Troubleshooting

"Invalid API key" during analysis or evaluation

Note: API key issues only apply in BYOK mode. If you're using Credits mode, you don't need API keys — analysis and evaluation are powered by your credit balance.

• 1. Go to Settings and check that your API key is correctly entered (no extra spaces or newline characters).
• 2. Click Test Connection to verify the key works.
• 3. If the test fails, generate a new key at the provider's console and try again.
• 4. Ensure billing is enabled on your provider account (some free tiers require payment info to be on file).

"Rate limited" error

This means the AI provider is throttling your requests. Solutions:

• • Wait a few minutes and try again.
• • Check your provider's rate limits and usage dashboard.
• • Consider upgrading your provider plan or spreading requests across multiple providers using model overrides.

YouTube search returns no results

• • Check your internet connection.
• • YouTube may temporarily block requests from your IP. Wait a few minutes and retry.
• • Try running a custom search with different keywords.
• • Very niche queries may legitimately return few or no results.

Downloads are failing

• 1. Ensure your output directory exists and is writable (check Settings > Download Preferences).
• 2. Update yt-dlp from Settings > Tools. YouTube regularly changes their systems; an outdated yt-dlp will fail.
• 3. Some videos have download restrictions (region locks, age gates, DRM). These may prevent segment extraction.
• 4. Check available disk space in the output directory.

App won't start on macOS

• 1. Right-click (or Control-click) the app and select "Open" from the context menu.
• 2. In the dialog that appears, click "Open" to confirm.
• 3. If that doesn't work, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and look for a message about B-Roll Me being blocked. Click "Open Anyway."

Transcripts not loading for some videos

• • Not all YouTube videos have captions. Enable auto-transcription in Settings to use local Whisper as a fallback.
• • Some videos have captions disabled by the uploader. These cannot be fetched.
• • If you recently changed regions/VPN, YouTube may serve different caption tracks.

Analysis produces poor suggestions

• • Try a more capable AI model (e.g., Claude Sonnet instead of GPT-4o-mini).
• • Ensure your script is detailed enough — vague scripts produce vague suggestions.
• • You can always re-analyze with a different model or after editing your script.

Authentication issues

• • OTP not received: Check that your phone number includes the country code (e.g., +1 for US). Some carriers block SMS short codes — try requesting a new code after 60 seconds, or contact your carrier.
• • Session expired: Sign in again — your projects and data are preserved.
• • Can't switch to Credits mode: Make sure you're signed in first (click "Sign In" in the header).
• • Can't switch to BYOK mode: You need an active license or trial — see Getting Started.

Credits issues

• • Insufficient credits: Purchase more credits from Settings > Credits or click the balance badge in the header.
• • Credits balance not updating: Go to Settings > Credits and refresh, or restart the app.
• • Credit purchase failed: Check your payment method and try again. Contact support if the issue persists.