Pinecone 5xx: transient server errors, retry with exponential backoff

TL;DR: 500, 502, 503, and 504 are Pinecone-side and usually transient. Retry with exponential backoff and jitter. Fix Retry with exponential backoff and jitter, capped delay, max retries. Retry only 5xx and 429.

The error

504 Gateway Timeout

The fix

1. 500 Unknown: internal server error.
2. 502 Bad Gateway: gateway got an invalid backend response.
3. 503 Unavailable: service temporarily unavailable.
4. 504 Gateway Timeout: backend too slow; can hit on heavy requests.
5. Retry only 5xx and 429. Never other 4xx.
6. Add jitter so a fleet of clients does not thunder-herd the recovery.
7. Log attempts with timestamps; you will need them if it persists. The Go SDK has this built in via RetryPolicy (covers 429 and transient 5xx plus gRPC UNAVAILABLE). Python and Node need the loop in your code; write it once in a helper, not per call site.

When to use this

• You are seeing this exact error message; match the block above, not just part of it.
• The failing call matches the scenario in the title: Pinecone 5xx.
• You want the fastest verified fix before digging through logs.

When not to use this

• Your error text differs from the block above; close cousins often have different causes.
• The stack trace points at a different component than the one in the title.
• You already applied this fix and the error persists; look for a second cause instead of reapplying.

Compatibility

• Not pinned to a specific version; follows current Pinecone behavior.