Most AI Studio runs finish in a few seconds or a few minutes, and you don't have to stay on the page while they work. If a run fails, most tools give your credits back automatically, and you can try again in a click. This article covers how long each tool usually takes, how to check on a run, what a failure looks like and what to do next.
Before you start
You don't need anything special to check on a run. Keep these two places handy:
- The dock, the small bar at the bottom center of every workspace page. It shows what's running and tells you when something finishes or fails.
- Your Generations page at agentr.ee/workspace/generations. Its Running and Failed tabs list every run.
Checking on a run is free on every plan. Trying again is a new run, so it costs the same as the first time.
How long each tool usually takes, as the tool itself says:
| Tool | Usual wait |
|---|---|
| Caption writer, Listing description, Email writer, Objection handler | A few seconds |
| Script personalizer | A few seconds longer, because it writes 11 steps |
| Create avatar, Photo studio, Background changer, Virtual staging | Usually under a minute |
| Viral images, Carousels | A minute or two |
| Photoshoot | About a minute a photo, with several made at once |
| Agent speaking | A few seconds for the voiceover, a few minutes for the video |
| Viral formats | A few minutes |
| Listing walkthrough | Minutes; the screen counts the shots as they're made |
| Composer | The progress bar on the card shows an estimate |
How to check on a run that seems stuck
- Look at the dock at the bottom of the screen. It shows how many runs are still going.
- Open your Generations page and click Running. A run still in progress reads Building….
- Open the tool you used again. Most tools pick up a run that's still going and show its progress.
- Give it the time in the table above. You can leave the page. The run keeps going either way.
- If the run doesn't finish, it moves to the Failed tab and reads Didn't work. Then try again, as shown below.
For a Listing walkthrough, the final step puts your shots together into one video. If that step is slow, you'll see This is taking longer than it should with a Pick it back up button. If it doesn't finish, you'll see We couldn't put your video together with a Re-stitch the video button. Neither costs anything more.
What a failed run looks like
- Most tools: a That didn't work message with a short reason, and a Close or Back to the form button.
- Viral images and Viral formats: That one didn't come back, with "Your credits went back to your pool, so this cost you nothing."
- Composer: a red card that reads Generation failed. with Retry and Remove buttons.
- Photoshoot and carousel photos: a tile that reads Didn't come back · credits returned. The other photos still arrive.
- Enhance listing images: a tile that reads Couldn't enhance. The other images still arrive.
- Listing walkthrough: Shot N didn't render and "Those credits are back." The rest of the video is still made.
- Generations page and dock: the tile reads Didn't work, and the dock says your run didn't work.
A run that takes far too long is stopped and shown as failed. It reads "That took too long and gave up" or "That took too long and we stopped waiting."
Will I get my credits back?
These tools return the credits for a failed or empty run automatically:
- Create avatar, Photo studio, Viral images, Background changer and Virtual staging
- Enhance listing images and Photoshoot, one image or photo at a time
- Carousels, for the words and for each photo that doesn't come back
- Caption writer, Reel script writer, Listing description, Email writer, Objection handler and Script personalizer
- Listing walkthrough, for each shot that doesn't render, or the whole video if no shots come back
- Viral formats and Agent speaking
- The composer, for each image or clip that fails
The Social comment generator only charges when your ideas arrive, so a failed run costs nothing. In Carousels and the six writing tools listed above, a failed run also doesn't count against your limit. Credits that come back are added to your purchased credits, which don't expire.
Common reasons a run won't start
Not enough credits
On a Free plan, a tool shows You need credits to run this when your balance is below its price. When you start a run you can't afford, you'll see You need more credits on Free or You're out of credits on Pro. Photoshoot tells you how many credits you're short for the set. In each case, nothing is charged.
The photo check turned your photo down
Virtual staging and Background changer check your photo before you pay. A blocked photo says "Nothing has been charged. Pick a different photo to carry on." Common reasons:
- Virtual staging: "This room already has furniture. Virtual Staging works on empty rooms." It also turns down exterior shots and bathrooms.
- Background changer: no person in the photo, more than one person, or a face that's partly covered or cut off. A background you upload can't have anyone in it.
If a check can't run, you'll see We couldn't check this photo. You can still go ahead, but make sure the photo fits first. On the Free plan, photo checks are limited each hour, and you'll see this same message when you reach the limit.
Listing walkthrough can't read your photos
You need at least 2 photos. If you see "We couldn't read the photos — try again.", click Try again. On the Free plan, if you see "You have sorted a lot of photos in the last hour. Give it a few minutes and try again.", wait a few minutes.
You've reached a limit
Writing tools have an hourly or daily limit, shown as a counter with the time it resets, for example "You have used all 15 captions for now. They reset soon." Carousels allow 10 an hour. Agent speaking allows 30 voiceovers an hour. The composer runs up to 4 images or clips at once.
Your market isn't set
Some Viral images formats and some composer prompts need your city. Click Set your market and fill in Settings, Audience.
How to try again
- Use the button on the tool's failure screen: Retry in the composer, Try again in Viral images and Viral formats, or Try that shot again in a Listing walkthrough. In other tools, click Back to the form and run it again.
- Or open your Generations page and click Failed.
- Find the run and click Try again. The button shows the credits it will use.
- If you see "That couldn't be started again. Try the tool it came from.", open that tool and run it there.
Composer, Listing walkthrough, Agent speaking, Photoshoot and carousel runs are retried inside their own tools. In a Listing walkthrough, you can also click Leave it out to finish the video without the failed shot, at no charge.
When to contact our support team
Contact our support team if a run stays in Running long after the times above and reopening the tool doesn't help, or if a failed run's credits still aren't back after you reload the page. Tell them the tool you used, about when you started it and what the screen said.
Tips for better results
- Use clear photos. For image tools, "The image service wouldn't use that photo" usually means there's someone else in the shot, so pick a different photo.
- If you see "The writer is busy right now. Please try again in a moment.", wait a moment before you try again.
- For Carousels, a shorter, more specific brief usually works better.
- Check the Running tab before you start the same thing again, so you don't pay twice.
- Set your market in Settings, Audience before using the Post generator. It needs a city picked.
Common questions
Can I leave the page while something is generating?
Yes. Runs keep going after you leave. The dock tells you when they're done, and your results are saved. See How to find your AI creations.
Does trying again cost credits?
Yes. Every retry is a new run with a new charge. If the first run failed, its credits came back automatically on the tools listed above.
Why is my Listing walkthrough missing a shot?
One shot didn't render, and its credits came back. Click Try that shot again to make it again, or Leave it out to finish the video without it.
Related articles
Read How AI credits work in AI Studio, How to find your AI creations, How to get started with AI Studio and How to set your market so AI content is local.