Too Many Requests

Hi @masterdune, thanks for your query.

There are a few ways of changing the max_questions value behind the scenes, but some hosts will naturally restrict your ability to do this. You could ask them to increase the value through their support channels.

Before asking, I’d try Wordfence > All Options > Basic Scan Type Options and tick the Limited Scan option which will alter a number of settings to reduce the load on your server and database.

Let me know how you get on!

Thanks,

Peter.

Hi @masterdune, I like to check if the problem persists under certain conditions in case there’s another plugin over-using your database, but understand that limiting the Wordfence scan long-term may not be ideal for everybody.

If you are able to access your own database through phpMyAdmin, you could try selecting the WordPress database, accessing the SQL tab, and typing the following (where 0 removes a fixed limit):

use mysql update user set max_questions = 0 where user = 'YourUsernameHere'; flush privileges;

If not, we could take a look at your diagnostic report if you could send it to wftest @ wordfence . com. You can find the link to do so at the top of the Wordfence Tools > Diagnostics page. Then click on “Send Report by Email”. Please add your forum username where indicated and respond here after you have sent it.

Note: For the fastest response time, please make sure and add any information or questions directly to this topic and not the email address above unless asked.

Thanks again,

Peter.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 9 months ago by wfpeter.

Hi @masterdune, thanks for letting me know and sending that report over!

The SQL query looks like it might have invalid quote characters around the username, I can’t be certain if that’s just the way ww.wp.xz.cn are formatting it here, but that would explain a syntax error message. If that wasn’t the issue, it could be possible you aren’t permitted to change that setting.

Most hosts don’t seem to set max_questions as far as we know, or set it to such a high value that we never reach it, so we don’t see this cropping up particularly often. Wordfence’s scan does make a lot of database queries as it runs, but they’re generally simple/fast ones.

I can’t give you an exact “ideal” number to set max_questions to as it depends on variables like how many other plugins are running, and how large your site is. Removing old inactive plugins that aren’t being used can make the scan run less queries, which might help, but it may not be enough.

Try contacting your host to see if they can remove/relax the restriction, and if not, it may be time to find a host that is not affected by the limit.

Thanks again,

Peter.

Hi @masterdune. Is this another case of the same message coming up?

I appreciate that you may have removed your username from the log, but if it was blank to begin with, this may be a sign that your host has restricted permissions to that particular setting.

If your username was present in the original message, trying the SQL again with single quotes (‘) instead of backticks (`) could still be effective. This time, try three separate lines in phpMyAdmin rather than one line:

use mysql;
update user set max_questions = 0 where user = 'YourUsernameHere';
flush privileges;

We have no recommended setting when it comes to the max_questions number, so hopefully removing the limit or speaking with your host will be able to bring you a resolution.

Thanks again,

Peter.

@masterdune I hope you find the resolution you need so that switching won’t be necessary.

If you ever need more assistance with Wordfence in future, please feel free to open a new ticket and we’d be happy to help.

Thanks,

Peter.