Handle Lever API rate limiting on job posting application POST endpoints
domain: hire.lever.co · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
Sampled — shipped under file-level sampling, not individually fact-checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Steps
Build your custom job-site application form to POST applications to Lever's postings API endpoint.
Implement rate-limiting awareness: Lever enforces a limit of **2 application POST requests per second** on posting-apply endpoints; requests exceeding this rate return HTTP 429.
On receipt of a 429 response, do not drop the application — enqueue it and retry with exponential backoff.
Log all 429 responses and monitor queue depth; sustained high volumes may indicate you should direct candidates to Lever's hosted application form instead.
Test your retry logic in a staging environment by deliberately sending bursts of requests and verifying that no applications are lost.
Known gotchas
The 2 rps limit applies specifically to **posting-apply POST endpoints** (candidate application submissions) — not to read endpoints or other Lever API calls.
Lever may adjust rate limits without advance notice to protect platform stability; treat 429 responses as a permanent possibility, not a temporary anomaly.
Directing candidates to Lever's hosted form sidesteps the rate limit entirely and is recommended for high-traffic job sites.
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