AI Stream queues, clips ahead and standby
AI Streams prepare a small queue of clips before they are needed. This keeps the channel moving while the video provider is rendering the next scene.
What Clips ahead controls
Clips ahead is the size of the ready-to-play queue. A higher value gives the stream more protection against provider delays, but it can also mean that a topic change takes longer to appear because already-queued clips play first. It is not a spending limit.
The provider account still controls the actual cost. Use the stream's spend limit as an additional safety check, and review usage in the provider's own dashboard.
Why standby can appear
The stream uses standby media when:
- the provider has not returned a clip yet;
- the queue has been exhausted;
- the selected provider key is not working or has no credits; or
- every selected channel is busy with another live source.
Standby keeps the channel available and avoids a blank or repeatedly reconnecting broadcast. When a new clip is ready, playback returns to the queue automatically.
Making topic changes appear sooner
Keep Clips ahead modest while testing a new concept, then increase it once the prompt is stable. A scheduled topic or API update takes effect after clips already in the queue have played.