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GET
/
api
/
v1
/
projects
/
{projectId}
/
export
{
  "status": "<string>",
  "download_url": {},
  "error": "<string>",
  "NOT_FOUND": {}
}

​
Overview

Check the progress of an export job for a project. When the export is complete, this endpoint returns a download URL for the final video.

​
Request

​
Path Parameters

​
projectId
string
required
The project ID

​
Headers

​
Authorization
string
required
Bearer token with your API key

​
Response

​
status
string
Current export status: queued, processing, completed, or failed
​
download_url
string | null
URL to download the completed video (only present when status is completed, otherwise null)
​
error
string
Error message if export failed (only present when status is failed)

​
Examples

curl https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/prj_abc123xyz/export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BABOU_API_KEY"

​
Response Examples

​
Export in Progress

{
  "status": "processing",
  "download_url": null
}

​
Export Completed

{
  "status": "completed",
  "download_url": "https://assets.babou.ai/exports/prj_abc123xyz.mp4"
}

​
Export Failed

{
  "status": "failed",
  "error": "Failed to render chapter 2"
}

​
Polling for Completion

To wait for an export to complete, poll this endpoint periodically: 
async function waitForExport(
  projectId: string,
  pollInterval = 5000,
  timeout = 600000
) {
  const startTime = Date.now();

  while (Date.now() - startTime < timeout) {
    const status = await getExportStatus(projectId);

    if (status.status === 'completed') {
      return status;
    }

    if (status.status === 'failed') {
      throw new Error(`Export failed: ${status.error}`);
    }

    console.log(`Export ${status.status}... (${Math.round((Date.now() - startTime) / 1000)}s elapsed)`);
    await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, pollInterval));
  }

  throw new Error('Export timeout after 10 minutes');
}

// Use it
const result = await waitForExport('prj_abc123xyz');
console.log('✓ Video ready!');
console.log(`Download: ${result.download_url}`);
console.log(`Took ${result.duration_seconds} seconds`);

​
Downloading the Video

Once the export is complete, download the video file: 
# Get the download URL
DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.babou.ai/api/v1/projects/prj_abc123xyz/export \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BABOU_API_KEY" | jq -r '.download_url')

# Download the video
curl -o video.mp4 "$DOWNLOAD_URL"

​
Error Responses

​
NOT_FOUND
404
No export found for this project
{
  "error": "No export found for this project",
  "code": "NOT_FOUND",
  "hint": "Start an export first using POST /api/v1/projects/{projectId}/export"
}

​
Best Practices

Use increasing intervals when polling to reduce API load:
async function waitForExportWithBackoff(projectId: string) {
  let interval = 2000; // Start at 2 seconds
  const maxInterval = 30000; // Cap at 30 seconds
  const startTime = Date.now();

  while (true) {
    const status = await getExportStatus(projectId);

    if (status.status === 'completed') return status;
    if (status.status === 'failed') throw new Error('Export failed');

    await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, interval));

    // Increase interval (exponential backoff)
    interval = Math.min(interval * 1.5, maxInterval);
  }
}
Download URLs may expire after a certain time. Download the video promptly:
def download_with_retry(url, output_path, max_retries=3):
    for attempt in range(max_retries):
        try:
            response = requests.get(url, timeout=60)
            response.raise_for_status()

            with open(output_path, 'wb') as f:
                f.write(response.content)

            return True
        except Exception as e:
            if attempt == max_retries - 1:
                raise
            print(f'Download failed, retrying... ({attempt + 1}/{max_retries})')
            time.sleep(2 ** attempt)
Keep users informed during the export wait:
async function exportWithProgress(projectId: string) {
  console.log('Starting export...');
  await startExport(projectId);

  let lastStatus = '';
  const result = await waitForExport(projectId, 5000, 600000);

  console.log('✓ Export completed!');
  console.log(`  Duration: ${result.duration_seconds}s`);
  console.log(`  Download: ${result.download_url}`);

  return result;
}

​
Next Steps

Start Export

Start a new export

Create New Project

Create another video project