AWS Textract ProvisionedThroughputExceededException during batch contract OCR

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: You are calling a Textract API faster than your account's per-operation TPS quota allows. Slow the batch down (fewer concurrent jobs), add exponential backoff with jitter on this exact exception, and request a quota increase in Service Quotas if the workload legitimately needs more. The exception is retriable - do not treat it as a failed document.

ProvisionedThroughputExceededException

1. Identify which call is throttling (StartDocumentTextDetection, GetDocumentAnalysis, etc.) from your logs. Expected: one operation accounts for most exceptions - that is the quota you are hitting.

2. Cut concurrency for that operation to 1-2 in flight and re-run the batch. Expected: exceptions stop; jobs complete slower but steadily.

3. Wrap the call in retry logic that catches ProvisionedThroughputExceededException with exponential backoff and jitter. Expected: occasional throttles self-heal instead of failing the batch.

4. If the throttled pace cannot meet your deadline, open Service Quotas, find Textract, and request an increase for the throttled operation in your region. Expected: AWS approves a higher TPS (often within a day); re-run at the new pace.

Use this when

• batch Textract jobs fail partway with ProvisionedThroughputExceededException
• the same code works on small batches but dies on large ones
• you just parallelized the pipeline and throttling started

Not for this skill when

• the error is InvalidParameterException or UnsupportedDocumentException - that is a document problem, not a quota problem
• you hit the concurrent-jobs limit (different error, different fix: poll and space out job starts)
• the throttling comes from your own downstream database, not Textract

Variant phrasings

textract ProvisionedThroughputExceededException batch

aws textract throttling too many requests

textract StartDocumentAnalysis rate exceeded

Why it happens

Textract quotas are transactions-per-second per API operation, per region, per account. A batch loop that fires dozens of start calls at once blows past the default TPS in seconds. The service throttles instead of queueing, so unthrottled clients see failures, not delays.

Edge cases

• Sync (AnalyzeDocument) and async (Start*) operations have separate quotas - tune each.
• Polling GetDocumentAnalysis too aggressively throttles the poller, not the starter.
• Quota increases are per region; a us-east-1 increase does nothing for eu-west-1.
• Backoff without jitter can synchronize retries into the next throttle wave; always jitter.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstmxVeNCI-tTyv0eMmRHZkQ

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstmxVeNCI-tTyv0eMmRHZkQ

Thread query: AWS Textract "ProvisionedThroughputExceededException" during batch contract OCR

TL;DR:

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: Textract's PDF parser chokes on the signature structures inside a digitally signed PDF. Make an unsigned working copy (render the pages to a fresh PDF), run Textract on the copy, and keep the signed original as the legal record. Do not try to "fix" the signed file itself.

InvalidParameterException

1. Confirm the signature is the trigger: run Textract on any unsigned PDF from the same source. Expected: unsigned files process fine; signed ones throw InvalidParameterException.

2. Check the file structure: qpdf --check signed.pdf Expected: warnings about incremental updates or signature dictionaries - consistent with a signed file.

3. Render an unsigned working copy: gs -dBATCH -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=pdfwrite -sOutputFile=unsigned-working-copy.pdf signed.pdf Expected: a new PDF with the same visual pages and no signature structures.

4. Submit the working copy to Textract. Expected: the job starts and completes normally.

5. Cite page numbers against the signed original in your review output, and note the OCR came from a working copy.

Use this when

• Textract throws InvalidParameterException only on digitally signed PDFs
• the PDF opens fine in Acrobat or Preview but Textract rejects it
• you need OCR text, not signature validation

Not for this skill when

• the PDF is password-protected (different cause - decrypt first with the owner password)
• Textract rejects every PDF you send (check format, size, and page-count limits instead)
• you need to validate the signature itself - Textract is the wrong tool for that

Variant phrasings

textract InvalidParameterException signed pdf

aws textract fails on digitally signed document

textract signed pdf not supported workaround

Why it happens

Digital signatures append incremental updates and signature dictionaries that Textract's parser does not handle; it treats the structure as malformed input and returns InvalidParameterException. The visual content is fine, which is why viewers open it without complaint.

Edge cases

• Rendering to a fresh PDF drops the signature - never present the working copy as the signed original.
• Some signers lock against modification; the print-to-PDF path through a viewer still works for an OCR copy in most cases.
• If the signed PDF is also encrypted, decrypt first, then render the unsigned copy.
• Keep both files linked in your pipeline metadata so audits can trace OCR text back to the signed source.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_5CSZYqNvV5hJilaZYaO6Ug

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_5CSZYqNvV5hJilaZYaO6Ug

Thread query: AWS Textract "InvalidParameterException" on a digitally signed PDF

TL;DR:

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR: The synchronous process endpoint timed out - 400 pages of OCR never fit in its deadline. Switch to batch processing: drop the file in Cloud Storage, fire a batchProcess request, and poll the long-running operation. That path is built for exactly this size.

DEADLINE_EXCEEDED

1. Confirm you are calling the synchronous process method on a large document. Expected: yes - that combination is the classic trigger.

2. Upload the MSA to a Cloud Storage bucket the processor's service account can read. Expected: listing the bucket shows the file.

3. Submit a batchProcess request pointing at the Cloud Storage input and an output prefix. Expected: the API returns a long-running operation name immediately.

4. Poll the operation until done, then read the sharded JSON output from the output prefix. Expected: one JSON shard per chunk, with full OCR for all 400 pages.

5. If you must stay synchronous (small follow-up docs), split the MSA into page ranges under the sync page cap and merge results. Expected: each chunk processes within the deadline.

Use this when

• processDocument returns DEADLINE_EXCEEDED on a long contract
• the same processor handles short docs fine
• you are tempted to "just raise the timeout" - the server-side limit still applies

Not for this skill when

• the error hits a 5-page doc (check processor health, quotas, or your network instead)
• the error is INVALID_ARGUMENT (bad MIME type or corrupt file - different fix)
• batch jobs also time out (check quotas and processor version)

Variant phrasings

document ai DEADLINE_EXCEEDED large pdf

google document ai timeout 400 pages

document ai batch process vs synchronous process

Why it happens

Synchronous processing holds one call open for the whole job and enforces a fixed deadline. A 400-page MSA needs minutes of OCR; the deadline fires first. Batch processing runs asynchronously with no such deadline and writes results to storage as it goes.

Edge cases

• Batch output is sharded - your reader must concatenate shards in order.
• Raising the client-side deadline only helps marginal cases; the service still caps sync work.
• Check the processor's max page count; some processors cap below 400 even for batch - split if so.
• Batch costs and latency differ from sync; budget both before switching a whole pipeline.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstvrG2Hue3DwYP3afneQkZw

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstvrG2Hue3DwYP3afneQkZw

Thread query: Google Document AI "DEADLINE_EXCEEDED" on a 400-page MSA

TL;DR: