Sync analysis | TwelveLabs

This method analyzes your videos and returns the results directly in the response. It supports general analysis (prompt-based text generation).

Input requirements

Minimum duration: 4 seconds
Maximum duration: 1 hour
Formats: FFmpeg supported formats
Resolution: 360x360 to 5184x2160 pixels
Aspect ratio: Between 1:1 and 1:2.4, or between 2.4:1 and 1:1.

When to use this method:

Analyze videos up to 1 hour
Retrieve immediate results without polling for task completion
Stream text fragments in real time for immediate processing and feedback

Do not use this method for:

Videos longer than 1 hour. Use the POST method of the /analyze/tasks endpoint instead.
Video segmentation with custom segment definitions. Use the POST method of the /analyze/tasks endpoint instead.

On the Free plan, you have a total of 600 minutes (10 hours) shared across indexing, analysis, and segmentation. For details, see the Video hours and video count limits section.

Note

This endpoint is rate-limited. For details, see the Rate limits page.

This method analyzes your videos and returns the results directly in the response. It supports general analysis (prompt-based text generation). <Accordion title="Input requirements"> - Minimum duration: 4 seconds - Maximum duration: 1 hour - Formats: [FFmpeg supported formats](https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-formats.html) - Resolution: 360x360 to 5184x2160 pixels - Aspect ratio: Between 1:1 and 1:2.4, or between 2.4:1 and 1:1. </Accordion> **When to use this method**: - Analyze videos up to 1 hour - Retrieve immediate results without polling for task completion - Stream text fragments in real time for immediate processing and feedback **Do not use this method for**: - Videos longer than 1 hour. Use the [`POST`](/v1.3/api-reference/analyze-videos/create-async-analysis-task) method of the `/analyze/tasks` endpoint instead. - Video segmentation with custom segment definitions. Use the [`POST`](/v1.3/api-reference/analyze-videos/create-async-analysis-task) method of the `/analyze/tasks` endpoint instead. On the Free plan, you have a total of 600 minutes (10 hours) shared across indexing, analysis, and segmentation. For details, see the [Video hours and video count limits](/v1.3/docs/concepts/indexes#video-hours-and-video-count-limits) section. <Note title="Note"> This endpoint is rate-limited. For details, see the [Rate limits](/v1.3/docs/get-started/rate-limits) page. </Note>

Authentication

x-api-keystring

Your API key.

Note

You can find your API key on the API Keys page.

Your API key. <Note title="Note"> You can find your API key on the <a href="https://playground.twelvelabs.io/dashboard/api-keys" target="_blank">API Keys</a> page. </Note>

Request

Defines the synchronous analysis request.

model_nameenumOptionalDefaults to pegasus1.5

The video understanding model to use for analysis.

pegasus1.5: General analysis (prompt-based text generation) with video clipping, structured prompts with reference images, and video segmentation (async only). See the Pegasus page for token limits.

Default: pegasus1.5

The video understanding model to use for analysis. - `pegasus1.5`: General analysis (prompt-based text generation) with video clipping, structured prompts with reference images, and video segmentation (async only). See the [Pegasus](/v1.3/docs/concepts/models/pegasus#context-window) page for token limits. **Default:** `pegasus1.5`

Allowed values:

videoobjectOptional

An object specifying the source of the video content. Include exactly one source.

promptstringOptional

A text prompt that guides the model on the desired format or content. To include reference images in your prompt, use the prompt_v2 parameter instead. Mutually exclusive with the prompt_v2 parameter.

Your prompts can be instructive or descriptive, or you can phrase them as questions. This text counts toward the context window.

A text prompt that guides the model on the desired format or content. To include reference images in your prompt, use the `prompt_v2` parameter instead. Mutually exclusive with the `prompt_v2` parameter. Your prompts can be instructive or descriptive, or you can phrase them as questions. This text counts toward the [context window](/v1.3/docs/concepts/models/pegasus#context-window).

prompt_v2objectOptional

A structured prompt with <@name> placeholders for referencing images. Mutually exclusive with the prompt parameter.

The prompt text and reference images count toward the context window.

temperaturedoubleOptional

Controls the randomness of the text output.

Default: 0.2 Min: 0 Max: 1

streambooleanOptionalDefaults to true

Set this parameter to true to enable streaming responses in the NDJSON format.

Default: true

Set this parameter to `true` to enable streaming responses in the <a href="https://github.com/ndjson/ndjson-spec" target="_blank">NDJSON</a> format. **Default:** `true`

response_formatobjectOptional

Specifies the format of the response. When you omit this parameter, the platform returns unstructured text. Only the json_schema type is supported for synchronous analysis.

max_tokensintegerOptional512-98304Defaults to 4096

The maximum response length, in tokens.

start_timedoubleOptional

Start of the analysis window, as an absolute timestamp in seconds, based on the internal metadata of the video. Use with end_time to analyze only a portion of the video.

Notes

If omitted, defaults to the internal start time of the video.
Most videos start at 0, but some (for example, from cameras or broadcast recordings) may have a non-zero start time. To find the value, run ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=start_time,duration -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 your_video.mp4.
Must be less than end_time and less than the video duration. The clip (end_time - start_time) must be at least 4 seconds.

Start of the analysis window, as an absolute timestamp in seconds, based on the internal metadata of the video. Use with `end_time` to analyze only a portion of the video. <Note title="Notes"> - If omitted, defaults to the internal start time of the video. - Most videos start at 0, but some (for example, from cameras or broadcast recordings) may have a non-zero start time. To find the value, run `ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=start_time,duration -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 your_video.mp4`. - Must be less than `end_time` and less than the video duration. The clip (`end_time - start_time`) must be at least `4` seconds. </Note>

end_timedoubleOptional

End of the analysis window, as an absolute timestamp in seconds, based on the internal metadata of the video. Use with start_time to analyze only a portion of the video.

Notes

If omitted, defaults to the internal start time of the video plus its duration.
Most videos start at 0, but some (for example, from cameras or broadcast recordings) may have a non-zero start time. To find the value, run ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=start_time,duration -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 your_video.mp4.
Must be greater than start_time and less than or equal to the video duration. The clip (end_time - start_time) must be at least 4 seconds.

End of the analysis window, as an absolute timestamp in seconds, based on the internal metadata of the video. Use with `start_time` to analyze only a portion of the video. <Note title="Notes"> - If omitted, defaults to the internal start time of the video plus its duration. - Most videos start at 0, but some (for example, from cameras or broadcast recordings) may have a non-zero start time. To find the value, run `ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=start_time,duration -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 your_video.mp4`. - Must be greater than `start_time` and less than or equal to the video duration. The clip (`end_time - start_time`) must be at least `4` seconds. </Note>

Response headers

X-Ratelimit-Limitdouble

The maximum number of requests you can make per rate limit window for this endpoint. For details, see the Rate limits page.

X-Ratelimit-Remainingdouble

The number of requests remaining in the current rate limit window for the specific endpoint.

X-Ratelimit-Useddouble

The number of requests you have made in the current rate limit window for the specific endpoint.

X-Ratelimit-Resetdouble

The time at which the current rate limit window resets, expressed in UTC epoch seconds.

Transfer-EncodingstringOptional

Response

The specified video has successfully been analyzed.

Streamed responseobject

When the value of the stream parameter is set to true, the platform provides a streaming response in the NDJSON format.

The stream contains the following types of events:

Stream start
Text generation
Stream end

To integrate the response into your application, follow the guidelines below:

Parse each line of the response as a separate JSON object.
Check the event_type field to determine how to handle the event.
For text_generation events, process the text field as it arrives. Depending on your application’s requirements, this may involve displaying the text incrementally, storing it for later use, or performing any tasks.
Use the stream_start and stream_end events to manage the lifecycle of your streaming session.

Non-streamed responseobject

When the value of the stream parameter is set to false, the response is as follows:

Errors

400

Bad Request Error

404

Not Found Error

429

Too Many Requests Error

This method analyzes your videos and returns the results directly in the response. It supports general analysis (prompt-based text generation).

Input requirements

Minimum duration: 4 seconds
Maximum duration: 1 hour
Formats: FFmpeg supported formats
Resolution: 360x360 to 5184x2160 pixels
Aspect ratio: Between 1:1 and 1:2.4, or between 2.4:1 and 1:1.

When to use this method:

Analyze videos up to 1 hour
Retrieve immediate results without polling for task completion
Stream text fragments in real time for immediate processing and feedback

Do not use this method for:

Videos longer than 1 hour. Use the POST method of the /analyze/tasks endpoint instead.
Video segmentation with custom segment definitions. Use the POST method of the /analyze/tasks endpoint instead.

On the Free plan, you have a total of 600 minutes (10 hours) shared across indexing, analysis, and segmentation. For details, see the Video hours and video count limits section.

Note

This endpoint is rate-limited. For details, see the Rate limits page.

$	curl -X POST https://api.twelvelabs.io/v1.3/analyze \
>	-H "x-api-key: <apiKey>" \
>	-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
>	-d '{
>	"model_name": "pegasus1.5",
>	"video": {
>	"type": "url",
>	"url": "https://example.com/video.mp4"
>	},
>	"prompt": "Summarize the key events in this clip.",
>	"stream": false,
>	"max_tokens": 1024
>	}'

1	{
2	"event_type": "stream_start",
3	"id": "f1385675-207b-4b22-8b3e-f8fa32a8ddc9",
4	"data": "The video does not show any dishes or food items, so a comparison cannot be made.",
5	"finish_reason": "stop",
6	"usage": {
7	"output_tokens": 23,
8	"input_tokens": 1850
9	}
10	}