# What Happens When a Video Exceeds the Claude Video 10-Minute Limit > Exceeding the 10-minute Claude video limit? Learn how bradautomates/claude-video adjusts frame capture, warns you, and offers solutions like focused or token-burner mode for optimal analysis. - Repository: [bradautomates/claude-video](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video) - Tags: best-practices - Published: 2026-07-12 --- **When a video exceeds the 10-minute recommended limit in bradautomates/claude-video, the watch skill automatically reduces frame-capture density, warns you about sparse coverage, and recommends using focused mode or token-burner mode to maintain analysis quality.** The `bradautomates/claude-video` repository provides a Claude Code skill for analyzing video content through intelligent frame sampling. Because Claude’s context window operates under strict token constraints, the 10-minute recommended limit exists to balance visual coverage against token consumption. When you submit a video longer than this threshold, the system triggers safeguards in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) to prevent budget overruns while still delivering a usable summary. ## How the Watch Skill Detects Long Videos The detection logic resides in the core orchestrator at [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py). Before processing begins, the script calculates the video duration and compares it against the recommended limit for the selected detail mode. ### The Sparse-Scan Warning At line 330, the code emits a clear warning when the duration exceeds the safe threshold: ``` Warning: This is a {mins}-minute video. Frame coverage is sparse at this length. ``` This message alerts you that the subsequent analysis will sample fewer frames per minute than it would for shorter content. ## Automatic Frame Reduction and Token Budgets To respect Claude’s token limits, the watch skill implements automatic frame capping. The system allocates fixed frame budgets that scale inversely with video length: - **Balanced mode**: Caps total frames at approximately 100 - **Efficient mode**: Caps total frames at approximately 50 When a video exceeds the 10-minute recommendation, these caps force the sampler to spread the same number of frames across a longer timeline, resulting in gaps between captured scenes. According to the README, "coverage thins out past ~10 minutes," which can cause the model to miss transient details or rapid scene changes (Source: [README.md L205-L207](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/README.md)). ## Recommended Workarounds for Long Videos The repository provides two primary strategies to overcome sparse coverage when your video exceeds the limit. ### Use Focused Mode with Start and End Times Instead of scanning the entire video, you can isolate a specific segment using the `--start` and `--end` flags. This focused mode dedicates the full frame budget to a smaller window, dramatically increasing capture density for that section. ```bash /watch https://youtu.be/example --start 00:30 --end 02:00 ``` ### Switch to Token-Burner Mode If you require complete coverage of a long video, the `token-burner` mode removes the frame cap, keeping every frame that exceeds the scene-change threshold. This consumes significantly more tokens but eliminates the sparsity issue. ```bash /watch https://youtu.be/example --mode token-burner ``` ## Practical Examples Here are concrete commands demonstrating the behavior when exceeding the 10-minute limit: **Default balanced mode on a 12-minute video (triggers warning):** ```bash $ /watch https://youtu.be/long-video ⚠️ Warning: This is a 12-minute video. Frame coverage is sparse at this length. ``` **Focused mode for better segment analysis:** ```bash $ /watch https://youtu.be/long-video --start 05:00 --end 05:30 ``` **Token-burner mode for full coverage:** ```bash $ /watch https://youtu.be/long-video --mode token-burner ``` ## Summary - **Automatic detection**: [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) checks video duration against the 10-minute recommendation before processing. - **Sparse coverage**: Exceeding the limit triggers a warning and reduces frame density to stay within token budgets. - **Frame budgets**: `balanced` mode caps at ~100 frames and `efficient` at ~50, spreading them thin over long durations. - **Focused alternative**: Use `--start` and `--end` to concentrate the frame budget on a specific segment. - **Token-burner option**: Use `--mode token-burner` to remove caps and capture every scene-change frame at higher token cost. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the exact frame budget for balanced mode? The balanced mode allocates approximately 100 frames total, regardless of video length. As duration increases beyond the 10-minute recommendation, the interval between sampled frames grows linearly to maintain this cap. ### Does the 10-minute limit apply to all detail modes? Yes, the recommendation applies across modes, though the impact varies. The `efficient` mode has a lower frame budget (~50), making sparsity worse, while `token-burner` mode ignores the limit entirely by removing the cap. ### Can I process multiple segments of a long video in one command? Currently, you must run separate `/watch` commands for each segment. The skill does not support multiple time ranges in a single invocation, so chain focused commands or use token-burner mode for the full file. ### Where is the warning message defined in the source code? The warning is implemented in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) around line 330, where the script evaluates video duration and prints the sparse-coverage alert before initializing the frame sampler.