# When Does Claude-Video Issue a Sparse Scan Warning for Long Videos? > Discover when Claude-Video's watch skill issues a sparse scan warning for long videos. Learn about the 10-minute threshold and detail mode restrictions. - Repository: [bradautomates/claude-video](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-08-08 --- **The `watch` skill emits a sparse scan warning to stderr when a video exceeds 10 minutes (600 seconds) and the selected detail mode is neither `transcript` nor `token-burner`, as implemented in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) lines 26-33.** The `claude-video` repository by bradautomates provides a `watch` skill for AI-powered video analysis with configurable frame extraction. Understanding the sparse scan warning for long videos helps developers optimize their commands to ensure adequate visual coverage or suppress unnecessary alerts. ## The 600-Second Threshold in watch.py The warning logic resides in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) at lines 26-33. After retrieving video metadata, the system compares the total duration against a hardcoded threshold of **600 seconds** (10 minutes). When the duration exceeds this limit, the code examines the current `detail` parameter. Only two modes suppress the warning entirely: `transcript` and `token-burner`. All other detail configurations trigger the stderr message alerting users that frame coverage will be sparse. ### Why the 10-Minute Limit Exists This threshold represents the point where default frame sampling strategies become too sparse for reliable scene analysis. According to comments in [`skills/watch/scripts/frames.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/frames.py), clips with very few decoded keyframes provide insufficient visual coverage, which the warning system flags to prevent analysis gaps. ## Detail Modes That Suppress the Warning The warning system respects specific detail configurations that either eliminate frame extraction or maximize it: - **`transcript`** — Extracts only audio transcription data with no visual frames, rendering the sparse scan warning irrelevant. - **`token-burner`** — Processes every scene-change frame without caps, ensuring comprehensive coverage regardless of video length. ## How to Avoid the Sparse Scan Warning When processing videos longer than 10 minutes, you have three primary strategies to prevent or address the warning. ### Use Token-Burner Detail Mode Override the default detail level to process all keyframes without duration-based sampling: ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --detail token-burner ``` ### Focus on a Specific Segment Use `--start` and `--end` parameters to reduce the effective duration below 600 seconds: ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --start 00:03:00 --end 00:05:00 ``` ### Switch to Transcript-Only Analysis For audio-focused processing without visual frames: ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --detail transcript ``` ## Configuration and Supporting Files The warning system relies on configuration defaults defined in [`skills/watch/scripts/config.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/config.py), which establishes the frame caps and detail level behaviors that determine when sparse coverage occurs. While [`watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/watch.py) contains the actual warning emission logic, [`skills/watch/scripts/frames.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/frames.py) provides the conceptual foundation regarding keyframe density that justifies the 10-minute threshold. ## Code Examples ### Default Detail on a 12-Minute Video ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" ``` This command emits the following to stderr: ``` **Warning:** This is a 12-minute video. Frame coverage is sparse at this length under `balanced` detail — its cap spreads thin across the full clip... ``` ### Same Video with Token-Burner Detail ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --detail token-burner ``` No warning appears because every scene-change frame is preserved. ### Two-Minute Segment Extraction ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --start 00:03:00 --end 00:05:00 ``` The warning is suppressed because the effective duration is under 10 minutes. ### Transcript-Only Processing ```bash watch "https://example.com/long-video.mp4" --detail transcript ``` No frames are extracted, so the sparse scan warning does not apply. ## Summary - The sparse scan warning triggers when video duration exceeds **600 seconds (10 minutes)** and the detail mode is neither `transcript` nor `token-burner`. - The logic resides in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) at lines 26-33. - **Exempt modes**: `transcript` (no frames) and `token-burner` (all frames). - **Avoid the warning** by using time-range arguments (`--start`/`--end`), switching to `token-burner` detail, or using `transcript` mode. - Configuration defaults in [`skills/watch/scripts/config.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/config.py) define the frame caps that make the warning necessary. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the exact duration threshold for the sparse scan warning? The warning triggers at **600 seconds** (10 minutes) of total video duration. This threshold is hardcoded in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) and represents the point where standard detail modes cannot maintain adequate frame coverage across the entire clip. ### Does the transcript detail mode ever trigger a sparse scan warning? No. The `transcript` detail mode is explicitly exempt from the warning because it performs audio transcription without extracting visual frames. Since no frame sampling occurs, the concept of sparse coverage does not apply. ### How can I process a 15-minute video without seeing the warning? You have three options: use `--detail token-burner` to process all scene-change frames regardless of length, use `--detail transcript` to skip visual analysis entirely, or specify a `--start` and `--end` time range that keeps the segment under 10 minutes. ### Where is the sparse scan warning logic implemented in the source code? The warning emission logic is located in [`skills/watch/scripts/watch.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/watch.py) at lines 26-33. Supporting configuration for detail levels and frame caps resides in [`skills/watch/scripts/config.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/config.py), while [`skills/watch/scripts/frames.py`](https://github.com/bradautomates/claude-video/blob/main/skills/watch/scripts/frames.py) contains comments explaining the "too sparse" concept regarding keyframe coverage.