---
title: "Transcribe a file"
method: POST
path: "/v1/transcribe"
tags: ["Transcription"]
---

# Transcribe a file

`POST /v1/transcribe`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://whipscribe.com/api`
- URL: `https://whipscribe.com/api/v1/transcribe`
- Auth: API key in header `X-API-Key`

Upload an audio or video file as `multipart/form-data`. The job is queued; poll `GET /v1/jobs/{job_id}` until it is `done`.

## Headers

- `Idempotency-Key` string

## Response `200`

Idempotent replay of an earlier submit with the same `Idempotency-Key`.

- SubmitAccepted
  - `job_id` string, uuid, required
  - `status` 'queued' | 'processing' | 'done' | 'failed', required
  - `claim_token` string: Returned only when no user identity was supplied. Send it as `X-Claim-Token` on later reads of this job.

## Other responses

- `202`: Job accepted.
- `400`: Malformed request (e.g. `BAD_ID`, `BAD_URL`, `BAD_IDEMPOTENCY_KEY`).
- `401`: Missing or invalid API key, or the job needs an ownership proof (`X-Claim-Token`).
- `402`: Not enough credit (`NO_CREDITS`, `INSUFFICIENT_CREDITS_FOR_DURATION`), or the finished transcript is locked (`transcript_locked`). With your own API key the body also carries `checkout_url`: a card checkout link for your account that a person can open and pay; then repeat the request.
- `413`: File too large (`FILE_TOO_LARGE`).
- `415`: Unsupported file type (`BAD_MIME`).
- `422`: A field failed validation (e.g. `BAD_SOURCE`).
- `429`: Too many requests (`RATE_LIMITED`, `QUOTA_EXCEEDED`), or the account already has as many recordings running as its plan allows at once (`CONCURRENCY_LIMIT`: Workspace subscribers, counted across the website and all of the account's keys). Wait `Retry-After` seconds and submit again; a refused commit can be retried with the same upload.
- `502`: Temporary service error; safe to retry (`BACKEND_ERROR`, `BACKEND_UNREACHABLE`).

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/whipscribe/apis/whipscribe-api.md) · [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/whipscribe/apis/whipscribe-api/llms.txt) · [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/whipscribe/apis/whipscribe-api/revisions/cac5ec5d99d5?raw)