Implement Retry Server Error Logic | AssemblyAI

In this guide, we’ll show you how to setup automatic server error retry logic in your transcription process.

Server errors indicate a server-side issue during the transcription process. These rarely happen, but can occasionally occur on our side. If a transcription fails due to a server error, we recommend that you resubmit the file for transcription to allow another server to process the audio. If the issue persists, please reach out to our support team: support@assemblyai.com

This workflow is designed to automatically retry these transcripts if a server error is encountered.

If your transcription fails due to a server error on our side, we will automatically retry the request up to three times. You can find this option in your Account Settings.

Quickstart

1 import assemblyai as aai
2 import time
3 
4 aai.settings.api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"
5 
6 def handle_error_transcription(audio_url, transcriber, config, retries=1, wait_time=5):
7     for attempt in range(retries + 1):
8         transcript = transcriber.transcribe(audio_url, config)
9         if transcript.error == "Server error, developers have been alerted":
10             if attempt < retries:
11                 print(f"Encountered a server error. Retrying in {wait_time} second(s)...")
12                 time.sleep(wait_time)
13             else:
14                 print("Retry failed with a server error. Please contact AssemblyAI Support: support@assemblyai.com")
15                 return None
16         elif transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
17             print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
18             return None
19         else:
20             return transcript
21 
22 audio_url = "YOUR_AUDIO_URL"
23 transcriber = aai.Transcriber()
24 config = aai.TranscriptionConfig()
25 
26 transcript = handle_error_transcription(audio_url, transcriber, config, retries=1, wait_time=5)
27 if transcript:
28     print(transcript.text)

Get started

Before we begin, make sure you have an AssemblyAI account and an API key. You can sign up for a free account and get your API key from your dashboard.

Step-by-step instructions

Install the SDK:

$ pip install assemblyai

Import the assemblyai and time package and set your API key:

1 import assemblyai as aai
2 import time
3 
4 aai.settings.api_key = "YOUR_API_KEY"

Create a function that handles errors that may occur during the transcription process. The default number of retires is 1. The default wait time before retranscribing is 5 seconds.

1 def handle_error_transcription(audio_url, transcriber, config, retries=1, wait_time=5):
2     for attempt in range(retries + 1):
3         transcript = transcriber.transcribe(audio_url, config)
4         if transcript.error == "Server error, developers have been alerted":
5             if attempt < retries:
6                 print(f"Encountered a server error. Retrying in {wait_time} second(s)...")
7                 time.sleep(wait_time)
8             else:
9                 print("Retry failed with a server error. Please contact AssemblyAI Support: support@assemblyai.com")
10                 return None
11         elif transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
12             print(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")
13             return None
14         else:
15             return transcript

Define the audio file that you want to transcribe.

1 audio_url = "YOUR_AUDIO_URL"

Create a Transcriber object and specify features in TranscriptionConfig.

1 transcriber = aai.Transcriber()
2 config = aai.TranscriptionConfig()

Call the function to handle transcription with error handling. Specify number of retries and wait time. Return the transcribed text if transcription is successful.

1 transcript = handle_error_transcription(audio_url, transcriber, config, retries=1, wait_time=5)
2 if transcript:
3     print(transcript.text)