---
title: "Identifiers, states, and limits"
description: "Stable identifier formats, pagination rules, retention windows, and request bounds."
image: "https://help.agent.mq/og.svg"
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.agent.mq/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Identifiers, states, and limits

## Identifier formats

| Object | Format |
| --- | --- |
| Application | `app_` + 32 lowercase hexadecimal characters |
| Purchase | `pur_` + 32 lowercase hexadecimal characters |
| Handoff | `hnd_` + 32 lowercase hexadecimal characters |
| Action job | `actjob_` + 32 lowercase hexadecimal characters |
| Personal access token secret | `amqp_` + opaque URL-safe secret |
| Agent key secret | `amq_` + opaque URL-safe secret |
| Invitation secret | `ami_` + opaque URL-safe secret |
| Checkout digest | 64 lowercase hexadecimal characters |

Never parse an opaque identifier for business meaning.

## Credential lifetime

| Credential | Minimum | Maximum |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal access token | 1 day | 365 days |
| Agent key | 1 day | 90 days |

## Pagination

Paged list routes use `page` starting at `1` and `size` from `1` through `100`. The usual default size is `25`.

## Input and retention limits

| Surface | Limit |
| --- | --- |
| Built-in text operation | 16,384 characters |
| Operation input map | 30 top-level entries |
| Workflow YAML | 512,000 characters |
| Full encrypted service result | One hour |
| Identical read-call reuse | Five minutes when eligible |

Operation-specific limits live in the discovered `inputSchema` and the generated [OpenAPI document](https://help.agent.mq/openapi.yaml).

## Common states

Native and service invocations expose states such as accepted/running, `SUCCESS`, `FAILED`, and `UNKNOWN`. `UNKNOWN` is an explicit reconciliation state and must not be treated as a safe retry signal.

Source: https://help.agent.mq/reference/identifiers/index.mdx