> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fetchfox.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Limiting crawls

> You can limit the number of visits and depth of crawls

The crawl endpoint can be limited in two ways:

* `maxVisits`: cap how many pages are visited.
* `maxDepth`: cap how far the crawl can move from `startUrls`.

Some reasons to limit crawls:

* **Control cost.** Each page visit has network and operation cost.
* **Reduce runtime.** Smaller crawl scope finishes faster.

## Limit the number of visits

`maxVisits` sets a hard cap on visited pages.

Example:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash curl theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.fetchfox.ai/api/crawl \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHFOX_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
      "pattern":"https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/*",
      "maxVisits": 50
  }'
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Limit the depth

`maxDepth` limits crawl distance from the `startUrls` set.

Depth is measured as:

* Start URL = depth 0
* Links from start URLs = depth 1
* Next level = depth 2, etc.

Example:

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash curl theme={null}
  curl -X POST https://api.fetchfox.ai/api/crawl \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FETCHFOX_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
      "pattern":"https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/*",
      "startUrls": [
        "https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/national"
      ],
      "maxDepth": 1,
      "maxVisits": 50
  }'
  ```
</CodeGroup>