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POST
Import a direct public HTTPS audio/video URL into your account. Redirects and private networks are refused; file and duration limits apply. Use the resulting fileKey in a generation action.

Authentication and permissions

string
required
Send a VoiceCheap API key in this header. Authorization: Bearer with the same API key is also supported. OAuth access tokens are accepted only by MCP, not by this REST endpoint.
Required permissions: transcription:write. An active paid subscription is required. Permissions do not change team roles, resource ownership, media credits, or plan limits.

Parameters

string
required
Text value.Maximum length: 4096. Format: “uri”.
string
Text value.Minimum length: 1. Maximum length: 255. Pattern: ^[^/\\\r\n\0]+$.
string
required
Text value.Allowed values: “transcription”, “video_to_srt”, “add_subtitles”, “animated_captions”, “project”.
string
Optional at the transport boundary: the server injects an identifier before validation when omitted. Supply your own stable UUID v4 to recover safely from a lost response.Format: “uuid”. Pattern: ^[0-9a-fA-F]{8}-[0-9a-fA-F]{4}-4[0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[89abAB][0-9a-fA-F]{3}-[0-9a-fA-F]{12}$.
The JSON Schema below preserves the exact field names, nested types, defaults, bounds, and accepted values exposed by discovery. Additional cross-field rules are listed in the operation notes.

Idempotency

Use a UUID v4 in requestId or the Idempotency-Key HTTP header for each mutation. Reuse the same identifier and identical arguments after a network failure. If both are supplied, they must match. Replaying a saved request does not repeat the operation or charge another monthly call. Failed or interrupted requests are not restarted automatically. Every mutation can return HTTP 202 when a retry finds the same request still running, even when its first execution is normally synchronous. If execution completed but resultStored is false, a retry returns HTTP 200 with saved request state instead of the original result. Retrieve the output through its domain history, result, or download action.

Request examples

Replace example resource identifiers and media keys with values returned for your account. Keep the request identifier stable when retrying the same mutation.

Response

This operation returns HTTP 202 while running. Save requestId and poll action_request_get with that identifier and the original operation name. Polling states are running, completed, failed, and interrupted. A completed result can point to a separate media job; continue with the operation-specific status or output action. An imported, actor-owned media reference with validated size, duration, media kind and read URL. This is the completed action output, after polling.

Result fields

Recover and poll this request

Use the same identifier even after a lost connection. If resultStored is false, retrieve the output through the corresponding history, result, or download action. Never start a second generation merely to check progress.
HTTP 200

Operation notes

  • Requires a paid subscription and the action permission. The actor’s personal tool plan is rechecked at execution; saved tools and upload references belong to that actor, including when the credential is associated with a team.
  • A successful action uses one shared monthly API/MCP call. Beginner allows 500, Starter 5,000 and Creator 25,000 calls/month; Pro, Scale and Enterprise have no monthly ceiling. Per-minute limits still apply: 30, 60, 120, 180, 300 and 600 respectively. Tool generation allowances are separate.
  • Use a UUID v4 requestId, or an identical Idempotency-Key header, and retain the same action, ID and arguments on retries. A cached replay does not use another monthly call.
  • The upload prefix selects the required permission. tools uses transcription:write, subtitles uses subtitles:write, projects uses projects:write, and voices uses voices:write.
  • For tools, subtitles and projects, kind accepts transcription, video_to_srt, add_subtitles, animated_captions or project. The selected kind determines the workflow limits; the prefix does not force a kind.
  • The chosen kind applies its own limits: transcription 200 MiB; video_to_srt and add_subtitles 300 MiB; animated_captions 250 MiB and audio only; project uses the plan upload limit (Beginner 5 GiB, Starter 10 GiB, Creator 20 GiB, Pro 30 GiB, Scale 40 GiB, Enterprise 60 GiB). Standalone media is at most 2 hours. Captions allow 30 minutes on Beginner and 60 minutes on higher public plans, plus a 2-second container tolerance. Project duration is at most 2 hours, or 3 hours on Enterprise.
  • This action runs asynchronously. Poll action_request_get with its operation name and original requestId until completion before taking fileKey from the result.
  • Use a direct public HTTPS audio/video file URL. Redirects, credentials, fragments, non-443 ports and nonpublic DNS addresses are rejected. A YouTube watch page is not a direct media URL; use the dedicated YouTube actions.
  • filename is optional when the URL path ends with a supported media filename. The saved filename is sanitized. The server probes the actual duration before returning a fileKey.
  • Importing prepares media and consumes one successful monthly integration call; the daily tool generation allowance is consumed only by the subsequent generation.

Usage

Each successful invocation consumes one monthly API/MCP call. Media credits and the operation’s own generation allowances also apply.

Errors