Why did my generation fail, and where did my credits go?

Occasionally a generation doesn't complete — a script run errors out, a thumbnail batch fails, or an analysis can't finish. Here's exactly what happens to your credits when that occurs, and how to verify it.

Failed generations are refunded automatically

Credits for a generation are only kept when the generation actually delivers. If a run fails, the credits are refunded to your balance automatically — you don't need to request anything. This applies across the platform:

• Scripts, Titles & Descriptions, Viral Ideas, Video Analysis, and the Channel Audit all refund in full on failure
• Thumbnails refund per image: if a batch partially fails, only the failed thumbnails are refunded and the successful ones are delivered and billed
• Hugo chat messages and research lookups are refunded if something goes wrong mid-response

Refunds go back to the same credit pool they were taken from — monthly plan credits return as plan credits, purchased top-up credits return as top-up credits.

Checking where your credits went

Every credit movement on your account is logged. Open Settings → Transactions to see a complete ledger: purchases, monthly plan-credit grants, deductions for each generation, and refunds. You can filter by All, Refunds, or Purchases. Gains show in green.

Two common "missing credits" explanations worth checking first:

• Monthly plan credits reset at renewal. Unused plan credits don't roll over — only purchased top-up credits carry across billing cycles.
• Hugo messages cost credits too. Every chat message to Hugo costs 3 credits, and research lookups (web, social, analytics, database) add 2 credits each — so an active chat session draws down your balance even without running a big generation.

Common reasons a generation fails or won't start

• Insufficient credits — the run won't start; top up or wait for your monthly refresh.
• One at a time — most tools (scripts, thumbnails, video analysis, viral ideas, audits) allow only one generation in progress per account. A new request waits for or re-attaches to the running one.
• Missing requirements — some features need a connected channel or an analytics connection to produce their full output.

Still can't account for a charge?

If the transaction ledger doesn't explain a deduction, contact us from Settings → Contact and pick Billing Question. Include the approximate time of the charge and which tool you were using — we can trace every transaction on your account.