PEER_FLOOD vs FLOOD_WAIT on Telegram: What They Mean and What to Do
· 2 min
The difference between Telegram's PEER_FLOOD and FLOOD_WAIT_X errors, why they happen, and how teams should respond to each.
If you use Telegram through an app or panel, sooner or later you'll see two errors: PEER_FLOOD and FLOOD_WAIT_X. Both mean "too much", but they mean very different things and call for different responses.
FLOOD_WAIT_X: "wait a bit"
FLOOD_WAIT_X (often FloodWaitError in libraries) means you repeated an action too often. X is the number of seconds to wait: after FLOOD_WAIT_37, the same action works again in 37 seconds.
Typical causes:
- resolving many usernames in a short time,
- joining many groups back to back,
- sending to the same chat too quickly,
- requesting login codes too often.
What to do: wait the stated time and continue. Telegramte applies the wait automatically and resumes where it stopped.
PEER_FLOOD: "stop messaging strangers"
PEER_FLOOD is far more serious. It means the account messaged too many people it doesn't know, and Telegram is blocking it from contacting new people for a while. It usually shows up when a spam limit has been applied.
What to do:
- Stop sending to strangers from that number immediately. Telegramte stops a number automatically when it hits
PEER_FLOOD. - Don't move the same job to another number — that puts your other accounts at risk too.
- Check the limit and when it ends with @SpamBot.
- Review your list: do the recipients know you, and did they agree to hear from you?
Why Telegram doesn't publish the limits
Telegram does not publish exact limits for user accounts; they depend on account history, recipient reactions and behaviour. Bots do have published limits: at most 20 messages per minute to a group and about 30 messages per second for broadcasts.
| FLOOD_WAIT_X | PEER_FLOOD | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | You did this too often | You messaged too many strangers |
| Duration | X seconds, known | Unknown, depends on the limit |
| Response | Wait and continue | Stop, check @SpamBot |
| Risk | Low | High: the account may be limited |
Prevention
- Set a daily cap per number.
- Use random delays and vary the text with spintax.
- Message people who opted in and honour opt-outs.
- Give each number its own proxy when you run several.
Related: Telegram account limited?