GET /presentations/generate/:generationId/status

curl "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status",
  {
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
    },
  },
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "phase": "storyline",
  "tokens_used": 1280
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "progress": {
    "slides_total": 9,
    "slides_completed": 3,
    "current_step": "Creating slide 4 of 9"
  },
  "tokens_used": 12450
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "awaiting_input",
  "message": "What does your company do?"
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "completed",
  "presentation": {
    "id": "pres_123",
    "title": "Agency pitch deck",
    "workspace_id": "ws_123",
    "sections": [],
    "is_public": false,
    "url": "https://app.chroniclehq.com/ws_123/document/pres_123",
    "created_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"
  },
  "tokens_used": 38200
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "failed",
  "error": "Generation timed out"
}

curl "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status",
  {
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
    },
  },
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

Parameters

string

required

The generation job ID

Response

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "phase": "storyline",
  "tokens_used": 1280
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "progress": {
    "slides_total": 9,
    "slides_completed": 3,
    "current_step": "Creating slide 4 of 9"
  },
  "tokens_used": 12450
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "awaiting_input",
  "message": "What does your company do?"
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "completed",
  "presentation": {
    "id": "pres_123",
    "title": "Agency pitch deck",
    "workspace_id": "ws_123",
    "sections": [],
    "is_public": false,
    "url": "https://app.chroniclehq.com/ws_123/document/pres_123",
    "created_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"
  },
  "tokens_used": 38200
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "failed",
  "error": "Generation timed out"
}

Common fields

string

Generation job ID

string

Current generation status: one of generating, awaiting_input, completed, failed.

When status = “generating”

object

Optional progress object. Present once Chronicle has begun generating slides.

Show child attributes

number

Total number of slides expected

number

Number of slides completed so far

string

Human-readable progress message

string

Optional. Present only for Standalone generations (when template_id was omitted on the original request). One of storyline (Chronicle is planning the deck outline) or slides (Chronicle is generating the slides from the storyline). Use this to give users finer-grained progress feedback than the time-based stage progression.

number

Optional running token total for this generation. Present when non-zero.

When status = “awaiting_input”

string

Clarifying question or follow-up prompt from Chronicle. Reply via POST /presentations/generate/:generationId/message.

When status = “completed”

object

The materialized presentation. Same shape as GET /presentations/:id.

Show child attributes

string

Presentation ID

string

Presentation title

string

Workspace ID that owns the presentation

array

Presentation slides

boolean

Whether the presentation is public

string

Canonical presentation URL

string

ISO timestamp when the presentation was created

string

ISO timestamp when the presentation was last updated

number

Optional total tokens consumed by the generation. Present when non-zero.

When status = “failed”

string

Human-readable failure reason (for example Generation timed out or a propagated upstream error message).

FAQs

How often should I poll for status?

Poll at a short interval, such as every few seconds.Avoid polling in a tight loop.

What statuses should my client handle?

Your client should handle these statuses:

generating
completed
failed
awaiting_input

What do I get when generation completes?

When generation completes, Chronicle returns the final presentation object.That response includes the information you need to open or continue working with the presentation.

What should I do if the status is `failed`?

Treat failed as a terminal state and surface the error clearly in your app or logs.Do not continue polling after generation has failed.

Can I show progress while generation is running?

Yes. The status response can include progress details while the presentation is being generated.Use those fields to give users better feedback than a generic loading state.

What does the `phase` field mean?

For Standalone generations (no template_id), Chronicle works in two phases: it first generates the storyline outline, then it generates the slides from that outline. The phase field tells you which one is currently active so your UI can show a more accurate progress indicator.Template-based generations don’t emit a phase — they’re single-phase from the API’s perspective.

curl "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_KEY"

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.chroniclehq.com/api/v1/presentations/generate/gen_123/status",
  {
    headers: {
      Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
    },
  },
);

const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "phase": "storyline",
  "tokens_used": 1280
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "generating",
  "progress": {
    "slides_total": 9,
    "slides_completed": 3,
    "current_step": "Creating slide 4 of 9"
  },
  "tokens_used": 12450
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "awaiting_input",
  "message": "What does your company do?"
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "completed",
  "presentation": {
    "id": "pres_123",
    "title": "Agency pitch deck",
    "workspace_id": "ws_123",
    "sections": [],
    "is_public": false,
    "url": "https://app.chroniclehq.com/ws_123/document/pres_123",
    "created_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z",
    "updated_at": "2026-04-30T00:00:00.000Z"
  },
  "tokens_used": 38200
}

{
  "generation_id": "gen_123",
  "status": "failed",
  "error": "Generation timed out"
}

Get started

API reference

Reference

GET /presentations/generate/:generationId/status

Parameters

Response

Common fields

When status = “generating”

When status = “awaiting_input”

When status = “completed”

When status = “failed”

FAQs

​Parameters

​Response

​Common fields

​When status = “generating”

​When status = “awaiting_input”

​When status = “completed”

​When status = “failed”

​FAQs

​Related posts

Parameters

Response

Common fields

When status = “generating”

When status = “awaiting_input”

When status = “completed”

When status = “failed”

FAQs

Related posts