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

# Refusals

> When a template can't work on your material, it says so: typed, before money is spent, and always free.

A refusal is not an error. It is the template telling you a **fact about the
material**: retrying the same call will not change it; different material
will.

## Why this exists

An edit that silently produces garbage costs you credits and trust. So every
template declares what it needs, checks it up front, and refuses with a
machine-readable code an agent can branch on.

## Common refusal codes

| Code                   | Meaning                                         | What to do                              |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `NO_SUBJECT`           | No person detected in the shot                  | Use footage with a visible person       |
| `SUBJECT_TOO_SMALL`    | The person is too small/far to carry the effect | Reframe or record closer                |
| `SUBJECT_LEAVES_FRAME` | The subject exits mid-take                      | Trim to a span where they stay in frame |
| `SPAN_TOO_LONG`        | A requested span exceeds the template's cap     | Split or shorten                        |
| `NO_USABLE_SPANS`      | Nothing in the material fits the template       | Different material                      |
| `UNREADABLE`           | The file has no readable video stream           | Re-export and re-upload                 |

Template pages list which refusals apply to them. Estimate-time blockers
(`INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS`, `IN_FLIGHT`, `SCOPE_DENIED`, `RECIPE_NOT_ALLOWED`)
are documented under [Jobs & polling](/docs/setting-up/jobs-and-polling).

<Note>Refusals are never charged, and they are deliberate: "refuse broken,
allow odd." Unusual footage that passes the gate is allowed to be unusual.</Note>