Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm · warning · Error

Audio file exceeds maximum allowed length.

Error message

Audio file exceeds maximum allowed length.

What it means

Second length guard: after upsampling to 16 kHz the projected sample count (duration * 16000) must not exceed 230,400,000. Prevents memory blowup during transcription. In practice it triggers near the same point as error 26 for ~4 h audio.

Source

Thrown at collector/utils/WhisperProviders/localWhisper.js:57

      // 4kHz minimum
      throw new Error(
        "Audio file sample rate is too low for accurate transcription. Minimum required is 4kHz."
      );
    }

    // Typical audio file duration limits
    const MAX_DURATION_SECONDS = 4 * 60 * 60; // 4 hours
    if (duration > MAX_DURATION_SECONDS) {
      throw new Error("Audio file duration exceeds maximum limit of 4 hours.");
    }

    // Check final sample count after upsampling to prevent memory issues
    const targetSampleRate = 16000;
    const upsampledSamples = duration * targetSampleRate;
    const MAX_SAMPLES = 230_400_000; // ~4 hours at 16kHz

    if (upsampledSamples > MAX_SAMPLES) {
      throw new Error("Audio file exceeds maximum allowed length.");
    }

    return true;
  }

  async #convertToWavAudioData(sourcePath) {
    try {
      let buffer;
      const wavefile = require("wavefile");
      const { FFMPEGWrapper } = require("./ffmpeg");
      const ffmpeg = new FFMPEGWrapper();
      const outFolder = path.resolve(__dirname, `../../storage/tmp`);
      if (!fs.existsSync(outFolder))
        fs.mkdirSync(outFolder, { recursive: true });

      const outputFile = path.resolve(outFolder, `${v4()}.wav`);
      const success = await ffmpeg.convertAudioToWav(sourcePath, outputFile);
      if (!success)

View on GitHub (pinned to 526360e320)

Solutions

1. Chunk audio so the upsampled sample count stays under 230.4 M.
2. Validate the projection before loading the model.
3. Use a streaming/chunked transcription approach for long inputs.

Example fix

// before
const MAX_SAMPLES = 230_400_000;
if (upsampledSamples > MAX_SAMPLES) throw new Error("...maximum allowed length.");

// after — report the projection
if (upsampledSamples > MAX_SAMPLES)
  throw new Error(`Projected ${upsampledSamples} samples exceeds ${MAX_SAMPLES}.`);

function projectedSamples(wav, target = 16000) {
  return (wav.data.samples / wav.fmt.sampleRate) * target;
}
// if (projectedSamples(wav) > 230_400_000) chunk the input;

try { this.#validateAudioFile(wavFile); }
catch (e) {
  if (e.message.includes("maximum allowed length")) { /* split input */ }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Long audio whose upsampled footprint would exceed the budget: upsampledSamples = duration * 16000 > 230_400_000.

Common situations: Very long recordings; audio near the 4 h ceiling where the upsample projection tips over the limit.

Related errors

• Audio file duration exceeds maximum limit of 4 hours.
• No base URL was set.
• Audio file sample rate is too low for accurate transcription
• Invalid audio file: ${error.message}
• No OpenAI API key was set.

AI-assisted analysis of Mintplex-Labs/anything-llm@526360e320 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/55939947a6ed50dc. Report an issue: GitHub.