Rate Limit Alert Notifications: Your Early Warning System for API Usage

The Problem: Silent Link Monitoring Failures

You're running your daily link checks, everything is working smoothly. Your automated monitoring is catching broken links before they hurt your SEO. Life is good.

Then one morning, you check your dashboard. Your link checks have stopped. You've exceeded your daily limit without warning, and your most critical links haven't been verified in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, that affiliate link you rely on for 30% of your revenue? It went dead 18 hours ago. Search engines have already noticed. Users have already left.

You didn't know until it was too late.

This is exactly what rate limit alerts solve: proactive warnings before you hit your limits, giving you time to review usage, upgrade your plan, or pause non-critical checks.

In this guide, we'll show you how to set up rate limit alerts at three threshold levels across 7 notification channels. By the end, you'll have an early warning system that prevents surprise interruptions to your link monitoring.

TL;DR - Quick Setup

5-Minute Setup:

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → Alert Preferences
2. Enable all three thresholds: 80% Warning, 95% Critical, Exceeded
3. Choose 2-3 notification channels (Email always enabled)
4. Configure webhooks/tokens for selected channels
5. Test each channel with the built-in test button
6. Save settings - alerts go live immediately

Recommended Configuration:

• ✅ Enable all three thresholds for maximum visibility
• ✅ Use Email (default) + at least one instant channel (Discord/Slack/Telegram)
• ✅ Test notifications before going live
• ✅ Review alert history weekly to identify usage patterns

Understanding Your Rate Limits

Every DeadLinkRadar plan includes a daily link check limit that resets at midnight UTC:

What Happens When You Exceed Limits

When you hit your daily limit:

1. Immediate impact - New link checks are queued but not processed
2. Scheduled checks pause - Your automated monitoring stops
3. Manual checks blocked - You can't trigger checks from the dashboard
4. Reset at midnight UTC - Full quota restored automatically

The key insight: Without alerts, you only discover you've exceeded limits when you actively check the dashboard. By then, critical links may have gone unmonitored for hours.

Why Proactive Alerts Matter

Rate limit alerts transform your monitoring from reactive to proactive:

Three Alert Thresholds Explained

DeadLinkRadar provides three threshold levels, each serving a distinct purpose:

80% Warning: Early Heads-Up

When it triggers: You've used 80% of your daily quota

What it means: You're on track to potentially exceed limits today, but you still have runway

Best response:

• Review what's consuming checks (large batch imports, frequent rechecks)
• Pause non-critical automated checks if needed
• Consider if this is a one-time spike or recurring pattern

Example: On a Pro plan (2,000 daily checks), you'll get the 80% alert at 1,600 checks.

95% Critical: Urgent Action Needed

When it triggers: You've used 95% of your daily quota

What it means: You're about to hit your limit. Immediate attention required.

Best response:

• Stop any non-essential checks immediately
• Prioritize which links absolutely must be checked today
• Consider upgrading if this happens regularly
• Review if any automation is misconfigured

Example: On a Pro plan, the 95% alert fires at 1,900 checks, giving you 100 checks of buffer.

Exceeded: Limit Reached

When it triggers: You've used 100% of your daily quota

What it means: Link checking is paused until midnight UTC

Best response:

• Acknowledge the situation (monitoring is paused)
• Plan which checks are highest priority for when limits reset
• Review usage to prevent recurrence
• Upgrade plan if this is a regular occurrence

Key insight: The exceeded alert isn't just about informing you—it's documentation for your records showing exactly when limits were hit.

Choose Your Notification Channels

Rate limit alerts support the same 7 channels as your broken link alerts. Choose based on your team's workflow:

Quick Comparison: Which Channel Is Right for You?

Detailed Channel Guides

Email (Default)

Best for: Individual users, async notification preferences

Setup: Automatically uses your account email. No configuration needed.

Pros:

• Always available
• Permanent record
• Works even when other services are down

Discord

Best for: Development teams, gaming communities, tech-savvy users

Setup: Create a webhook in your Discord server settings, paste the URL

Pros:

• Instant mobile notifications
• Team-wide visibility
• Rich message formatting

Slack

Best for: Business teams, enterprise workflows

Setup: Create an incoming webhook via Slack App settings

Pros:

• Integrates with existing workflows
• Channel-based organization
• Searchable history

Telegram

Best for: Mobile-first users, instant personal alerts

Setup: Create a bot via BotFather, get your chat ID

Pros:

• Fastest mobile notifications
• Works globally without VPN
• Simple setup

Microsoft Teams

Best for: Corporate environments, Microsoft 365 organizations

Setup: Create an incoming webhook connector in your Teams channel

Pros:

• Native enterprise integration
• Compliance-friendly
• Team collaboration features

Webhooks

Best for: Custom integrations, automation pipelines

Setup: Provide any HTTPS endpoint that accepts POST requests

Pros:

• Connect to any system
• Trigger custom workflows
• Full payload control

Webhook Payload Example:

When a rate limit alert is triggered, your webhook receives a POST request with this JSON payload:

{
  "event": "rate_limit_alert",
  "threshold": "80_percent",
  "user_id": "uuid-here",
  "plan": "pro",
  "usage": {
    "checks_used": 1600,
    "daily_limit": 2000,
    "percentage": 80,
    "reset_at": "2026-01-21T00:00:00Z"
  },
  "triggered_at": "2026-01-20T18:45:23Z"
}

Example Webhook Handlers:

// Node.js / Express example
app.post('/webhooks/deadlinkradar', async (req, res) => {
  const { threshold, usage } = req.body
 
  if (threshold === '95_percent') {
    // Urgent: Send SMS via Twilio
    await twilioClient.messages.create({
      body: `⚠️ URGENT: ${usage.percentage}% of link checks used (${usage.checks_used}/${usage.daily_limit})`,
      to: process.env.ADMIN_PHONE,
    })
  }
 
  res.status(200).send('OK')
})

# Python / Flask example
@app.route('/webhooks/deadlinkradar', methods=['POST'])
def handle_rate_limit_alert():
    data = request.json
    threshold = data['threshold']
    usage = data['usage']
 
    if threshold == '80_percent':
        # Log to monitoring system
        logging.warning(f"Rate limit at {usage['percentage']}%")
 
        # Create ticket in Jira
        jira.create_issue(
            project='OPS',
            summary=f'Rate Limit Warning: {usage["checks_used"]}/{usage["daily_limit"]}',
            priority='Medium'
        )
 
    return 'OK', 200

ntfy.sh

Best for: Privacy-conscious users, self-hosting enthusiasts

Setup: Choose a topic name, optionally self-host your ntfy server

Pros:

• No account required
• Self-host option for full control
• Simple push notifications

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Setting up rate limit alerts takes less than 2 minutes:

Step 1: Navigate to Alert Preferences

1. Log in to your DeadLinkRadar dashboard
2. Click Settings in the sidebar
3. Select Alert Preferences

Alert Preferences dashboard (click to view full size)

Step 2: Enable Rate Limit Thresholds

In the Rate Limit Alerts section, you'll see three toggles:

• 80% Warning - Toggle on for early warnings
• 95% Critical - Toggle on for urgent alerts
• Exceeded - Toggle on for limit reached notifications

Recommendation: Enable all three thresholds for maximum visibility into your usage patterns.

Step 3: Configure Notification Channels

For each enabled threshold, select which channels should receive alerts:

1. Email is always on by default
2. Toggle additional channels as needed
3. For webhook-based channels, enter your webhook URL
4. For Telegram, enter your bot token and chat ID
5. For ntfy.sh, enter your topic name

Step 4: Test Your Notifications

Click the Send Test Notification button to verify each channel is working:

1. Test button appears next to each configured channel
2. Check that you receive the test message
3. Verify formatting looks correct
4. Confirm delivery time is acceptable

Step 5: Save Your Preferences

Click Save Settings to apply your configuration. Changes take effect immediately for all future alerts.

Best Practices

Based on how our users configure their alerts, here are proven strategies:

Enable All Three Thresholds

Don't skip the 80% warning. It gives you valuable lead time:

Use Multiple Channels for Critical Workflows

If link monitoring is business-critical, don't rely on a single channel:

• Primary: Email (always delivered)
• Secondary: Slack or Teams (team visibility)
• Backup: Telegram (personal mobile alert)

Set Up Quiet Hours

If you enable Discord or Telegram, consider:

• Creating a dedicated channel/chat for alerts
• Configuring notification schedules in those apps
• Avoiding overnight disruptions for non-critical thresholds

Review Alert History

Your alert history shows patterns:

• Which days do you hit 80%?
• Are you consistently approaching limits?
• Is one project consuming disproportionate checks?

Use this data to optimize your monitoring strategy or right-size your plan.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Mistake #1: Only Enabling the "Exceeded" Threshold

Why it's wrong: By the time you get the exceeded alert, your monitoring has already stopped.

Do this instead: Enable all three thresholds (80%, 95%, exceeded) to get progressive warnings with time to act.

❌ Mistake #2: Ignoring 80% Warnings

Why it's wrong: The 80% threshold gives you the most runway to adjust. Ignoring it means you'll scramble at 95%.

Do this instead: Treat 80% alerts as a signal to review your usage patterns and optimize.

❌ Mistake #3: Using Only Email Notifications

Why it's wrong: Email can be delayed, filtered to spam, or missed if you're not actively checking.

Do this instead: Add at least one instant notification channel (Discord, Slack, Telegram) for time-sensitive alerts.

❌ Mistake #4: Not Testing Notifications Before Going Live

Why it's wrong: You won't know if your webhook is broken until a real alert fires (and by then, it's too late).

Do this instead: Use the "Send Test Notification" button for every channel you configure.

❌ Mistake #5: Setting Up Alerts Then Never Reviewing Them

Why it's wrong: Alert history reveals usage patterns. Without review, you're missing optimization opportunities.

Do this instead: Check your alert history weekly. Look for patterns: which days trigger alerts? Are limits increasing?

❌ Mistake #6: Configuring Webhooks Without Error Handling

Why it's wrong: If your webhook endpoint is down, alerts are lost silently.

Do this instead: Always have email enabled as a backup. Configure webhook retry logic on your end.

What to Do When You're Notified

At 80% Warning

1. Check current usage in Dashboard → Settings → Usage
2. Review active checks - Are all of them necessary today?
3. Pause if needed - Temporarily disable low-priority scheduled checks
4. Note the pattern - Is this a one-time spike or weekly occurrence?

At 95% Critical

1. Prioritize immediately - Which checks absolutely must run today?
2. Pause non-essential monitoring - Can some checks wait until tomorrow?
3. Consider upgrade - If you're hitting 95% regularly, you've outgrown your tier
4. Check for runaway automation - Is something triggering more checks than expected?

At Exceeded

1. Acknowledge the pause - Your monitoring is paused until midnight UTC
2. Plan for reset - Which links need checking first when limits restore?
3. Prevent recurrence - Review what pushed you over today
4. Upgrade if needed - Calculate your actual daily needs

Quick Reference: Plan Upgrades

If you're consistently hitting limits:

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"I'm not receiving alerts"

Possible causes:

1. Threshold not enabled - Check Alert Preferences to ensure toggles are ON
2. Channel not configured - Verify webhook URLs/tokens are correct
3. Email in spam - Check spam folder, whitelist alerts@deadlinkradar.com
4. Webhook endpoint down - Test your endpoint independently

Fix: Click "Send Test Notification" for each channel to verify delivery.

"Alerts are delayed"

Expected behavior:

• Email: 1-5 minutes
• Discord/Slack/Teams: 10-30 seconds
• Telegram: 5-15 seconds
• Webhooks: 5-30 seconds

If alerts take >10 minutes:

• Check your email provider's delivery logs
• Verify webhook endpoint responds within 5 seconds
• Test with a different channel to isolate the issue

"Receiving duplicate alerts"

Cause: Multiple channels enabled for the same threshold.

This is intentional - if you enable Email + Discord + Slack for the 80% threshold, you'll receive 3 notifications (one per channel).

Fix: Disable channels you don't need in Alert Preferences.

"Alert triggered at wrong percentage"

Check timezone: Limits reset at midnight UTC, not your local time. If you're in PST (UTC-8), limits reset at 4:00 PM local time.

Check usage calculation: The dashboard shows real-time usage. If you had 1,599 checks and ran a batch of 50, the alert fires after the batch completes.

"Webhook not receiving POST requests"

Checklist:

1. ✅ Endpoint uses HTTPS (HTTP not supported)
2. ✅ Endpoint returns 200 status within 5 seconds
3. ✅ No authentication required (or uses token in URL query params)
4. ✅ Content-Type header is application/json

Test your endpoint:

curl -X POST https://your-webhook-url.com \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"test": true, "threshold": "80_percent"}'

"ntfy.sh notifications not appearing"

Common issues:

1. Wrong topic format - Topic should be a simple string (e.g., deadlinkradar-alerts)
2. Self-hosted ntfy down - Check if your ntfy server is running
3. Mobile app not subscribed - Open ntfy app and subscribe to your topic

Test ntfy manually:

curl -d "Test alert from DeadLinkRadar" https://ntfy.sh/your-topic-name

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I customize alert messages?

Currently, alert messages use a standard format. Webhook integrations allow you to transform messages on your end.

Do alerts count against my link check quota?

No. Alert notifications are separate from link checks and don't consume your daily quota.

Can I set custom thresholds (e.g., 70% instead of 80%)?

The thresholds are fixed at 80%, 95%, and 100% to provide consistent early warning stages. Most users find these levels optimal.

What happens if I hit my limit on a weekend?

Limits reset at midnight UTC every day, including weekends. If you exceed limits on Saturday, they'll reset Sunday at midnight UTC.

Can I silence alerts temporarily?

Yes. Disable the threshold toggle in Alert Preferences. Your configuration is saved, so you can re-enable later without reconfiguring channels.

Do I get alerts for each notification channel separately?

Yes. If you enable Email + Discord + Slack for the 80% threshold, you'll receive one alert per channel (3 total) when the threshold is reached.

How do I know which project triggered the alert?

Alerts include your account email and timestamp. If you have multiple projects, the alert shows total usage across all projects under your account.

Can team members receive the same alerts?

Currently, alerts are per-account. For team-wide visibility, use Discord, Slack, or Teams channels where multiple team members have access.

Summary

Rate limit alerts are your safety net for uninterrupted link monitoring:

• 80% warning gives you time to review and adjust
• 95% critical demands immediate attention
• Exceeded notification keeps you informed when limits are hit

With 7 notification channels available, you can route alerts exactly where your team will see and act on them.

Set up your rate limit alerts now:

1. Go to Dashboard → Settings → Alert Preferences
2. Enable all three thresholds
3. Configure at least two notification channels
4. Test your setup with the built-in test buttons

Setup Checklist

Copy this checklist to ensure you've completed all setup steps:

□ Navigate to Dashboard → Settings → Alert Preferences
□ Enable 80% Warning threshold
□ Enable 95% Critical threshold
□ Enable Exceeded threshold
□ Configure Email (automatic)
□ Choose and configure second channel (Discord/Slack/Telegram)
□ Optional: Configure third channel for redundancy
□ Test each channel with "Send Test Notification" button
□ Verify test notifications received
□ Save settings
□ Add alerts@deadlinkradar.com to email whitelist
□ Create dedicated channel/chat for alerts (if using Discord/Slack)
□ Document webhook endpoints (if using custom integrations)
□ Set calendar reminder to review alert history weekly
□ Share alert channels with team members (if applicable)

Pro Tip: Take a screenshot of your configured Alert Preferences page and save it to your team's documentation for reference.

Never be caught off guard by exceeded limits again. Your link monitoring deserves proactive protection.

Related Resources

Pricing & Plans:

• Compare Plans - Find the right tier for your needs
• Upgrade Your Account - Increase your daily limits

Questions or feedback? Contact our support team.