Feedback: guides-retry-upload-error

Documentation Feedback

Original URL: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/guides/retry-upload-error
Category: guides
Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:38:11 pm

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Claude Sonnet 4 Feedback

Generated: 05/08/2025, 4:38:10 pm

Technical Documentation Analysis & Feedback

Overall Assessment

This documentation provides a functional code example but has several significant gaps that could frustrate users and limit its effectiveness. The structure is clear, but critical information is missing.

Critical Issues to Address

1. Missing Information

API Key Management:

• No guidance on how to obtain or securely store API keys
• Missing environment variable best practices
• No mention of API key validation

Error Handling Gaps:

• Doesn’t explain what specific errors trigger retries vs. permanent failures
• Missing network timeout handling
• No guidance on distinguishing between retryable and non-retryable errors

File Requirements:

• No specification of supported audio formats
• Missing file size limitations
• No guidance on file validation before upload

2. Unclear Explanations

Error Detection Logic:

# CURRENT - Too broad
except TranscriptError as e:
    # Handle specific error if upload fails

# IMPROVED - More specific
except TranscriptError as e:
    # Check if this is actually an upload error
    if "upload" in str(e).lower() or "network" in str(e).lower():
        # Handle upload-specific errors
    else:
        # Don't retry for transcription errors
        raise e

Retry Strategy:

• Doesn’t explain why 3 retries and 5-second delay were chosen
• No mention of exponential backoff benefits
• Missing guidance on customizing retry parameters

3. Improved Examples Needed

Current Example Issues:

• Uses "YOUR_AUDIO_URL" but function parameter is file_path
• Doesn’t show both local file and URL usage
• Missing real-world error scenarios

Enhanced Example:

import assemblyai as aai
import time
import os
from assemblyai.types import TranscriptError

# Secure API key handling
aai.settings.api_key = os.getenv("ASSEMBLYAI_API_KEY")

def transcribe_with_upload_retry(file_path, retries=3, base_delay=2, max_delay=30):
    """
    Transcribe audio with automatic retry logic for upload errors.

    Args:
        file_path (str): Path to local file or URL to audio file
        retries (int): Maximum number of retry attempts (default: 3)
        base_delay (int): Initial delay between retries in seconds (default: 2)
        max_delay (int): Maximum delay between retries in seconds (default: 30)

    Returns:
        Transcript object or None if all retries failed
    """
    transcriber = aai.Transcriber()

    for attempt in range(retries + 1):  # +1 for initial attempt
        try:
            config = aai.TranscriptionConfig(speaker_labels=True)
            transcript = transcriber.transcribe(file_path, config)

            # Check if transcription was successful
            if transcript.status == aai.TranscriptStatus.error:
                raise TranscriptError(f"Transcription failed: {transcript.error}")

            return transcript

        except TranscriptError as e:
            error_msg = str(e).lower()

            # Only retry for upload/network related errors
            if not any(keyword in error_msg for keyword in ['upload', 'network', 'timeout', 'connection']):
                print(f"Non-retryable error: {e}")
                raise e

            if attempt < retries:
                # Exponential backoff with jitter
                delay = min(base_delay * (2 ** attempt), max_delay)
                print(f"Upload attempt {attempt + 1} failed: {e}")
                print(f"Retrying in {delay} seconds...")
                time.sleep(delay)
            else:
                print(f"All {retries + 1} attempts failed. Final error: {e}")
                raise e

    return None

# Examples of usage
if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example 1: Local file
    try:
        transcript = transcribe_with_upload_retry("./audio/meeting.mp3")
        if transcript:
            print("Transcription successful!")
            print(transcript.text)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Transcription failed: {e}")

    # Example 2: Remote URL
    try:
        transcript = transcribe_with_upload_retry("https://example.com/audio.wav")
        if transcript:
            print("Transcription successful!")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Transcription failed: {e}")

4. Structural Improvements

Recommended Structure:

# Implement Retry Upload Error Logic

## Overview
Brief explanation of when and why to use retry logic

## Prerequisites
- AssemblyAI account and API key
- Python 3.7+
- Supported audio file formats (list them)

## Quick Start
[Current quickstart with fixes]

## Understanding Upload Errors
### Common Causes
- Transient network issues
- Temporary server unavailability
- File format issues
- Large file timeouts

### When NOT to Retry
- Invalid API key
- Unsupported file format
- File corruption
- Quota exceeded

## Implementation Guide
[Step-by-step with improved examples]

## Best Practices
[New section - see below]

## Troubleshooting
[New section - see below]

## Advanced Configuration
[New section - see below]

5. New Sections Needed

Best Practices Section:

## Best Practices

### Retry Strategy
- Use exponential backoff to avoid overwhelming servers
- Set reasonable maximum retry limits (3-5 attempts)
- Implement circuit breaker pattern for systematic failures

### Error Logging
- Log all retry attempts with timestamps
- Include error details for debugging
- Monitor retry success rates

### File Validation
- Check file existence and readability before upload
- Validate file format and size
- Implement checksum verification for large files

Troubleshooting Section:

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues
| Error | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| "File not found" | Invalid file path | Verify file exists and path is correct |
| "Unsupported format" | Wrong file type | Convert to supported format (MP3, WAV, etc.) |
| "Upload timeout" | Large file/slow connection | Reduce file size or increase timeout |

### Debugging Tips
- Enable verbose logging
- Test with small files first
- Verify network connectivity

Advanced Configuration Section:

## Advanced Configuration

### Custom Retry Strategies
[Examples of different retry patterns]

### Integration with Logging Systems
[Examples with popular logging frameworks]

### Monitoring and Alerting
[How to track retry success rates]

User Pain Points Addressed

1. Confusion about file vs URL: Clear examples for both cases
2. Security concerns: Environment variable usage
3. Debugging difficulties: Better error messages and logging
4. Customization needs: Configurable retry parameters
5. Production readiness: Proper error handling and monitoring guidance

Implementation Priority

1. High Priority: Fix code examples, add error type clarification
2. Medium Priority: Add troubleshooting section, improve structure
3. Low Priority: Add advanced configuration examples

This enhanced documentation would significantly improve user experience and reduce support requests.

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