--- title: AI Product Image Generator Troubleshooting description: Fix license, API key, credit, image download, timeout, bulk queue and watermark errors, with the exact messages the plugin shows. url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-troubleshooting/" updated: "2026-10-05" category: Troubleshooting --- # AI Product Image Generator Troubleshooting Most problems with [AI Product Image Generator for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/ai-product-image-generator-for-woocommerce/) come from the connection (license, credits or API key), the server being unable to download its own product images, or requests timing out. Find the message you see below. Connection settings are at **AI Images > Settings > Connection**; notifications and failure messages are listed at **AI Images > History**. ## The AI Images menu is missing - **"AI Product Image Generator Requires WooCommerce":** install and activate WooCommerce. The plugin does not load without it. - **"Requires WooCommerce 6.0 or Higher":** update WooCommerce. - Your user role cannot edit products. The menu requires the `edit_products` capability; Settings, Styles and History require administrator access. ## Every AI Images page sends me to the setup wizard The setup wizard has not been completed. Until it is, all AI Images pages redirect to it. Finish all steps and click **Complete Setup**. The wizard itself requires administrator access, so a shop manager who sees this should ask an administrator to finish setup first. ## Connection and license messages | Message | Cause | Fix | | --- | --- | --- | | *No license key configured* | Managed Credits is selected but no verified key is saved. | Enter your key in **License Key**, click **Verify License**, then **Save Connection Settings**. | | *This license key is registered for a different domain.* | The key is tied to another site address, for example a staging or old domain. | Contact support to transfer the license. | | *License verification failed* or *Invalid server response* | The service rejected the key, or your server could not reach `imageai.wpfactory.com`. | Check the key for extra spaces, then ask your host whether outgoing HTTPS requests are blocked. | | *No API key* or *No API key configured* | Use My API Key is selected without a saved key. | Paste your key in **Google Gemini API Key** and click **Save Connection Settings**. | | *Invalid API key format.* | The key does not look like a Google API key (`AIza` followed by 35 characters). | Copy the key again from Google AI Studio, without spaces. | | *Invalid API key. Please check your key.* | Google returned 401 or 403. | Create a new key, and check that the Gemini API is enabled for its project. | | *Failed to connect to Google AI API.* | Your server could not reach Google. | Ask your host to allow outgoing HTTPS to `generativelanguage.googleapis.com`. | | Any other message from Google, or *API error code: N* | Google's own error, passed through as is (for example quota or billing problems). | Check billing and quotas for the key's project in your Google account. | ## Generation errors | Message | Cause | Fix | | --- | --- | --- | | *Insufficient credits. Need N.* | Your balance is lower than the number of images this run would create (source images x variants). | Buy credits from **Settings > Credits > Open Dashboard**, click **Sync Credits**, or lower the style's variants. | | *Product has no main image*, *Product has no gallery images* or *No images found.* | The chosen image source is empty for this product. | Add a product image or gallery images, or pick another source. | | *Failed to download image* or *Downloaded image is empty* | Your server fetches each source image from its public URL before sending it. The request failed: common reasons are a local or password-protected site, a maintenance or coming-soon mode, a firewall or hotlink protection, or (with Managed Credits) an invalid SSL certificate. | Make sure the image URL opens from outside your network without a login, and ask your host to allow the site to request its own URLs. Local development sites usually cannot use the plugin. | | *Connection error: ...* or *Server error: HTTP N* | Managed Credits could not complete the request (network error, timeout after 120 seconds, or a service error). | Try again in a few minutes. If it persists, contact support with the exact message. | | *Image URL format not supported* or *No image found in API response* | With your own API key, Gemini answered with text or nothing instead of an image, which can happen when it declines or misreads the request. | Rephrase the style's prompt, use a clearer source photo, and try again. | | *Rate limit exceeded. Please try again in N minute(s).* | Per-user limits: 5 bulk runs per hour, 100 license or API key checks per hour, 30 credit checks per 5 minutes. | Wait and try again, or combine products into fewer bulk runs. | | *Failed to save image file* or an upload error | WordPress could not write to the uploads folder. | Check the permissions and free disk space of `wp-content/uploads`. | | *Style not found*, or a style is missing from the list | The style was deleted or is inactive. | Turn on **Active Status** in **AI Images > Styles**. | ## "Connection error" in the product box The product box generates images while you wait, one after another. Each image can take up to about 90 seconds (own API key) or 120 seconds (Managed Credits). If the whole request runs longer than your server's PHP time limit or your host's proxy timeout, the browser shows *Connection error*, even though some images may have been created. 1. Reload the product and check **Generated Images** and the Media Library before trying again, to avoid paying twice. 2. Use **Main Product Image** instead of **Both (Main + Gallery)**, and fewer variants. 3. For many images, use **AI Images > Generate Images**, which runs in the background. 4. Ask your host to raise `max_execution_time` for admin requests. ## Bulk generation stays at 0 or stops 1. The queue is processed by WP-Cron. On a quiet site, cron only runs when someone visits, so open a few pages or the admin to move it along. 2. If `DISABLE_WP_CRON` is set in `wp-config.php`, make sure a real server cron job calls `wp-cron.php` every minute or so. 3. Check **Tools > Site Health** for scheduled event or loopback errors. 4. A batch lock older than 5 minutes is released so the next run can start, and an hourly cleanup returns jobs stuck in processing for more than 10 minutes to the queue (up to 3 attempts per job). Jobs that failed with an error are not retried; run those products again. ## The result does not match the aspect ratio I chose In version 1.0.1 the style's **Aspect Ratio** is not sent in Managed Credits mode. With your own API key, only 9:16 resizes the result, and it stretches rather than crops. Crop the image in the Media Library if you need an exact ratio. ## I am not receiving notification emails Version 1.0.1 stores the email settings on the Notifications tab but does not send notification or summary emails. Check **AI Images > History** for notifications. ## A critical error appeared after saving settings - **Notifications tab:** saving with **Use custom SMTP settings** ticked can cause a critical error in version 1.0.1. The settings are saved before the error, so reopen the tab, untick the option and save again. - **Connection tab:** if license verification fails while you save the Connection tab, the page can end with an error. Verify the key with the **Verify License** button first, then save. ## Generation fails after turning on a watermark Watermarking needs the PHP GD and exif extensions. If exif is missing, the request fails with a PHP error. Ask your host to enable both, or turn off **Enable Watermark** in the style. See [How to Watermark AI Product Images in WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-watermark/). Still stuck? Our team answers every ticket on the [AI Image Generator support forum](https://wpfactory.com/support/). Include the exact message, the connection mode, and your WordPress, WooCommerce and plugin versions. Related articles - [AI Product Image Generator Settings Reference](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-settings/) - [Getting Started with AI Product Image Generator for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-getting-started/) - [How to Bulk Generate AI Images for WooCommerce Products](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-bulk-generate/) - [How to Replace Product Image Backgrounds in WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-replace-backgrounds/) - [How to Generate WooCommerce Product Images with AI](https://wpfactory.com/docs/ai-product-images-generate/)