Prediction interrupted; please retry (code: PA) when passing a file object as input

TL;DR

Upload the file to a URL, a signed S3 URL works for private files, and pass the URL as the model input instead of the file object. Client libraries base64-encode file objects into the request body and the API caps request size; files around 20 MB or larger trip the limit. The Replicate website does exactly this internally.

The error

Prediction interrupted; please retry (code: PA)

Seen when calling replicate.run with a local file object, while the same model works from the Replicate website.

Fix it

1. Upload the file somewhere reachable. For private files, generate a signed S3 URL. Success check: the URL is fetchable (curl it) without authentication errors.

2. Pass the URL as the input instead of the file object:

   output = replicate.run(
       "model/name:version",
       input={"image": "https://your-signed-url/file.png"}
   )

   Success check: the prediction starts instead of interrupting immediately.

3. For files well under 20 MB, the file object path keeps working; only switch to URLs for large files. Success check: small files still succeed inline.

When this applies

• replicate.run with a local file object fails with (code: PA).
• The file is around 20 MB or larger.
• The same model and inputs work from the Replicate website.

When it does not apply

• A different error code; PA specifically means the interrupted-on-input path.
• Small files failing too; that points at the model or input schema, not size.
• You already pass URLs and still get PA.

Compatibility

• Replicate Python and JS clients (any recent version); the website is unaffected.
• Signed S3 URLs, presigned GCS URLs, or any public HTTPS URL.

Variant phrasings

• Prediction interrupted please retry code PA
• replicate.run file object prediction interrupted
• Replicate file input too large code PA

Why it happens

Client libraries send file objects inline as base64-encoded data in the request body, and the Replicate API enforces a request size limit. Files around 20 MB or larger exceed it, so the prediction is interrupted before it starts. The website uploads to a URL first, which is why the same model works there.

Edge cases

• Signed URLs expire; generate a fresh one per run for long-lived jobs.
• If the model needs multiple files, upload each and pass a list of URLs.