Generation failed: did I lose my credits?

When a generation fails after credits were deducted, Apiway automatically calls try_refund_credits with the same amount and the same source (plan or marketplace) within seconds. You should not need to ask for a refund — the system does it for you.

How automatic refund works

1. Apiway deducts credits via try_deduct_credits before the model runs (so we can't over-allocate capacity).
2. If the model fails or the post-processing throws, the API handler catches the error and calls try_refund_credits with amount: totalCost, from_plan and from_market set to match the original deduction.
3. The failure response returns to the client; the credits counter in the header refreshes within a few seconds.

If the balance still looks wrong

1. Refresh the page. The header balance is cached briefly; a hard refresh re-reads the live counter.
2. Check the gallery at /app/gallery. If the image is there, the generation succeeded and the deduction is correct.
3. Wait 30 seconds and re-check. Most failures are refunded inside that window.
4. Email support with the failed request timestamp and your account email if the balance is still wrong after a minute.

Why generations fail

• Heavy queue busy → 503 with retry hint. See heavy queue busy.
• Upload too large → 413. See upload too large.
• Underlying model refused (rare) — Gemini can refuse certain content categories. Try a different phrasing or a different model option.
• Network or timeout — generally retries succeed.