Telegram says there are too many requests and names a wait. That is FloodWait — a temporary pause, not a punishment.
How it differs from a spam restriction
FloodWait says «too fast, wait this many seconds». A spam restriction says «you may not message strangers». The first clears on a timer, the second only through an appeal. Confusing them is costly, because the remedies differ.
How long
From seconds to hours. Short pauses are routine — the account is simply moving faster than allowed. Long ones mean the load is well above what this account can carry.
The right response
Wait. Exactly as long as told, without retrying — each attempt during the pause extends it. A sensible system takes the account out of rotation for the duration and returns it afterwards.
What not to do
Work around it by switching proxies or reconnecting. The limit sits on the account, not the address: switching looks like evasion and adds to the suspicion. A long FloodWait is a reason to lower limits, not to dodge.
Avoiding it
Pauses between actions and daily allowances by account age. Regular FloodWaits mean the settings are more aggressive than the account can take — a warning before a restriction rather than a detail. More on the automation page.