Video Generation Errors and Provider Policies
When a video fails, read the error shown in the video library before changing your prompt or reference image. The error tells you whether the provider rejected the input or whether the generation failed for a technical reason.
Writingmate uses several video providers and models. A provider may apply its own safety checks in addition to Writingmate's rules. For Seedance and other models routed through FAL, the FAL Acceptable Use Policy applies. FAL may update that policy, and a third-party model available through FAL may apply additional safeguards.
Real-person likeness or private-information errors
You may see this type of message:
FAL could not process the reference image because it may contain the likeness of a real person or other private information.
This is a provider validation rejection. It means the reference image appears to contain an identifiable person, private information, or another likeness-related risk that the provider will not process for that request.
To continue:
- Do not retry the same image repeatedly.
- Remove visible personal or private information.
- Use a reference image that does not depict an identifiable real person.
- Submit the generation again with the replacement image.
Changing only the text prompt may not help when the error points to image_url or another reference-image field.
Other provider-policy rejections
FAL's policy prohibits or restricts several categories of input and output. These include:
- sexual exploitation or harm involving children or minors;
- non-consensual intimate imagery;
- harmful, violent, or sexually explicit content;
- self-harm, terrorism, or violent extremism;
- threats, harassment, hate speech, extreme gore, or incitement to violence;
- scams, impersonation, harmful deepfakes, or deceptive activity;
- violations of privacy, publicity, copyright, trademark, or other legal rights;
- personal, sensitive, financial, health, biometric, or confidential information;
- illegal activity, malicious code, attempts to bypass safeguards, or attacks on systems.
This list is a practical summary, not a replacement for the provider's policy. Read the current FAL Acceptable Use Policy for the authoritative terms.
Policy rejection or technical failure?
Not every failed generation is a policy rejection.
| Error type | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Real-person likeness or private information | The provider rejected a reference image during validation. | Replace the image with one that does not depict an identifiable real person or expose private information. |
| Sensitive content, moderation, or safety policy | The provider's safety checks rejected the prompt, image, video, or requested output. | Review every input and replace or remove the material identified by the error. |
| Invalid input or unsupported format | A field, file type, duration, aspect ratio, or other setting is not accepted. | Correct the field named in the error and try again. |
| Timeout or networking error | The request did not complete because of a connection or provider availability problem. | Wait, then retry once. Check provider status if the problem continues. |
| Quota or rate-limit error | The account or provider limit was reached. | Wait for the stated reset period or review the applicable plan limit. |
| Storage or download error | Generation may have completed, but Writingmate could not save or retrieve the result. | Retry later and contact support if the generated video remains unavailable. |
| Unknown provider error | The provider did not return enough detail to identify the cause. | Do not assume moderation. Contact Writingmate Support so we can inspect the provider record. |
What Writingmate displays
Writingmate shows a customer-safe version of the provider error. It does not expose raw provider payloads, internal request identifiers, uploaded image data, or system logs.
If the provider returns a specific validation reason, Writingmate shows that reason and the next useful action. If the provider does not return enough detail, the generation remains classified as an unknown provider failure rather than a policy violation.
Contact support
Contact hello@writingmate.ai if the displayed error is unclear or if a corrected request fails again. Include:
- the model name;
- the approximate generation time;
- whether you used a reference image or video;
- the customer-safe error shown in Writingmate.
Do not email private images, API keys, payment information, or raw provider payloads.