Veo-3.1 Troubleshooting (Temporarily Unavailable)

Veo-3.1 legacy route incident noticeThe veo-3.1 series legacy route began experiencing failures on May 14, 2026 and is temporarily unavailable. When troubleshooting errors, check this route incident first instead of assuming the problem is the API key, balance, or request body.

Authentication Issues

Invalid API Key

Error: 401 Unauthorized

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Incorrect API key provided",
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "code": "invalid_api_key"
  }
}

Possible Causes:

Incorrect API Key format
API Key expired or deleted
Incorrect Authorization header format

Solutions:

Check if API Key format starts with sk-
Verify Authorization header format: Bearer sk-YOUR_API_KEY
Regenerate API Key in Console

Correct Example:

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="sk-YOUR_VALID_API_KEY",  # Must start with sk-
    base_url="https://api2.laozhang.ai/v1"
)

Error: Insufficient Balance

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Insufficient balance",
    "type": "insufficient_quota",
    "code": "insufficient_balance"
  }
}

Solutions:

Log in to Console to check balance
Account Credit account balance
Veo-3.1 charges per request: $0.15-$0.25/request

Fee Information:

veo-3.1-fast*: $0.15/request
veo-3.1 (others): $0.25/request
Using n=2 generates 2 videos, charged for 2 requests

Request Parameter Issues

Model Name Error

Error: Model Does Not Exist

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "The model 'veo-31' does not exist",
    "type": "invalid_request_error",
    "code": "model_not_found"
  }
}

Common Incorrect Usage:

model="veo-31"       # ❌ Wrong: should be veo-3.1
model="veo_3_1"      # ❌ Wrong: should use hyphens
model="veo3.1"       # ❌ Wrong: missing hyphen

Correct Usage:

model="veo-3.1"              # ✅ Correct
model="veo-3.1-fast"         # ✅ Correct
model="veo-3.1-fl"           # ✅ Correct
model="veo-3.1-landscape"    # ✅ Correct

All Available Models:

veo-3.1
veo-3.1-fast
veo-3.1-fl
veo-3.1-fast-fl
veo-3.1-landscape
veo-3.1-landscape-fast
veo-3.1-landscape-fl
veo-3.1-landscape-fast-fl

Error: Incorrect Message Format

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Invalid message format",
    "type": "invalid_request_error"
  }
}

Incorrect Examples:

# ❌ Wrong: content should be an array
messages=[{
    "role": "user",
    "content": "Generate video"
}]

# ❌ Wrong: missing type field
messages=[{
    "role": "user",
    "content": [{
        "text": "Generate video"
    }]
}]

Correct Example:

# ✅ Correct: content is an array containing objects
messages=[{
    "role": "user",
    "content": [
        {
            "type": "text",
            "text": "Generate video"
        }
    ]
}]

Error: Image Inaccessible

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Failed to fetch image",
    "code": "image_fetch_failed"
  }
}

Possible Causes:

Invalid or expired image URL
Image requires authentication
Slow image server response or timeout
Network connection issues

Solutions:

Use publicly accessible image URLs
Use Base64 encoded images
Ensure image URLs support HTTPS

Using Base64 Solution:

import base64

def encode_image(image_path):
    with open(image_path, "rb") as f:
        return base64.b64encode(f.read()).decode()

image_base64 = encode_image("./image.jpg")

content = [
    {"type": "text", "text": "Generate video"},
    {
        "type": "image_url",
        "image_url": {
            "url": f"data:image/jpeg;base64,{image_base64}"
        }
    }
]

Error: Unsupported Image Format

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Unsupported image format",
    "code": "invalid_image_format"
  }
}

Supported Formats:

✅ JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
✅ PNG (.png)
✅ WebP (.webp)
❌ GIF (animated not supported)
❌ BMP
❌ TIFF

Solution: Use PIL/Pillow to convert image format:

from PIL import Image
import io
import base64

# Open image
img = Image.open("image.bmp")

# Convert to JPEG
buffer = io.BytesIO()
img.convert('RGB').save(buffer, format='JPEG')
img_base64 = base64.b64encode(buffer.getvalue()).decode()

# Use converted image
url = f"data:image/jpeg;base64,{img_base64}"

Error: Image Too Large

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "Image size exceeds limit",
    "code": "image_too_large"
  }
}

Limitations:

Maximum file size: 10MB
Recommended resolution: 1024x1024 or higher
Maximum images: 2

Solution: Compress image:

from PIL import Image

def compress_image(input_path, output_path, max_size_mb=10):
    img = Image.open(input_path)

    # If image too large, scale proportionally
    max_dimension = 2048
    if max(img.size) > max_dimension:
        img.thumbnail((max_dimension, max_dimension), Image.Resampling.LANCZOS)

    # Save and adjust quality
    quality = 95
    while True:
        img.save(output_path, 'JPEG', quality=quality, optimize=True)
        size_mb = os.path.getsize(output_path) / (1024 * 1024)

        if size_mb <= max_size_mb or quality <= 50:
            break

        quality -= 5

compress_image("large_image.jpg", "compressed.jpg")

Error: Using Non-fl Model with Images

Error Message:

{
  "error": {
    "message": "This model does not support image input",
    "code": "model_not_support_image"
  }
}

Reason: Only models with fl suffix support image inputModels Supporting Images:

✅ veo-3.1-fl
✅ veo-3.1-fast-fl
✅ veo-3.1-landscape-fl
✅ veo-3.1-landscape-fast-fl

Models Not Supporting Images:

❌ veo-3.1
❌ veo-3.1-fast
❌ veo-3.1-landscape
❌ veo-3.1-landscape-fast

Solution:

# ❌ Wrong: veo-3.1 does not support images
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="veo-3.1",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": [
            {"type": "text", "text": "Generate video"},
            {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "..."}}
        ]
    }]
)

# ✅ Correct: use veo-3.1-fl
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="veo-3.1-fl",
    messages=[{
        "role": "user",
        "content": [
            {"type": "text", "text": "Generate video"},
            {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "..."}}
        ]
    }]
)

Connection and Timeout Issues

Connection Timeout

Error: Connection timeout

Error Message:

ReadTimeout: The read operation timed out

Reasons:

Unstable network connection
High server load
Default timeout too short

Solution: Increase timeout:

import httpx
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    api_key="sk-YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api2.laozhang.ai/v1",
    http_client=httpx.Client(
        timeout=httpx.Timeout(
            connect=30.0,   # Connection timeout: 30s
            read=300.0,     # Read timeout: 5 minutes
            write=30.0,     # Write timeout: 30s
            pool=30.0       # Pool timeout: 30s
        )
    )
)

Node.js:

import OpenAI from 'openai';

const client = new OpenAI({
  apiKey: 'sk-YOUR_API_KEY',
  baseURL: 'https://api2.laozhang.ai/v1',
  timeout: 300000,  # 5 minutes
  maxRetries: 3
});

Error: Stream interrupted

Error Message:

Stream interrupted: connection closed

Reasons:

Stream interrupted due to unstable network
Server-side processing exception

Solution: Implement retry mechanism:

from openai import OpenAI
import time

def generate_with_retry(client, **kwargs):
    max_retries = 3
    retry_delay = 5

    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            response = client.chat.completions.create(**kwargs)

            for chunk in response:
                if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
                    yield chunk.choices[0].delta.content

            break  # Success, exit loop

        except Exception as e:
            if attempt < max_retries - 1:
                print(f"Attempt {attempt + 1} failed, retrying in {retry_delay} seconds...")
                time.sleep(retry_delay)
                retry_delay *= 2  # Exponential backoff
            else:
                raise e

# Usage
client = OpenAI(
    api_key="sk-YOUR_API_KEY",
    base_url="https://api2.laozhang.ai/v1"
)

for content in generate_with_retry(
    client,
    model="veo-3.1",
    messages=[...],
    stream=True
):
    print(content, end='')

Content Generation Issues

Unsatisfactory Results

Video Quality Below Expectations

Possible Causes:

Prompt description insufficient
Used fast model but expected high quality
Low-quality reference images

Solutions:

Optimize prompt:

# ❌ Insufficient detail
prompt = "cat walking"

# ✅ Detailed description
prompt = "An orange Persian cat elegantly walking on a forest path covered with fallen leaves, sunlight filtering through trees creating dappled shadows, autumn breeze, cinematic quality, shallow depth of field"

Choose appropriate model:

# Testing: veo-3.1-fast ($0.15)
# Production: veo-3.1 ($0.25)

Use high-quality reference images:

Resolution ≥ 1024x1024
Clear, not blurry
Good lighting

Generated Content Doesn't Match Description

Possible Causes:

Prompt contains contradictory information
Description too complex or abstract
Expectations exceed model capabilities

Solutions:

Simplify and clarify requirements:

# ❌ Too complex
prompt = "A flying cat chasing a glowing mechanical butterfly underwater while rainbow rain falls"

# ✅ Simplified reasonable
prompt = "A cat chasing a butterfly in a garden, sunny weather, flowers swaying"

Avoid contradictions:

# ❌ Contradiction: can't have fire underwater
prompt = "Burning flames underwater"

# ✅ Reasonable
prompt = "Bubbles slowly rising underwater, light penetrating water surface"

Step-by-step description:

Subject → Action → Environment → Style

Unnatural Image Transition

Possible Causes:

Two images too different
Inconsistent lighting, angle, color tone
Prompt doesn’t guide transition method

Solutions:

Choose similar images:

Same scene, different angles
Same subject, different poses
Unified lighting and color tone

Specify transition method:

# ❌ No transition guidance
prompt = "Two images"

# ✅ Clear transition
prompt = "Smooth transition from first image to second using fade effect, maintaining continuity"

Use intermediate frames: If two images differ greatly, consider step-by-step:

Image A → Image B (intermediate frame)
Image B → Image C (final frame)

Python SDK Issues

# Common error 1: Version incompatibility
# Solution: Upgrade to latest version
pip install --upgrade openai

# Common error 2: Import error
# Wrong: from openai import Client
# Correct: from openai import OpenAI

# Common error 3: Async client usage
from openai import AsyncOpenAI  # Async requires AsyncOpenAI

# Common error 4: Streaming processing
# Must set stream=True
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="veo-3.1",
    messages=[...],
    stream=True  # Don't forget
)

Node.js SDK Issues

// Common error 1: Outdated version
// Solution: npm install --save openai@latest

// Common error 2: Import method
// Wrong: const openai = require('openai')
// Correct: import OpenAI from 'openai'

// Common error 3: Async handling
// Must use await or .then()
const stream = await client.chat.completions.create({...});

// Common error 4: Stream processing
for await (const chunk of stream) {  // Don't forget await
  console.log(chunk.choices[0]?.delta?.content);
}

Costs Exceed Expectations

Possible Causes:

Used n > 1 parameter to generate multiple results
Frequent retries of failed requests
Mistakenly used standard model ($0.25) instead of fast model ($0.15)

Solutions:

Check n parameter:

# Note: n=4 generates 4 videos, charged for 4 requests
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="veo-3.1",
    messages=[...],
    n=4  # Cost: $0.25 × 4 = $1.00
)

Use fast model for testing:

# Testing phase use fast model
model = "veo-3.1-fast"  # $0.15/request

# Production phase use standard model
model = "veo-3.1"  # $0.25/request

View detailed billing in console: View Call Logs

Are Failed Requests Charged

Answer: NoBilling follows console order status and the returned generation result. For these situations, check the order before retrying:

API errors (4xx, 5xx)
Parameter validation failures
Insufficient balance
Network timeouts
Generation failures

How to Confirm: Log in to Call Logs to check:

✅ Successful requests: Show charges
❌ Failed requests: No charge record

Get Help

Technical Support

Email technical support teamhi@laozhang.ai

Telegram Community

Join official Telegram groupReal-time communication and Q&A

Call Logs

View detailed API call recordsDiagnose issues and track costs

Console

Manage account and view balanceAccount Credit and configure API Keys

More Resources

Quick Start

Get started with Veo-3.1 from scratch

Code Examples

Complete example code in various languages

Best Practices

Improve video generation quality

Getting Started

Core API

Text APIs

Video Generation APIs

Image Generation APIs

AI Understanding

Veo-3.1 Troubleshooting (Temporarily Unavailable)

Authentication Issues

Invalid API Key

Request Parameter Issues

Model Name Error

Connection and Timeout Issues

Connection Timeout

Content Generation Issues

Unsatisfactory Results

Python SDK Issues

Node.js SDK Issues

Get Help

Technical Support

Telegram Community

Call Logs

Console

More Resources

Quick Start

Code Examples

Best Practices

​Authentication Issues

​Invalid API Key

​Request Parameter Issues

​Model Name Error

​Image-Related Issues

​Connection and Timeout Issues

​Connection Timeout

​Content Generation Issues

​Unsatisfactory Results

​SDK-Related Issues

​Python SDK Issues

​Node.js SDK Issues

​Billing-Related Issues

​Get Help

Technical Support

Telegram Community

Call Logs

Console

​More Resources

Quick Start

Code Examples

Best Practices

Authentication Issues

Invalid API Key

Request Parameter Issues

Model Name Error

Image-Related Issues

Connection and Timeout Issues

Connection Timeout

Content Generation Issues

Unsatisfactory Results

SDK-Related Issues

Python SDK Issues

Node.js SDK Issues

Billing-Related Issues

Get Help

More Resources