connection (5003, HTTP 503) · TranscriptFetch API error

Could not connect to the upstream service. Transient, retry.

Number5003

HTTP status503Service Unavailable

Familytransient5xxx · transient, retry with backoff

Example response

JSON

{
  "ok": false,
  "request_id": "req_…",
  "error": {
    "code": "connection",
    "number": 5003,
    "message": "Could not connect to the upstream service. Transient, retry.",
    "docs": "https://transcriptfetch.com/docs/errors/connection"
  }
}

Every failure carries error.code, error.number, error.message and error.docs, plus at most one of retry_with (the request change that would succeed), details (structured specifics) or issues (validation problems).

What it means

Connection error. Could not connect to the upstream service. Transient, retry.

Shown to end users as: “We couldn't reach the transcript service. Please try again shortly.”

Why it happens

Connection error. Could not connect to the upstream service. Transient, retry.
Transient by definition: the same request may succeed a moment later.

What to do

Transient failure. Wait the seconds in the Retry-After header when present, otherwise back off about 30 seconds, then retry the same request.
Back off exponentially on repeats. Failed requests are never charged.

Retryable? Yes, after the Retry-After window (about 30 seconds when the header is absent), with exponential backoff on repeats. Every error response carries a request_id; include it when contacting support.