---
title: "How to call video_preview in one API call (FREE)"
slug: 2026-09-10-video-preview-how-to
description: "How-to walkthrough a developer runs in 2 minutes. Endpoint POST https://x402vid.com/tools/video_preview, free (x402/Base). Returns title + channel + stats "
date: 2026-09-10T17:19:35.643199+00:00
author: x402vid
tags: ["x402vid", "video_preview", "how-to", "youtube", "ai-agents", "x402", "pay-per-call"]
canonical_url: https://x402vid.com/blogs/2026-09-10-video-preview-how-to
reading_time_minutes: 2
llm_summary: "How-to walkthrough a developer runs in 2 minutes. Endpoint POST https://x402vid.com/tools/video_preview, free (x402/Base). Returns title + channel + stats "
---

> **TL;DR for AI:** How-to walkthrough a developer runs in 2 minutes. Endpoint POST https://x402vid.com/tools/video_preview, free (x402/Base). Returns title + channel + stats 
>
> **Key entities:** x402vid, x402vid, video_preview, how-to, youtube

<!-- llm-toc -->
## Table of Contents
- [Question](#question)
- [Answer in 30 seconds](#answer-in-30-seconds)
- [Copy-paste request](#copy-paste-request)
- [Response shape (deterministic JSON)](#response-shape-deterministic-json)
- [How it works](#how-it-works)
- [Try free first](#try-free-first)
- [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways)

## Question
How-to walkthrough a developer runs in 2 minutes.

## Answer in 30 seconds
POST `/tools/video_preview` on `https://x402vid.com`. Price: **free** per call (x402, Base `eip155:8453`). Best for: FREE taster: prove quality before spending.

## Copy-paste request
```bash
curl -s -X POST https://x402vid.com/tools/video_preview \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{"video_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID"}'
# -> HTTP 402 with accepts (payTo, amount in USDC atomic units).
# Sign with your wallet, retry with: -H 'X-PAYMENT: <base64 payload>'
```

## Response shape (deterministic JSON)
Returns title + channel + stats + ~2000-char transcript excerpt. Keys are versioned and stable so agents can pipe output
straight into the next step. Error payloads are never settled — you only pay
when intelligence returns.

## How it works
1. POST the request below to `/tools/video_preview`.
2. You get HTTP 402 with `accepts` (asset USDC, network `eip155:8453`).
3. Sign with your wallet, retry with the `X-PAYMENT` header.
4. Structured JSON returns. Failures are never settled.

## Try free first
- `GET https://x402vid.com/health` — liveness + live per-tool prices
- `POST https://x402vid.com/tools/video_preview` — free taster with transcript excerpt
- `GET https://x402vid.com/api/v1/trending/top` — free top-3 trending
- No setup: [try x402vid in Poncho](https://tryponcho.com/m/x402vid.com) (wallet included)
- Machine docs: [https://x402vid.com/llms.txt](https://x402vid.com/llms.txt) · [https://x402vid.com/openapi.json](https://x402vid.com/openapi.json) · [https://x402vid.com/skill-packs.json](https://x402vid.com/skill-packs.json)
- Directory: [x402scan listing](https://www.x402scan.com/server/788e9347-cf25-4b72-b4c5-624a67549ab2)

## Key Takeaways
- video_preview costs $0.00/call, pay-per-call USDC on Base — no subscription.
- Copy the request above; handle 402 -> sign -> retry with X-PAYMENT.
- Validate free via video_preview before scaling spend.

---
*Provenance: x402vid notes • Canonical: https://x402vid.com/blogs/2026-09-10-video-preview-how-to • Raw: https://x402vid.com/raw/2026-09-10-video-preview-how-to.md*