As the Drive Labels API is a shared service, we apply quotas and limitations to
make sure it's used fairly by all users and to protect the overall health of the
Google Workspace ecosystem.

If you exceed a quota, you'll generally receive a `429: Too many
requests` HTTP status code response. If this happens, you should use an
[exponential backoff algorithm](https://developers.google.com/workspace/drive/labels/limits#exponential) and try again later.
Provided you stay within the per-minute quotas below, there's no limit to the
number of requests you can make per day.

The following table details the request limits:
Quotas Read requests Per user per project 600 (queries per second) Write requests Per user per project 300 (queries per second)

## Resolve time-based quota errors


For all time-based errors (maximum of N requests per X minutes), we recommend
your code catches the exception and uses a *truncated exponential backoff* to make sure your
devices don't generate excessive load.


Exponential backoff is a standard error handling strategy for network applications. An
exponential backoff algorithm retries requests using exponentially increasing wait times
between requests, up to a maximum backoff time. If requests are still unsuccessful, it's
important that the delays between requests increase over time until the request is successful.

### Example algorithm


An exponential backoff algorithm retries requests exponentially, increasing the wait time
between retries up to a maximum backoff time. For example:

1. Make a request to Drive Labels API.
2. If the request fails, wait 1 + `random_number_milliseconds` and retry the request.
3. If the request fails, wait 2 + `random_number_milliseconds` and retry the request.
4. If the request fails, wait 4 + `random_number_milliseconds` and retry the request.
5. And so on, up to a `maximum_backoff` time.
6. Continue waiting and retrying up to some maximum number of retries, but don't increase the wait period between retries.


where:

- The wait time is `min(((2^n)+random_number_milliseconds), maximum_backoff)`, with `n` incremented by 1 for each iteration (request).
- `random_number_milliseconds` is a random number of milliseconds less than or equal to 1,000. This helps to avoid cases in which many clients are synchronized by some situation and all retry at once, sending requests in synchronized waves. The value of `random_number_milliseconds` is recalculated after each retry request.
- `maximum_backoff` is typically 32 or 64 seconds. The appropriate value depends on the use case.


The client can continue retrying after it has reached the `maximum_backoff` time.
Retries after this point don't need to continue increasing backoff time. For
example, if a client uses a `maximum_backoff` time of 64 seconds, then after reaching
this value, the client can retry every 64 seconds. At some point,
clients should be prevented from retrying indefinitely.


The wait time between retries and the number of retries depend on your use case
and network conditions.

## Pricing


All standard use of the Drive Labels API is available at no additional cost. Exceeding the quota
request limits is planned to incur charges to your Google Cloud billing account later in 2026.
For more information, see [Google Workspace standardized model
for agent tools and APIs](https://developers.google.com/workspace/tools-safety).

## Request a quota increase


Depending on your project's resource usage, you might want to request a quota
adjustment. API calls by a service account are considered to be using a
single account. Applying for an adjusted quota doesn't guarantee approval. Quota adjustment
requests that would significantly increase the quota value can take longer to be approved.


Not all projects have the same quotas. As you increasingly use Google Cloud over
time, your quota values might need to increase. If you expect a notable upcoming
increase in usage, you can proactively
[request quota adjustments](https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/view-manage#requesting_higher_quota)
from the [Quotas \& System Limits](https://console.cloud.google.com/iam-admin/quotas) page in the Google Cloud console.

To learn more, see the following resources:

- [About quota adjustments](https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/overview#about_increase_requests)
- [View your quota usage and limits](https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/view-manage#viewing_your_quota_console)
- [Request a higher quota limit](https://docs.cloud.google.com/docs/quotas/view-manage#requesting_higher_quota)