My post generation seems stuck: what to check

Most generations stream the first words of your post within seconds. When yours does not, this article tells you what each status means, how long is normal, and the one fix that resolves nearly every real blockage.

The short answer

If the editor has shown the same status for several minutes, with no text appearing and no error message: reload the page, then click Generate again. Your inputs are safe: the subject, URL or file you used is still there, and an uploaded file does not need to be uploaded twice. Reloading costs you nothing and unblocks the vast majority of cases.

What each status means

During a generation, the editor walks through statuses. None of them is an error:

• Preparing content...: the request is being set up, or your writing style is being applied. This is also what you may see while a file is being read, so it lasts longer with a big PDF or a video.

• Analyzing the file... / Analyzing the URL...: the source is being read and its substance extracted.

• Fetching fresh data from the web... / Checking data against web sources...: the optional web search steps, when they are enabled.

• Checking and cleaning up AI phrasing...: the final pass that removes AI-sounding wording.

Then the text streams into the editor, word by word. Once it does, the generation is no longer stuck: it is writing.

How long is normal

• From a topic: the text usually starts within seconds.

• From a URL: add the time to fetch and read the page.

• From a file: extraction comes first, so a long PDF, an audio or a video legitimately takes longer before the first word appears. Longer is normal; endless is not.

The line to remember: statuses can be slow, but they always end, either with text streaming in or with an error message. A status frozen for several minutes with neither is a stuck generation, and reloading is the fix.

If you see an error message

Errors show up in red under the Generate button, and they tell you what to do:

• "Connection error. Please check your internet connection." or "The connection was interrupted. Try again.": the link between your browser and MagicPost dropped. Check your network, then click Generate again.

• "The connection is taking too long. Try again.": same idea; a retry usually goes through.

• "Insufficient content" (files only): the file could not give enough substance (scanned PDF, image without text, video without speech). See generating a post from a file for the fixes.

What does not cause a stuck generation

• Your LinkedIn connection. Generating a post does not touch LinkedIn; publishing does. A disconnected LinkedIn account does not block a generation.

• Leaving the page open in another tab. The generation keeps running while the MagicPost tab stays open. Closing the tab entirely, though, interrupts it, so keep the tab open until the text lands.

FAQ

My generation from a PDF is stuck on "Preparing content...".

Reading a PDF happens before writing, and that step can sit behind "Preparing content..." for a while on a large file. Give it a few minutes; past that, reload the page and generate again. The PDF is already uploaded, so the retry starts immediately.

Will I lose my credits if a generation fails?

No. Credits count completed generations. A generation that never delivered a post does not consume one: reload and try again.

The generation finished but the editor is empty.

If you navigated to another page while it was streaming, the text no longer lands in the editor, but the post itself was saved. Open My posts: the generated post is there, in your drafts.

It keeps failing after several retries.

Then it is on our side, not yours. Contact us in the in-app chat with the source you used (topic, URL or file name) and the time it happened: that is all we need to investigate.

Need help?

Reach out via the in-app chat, or book a 30-minute onboarding call: https://cal.com/magicpost-team/contact-sales-team