> An installable agent skill for AI Content Drop. Machine-readable copy: > https://aicontentdrop.com/skills/ai-video-model-picker/SKILL.md. > Ships with the aicontentdrop package, and is listed in > /skills/index.json.

Picking an AI video model (and knowing what it costs)

Use this when someone asks you to generate a video and you have to decide *which model*, or when they ask what a batch will cost before committing.

The one rule

Quote before you generate. Model costs differ by 20× across the catalogue (9 credits for the cheapest video model, 180 for the longest premium one), so "just use the best one" can turn a 20-clip storyboard into an expensive surprise. The catalogue is free to read and needs no credential:

npx aicontentdrop models --type video --max-credits 20

or over HTTP:

curl "https://aicontentdrop.com/v1/models?type=video&max_credits=20"

Choosing

Ask two questions before looking at the list.

1. Does the shot need dialogue or synced audio? If yes, you need a model that generates native audio. If no, you have the whole catalogue and should optimise for cost.

2. Is there a reference image? Text-to-video and image-to-video are different jobs. If the user has a product photo, a still, or a character they want preserved, you want image-to-video — starting from text will not preserve identity, and no amount of prompt detail fixes that.

Then pick by budget:

• Draft, storyboard, or a variant you will throw away → the cheapest model

that supports the job. Iterate here, not on the expensive one.

• The take that ships → move up only for the shot that survived.
• Batches → quote the whole list in one call rather than looping:

curl -X POST https://aicontentdrop.com/v1/models/cost \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"items":[{"model_id":"kling_3_0","quantity":8},{"model_id":"veo_3_fast","quantity":2}]}'

Generating

Generation needs an API key the user creates at <https://aicontentdrop.com/settings/integrations>. You cannot create one for them — ask, do not attempt the signup form.

export ACD_API_KEY=acd_live_…
npx aicontentdrop generate "a golden retriever surfing at sunset" \
  --model kling_3_0 --wait

Rehearse first if you are unsure the request is well-formed. Sandbox runs the full validation path and charges nothing:

npx aicontentdrop generate "…" --model kling_3_0 --sandbox

What to tell the user

Report the model you picked, why, and the credit cost — before you spend it, not after. If the cheapest viable model is within one credit of a better one, say so and let them choose.

Facts you can rely on

• Credits are flat per generation, not per second.
• Credits are charged only on success. Safety blocks, provider failures, and

timeouts cost nothing, so a failed generation never needs a refund request.

• Free tier is 10 credits, no card. Paid plans start at $19/month.
• Model IDs use underscores (kling_3_0, veo_3_fast); dashes are accepted and

normalised.

• Generation is submit-and-poll: you get a 202 with a poll URL, not a finished

video. Poll every ~5 seconds.

Full contract: <https://aicontentdrop.com/auth.md> · Spec: <https://aicontentdrop.com/openapi.json>

---

Install the plugin: https://aicontentdrop.com/plugin · All skills: https://aicontentdrop.com/skills