Developer policy support

Frequently asked questions about the developer policy

Where can I find the Twitter Developer agreement and policy?

See the Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

How do I agree to these Twitter Developer terms?

By using the Twitter API, you agree to the Twitter Developer Agreement. A review and clickthrough of this agreement is shown during the developer account sign up and apply process.

By building on the Twitter API or accessing Twitter Content, you must comply with ALL Twitter policies. These include this Developer Policy, the Automation Rules, the Display Requirements, the API Restricted Uses Rules, the Twitter Rules, the Twitter Brand Resources, the Periscope Community Guidelines, and the Periscope Trademark Guidelines, as well as any other agreements you enter into with Twitter relating to your use of the Twitter API or Twitter Content, including but not limited to the Developer Agreement or a Master Licensing Agreement or Order (as applicable). You must also comply with any modifications to these policies and any new policies launched by Twitter. It is your responsibility to monitor the use of your service and to design your service to prevent violations of Twitter policy by people who use it. Failure to do so may result in suspension or termination of your API and Twitter Content access.

How has developer access changed with Twitter API v2?

• We’re introducing improvements that streamline and simplify the sign up experience and revising access levels to enable retrieval of up to two million Tweets/month for free—our first step in opening up even greater access levels in the future.

  • Essential access will include immediate access, one App environment and the ability to retrieve up to 500k Tweets per month. 

  • We’re also introducing a new free Elevated access level. This includes three app environments (development, staging, production) and the ability to retrieve up to two million Tweets per month.

• And, we’re opening up our platform. We want to see more solutions that:

  • Improve the health and safety of the public conversation (through moderation and more)

  • Curate and recommend content

  • Help people create, express themselves, and engage with one another

  • Make it easier for people around the world to converse no matter their language or location

  • Help people measure, analyze, and find insights within the public conversation

  • Support the public good

• To encourage this innovation, we’re removing the language in our Developer Policy that restricts how you build with Twitter’s core features and limits the number of users you can support through your App.

Where can I ask questions about the Developer Policy or Agreement?

Most questions can be answered by reviewing the Developer Policy, the Automation Rules, the Display Requirements, the API Restricted Uses Rules. If you still have questions, you can contact the policy team using the  API Policy Support form.

Is there a way to be notified when Twitter's developer terms change?

See our stay informed page for notification options.

What will happen if I violate the Twitter developer terms?

Twitter takes privacy seriously, and we expect everyone using Twitter Content and the Twitter API to do the same. Any use of the Twitter developer platform, Twitter API, or Twitter Content in a manner that is inconsistent with peoples’ reasonable expectations of privacy may be subject to enforcement action, which can include suspension and termination of API and Twitter Content access.

If we believe you are in violation of this Policy (or any other Twitter policy), we may suspend or permanently revoke your access to the Twitter API and Twitter Content. If this happens to you, do not apply for or register additional API keys. Instead, contact us via the API Policy Support form.  

Also see our frequently asked questions on App suspension.

How will the Twitter team work with me on policy related issues?

If Twitter identifies a developer's App that is not in compliance with the developer policy, or is operating outside of their approved use case, enforcement actions may be taken on the App.  This could include limiting the Apps ability to make API calls, revoking permissions to the API, or suspending the App or App owner.  You should receive notice of this issue through the Twitter email address of the App owner. 

If your app has been restricted or suspended please do not register an additional app. This is a violation of our terms that may lead to the permanent suspension of your API access. Instead, please file a support ticket via the API Policy Support form under the "My application is suspended or restricted from performing write actions".

When filing this ticket, please include any information you believe may have led to the suspension of your app. Our support team will then work with you to identify this issue, as well as the steps that need to be taken to rectify it. It is always our goal to reactivate the apps of developers who work with us in good faith to resolve policy matters.

Frequently asked questions about access and use cases approval

What does Twitter consider a government entity or a government affiliated entity?

Twitter defines "government use" in the developer agreement. Students at government funded universities are not considered government affiliated.

What is a 'use case' for the Twitter API?

The Twitter API endpoints enable you to manage your Tweets, publish and curate Tweets, filter and search for Tweet topics or trends, and much more. Find out more about use cases on our use case page. Your use case should describe your intentions and plan for utilizing the Twitter API with your developer account and your Twitter Apps (applications).

The types of information that are valuable for our review include:

• The core use case, intent, or business purpose for your use of the Twitter APIs. Please note, “business purpose” in this context includes uses not necessarily connected to a commercial business. We require information about the problem, user story, or the overall goal your use of Twitter content is intended to address.
• If you are a student, learning to code, or just getting started with the Twitter APIs, please provide details about potential projects, or areas of focus.
• If you intend to analyze Tweets, Twitter users, or their content, share details about the analyses you plan to conduct, and the methods or techniques. Note that “analyze” in this context includes any form of processing performed on Twitter content. Please provide as detailed and exhaustive an explanation as possible of your intended use case.
• If your use involves Tweeting, Retweeting, or liking content, share how you’ll interact with Twitter accounts, or their content.
• If you’ll display Twitter content off of Twitter, explain how, and where, Tweets and Twitter content will be displayed with your product or service, including whether Tweets and Twitter content will be displayed at row level, or aggregated.

Where possible, please share links to illustrations, or sample work products. 

Your use case description is binding on you, and any substantive deviation from it may constitute a violation of our rules and result in enforcement action. You must notify us of any substantive modification to your use case and receive approval before you may begin using Twitter Content for that new purpose. Failure to do so may result in suspension and termination of your API and data access. You can update your use case by visiting our API Policy Support form, selecting I need to update my developer use case, or as otherwise agreed by Twitter.

Please note that you are not permitted to register multiple applications for a single use case, or substantially similar or overlapping use cases.

In the context of multiple applications, we define “use case” as a consistent set of analyses, displays, or actions performed via an application. Providing the same service or application to different end users (including “white label” versions of a tool or service) counts as a single use case. These rules apply both to applications you register, and to applications registered by the end users of your tool or service; requiring your end users to register applications for the purpose of using your tool or service could result in enforcement actions against you, your applications, your customers, and/or the end users of your tool or service.

The only exception to this rule is to create development (“dev”), staging, and production (“prod”) instances of the same service. Ensure that these applications are clearly labeled (for instance, in the application name or description), and that you do not use development or staging applications for production purposes.

What are some examples of use cases that are not allowed?

Review restricted use cases for the Twitter API. In order to get a comprehensive understanding of what is or is not allowed, you will need to review the Dev Agreement, Dev Policy, the Automation Rules, and the Display Requirements in full, and work with the Policy team to clarify use case approval.

How can I learn more about Twitter's automation rules?

• Read our automation rules
• Read out blog post about automation and the use of multiple accounts
• Read our policy clarification forum post on automated replies and mentions
• Follow or interact with several community posts on the Rules and Policies community forum

Does Twitter need to approve my use case?

Yes. For Essential access, you will need to provide the major topic area for access before making your first requests with the API. Twitter will review applications for Elevated access to the Twitter API v2, as well as applications for the academic research program. You must apply for Elevated access, or apply for academic reserach program access.

Can I change my use case?

Use of our developer platform requires that you review and agree to our Developer Agreement and Policy, as well as our related policies, including the Display Requirements and Automation Rules. Among other things, our agreements and policies provide guidance about several restricted use cases. We’ve provided additional information about some of these restrictions below.

Your use case description is binding on you, and any substantive deviation from it may constitute a violation of our rules and result in enforcement action. You must notify us of any substantive modification to your use case and receive approval before you may begin using Twitter Content for that new purpose. Failure to do so may result in suspension and termination of your API and data access. You can update your use case by visiting our API Policy Support form, selecting I need to update my developer use case, or as otherwise agreed by Twitter.

Can Tweet IDs be made publicly available? Can I share Tweet IDs obtained through the Twitter API?

If you provide Twitter Content to third parties, including downloadable datasets or via an API, you may only distribute Tweet IDs, Direct Message IDs, and/or User IDs (except as described below). We also grant special permissions to academic researchers sharing Tweet IDs and User IDs for non-commercial research purposes.

In total, you may not distribute more than 1,500,000 Tweet IDs to any entity (inclusive of multiple individuals associated with a single entity) within any 30 day period unless you have received written permission from Twitter. In addition, all developers may provide up to 50,000 public Tweets Objects and/or User Objects to each person who uses your service on a daily basis if this is done via non-automated means (e.g., download of spreadsheets or PDFs).

Academic researchers are permitted to distribute an unlimited number of Tweet IDs and/or User IDs if they are doing so on behalf of an academic institution and for the sole purpose of non-commercial research. For example, you are permitted to share an unlimited number of Tweet IDs for the purpose of enabling peer review or validation of your research. If you have questions about whether your use case qualifies under this category please submit a request via the API Policy Support form.

Frequently asked questions about Twitter App ownership and permissions

Who should own Twitter Apps that are used in the development of a company's product?

If you are going to be developing with Twitter for your company, then we recommend that you sign up for a team account using your company's Twitter handle. If your company's engineering team uses Twitter Apps for work related to the company that isn’t owned by this company's Twitter handle, we suggest that you transfer those Apps over to the company's account. You can do so by requesting to transfer App ownership. Having all Twitter Projects and Apps owned by the company's Twitter handle will help to prevent any issues in the future in case an engineering resource leaves the company.  If a company's App is owned by an individual employee, and that person leaves the company, it is that person (and not the company) who owns the App. In those situations, the only resource the company has to recover the App is by getting the former employee to agree to transfer access over. Twitter cannot do this without the consent of the App owner (former employee).

How do I transfer ownership of my Twitter App to another account?

You can transfer your Twitter App to another account by selecting 'I need to transfer an API key to another account' when filling out the API Policy Support form.

Should each of my customers set up an App (or Twitter developer account)?

For those planning to make commercial applications, customers of those applications should not make their own developer account and should instead authorize the main commercial app to their Twitter account. Instructing customers of your service to create developer applications that are a copy of your commercial app would be a violation of our developer policy regarding multiple applications with the same use case.

Offering the same service to multiple end users using multiple API applications is not permitted. For example, if your service allows brands to monitor and respond to mentions, you should use a single application for all your end users (who each authenticate with your app using OAuth). Each authenticated user is subject to per-user and per-app API usage limits as applicable. Developers should never request that end users register and provide their own Twitter application consumer keys and secrets to their application in an effort to circumvent this, which may result in enforcement action against both the developer and their users.

Can I have my App’s POST request limit increased to handle multiple Twitter users creating content? 

Please see our forum post announcement on how to request an increase for POST request limits, as well as our blog post on adaptive Direct Messages POST limits.

To request an increase to POST request limits for your App, please request this through the API Policy Support form.

Elevated POST request limit access is generally provided for Apps that need to create a lot of Tweets. As such, access is normally provided for Apps where multiple Twitter users are creating Tweet content. 

You will always be subject to the overall account limit for a Twitter user of 2,400 Tweets (including Retweets and Replies).

Frequently asked questions about Twitter App suspension

Why would a Twitter App get suspended?

If an App is suspended, this means that an enforcement action has been taken on the App. A suspended App is unable to make requests or authenticate new users until the developer takes action and rectifies the matter with Twitter. Developers with suspended Apps will generally receive an email communication (through the App owner's registered Twitter email) at the time of the enforcement action with more details. Here are some reasons your App may get suspended:

• The app is in violation of one or more of Twitter's developer terms such as our automation rules.

• The app changed usage that is outside of their specific use case.

• The app has been dormant for over 365 days.

Suspended Apps are similar to suspended Twitter accounts.

How will I know if my App is suspended?

The Twitter policy team will send a notification to the App owner's Twitter email address if a policy action has been taken on the App.  This email will come from the email address support@twitter.comand will have a subject similar to "Application Suspension Notice".

Within the developer portal, a suspended App will have a red label to show that the App is suspended. API requests made by a suspended App will result in an error similar to:

{"errors": [{"code": 32,"message": "Could not authenticate you."}]}

Can an App be unsuspended?

To appeal, reach out to us through API Policy Support form.

How can I learn more about Twitter's automation rules?

• Read our automation rules
• Read out blog post about automation and the use of multiple accounts
• Read our policy clarification forum post on automated replies and mentions
• Follow or interact with several community posts on the Rules and Policies community forum

Get support

To get support from Twitter: Please fill out this form to get Policy support in the following scenarios:  

• My App has been suspended or restricted from performing write actions

• I need to transfer an API key to another account

• I need to report an API policy violation

• I would like to create more than ten Apps

• I need to update my developer use case

• Other policy-related matters, not covered by the above

To join community discussions: The Twitter community forum is available for you discuss questions about the Twitter developer platform. You can probably find an answer to your question in the Rules and Policy section of the Twitter community forum. There, you can browse existing topics and learn from others. 

We encourage you to join the conversation by responding to questions and engaging in conversations on our forum. Twitter employees are also there to moderate.

Before you post a question

• Search the Twitter developer documentation for information relating to your issue
• Search the community forum for similar questions by other developers
• Review the community forum guidelines

When you post a question, make sure to include the following information

• A description of the problem
• The API call being made (include headers, if possible)
• The Twitter response returned (include any error messages)
• What you expected to receive instead
• List of steps taken to troubleshoot the issue
• List of steps required to reproduce the issue
• If relevant, the time frame during which an issue occurred 
• If relevant, the App ID, Tweet ID, etc.
• Any relevant code sample or screenshots

Please only include one topic/question per post.