Question regarding gameside script rate limit

[The Northern Light]

Hi,

I wanted to ask for clarification regarding the rate limit mentioned in the OSRS for gameside (not API) scripts.

The OSRS says that "[s]cripts must send no more than 10 requests per minute." The OSRS also has the following definition for what it means for a script/tool to be operating "automatically":

We consider a tool to be working "automatically" if it executes a restricted action in any way other than by immediately responding to a user's mouse click (or similar input) at the ratio of one click to one action. For example, a tool that sends ban requests to the server at five-second intervals, regardless of user input, is executing restricted actions automatically, and is illegal. However, a tool that makes ban buttons appear on pages where they aren't normally present is legal, as this requires a user's click to change anything in the gameworld.

I had two questions:

1) Does the rate limit apply only to requests generated by a script automatically, as per the above definition? Or does it also apply to requests generated by responded to user input?

2) If it's the latter, is there any difference between tools that respond to user input by directly generating GET/POST requests (e.g., using curl -P, or jQuery's "post" function), and tools that do so indirectly by virtually "clicking" a button on an NS page (e.g., using jQuery's "click" function)?

[Roavin]

While your questions aren't precisely answered there, [v]'s answers, particularly regarding #5, in this thread should be useful. My (possibly wrong) understanding is:

1. It only applies to requests generated automatically, though there may be unspecified cases where [v] considers it to apply to user action requests too if the request does something more than simple augmentation of basic site functionality.
2. No, so long as both are based on direct and immediate user-input.

[The Northern Light]

While your questions aren't precisely answered there, [v]'s answers, particularly regarding #5, in this thread should be useful. My (possibly wrong) understanding is:

1. It only applies to requests generated automatically, though there may be unspecified cases where [v] considers it to apply to user action requests too if the request does something more than simple augmentation of basic site functionality.
2. No, so long as both are based on direct and immediate user-input.

Thanks. My understanding has been the same as yours, for both 1 and 2. However, I thought it would be worth having the site administration unambiguously and publicly clarify both questions, for a few reasons:
1) My understanding of the rules comes in part through GHR responses that I can no longer access, and that were private and not available to everyone to begin with.
2) In the past two days, a few people (none of them being NS staff, but generally knowledgeable) have suggested otherwise regarding both 1 and 2.
3) The current rate limit rule in the OSRS does read like it applies to all script-generated actions, automatic or otherwise.

[The Northern Light]

Hi,

Would it please be possible to provide some clarification regarding the questions in the OP?

Thanks!

[Eluvatar]

My interpretation has always been that if your script is responding directly and immediately to a user input (which of course means that it must have finished with its previous request before the user gives that input) it does not count toward the 10/minute rate limit.

Technically I suppose simultaneity only matters for "restricted actions" but I found it simpler to just apply it to all requests in my own code.

[The Northern Light]

Sounds great, thanks!