Troubleshooting the AssemblyAI API: The importance of retrying requests after server or upload errors

While relatively uncommon, sometimes you may encounter upload or server errors that can temporarily interrupt the transcription process when using the AssemblyAI API. These issues are usually momentary, and retrying the request can often resolve the issue.

In this blog post, we’ll explore why retrying your request after encountering these errors is a valuable first step when processing your files. 

Upload Error

If you receive this specific upload error, you will want to retry your request:

Upload failed, please try again. If you continue to have issues please reach out to support@assemblyai.com.

This error will come from the v2/upload endpoint and will return a 422 status code. 

This specific error could result from:

•  an intermittent issue with our servers, or 
• be related to an issue with the file itself (ie. the file is empty). 

Given that the cause could be a temporary issue on our end, we recommend adding some retry logic to handle the very rare occasions our upload service is experiencing performance issues. 

Our support team has also created a cookbook to walk you through the retry upload process with the AssemblyAI Python SDK.

Read the retry upload error process cookbook

Server Errors

Occasionally, server errors may occur while your request is being processed. The specific error message we return is:

“Server error, developers have been alerted"

This error will come from the v2/transcript endpoint.

 These errors typically happen because:

• There’s a high load on the servers, and they can’t handle the request at that moment.
• A momentary issue interrupted the transcription process.
• An edge case where a specific model or multiple models fail to work as expected for a particular file.

Our support team has also created a cookbook to walk you through the retry server error process with our Python SDK. 

Read the retry server error process cookbook

Why retrying matters

In many of these cases, a simple retry is all that’s needed to successfully upload your file or process the request. 

Here’s why retrying can improve your overall transcription workflow:

• Temporary issues get resolved: Most upload or server errors are temporary and are related to external factors, such as momentary server load, or temporary degraded performance issues on our end. Retrying after a short interval gives these issues time to resolve.
• Ensures continuity of service: In a busy transcription service, many requests are handled simultaneously. Retrying helps ensure that your request gets processed once any temporary obstacles are cleared.

Tips, tricks, and troubleshooting

Here are some practical tips for retrying and troubleshooting server and upload errors:

1. Set a good amount of time before retrying: Although the aforementioned cookbooks have a delay of 5 seconds before each retry, you can adjust this interval to whatever works for your use case. Waiting a few minutes gives our servers additional time to recover after a temporary service disruption or server overload, and your file is more likely to complete the transcription process successfully upon retry. 
2. Double-check your file: Ensure that the file you’re uploading meets the required file format and size limits. If your file is too large or in an unsupported format, it may fail repeatedly. Additionally, if your file is empty (ie. no audio), it will always fail at the upload step.

What if the problem persists?

If retrying doesn’t resolve the issue and you’ve confirmed that the file meets the required format and size limits, contains audio, and you're still unsure why it's failing, there may be an underlying problem with the file or the service. In this case, please contact our support team for assistance in diagnosing the issue.

Looking for additional support?

Contact the dedicated AssemblyAI support team 24/7.

Contact us here.