "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
    }
  ]
}

Get a single frequency-cap rule

GET /api/v1/frequency-caps/{id}

Retrieve one frequency-cap rule by its id, scoped to the calling organization. Use this to inspect the rule’s window length, send quota, and channel scope before updating or deleting it.

string

required

Frequency-cap rule id.

string (enum: true|false)

cURL

curl -X GET "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3" \
  -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_your_key_here" 

Node.js

import { Orbit } from '@devotel-orbit/node'

const orbit = new Orbit({
  apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
})

const res = await fetch('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
  },
})
console.log(await res.json())

Python

import os, requests

headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["ORBIT_API_KEY"]}
r = requests.get("https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", headers=headers)
print(r.json())

package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"net/http"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", nil)
	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", os.Getenv("ORBIT_API_KEY"))

	http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
}

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3')
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req['X-API-Key'] = ENV['ORBIT_API_KEY']


res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'GET');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('ORBIT_API_KEY'),

]);

echo curl_exec($ch);

{
  "data": {
    "id": "msg_3f6a81c2d4e5471a9b0c2d5e",
    "organization_id": "string",
    "channel": "sms",
    "scope": "channel",
    "window_seconds": 0,
    "max_count": 0,
    "applies_to_categories": null,
    "enabled": false,
    "created_at": "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

Create a new frequency-cap rule

POST /api/v1/frequency-caps

Create a rule that limits how many messages a contact may receive within a rolling window. A channel-scoped rule (default) counts sends for one channel; a global rule aggregates the contact’s sends across every channel into one counter (e.g. no more than 3 marketing messages per day, regardless of channel). Optionally restrict the rule to message categories. Requires owner, admin, or developer role.

string

Stripe-style idempotency token. Pass a stable, client-generated value (1-255 chars) to dedupe retries on transient timeouts. The same key+credential+path replays the original response for 24h on 2xx (5min on 4xx, 30s on 5xx). Returns 409 if a concurrent request with the same key is already in flight; replayed responses include the Idempotency-Replay: true response header.

string (enum: true|false)

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps" \
  -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

Node.js

import { Orbit } from '@devotel-orbit/node'

const orbit = new Orbit({
  apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
})

const res = await fetch('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({}),
})
console.log(await res.json())

Python

import os, requests

headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["ORBIT_API_KEY"]}
headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
r = requests.post("https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps", headers=headers, json={})
print(r.json())

package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"net/http"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps", bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(`{}`)))
	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", os.Getenv("ORBIT_API_KEY"))
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
}

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps')
req = Net::HTTP::Post.new(uri)
req['X-API-Key'] = ENV['ORBIT_API_KEY']
req['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
req.body = {}.to_json
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'POST');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('ORBIT_API_KEY'),
  'Content-Type: application/json',
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, <<<JSON
{}
JSON);
echo curl_exec($ch);

{
  "data": {},
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_01HZQX4E7JQ4M2E2H2DM9XE5FJ",
    "timestamp": "2026-08-26T12:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

Update a frequency-cap rule

PATCH /api/v1/frequency-caps/{id}

Update an existing frequency-cap rule — change its window length, send quota, category filter, or toggle it enabled/disabled. At least one field must be provided. Requires owner, admin, or developer role.

string

required

—

string (enum: true|false)

cURL

curl -X PATCH "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3" \
  -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

Node.js

import { Orbit } from '@devotel-orbit/node'

const orbit = new Orbit({
  apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
})

const res = await fetch('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3', {
  method: 'PATCH',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({}),
})
console.log(await res.json())

Python

import os, requests

headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["ORBIT_API_KEY"]}
headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
r = requests.patch("https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", headers=headers, json={})
print(r.json())

package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"net/http"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("PATCH", "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(`{}`)))
	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", os.Getenv("ORBIT_API_KEY"))
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
}

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3')
req = Net::HTTP::Patch.new(uri)
req['X-API-Key'] = ENV['ORBIT_API_KEY']
req['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
req.body = {}.to_json
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'PATCH');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('ORBIT_API_KEY'),
  'Content-Type: application/json',
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, <<<JSON
{}
JSON);
echo curl_exec($ch);

{
  "data": {
    "id": "fc_9f3ka2",
    "channel": "sms",
    "max_messages": 10,
    "window_seconds": 86400,
    "scope": "contact",
    "enabled": true
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_6BnMkQ13",
    "timestamp": "2026-08-26T14:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

Delete a frequency-cap rule

DELETE /api/v1/frequency-caps/{id}

Delete a frequency-cap rule by id. Deletion takes effect immediately (the service’s 30-second cap-list cache is invalidated). Requires owner, admin, or developer role. Returns 204 No Content on success.

string

required

—

string (enum: true|false)

cURL

curl -X DELETE "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3" \
  -H "X-API-Key: dv_live_sk_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{}'

Node.js

import { Orbit } from '@devotel-orbit/node'

const orbit = new Orbit({
  apiKey: process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
})

const res = await fetch('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3', {
  method: 'DELETE',
  headers: {
    'X-API-Key': process.env.ORBIT_API_KEY!,
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({}),
})
console.log(await res.json())

Python

import os, requests

headers = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["ORBIT_API_KEY"]}
headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"
r = requests.delete("https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", headers=headers, json={})
print(r.json())

package main

import (
	"bytes"
	"net/http"
	"os"
)

func main() {
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("DELETE", "https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3", bytes.NewBuffer([]byte(`{}`)))
	req.Header.Set("X-API-Key", os.Getenv("ORBIT_API_KEY"))
	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
	http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
}

Ruby

require 'net/http'
require 'json'

uri = URI('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3')
req = Net::HTTP::Delete.new(uri)
req['X-API-Key'] = ENV['ORBIT_API_KEY']
req['Content-Type'] = 'application/json'
req.body = {}.to_json
res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.host, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://api.orbit.devotel.io/api/v1/frequency-caps/num_8fb2d1b7c00c4ec9a1d3f5e7b9c1d3');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, 'DELETE');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, [
  'X-API-Key: ' . getenv('ORBIT_API_KEY'),
  'Content-Type: application/json',
]);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, <<<JSON
{}
JSON);
echo curl_exec($ch);

{
  "data": {
    "ok": true
  },
  "meta": {
    "request_id": "req_01HZQX4E7JQ4M2E2H2DM9XE5FJ",
    "timestamp": "2026-08-26T12:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

API Reference

All Endpoints

FrequencyCaps API

FrequencyCaps API

title: “Errors worth branching on” description: “Per-endpoint failure templates matching the envelope — what actually fires, what to retry, what to surface to the operator.”

Errors worth branching on

401 — Unauthorized

403 — Forbidden

422 — Schema

429 — Rate

409 — Conflict

60-second retry matrix

List per-org frequency-cap rules

Get a single frequency-cap rule

Create a new frequency-cap rule

Update a frequency-cap rule

Delete a frequency-cap rule

​FrequencyCaps API

​title: “Errors worth branching on” description: “Per-endpoint failure templates matching the envelope — what actually fires, what to retry, what to surface to the operator.”

​Errors worth branching on

​401 — Unauthorized

​403 — Forbidden

​422 — Schema

​429 — Rate

​409 — Conflict

​60-second retry matrix

​List per-org frequency-cap rules

​Get a single frequency-cap rule

​Create a new frequency-cap rule

​Update a frequency-cap rule

​Delete a frequency-cap rule

FrequencyCaps API

title: “Errors worth branching on” description: “Per-endpoint failure templates matching the envelope — what actually fires, what to retry, what to surface to the operator.”

Errors worth branching on

401 — Unauthorized

403 — Forbidden

422 — Schema

429 — Rate

409 — Conflict

60-second retry matrix

List per-org frequency-cap rules

Get a single frequency-cap rule

Create a new frequency-cap rule

Update a frequency-cap rule

Delete a frequency-cap rule