n8n-io/n8n · error · Error

Failed to parse docx

Error message

Failed to parse docx "${attachment.fileName}": ${message}

What it means

mammoth's extractRawText threw while parsing the (size-guard-passed) docx buffer — the file is structurally invalid OOXML: corrupted ZIP container, missing document.xml, or a non-docx file renamed to .docx. The message wraps the underlying parser error for diagnosis.

Solutions

Verify the file opens in Word/LibreOffice — a corrupt export or truncated upload is the usual cause
Re-save or re-export the document to produce a clean docx
If the file is actually another format (e.g. old .doc), convert it to .docx before attaching

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at packages/@n8n/instance-ai/src/parsers/docx-parser.ts:35 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

Understand the failure class

Parsing and encoding errors: unexpected token, malformed input — why parsers reject input and how to find the real culprit.

AI-assisted analysis of n8n-io/n8n@5ac6606e81 (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/815924898e397554. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at packages/@n8n/instance-ai/src/parsers/docx-parser.ts:35

export async function extractDocxText(attachment: AttachmentInfo): Promise<DocxExtractionResult> {
	const decoded = Buffer.from(attachment.data, 'base64');
	if (decoded.length > MAX_DECODED_SIZE_BYTES) {
		throw new Error(formatSizeLimitMessage(decoded.length));
	}
	assertOoxmlWithinBounds(decoded, attachment.fileName);

	const mammoth = await import('mammoth');
	const extractRawText = mammoth.extractRawText ?? mammoth.default?.extractRawText;
	if (typeof extractRawText !== 'function') {
		throw new Error('mammoth.extractRawText is not available');
	}

	let raw: { value: string };
	try {
		raw = await extractRawText({ buffer: decoded });
	} catch (error) {
		const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'unknown error';
		throw new Error(`Failed to parse docx "${attachment.fileName}": ${message}`);
	}

	const text = raw.value?.trim() ?? '';
	if (!text) {
		throw new Error(`docx "${attachment.fileName}" contains no extractable text.`);
	}

	if (text.length > MAX_RESULT_CHARS) {
		return { text: text.slice(0, MAX_RESULT_CHARS), truncated: true };
	}
	return { text, truncated: false };
}

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