# Moderate a video
Analyze a video for inappropriate content using the Mux Robots API.
Analyze a video for inappropriate content. Mux samples thumbnails from the video and scores each one for sexual and violent content. You can configure the thresholds that determine whether content gets flagged. See the <ApiRefLink href="/docs/api-reference/robots/moderate">Moderate API reference</ApiRefLink> for the full endpoint specification. See [Mux Robots pricing](/docs/pricing/overview#mux-robots-pricing) for unit costs.

## Create a `moderate` job

```bash
curl https://api.mux.com/robots/v0/jobs/moderate \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -X POST \
  -d '{
    "parameters": {
      "asset_id": "YOUR_ASSET_ID",
      "thresholds": {
        "sexual": 0.7,
        "violence": 0.8
      }
    }
  }' \
  -u ${MUX_TOKEN_ID}:${MUX_TOKEN_SECRET}
```

<Callout type="info">
  This request is **asynchronous**. The `POST` returns immediately with the job in `pending` status and does not include results. **We strongly recommend listening for the [`robots.job.moderate.completed` webhook](/docs/guides/robots#webhooks)** — the payload contains the full completed job, so no follow-up API call is needed. If webhooks aren't an option, you can poll `GET /robots/v0/jobs/moderate/{JOB_ID}` with the `id` from the response until the status is `completed`.
</Callout>

## Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| :-- | :-- | :-- |
| `asset_id` | string | **Required.** The Mux asset ID of the video to moderate. |
| `language_code` | string | Language code for transcript analysis on audio-only assets. Defaults to `en`. |
| `thresholds` | object | Score thresholds that determine whether content is flagged. |
| `thresholds.sexual` | number | Score threshold (0.0-1.0) for sexual content. Defaults to 0.7. Lower the value to be more strict (e.g. `0.5` to flag borderline content). |
| `thresholds.violence` | number | Score threshold (0.0-1.0) for violent content. Defaults to 0.8. Lower the value to be more strict. |
| `sampling_interval` | integer | Interval in seconds between sampled thumbnails. Minimum 5. For example, `10` samples a frame every 10 seconds. Good when you want consistent coverage regardless of video length. |
| `max_samples` | integer | Maximum number of thumbnails to sample. Samples are distributed evenly across the video with the first and last frames pinned. For example, `20` on a 10-minute video samples roughly every 30 seconds. Good when you want predictable cost per job. |

## Sampling behavior

By default, the workflow samples a thumbnail every 10 seconds. Use `sampling_interval` to override this; the minimum is 5 seconds. Smaller intervals give denser coverage at higher cost; larger intervals are cheaper but may miss brief moments of flagged content.

For example, with `sampling_interval: 10`, a 60-second video produces 6 samples — at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 seconds.

If you set `max_samples` alongside `sampling_interval`, the cap takes over once the interval would produce more samples than allowed. See the parameter descriptions above.

## Output

The `outputs` object is included in the job once its status is `completed`. You'll receive it on the [`robots.job.moderate.completed`](/docs/guides/robots#webhooks) webhook (recommended), or you can fetch it with `GET /robots/v0/jobs/moderate/{JOB_ID}`. It contains:

| Field | Type | Description |
| :-- | :-- | :-- |
| `thumbnail_scores` | array | Per-thumbnail moderation scores, each with `sexual` and `violence` fields (0.0-1.0). Also includes a `time` field (seconds) for video assets; absent for transcript moderation. |
| `max_scores` | object | Highest scores across all thumbnails, with `sexual` and `violence` fields. |
| `exceeds_threshold` | boolean | `true` if any category's max score exceeds its configured threshold. |

## Example response

This is the payload delivered to the [`robots.job.moderate.completed`](/docs/guides/robots#webhooks) webhook, and the same shape you get from `GET /robots/v0/jobs/moderate/{JOB_ID}`:

```json
{
  "data": {
    "id": "rjob_def456",
    "workflow": "moderate",
    "status": "completed",
    "units_consumed": 1,
    "parameters": {
      "asset_id": "YOUR_ASSET_ID",
      "thresholds": {
        "sexual": 0.7,
        "violence": 0.8
      }
    },
    "outputs": {
      "thumbnail_scores": [
        { "time": 0.0, "sexual": 0.01, "violence": 0.02 },
        { "time": 5.0, "sexual": 0.03, "violence": 0.05 }
      ],
      "max_scores": {
        "sexual": 0.03,
        "violence": 0.05
      },
      "exceeds_threshold": false
    }
  }
}
```

<Callout type="info">
  Moderation works by sampling thumbnail frames from your video. You can control how many frames are analyzed with `sampling_interval` or `max_samples`. More samples give better coverage but increase processing time and cost.
</Callout>

## Example: strict moderation

If content safety is critical for your platform, lower the thresholds and increase the sample density:

```json
{
  "parameters": {
    "asset_id": "YOUR_ASSET_ID",
    "thresholds": {
      "sexual": 0.3,
      "violence": 0.4
    },
    "max_samples": 50
  }
}
```

With lower thresholds, even mildly suggestive or mildly violent content will cause `exceeds_threshold` to return `true`, giving you a signal to flag the video for human review before publishing.