Why do I get the Exceeded Limits status for uploaded files?

Overview

As a Salesforce administrator, you can view OPSWAT – MetaDefender Logs to monitor the status of files uploaded to your Salesforce environment. The Status column in these logs will indicate whether a file is safe (No Threat Detected), infected, or in another state such as Exceeded Limits.

This article explains what Exceeded Limits means, why it occurs, and how to check your API limit usage.

What Exceeded Limits Means

When you click into a specific log entry with the Exceeded Limits status, the MD Scan Details section will display a message similar to:

Rate limit exceeded, retry after the limit is reset. The limit will be reset in XX hours YY minutes ZZ seconds.

This means your purchased API quota for scanning files in MetaDefender Cloud has been fully used. Once the daily limit is reached, MetaDefender Cloud will no longer accept new file scans until the quota resets.

Why It Happens

• MetaDefender Cloud uses specific APIs (such as prevention_api) for scanning.
• Each API has a daily quota based on your license.
• When the quota is exhausted, any new file uploads will receive the Exceeded Limits status.
• Quotas reset daily, starting from the time of your first scan.

How to Check Your API Limits

In the MetaDefender for Salesforce Dashboard

1. Go to your MetaDefender Log Reports dashboard in Salesforce.
2. Check the Limit table (bottom-right section).
3. Locate the prevention_api row.
4. If the Remaining value is 0, your API quota has been reached.

Via REST API You can also check your remaining limits programmatically using the MetaDefender Cloud API: MetaDefender Cloud API – Get API Key Remaining Limits

JSON response:

{

    "reputation_api": 1000,

    "threat_intel_search_api": 25,

    "prevention_api": 0,

    "download_file": 100,

    "sandbox_api": 5,

    "feed_api": 1000,

    "throttling_limit": 500

}

If the value of"prevention_api" is 0, your API quota has been reached.

Note: Consider upgrading your license or purchasing a higher API quota if you frequently hit the limit.