Resolving AI Image Generation Timeout on Vercel

Problem Description

When using AI image generation models (such as gpt-image-1) on Vercel, you may encounter timeout errors. This occurs because AI image generation typically requires more than 1 minute to complete, which exceeds Vercel's default function execution time limit.

Common error symptoms include:

• Function timeout errors during image generation
• Failed image generation requests after approximately 60 seconds
• "Function execution timed out" messages

Typical Log Symptoms

In your Vercel function logs, you may see entries like this:

JUL 16 18:39:09.51 POST 504 /trpc/async/image.createImage
Provider runtime map found for provider: openai

The key indicators are:

• Status Code: 504 (Gateway Timeout)
• Endpoint: /trpc/async/image.createImage or similar image generation endpoints
• Timing: Usually occurs around 60 seconds after the request starts

Solution: Enable Fluid Compute

For projects created before Vercel's dashboard update, you can resolve this issue by enabling Fluid Compute, which extends the maximum execution duration to 300 seconds.

Steps to Enable Fluid Compute (Legacy Vercel Dashboard)

1. Go to your project dashboard on Vercel
2. Navigate to the Settings tab
3. Find the Functions section
4. Enable Fluid Compute as shown in the screenshot below:

5. After enabling, the maximum execution duration will be extended to 300 seconds by default

Important Notes

• For new projects: Newer Vercel projects have Fluid Compute enabled by default, so this issue primarily affects legacy projects

Additional Resources

For more information about Vercel's function limitations and Fluid Compute:

• Vercel Fluid Compute Documentation
• Vercel Functions Limitations