Quota overflow problem with Google Sheets API in n8n

Describe the problem/error/question

I’m experiencing a problem with a specific block in my n8n workflow, specifically the second “Read” block that interacts with Google Sheets. Despite adding a one-minute pause to my workflow, I’m still getting a quota overrun error.

What is the error message (if any)?

ERROR: The service is receiving too many requests from you
429 - {"error":{"code":429,"message":"Quota exceeded for quota metric 'Read requests' and limit 'Read requests per minute per user' of service 'sheets.googleapis.com' for consumer 'project_number:498586711441'.","status":"RESOURCE_EXHAUSTED","details":[{"@type":"type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.ErrorInfo","reason":"RATE_LIMIT_EXCEEDED","domain":"googleapis.com","metadata":{"quota_metric":"sheets.googleapis.com/read_requests","consumer":"projects/498586711441","quota_limit_value":"60","quota_limit":"ReadRequestsPerMinutePerUser","quota_location":"global","service":"sheets.googleapis.com"}},{"@type":"type.googleapis.com/google.rpc.Help","links":[{"description":"Request a higher quota limit.","url":"https://cloud.google.com/docs/quota#requesting_higher_quota"}]}]}} - Quota exceeded for quota metric 'Read requests' and limit 'Read requests per minute per user' of service 'sheets.googleapis.com' for consumer 'project_number:498586711441'.

Please share your workflow

{
  "meta": {
    "templateCredsSetupCompleted": true,
    "instanceId": "04d76e338d8e0c4740502ded1f2ae45e2be2ffcae850b1e26d90690fc408a962"
  },
  "nodes": [
    {
      "parameters": {
        "projectId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "humanlinker-data",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "humanlinker-data",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://console.cloud.google.com/bigquery?project=humanlinker-data"
        },
        "sqlQuery": "SELECT *\nFROM `humanlinker-data.postgres_public.t_e_user`\nWHERE is_active = TRUE\n  AND is_email_validated = TRUE\n  AND (deleted_at IS NULL )\n  AND (job_title IS NULL );\n",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "908ff245-d61b-4da2-9ff6-674ba95edf11",
      "name": "Google BigQuery",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleBigQuery",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        1080,
        500
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "googleBigQueryOAuth2Api": {
          "id": "opP1h7cXyklZwrDB",
          "name": "Google BigQuery account"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "ISOLER LES USERS ACTIFS QUI N'ONT PAS DE \"JOB TITLE\"\n- IS ACTIVE IS TRUE\n- EMAIL VALIDATED VALIDE\n- DELETE IS FALSE\n- JOB TITLES IS VIDE",
        "height": 150.69103218906312,
        "width": 403.14308144305915
      },
      "id": "306b6132-b141-4b1a-a280-05d9668dd71f",
      "name": "Sticky Note",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        960,
        280
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "conditions": {
          "options": {
            "caseSensitive": true,
            "leftValue": "",
            "typeValidation": "strict"
          },
          "conditions": [
            {
              "id": "85a3b4b4-4efc-42b2-a093-4bfcb2447225",
              "leftValue": "={{ $json.companyname }}",
              "rightValue": "",
              "operator": {
                "type": "string",
                "operation": "notEmpty",
                "singleValue": true
              }
            }
          ],
          "combinator": "and"
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "534147e3-713f-4fc7-b0af-ea2cf7818bed",
      "name": "If",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.if",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        1340,
        500
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "TRUE = Company Name is not empty\n\nFALSE = Company Name empty",
        "height": 115.02342119772044,
        "width": 265.3364026128713,
        "color": 3
      },
      "id": "79f6b78f-eba8-497a-9095-58704414d2ef",
      "name": "Sticky Note2",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        1500,
        80
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "rule": {
          "interval": [
            {
              "field": "minutes"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
      "id": "9a4659b4-b496-4134-a44f-fbd0a515a1a6",
      "name": "Schedule Trigger",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.scheduleTrigger",
      "typeVersion": 1.1,
      "position": [
        800,
        500
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "insert",
        "projectId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "humanlinker-data",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "humanlinker-data",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://console.cloud.google.com/bigquery?project=humanlinker-data"
        },
        "datasetId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "postgres_public",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "postgres_public"
        },
        "tableId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "t_e_user",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "t_e_user"
        },
        "dataMode": "define",
        "fieldsUi": {
          "values": [
            {
              "fieldId": "id"
            }
          ]
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "08ad3f00-648c-422b-b587-9c6324f49b25",
      "name": "Google BigQuery2",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleBigQuery",
      "typeVersion": 2,
      "position": [
        2880,
        240
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "googleBigQueryOAuth2Api": {
          "id": "opP1h7cXyklZwrDB",
          "name": "Google BigQuery account"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "Auto-complétion dans le DATAWHAROUSE",
        "height": 80,
        "width": 196.9522712801254,
        "color": 3
      },
      "id": "d5e98784-9727-48e8-a8be-45ae62016e9d",
      "name": "Sticky Note3",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        2240,
        40
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "operation": "appendOrUpdate",
        "documentId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "1q6aTvJK2j2uhIlP42-iLSWelFUthj-N3oIskx97-X38",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "[OPS] N8N - DB Enrich Job Titles",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q6aTvJK2j2uhIlP42-iLSWelFUthj-N3oIskx97-X38/edit?usp=drivesdk"
        },
        "sheetName": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "gid=0",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "TRUE",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q6aTvJK2j2uhIlP42-iLSWelFUthj-N3oIskx97-X38/edit#gid=0"
        },
        "columns": {
          "mappingMode": "defineBelow",
          "value": {
            "email": "={{ $json.email }}",
            "first_name": "={{ $json.first_name }}",
            "last_name": "={{ $json.last_name }}",
            "companyname": "={{ $json.companyname }}",
            "fullname_companyname": "={{ $json.fullname_companyname }}"
          },
          "matchingColumns": [
            "fullname_companyname"
          ],
          "schema": [
            {
              "id": "first_name",
              "displayName": "first_name",
              "required": false,
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "display": true,
              "type": "string",
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true,
              "removed": false
            },
            {
              "id": "last_name",
              "displayName": "last_name",
              "required": false,
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "display": true,
              "type": "string",
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true,
              "removed": false
            },
            {
              "id": "email",
              "displayName": "email",
              "required": false,
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "display": true,
              "type": "string",
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true,
              "removed": false
            },
            {
              "id": "companyname",
              "displayName": "companyname",
              "required": false,
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "display": true,
              "type": "string",
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true,
              "removed": false
            },
            {
              "id": "fullname_companyname",
              "displayName": "fullname_companyname",
              "required": false,
              "defaultMatch": false,
              "display": true,
              "type": "string",
              "canBeUsedToMatch": true,
              "removed": false
            }
          ]
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "78d03030-e130-45ad-aa11-d4776a754474",
      "name": "Google Sheets",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
      "typeVersion": 4.2,
      "position": [
        2200,
        240
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "googleSheetsOAuth2Api": {
          "id": "h3WQLNqrB5toKYyu",
          "name": "Google Sheets account"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "fields": {
          "values": [
            {
              "name": "full_name",
              "stringValue": "={{$json[\"first_name\"] + \" \" + $json[\"last_name\"]}}\n"
            }
          ]
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "2e4d5de3-19b0-4b34-8564-e314f1cff918",
      "name": "Edit Fields - Concatener first name + last name",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
      "typeVersion": 3.2,
      "position": [
        1780,
        240
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "fields": {
          "values": [
            {
              "name": "fullname_companyname",
              "stringValue": "={{$json[\"full_name\"] + $json[\"companyname\"]}}"
            }
          ]
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "9f5163d7-6d38-44ff-867c-fe7b3ed5b8a2",
      "name": "Fullname + companyname",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
      "typeVersion": 3.2,
      "position": [
        2000,
        240
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "content": "Retravailler la data + pour avoir une nomenclature clean\n",
        "height": 80,
        "width": 196.9522712801254,
        "color": 3
      },
      "id": "c73ee7b6-717b-437a-8b17-01af70ba782d",
      "name": "Sticky Note4",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        1940,
        100
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "fields": {
          "values": [
            {
              "name": "url linkedin",
              "stringValue": "={{ $json.baseUrl }}"
            },
            {
              "name": "url sales nav",
              "stringValue": "={{ $json.linkedinSalesNavigatorUrl }}"
            },
            {
              "name": "linkedin company url",
              "stringValue": "={{ $json.companyUrl }}"
            },
            {
              "name": "jobtitle",
              "stringValue": "={{ $json.jobTitle }}"
            }
          ]
        },
        "include": "none",
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "7fb092a0-5530-4f0c-87b4-2900617ec1be",
      "name": "Edit Fields",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.set",
      "typeVersion": 3.2,
      "position": [
        2700,
        240
      ]
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "documentId": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "1kj3TXYzWb_6tBnB4h3uhQBj1bQcT6BE4-eShZ-QsvN0",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "[OPS] N8N - DB ENIRCH Job Titles",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kj3TXYzWb_6tBnB4h3uhQBj1bQcT6BE4-eShZ-QsvN0/edit?usp=drivesdk"
        },
        "sheetName": {
          "__rl": true,
          "value": "gid=0",
          "mode": "list",
          "cachedResultName": "TRUE-Enrich",
          "cachedResultUrl": "https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kj3TXYzWb_6tBnB4h3uhQBj1bQcT6BE4-eShZ-QsvN0/edit#gid=0"
        },
        "options": {}
      },
      "id": "56e4bbe2-da21-4402-a16b-7617bc19bbfc",
      "name": "Google Sheets1",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets",
      "typeVersion": 4.2,
      "position": [
        2540,
        240
      ],
      "credentials": {
        "googleSheetsOAuth2Api": {
          "id": "h3WQLNqrB5toKYyu",
          "name": "Google Sheets account"
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "parameters": {
        "unit": "minutes"
      },
      "id": "9bc51d6e-68ed-4925-84d7-6c17b6fca7fb",
      "name": "Wait",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.wait",
      "typeVersion": 1,
      "position": [
        2380,
        240
      ],
      "webhookId": "82d45671-8188-4980-825d-73944d373111"
    }
  ],
  "connections": {
    "Google BigQuery": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "If",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "If": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Edit Fields - Concatener first name + last name",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Schedule Trigger": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Google BigQuery",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Google Sheets": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Wait",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Edit Fields - Concatener first name + last name": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Fullname + companyname",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Fullname + companyname": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Google Sheets",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Edit Fields": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Google BigQuery2",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Google Sheets1": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Edit Fields",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    },
    "Wait": {
      "main": [
        [
          {
            "node": "Google Sheets1",
            "type": "main",
            "index": 0
          }
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "pinData": {}
}```

n8n version: web
Database (default: SQLite):
n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app): n8n cloud
Operating system: mac os

It looks like your topic is missing some important information. Could you provide the following if applicable.

  • n8n version:
  • Database (default: SQLite):
  • n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
  • Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):
  • Operating system:

I get this error frequently too but don’t understand why it is happening. There is no way I’m over the API limit of 300 reads a minute.

So how do you go about it?

Unfortunately, I don’t have a solution. It is a non-critical workflow so I just let it error when it does. I’m planning to migrate it away from Google Sheets in the comming month.

@David_Lopes , create yet another project and share the load between the two as the quota is per project.