dm-limits-and-best-practices
CDF Data Modeling limits: concurrency (429s), pagination, batching, search vs filter, QueuedTaskRunner, and the cap on LLM calls over query results (5 default, 50 max, cached). Triggers: DMS limits, 429, pagination, nextCursor, cdfTaskRunner, instances.query, chat completions over query results.
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Skill instructions
Rendered from the published SKILL.md, 616 lines.
CDF Data Modeling: Limits, Concurrency & Best Practices
This is a reference skill. When writing or reviewing code that calls CDF Data Modeling APIs, apply the patterns below.
This skill owns runtime reliability concerns: limits, concurrency, retries, throughput, and batching behavior.
For traversal payload correctness and graph-specific failure signatures, see dm-graph-traversal.
DMS Limits Reference
For the latest concurrency limits, resource limits, and property value limits, see the official documentation: https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dm/dm_reference/dm_limits_and_restrictions
Key things to be aware of:
- Instance apply, delete, and query operations each have their own concurrent request limits
- Exceeding these limits returns 429 Too Many Requests
- Transformations consume a large portion of the concurrency budget, leaving less for other clients
instances.listhas a max page size (use pagination for complete results)instances.querytable expressions each have their own item limitinstances.upsertaccepts up to 1000 items per callinfilters accept at most 1000 values per expression; larger sets must be split into batches
Search vs Filter: When to Use Which
instances.search — Free-text search on text properties
Use instances.search when you need fuzzy/text matching on string fields (names, descriptions, etc.). It supports an operator parameter:
AND(default) — Narrow search. All terms must match. Use when the user provides a specific query.OR— Broad "shotgun" search. Any term can match. Use for exploratory/typeahead search where you want maximum recall.
// Narrow search: find a specific cell by name (AND — all terms must match)
const exactResults = await client.instances.search({
view: { type: 'view', ...PROCESS_CELL_VIEW },
query: 'reactor tank A',
properties: ['name'],
operator: 'AND',
limit: 10,
});
// Broad search: typeahead/autocomplete (OR — any term can match)
const broadResults = await client.instances.search({
view: { type: 'view', ...BATCH_VIEW },
query: 'BUDE completed',
properties: ['name', 'description', 'batchStatus'],
operator: 'OR',
limit: 10,
});
You can combine search with filter to further constrain results with exact-match conditions:
// Text search + exact filter: search for "pump" but only in active nodes
const filtered = await client.instances.search({
view: { type: 'view', ...PROCESS_CELL_VIEW },
query: 'pump',
properties: ['name', 'description'],
filter: {
equals: {
property: getContainerProperty(MY_CONTAINER, 'status'),
value: 'active',
},
},
limit: 20,
});
instances.list / instances.query with filter — Exact-match filtering
Use filter when you need precise, deterministic matching (equals, range, in, hasData, etc.). No fuzzy matching — values must match exactly.
// Exact match: get all completed batches
const completedBatches = await client.instances.list({
instanceType: 'node',
sources: [{ source: { type: 'view', ...BATCH_VIEW } }],
filter: {
equals: {
property: getContainerProperty(BATCH_CONTAINER, 'batchStatus'),
value: 'completed',
},
},
limit: 1000,
});
Decision Guide
| Need | Use |
|---|---|
| User typing in a search box | instances.search with OR |
| Find a specific item by name | instances.search with AND |
| Filter by status, date range, enums | filter on list/query |
| Text search + exact constraints | instances.search + filter |
in filter value limit (1000) and batching
CDF in filters support a maximum of 1000 values in a single filter expression. If you need to filter against more than 1000 IDs, split values into chunks and issue multiple requests, then merge results.
const IN_FILTER_BATCH_SIZE = 1000;
// Reuse the Chunking Utility defined in the Batching Write Operations section.
async function listByExternalIds(
client: CogniteClient,
externalIds: string[],
): Promise<NodeOrEdge[]> {
const idBatches = chunk(externalIds, IN_FILTER_BATCH_SIZE);
const responses = await Promise.all(
idBatches.map((batch) =>
cdfTaskRunner.schedule(() =>
client.instances.list({
instanceType: 'node',
sources: [{ source: { type: 'view', ...MY_VIEW } }],
filter: {
Show the whole skill (496 more lines)
in: {
property: ['node', 'externalId'],
values: batch,
},
},
limit: 1000,
})
)
)
);
return responses.flatMap((r) => r.items); }
---
## QueuedTaskRunner (Semaphore)
**Always use the global `cdfTaskRunner`** to wrap CDF API calls. It limits concurrent requests and prevents 429 errors and deadlocks.
### Source Code
If the project does not already have a semaphore utility, create `src/shared/utils/semaphore.ts` with this implementation:
```typescript
/**
* AbortError thrown when a queued task is cancelled
*/
export class AbortError extends Error {
public constructor(message: string = 'Aborted') {
super(message);
this.name = 'AbortError';
}
}
type PendingTask<AsyncFn, AsyncFnResult> = {
resolve: (result: AsyncFnResult) => void;
reject: (error: unknown) => void;
fn: AsyncFn;
key?: string;
};
const DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_TASKS = 15;
/**
* QueuedTaskRunner for controlling concurrent operations
* Used to limit concurrent CDF API requests to avoid rate limiting and deadlocks
* Essentially a semaphore that allows a limited number of tasks to run at once.
*/
export default class QueuedTaskRunner<
AsyncFn extends () => Promise<AsyncFnResult>,
AsyncFnResult = Awaited<ReturnType<AsyncFn>>,
> {
private pendingTasks: PendingTask<AsyncFn, AsyncFnResult>[] = [];
private currentPendingTasks: number = 0;
private readonly maxConcurrentTasks: number = 1;
public constructor(
maxConcurrentTasks: number = DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_TASKS
) {
this.maxConcurrentTasks = maxConcurrentTasks;
}
public schedule(
fn: AsyncFn,
options: { key?: string } = {}
): Promise<AsyncFnResult> {
this.startTrackingTime();
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
if (options.key !== undefined) {
// Cancel existing tasks with the same key (deduplication)
this.pendingTasks
.filter((task) => task.key === options.key)
.forEach((task) => task.reject(new AbortError()));
this.pendingTasks = this.pendingTasks.filter(
(task) => task.key !== options.key
);
}
this.pendingTasks.push({
resolve,
reject,
fn,
key: options.key,
});
this.attemptConsumingNextTask();
});
}
public async attemptConsumingNextTask(): Promise<void> {
if (this.pendingTasks.length === 0) return;
if (this.currentPendingTasks >= this.maxConcurrentTasks) return;
const pendingTask = this.pendingTasks.shift();
if (pendingTask === undefined) {
throw new Error('pendingTask is undefined, this should never happen');
}
this.currentPendingTasks++;
const { fn, resolve, reject } = pendingTask;
try {
const result = await fn();
resolve(result);
} catch (e) {
reject(e);
} finally {
this.currentPendingTasks--;
this.tick();
this.attemptConsumingNextTask();
}
}
public clearQueue = (): void => {
this.pendingTasks = [];
};
private startTime: number | null = null;
private startTrackingTime = (): void => {
if (this.startTime === null) {
this.startTime = performance.now();
}
};
private tick = (): void => {
if (this.pendingTasks.length === 0) {
this.startTime = null;
}
};
}
/**
* Global task runner for CDF API requests
* Limits concurrent requests to avoid 429 rate limiting and deadlocks
*/
export const cdfTaskRunner = new QueuedTaskRunner(DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_TASKS);
Usage Pattern
Always wrap CDF calls with cdfTaskRunner.schedule():
import { cdfTaskRunner } from '../../../../shared/utils/semaphore';
// Single query
export async function fetchBatches(client: CogniteClient): Promise<CDFBatch[]> {
return cdfTaskRunner.schedule(async () => {
const response = await client.instances.query({
with: { /* ... */ },
select: { /* ... */ },
});
return response.items?.nodes || [];
});
}
// Multiple parallel queries (safe — the semaphore limits concurrency)
export async function enrichBatch(
client: CogniteClient,
batch: CDFBatch
): Promise<BatchEnrichment> {
const [currentOp, lastOp, cells, material] = await Promise.all([
fetchCurrentOperation(client, batch.space, batch.externalId),
fetchLastCompletedOperation(client, batch.space, batch.externalId),
fetchProcessCells(client, batch.space, batch.externalId),
fetchMaterial(client, batch.space, batch.externalId),
]);
return { currentOp, lastOp, cells, material };
}
// Each of the above functions internally uses cdfTaskRunner.schedule(),
// so Promise.all is safe — the semaphore prevents exceeding concurrency limits
Deduplication with Keys
Use the key option to cancel stale requests when the same query is triggered again (e.g., user changes filters quickly):
const result = await cdfTaskRunner.schedule(
async () => client.instances.query({ /* ... */ }),
{ key: `batch-flow-${batchId}` }
);
// If another call with the same key arrives before this completes,
// the previous pending call is rejected with AbortError
Pagination
DMS instances.list returns at most limit items and a nextCursor for the next page.
DMS instances.query uses a cursors object keyed by table expression name.
instances.list Pagination
async function fetchAllNodes(client: CogniteClient): Promise<CDFNodeResponse[]> {
const allItems: CDFNodeResponse[] = [];
let cursor: string | undefined = undefined;
do {
const response = await client.instances.list({
instanceType: 'node',
sources: [{ source: { type: 'view', ...MY_VIEW } }],
filter: {
equals: {
property: getContainerProperty(MY_CONTAINER, 'status'),
value: 'active',
},
},
limit: 1000,
cursor,
});
allItems.push(...response.items);
cursor = response.nextCursor;
} while (cursor);
return allItems;
}
instances.query Pagination
The query endpoint returns nextCursor as a Record<string, string> (one cursor per table expression). Use it via the cursors parameter:
import { isEmpty } from 'lodash';
async function fetchAllResults(
client: CogniteClient
): Promise<{ results: CDFResult[]; edges: EdgeDefinition[] }> {
const QUERY_LIMIT = 10_000;
const fetchPage = async (
nextCursors?: Record<string, string>
): Promise<{ results: CDFResult[]; edges: EdgeDefinition[] }> => {
const { items, nextCursor } = await client.instances.query({
with: {
results: {
limit: QUERY_LIMIT,
nodes: {
filter: {
hasData: [{ type: 'view', ...RESULT_VIEW }],
},
},
},
relatedEdges: {
limit: QUERY_LIMIT,
edges: {
from: 'results' as const,
maxDistance: 1,
direction: 'outwards' as const,
filter: {
equals: {
property: ['edge', 'type'],
value: MY_EDGE_TYPE,
},
},
},
},
},
cursors: nextCursors, // Pass cursors from previous page
select: {
results: {
sources: [
{ source: { type: 'view', ...RESULT_VIEW }, properties: ['*'] },
],
},
relatedEdges: {},
},
});
const results = (items?.results || []) as CDFResult[];
const edges = (items?.relatedEdges || []).filter(
(e) => e.instanceType === 'edge'
);
// Recurse if more pages exist
if (!isEmpty(nextCursor)) {
const next = await fetchPage(nextCursor);
return {
results: [...results, ...next.results],
edges: [...edges, ...next.edges],
};
}
return { results, edges };
};
return fetchPage();
}
Pagination + QueuedTaskRunner Combined
Always wrap paginated fetches with the semaphore to avoid saturating the concurrency budget:
export async function fetchAllWithPagination(
client: CogniteClient
): Promise<CDFNodeResponse[]> {
return cdfTaskRunner.schedule(async () => {
const allItems: CDFNodeResponse[] = [];
let cursor: string | undefined = undefined;
do {
const response = await client.instances.list({
instanceType: 'node',
sources: [{ source: { type: 'view', ...MY_VIEW } }],
filter: { /* ... */ },
limit: 1000,
cursor,
});
allItems.push(...response.items);
cursor = response.nextCursor;
// Optional: break early if you have enough data
if (allItems.length >= 500) break;
} while (cursor);
return allItems;
});
}
Batching Write Operations
When upserting many instances, chunk them to stay under the apply concurrency limit. Each instances.upsert call accepts up to 1000 items.
Chunking Utility
function chunk<T>(arr: T[], size: number): T[][] {
const chunks: T[][] = [];
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i += size) {
chunks.push(arr.slice(i, i + size));
}
return chunks;
}
Batched Upsert with QueuedTaskRunner
const UPSERT_BATCH_SIZE = 1000;
async function batchUpsertNodes(
client: CogniteClient,
nodes: NodeOrEdgeCreate[]
): Promise<void> {
const chunks = chunk(nodes, UPSERT_BATCH_SIZE);
// Process chunks through the semaphore — safe even with Promise.all
await Promise.all(
chunks.map((batch) =>
cdfTaskRunner.schedule(async () => {
await client.instances.upsert({
items: batch,
});
})
)
);
}
Batched Delete with QueuedTaskRunner
Instance deletes have an even stricter concurrency limit. Use a separate, more restrictive task runner:
import QueuedTaskRunner from '../../../../shared/utils/semaphore';
// Dedicated runner for deletes (stricter concurrency — check docs for current limit)
const deleteTaskRunner = new QueuedTaskRunner(2);
async function batchDeleteNodes(
client: CogniteClient,
nodeIds: { space: string; externalId: string }[]
): Promise<void> {
const chunks = chunk(nodeIds, 1000);
for (const batch of chunks) {
await deleteTaskRunner.schedule(async () => {
await client.instances.delete(
batch.map((id) => ({
instanceType: 'node' as const,
...id,
}))
);
});
}
}
Hard gate — LLM calls over query results
Do not map chat completions over instances.list / query / search hits. Prefer one Atlas / EOS sidebar turn (integrate-fusion-agent). If per-item completions are required: 5 per user action, ceiling 50, cache by space:externalId:lastUpdatedTime, user-initiated only.
Common Pitfalls
1. Deadlocks from Nested Semaphore Calls
If function A holds a semaphore slot and calls function B which also needs a slot, you can deadlock if all slots are occupied. Keep the semaphore at the outermost call level, or ensure inner calls don't go through the same semaphore.
// BAD: Nested semaphore — can deadlock
async function fetchAndEnrich(client: CogniteClient) {
return cdfTaskRunner.schedule(async () => {
const batches = await fetchBatches(client); // This also calls cdfTaskRunner.schedule!
// If all slots are held by fetchAndEnrich callers, fetchBatches will never run
});
}
// GOOD: Let inner functions own the semaphore
async function fetchAndEnrich(client: CogniteClient) {
const batches = await fetchBatches(client); // Has its own semaphore call
const enriched = await Promise.all(
batches.map((b) => enrichBatch(client, b)) // Each has its own semaphore call
);
return enriched;
}
2. Forgetting Pagination
DMS returns at most limit items. If you don't paginate, you silently lose data. Always check nextCursor:
// BAD: May miss data
const response = await client.instances.list({ limit: 1000, /* ... */ });
const items = response.items; // Could be incomplete!
// GOOD: Paginate
const allItems = [];
let cursor;
do {
const response = await client.instances.list({ limit: 1000, cursor, /* ... */ });
allItems.push(...response.items);
cursor = response.nextCursor;
} while (cursor);
3. Unbounded Promise.all Without Semaphore
Firing many parallel API calls will hit the 429 limit immediately:
// BAD: Too many simultaneous requests
await Promise.all(batchIds.map((id) => client.instances.query({ /* ... */ })));
// GOOD: Each call goes through the semaphore
await Promise.all(
batchIds.map((id) =>
cdfTaskRunner.schedule(() => client.instances.query({ /* ... */ }))
)
);
4. Query Limit per Table Expression
Each table expression in instances.query has its own limit. If your traversal might return more items than the limit in a single expression, you must paginate using the cursors parameter.
5. Oversized in Filters
in filters are capped at 1000 values per expression. Passing more than 1000 values in a single in filter can fail or produce incomplete behavior depending on endpoint/version. Always chunk the values and run batched requests.
Summary Checklist
- Wrap all CDF API calls with
cdfTaskRunner.schedule() - Paginate
instances.listcalls usingcursor/nextCursor - Paginate
instances.querycalls usingcursors/nextCursorwhen data may exceed limits - Chunk write operations to 1000 items per
instances.upsertcall - Use a separate, stricter task runner for deletes
- Avoid nesting
cdfTaskRunner.schedule()calls to prevent deadlocks - Use
Promise.allwith semaphore-wrapped functions, never with raw API calls - Use
instances.searchfor text matching,filterfor exact-match queries - Split
infilter values into batches of at most 1000 and merge responses - LLM-over-query-results capped (5 / max 50) and cached, or not present
- Refer to https://docs.cognite.com/cdf/dm/dm_reference/dm_limits_and_restrictions for current limits