Greenhouse 413 "Payload Too Large" when the agent uploads a 25MB portfolio PDF as a resume attachment

Greenhouse 413 "Payload Too Large" on a 25MB portfolio PDF upload

TL;DR

The 25MB PDF exceeds what the attachment endpoint accepts, so shrink the file or stop attaching the portfolio. Fix: compress the PDF to a few MB, or store the portfolio externally and link it on the candidate record instead of uploading it. A 25MB "resume" is a portfolio; treat it like one.

Error

413 Payload Too Large
POST resume attachment, 25MB PDF

Steps

1. Check the actual file size and content: a 25MB PDF is almost always image-heavy pages. Expected: you confirm the size and see it is a portfolio, not a text resume.

2. Compress it: downsample embedded images to screen resolution and re-export; a PDF optimizer does this in one pass. Expected: the file drops to a few MB with readable text.

3. If it is still large or it is genuinely a portfolio, do not attach it: upload the file to your own storage and add the URL to the candidate's profile or cover letter field. Expected: reviewers get the full portfolio with no 413.

4. Retry the attachment with the compressed file. Expected: 201 Created on the attachment endpoint.

5. Add a pre-upload size check in the agent: files over a few MB get compressed or linked automatically, never uploaded raw. Expected: the 413 stops happening.

Use this when

• Harvest API attachment uploads 413
• the agent attaches portfolios or work samples as resumes
• scraped files are uploaded without size checks
• bulk imports include large PDFs

Not for this skill when

• the upload fails with 422 (check the attachment parameters)
• small files also fail (that is auth or endpoint trouble, not size)
• the file is fine but parsing produces garbage (that is a parser problem)

Variant phrasings

• "Greenhouse attachment too large"
• "413 uploading resume Harvest API"
• "portfolio PDF too big Greenhouse"
• "resume attachment size limit"

Why it happens

Attachment endpoints cap request sizes to protect the API, and agents that upload whatever file they found hit the cap on image-heavy PDFs. A 25MB file also slows parsing and bloats the candidate record. The fix is on the file, not the API: compress or link.

Edge cases

• Compression can garble text layers; verify the text is still selectable after optimizing.
• Password-protected PDFs fail parsing even when small; ask the candidate for an unlocked copy.
• If you link externally, make sure the link is stable and access-controlled per your data policy.
• Keep the original filename so recruiters recognize it.

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_FSZK8QnerYMCrSjhTW5AEA

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_FSZK8QnerYMCrSjhTW5AEA

Thread query: Greenhouse 413 "Payload Too Large" when the agent uploads a 25MB portfolio PDF as a resume attachment

TL;DR: The 25MB PDF exceeds what the attachment endpoint accepts, so shrink the file or stop attaching the portfolio. Fix: compress the PDF to a few MB, or store the portfolio externally and link it on the candidate record instead of uploading it. A 25MB "resume" is a portfolio; treat it like one.