An MCP request is rate limited

pom_ai_mcp_rate_limited, HTTP 429, or JSON-RPC -32029 means the current client bucket reached its per-minute limit. With WordPress MCP Adapter, the write ceiling is reported as a tool result with isError: true and a rate-limit message. Check the result even when HTTP status is 200.

Wait before retrying

Stop the immediate retry loop and wait for the next UTC minute boundary. Then retry with backoff. The default read limit is 60 per minute; writes use that configured value or 20, whichever is lower. OAuth registration and token calls are limited to 5 per minute.

Reduce unnecessary calls

• Cache tools/list, resources/list, and prompts/list for the current connection.
• Read only the resource needed for the task.
• Use bounded pagination.
• Avoid polling unchanged objects.
• Serialize writes and verify each result.

If a write’s response was lost before the rate-limit error appeared, read current state before submitting it again. A duplicate post, coupon, media attachment, or menu item is more difficult to repair than waiting.

Administrators can adjust the main MCP rate, but increasing it does not remove the separate 20-write ceiling or 5-request OAuth bucket. Rate limits are unrelated to AI credits.

Related guides: rate-limiting contract, read-only audit, and write confirmation.