Session start failed: SessionApiError: API request failed

[simon-dmvx]

I just installed the demo version and ran it out of the box.
It is not working, I am getting the following errors:

index.esm.js:650 Session is already started (anonymous) @ index.esm.js:650Understand this warning intercept-console-error.ts:44 Session start failed: SessionApiError: API request failed at SessionAPIClient.<anonymous> (index.esm.js:569:23) at Generator.throw (<anonymous>) at rejected (index.esm.js:26:65)

[ManiishJangid]

@simon-dmvx
What you’re seeing is expected until the demo is configured with valid API credentials. There are two log messages, but only one indicates a real problem.

1. “Session is already started” (warning)
   This is a non-fatal SDK warning that appears when start() is called while a session is already starting or active. It can happen due to UI re-renders or timing and can be safely ignored.

2. “Session start failed: SessionApiError: API request failed”
   This is the actual issue. It means the SDK attempted to start a LiveAvatar session, but the backend request failed.

In the demo, session creation relies on values from apps/demo/app/api/secrets.ts. By default, this file contains placeholder values, so API calls will fail until you provide:

A valid LiveAvatar / HeyGen API key

Valid AVATAR_ID, VOICE_ID, and CONTEXT_ID from your account (recommended)

If you’re using CUSTOM mode, you’ll also need:

ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

OPENAI_API_KEY

After updating the credentials, restart the app and try “Start Full Avatar Session” again. You should see the session connect and the avatar stream start shortly after.

If the error persists, check the Network tab for the /api/start-session or /v1/sessions/start request and review the response payload — it usually contains a specific reason (invalid key, ID not found, or permission issue). If you can share that response, I can help debug further.