Run AI video jobs without holding one HTTP request open
Vercel AI Gateway now supports webhooks, polling, and start-and-status flows for video generations that outlive a serverless request.
What you get from it
What it is
Vercel AI Gateway can now run video generation asynchronously. Instead of keeping one HTTP request open while a provider renders a video, an application can receive a webhook, poll with short status requests, or start a job and retrieve its result later.
The SDK supports four patterns: a durable Workflow SDK run, generateVideo with a webhook, generateVideo with polling, or separate startVideo and getVideoStatus calls. Existing synchronous generateVideo integrations continue to work.
Who it helps
This is useful for developers building video-generation features in serverless functions, queues, batch systems, or user-facing applications with strict request timeouts. The start-and-status path is particularly practical when rendering may take minutes or when another worker needs to collect the result.
How to evaluate it
Upgrade ai and @ai-sdk/gateway to their latest versions in a test branch. Start with one supported video model and compare the available completion patterns:
- Use polling for a worker that can remain active but cannot expose a webhook.
- Use
startVideowhen the caller must return immediately. - Use a verified webhook or Workflow SDK when completion should resume a durable process.
Test completed, failed, retried, and timed-out jobs. Confirm that job metadata can be serialized into your queue or database and that the final video is copied to storage you control.
Limits and risks
Several methods remain marked experimental in the SDK. Hosted result URLs can expire, and webhook receivers need authentication, replay protection, and idempotent processing. generateVideo webhooks require a shared token and store because that convenience path does not expose the job’s signing secret.
Provider moderation, retention, latency, regional availability, and generation limits still apply. Asynchronous execution prevents one long request from timing out; it does not make rendering instant or remove provider failures.
Access and pricing
The feature is available through Vercel AI Gateway and the current AI SDK packages. Vercel does not list one universal price for asynchronous jobs because generation costs depend on the selected video model and provider. Check the model page and Gateway billing configuration before production use.
Sources
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