Say govips gives pixa no way to stop an encode; give AVIF's worst case

libvips can stop a running encode, but govips gives pixa no way to ask
it to, which README.md "Routes" and the Process and encode comments
now say in place of "libvips cannot stop an encode". The avifEffort
comment gives its 51 seconds as the RGB time and 110 seconds with an
alpha channel as the worst case, as README.md does.

Model: opus-5-5

README.md

@@ -319,9 +319,12 @@ fetch sends the first request's ID upstream, and the lines logged for the fetch
 and the transcode carry that ID.
 
 A transcode whose request's `downstream_timeout` has ended (for a shared one,
-the first request's) stops when it gets its processing slot or before it begins
-encoding, and gives the slot back. libvips cannot stop an encode once it has
-begun, so an encode keeps its slot until it finishes, which can be after
+the first request's) stops waiting for a processing slot, or, once it has one,
+gives it back without beginning to encode. A request waiting for a shared
+transcode that stops this way is answered 503 with the error
+`server busy, try again later`, though its own `downstream_timeout` may not have
+ended. govips gives pixa no way to stop libvips once an encode has begun, so an
+encode keeps its slot until it finishes, which can be after
 `downstream_timeout`. The limit of 8192 on each side of the source and of the
 output bounds how long that takes. With one libvips thread, as pixad runs it,
 encoding 8192x8192 random pixels takes up to about 1 second as JPEG, 15 as PNG,

TODO.md

@@ -30,6 +30,24 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-10-15 a transcode stops once its request's `downstream_timeout` has
+  ended, unless it has begun encoding (closes #243): the image processor looked
+  at its context only while it waited for a processing slot, so an image was
+  decoded and encoded, holding the slot, however long after its request's
+  deadline that took. `Process` now returns the context's error, and gives the
+  slot back, when the context has ended by the time it has the slot or before it
+  encodes. A request that waited for a shared transcode stopped at the first
+  request's deadline is answered 503 `server busy, try again later`, not 500,
+  though its own `downstream_timeout` may not have ended. govips gives pixa no
+  way to stop libvips once an encode has begun, so that encode keeps its slot
+  until it finishes; the limit of 8192 on each side of the source and of the
+  output bounds how long that takes. With one libvips thread, 8192x8192 random
+  pixels take up to about 1 second to encode as JPEG, 15 as PNG, 16 as GIF, 63
+  as WebP, 110 as AVIF and 96 as JPEG XL, the last three with an alpha channel,
+  plus up to about 11 seconds to decode the source; `README.md` gives these
+  times and no longer says the work stops when `downstream_timeout` ends. The
+  settings of the WebP, AVIF and JPEG XL encoders, which can hold a slot past
+  the default `downstream_timeout` of 60 seconds, are unchanged.
 - 2026-10-15 a cached variant is served while its source URL is in the negative
   cache (closes #245): `Get` checked the negative cache before the variant
   cache, so once a fetch of the source failed, as one does when another variant
@@ -59,21 +77,6 @@ P2: security: per-origin rate limiting
   and the query now have each `%` written as `%25` and each `:` as `%3A`; a path
   and query holding neither are signed and keyed as before. Signature
   Specification in `README.md` says so.
-- 2026-10-15 a transcode stops once its request's `downstream_timeout` has
-  ended, unless it has begun encoding (closes #243): the image processor looked
-  at its context only while it waited for a processing slot, so an image was
-  decoded and encoded, holding the slot, however long after its request's
-  deadline that took. `Process` now returns the context's error, and gives the
-  slot back, when the context has ended by the time it has the slot or before it
-  encodes. libvips cannot stop an encode once it has begun, so that encode keeps
-  its slot until it finishes; the limit of 8192 on each side of the source and
-  of the output bounds how long that takes. With one libvips thread, 8192x8192
-  random pixels take up to about 1 second to encode as JPEG, 15 as PNG, 16 as
-  GIF, 63 as WebP, 110 as AVIF and 96 as JPEG XL, the last three with an alpha
-  channel, plus up to about 11 seconds to decode the source; `README.md` gives
-  these times and no longer says the work stops when `downstream_timeout` ends.
-  The settings of the WebP, AVIF and JPEG XL encoders, which can hold a slot
-  past the default `downstream_timeout` of 60 seconds, are unchanged.
 - 2026-10-15 the example config allowlists no host (closes #249): it allowlisted
   `github.com` and `user-images.githubusercontent.com`, where anyone can put an
   image, so a deployment set up as Getting Started says served those images to

internal/handlers/image.go

@@ -240,7 +240,8 @@ func (s *Handlers) respondImageError(
 	}
 
 	if errors.Is(err, httpfetcher.ErrTooManyConnections) ||
-		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrTooManyImages) {
+		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrTooManyImages) ||
+		errors.Is(err, imgcache.ErrProcessingTimedOut) {
 		s.respondError(w, "server busy, try again later",
 			http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
 

internal/handlers/imageenc.go

@@ -158,7 +158,8 @@ func (s *Handlers) handleImageError(w http.ResponseWriter, err error) {
 	case errors.Is(err, httpfetcher.ErrUpstreamTimeout):
 		s.respondError(w, "upstream timeout", http.StatusGatewayTimeout)
 	case errors.Is(err, httpfetcher.ErrTooManyConnections),
-		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrTooManyImages):
+		errors.Is(err, imageprocessor.ErrTooManyImages),
+		errors.Is(err, imgcache.ErrProcessingTimedOut):
 		s.respondError(w, "server busy, try again later",
 			http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
 	case errors.Is(err, httpfetcher.ErrInvalidContentType),

internal/handlers/server_busy_internal_test.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package handlers
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
 	"net/http"
@@ -47,3 +48,40 @@ func TestServerBusyAnswers503(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+// TestProcessingTimedOutAnswers503 checks that respondImageError and
+// handleImageError, which answer the errors of the two image routes, answer
+// 503 with the server busy error when the image service reports that
+// processing stopped at the deadline of the request doing it, wrapped as the
+// service wraps it. A request that waited for that processing gets this error
+// while its own deadline may have time left. The request's source only goes
+// into a log line, so it is left empty.
+func TestProcessingTimedOutAnswers503(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	h := &Handlers{log: slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler)}
+	err := fmt.Errorf("%w: failed to encode: %w",
+		imgcache.ErrProcessingTimedOut, context.DeadlineExceeded)
+
+	plain := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.respondImageError(plain, &imgcache.ImageRequest{}, err)
+
+	encrypted := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	h.handleImageError(encrypted, err)
+
+	for name, rec := range map[string]*httptest.ResponseRecorder{
+		"respondImageError": plain, "handleImageError": encrypted,
+	} {
+		t.Logf("%s: status = %d, body = %q", name, rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+
+		if rec.Code != http.StatusServiceUnavailable {
+			t.Errorf("%s: status = %d, want %d",
+				name, rec.Code, http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+		}
+
+		if !strings.Contains(rec.Body.String(), "server busy, try again later") {
+			t.Errorf("%s: body = %q, want the server busy error",
+				name, rec.Body.String())
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/imageprocessor/deadline_internal_test.go

@@ -28,11 +28,23 @@ func (r *readerAfterDeadline) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
 	return r.data.Read(p)
 }
 
+// inputNotToBeRead is a Process input that fails the test when it is read.
+type inputNotToBeRead struct {
+	t *testing.T
+}
+
+func (r inputNotToBeRead) Read([]byte) (int, error) {
+	r.t.Error("Process read its input although its deadline had passed")
+
+	return 0, io.EOF
+}
+
 // TestProcessStopsWhenDeadlinePassed checks that Process returns
 // context.DeadlineExceeded, and holds no slot afterwards, when its context's
-// deadline has passed before it starts or while it reads its input. libvips
-// cannot stop an encode once it has begun, so Process must not begin one for
-// a request that has ended.
+// deadline has passed before it starts, then without reading its input, or
+// while it reads its input. govips gives pixa no way to stop libvips once an
+// encode has begun, so Process must not begin one for a request that has
+// ended.
 func TestProcessStopsWhenDeadlinePassed(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -45,7 +57,11 @@ func TestProcessStopsWhenDeadlinePassed(t *testing.T) {
 			time.Now().Add(-time.Second))
 		defer cancel()
 
-		checkProcessStopsAtDeadline(ctx, t, bytes.NewReader(input))
+		// With a slot free, the select in acquireSlot takes the slot or sees
+		// the ended context at random, so Process is called many times
+		for range 100 {
+			checkProcessStopsAtDeadline(ctx, t, inputNotToBeRead{t: t})
+		}
 	})
 
 	t.Run("while Process reads its input", func(t *testing.T) {

internal/imageprocessor/imageprocessor.go

@@ -209,8 +209,9 @@ func New(params Params) *ImageProcessor {
 // MaxConcurrentProcessing images are already being processed, it waits up
 // to ProcessingWaitTimeout for one to finish, then fails with
 // ErrTooManyImages. When ctx has ended once Process has a slot, or before it
-// encodes, it returns ctx's error and gives the slot back. libvips cannot stop
-// an encode once it has begun, so an encode keeps its slot until it finishes.
+// encodes, it returns ctx's error and gives the slot back. govips gives pixa
+// no way to stop libvips once an encode has begun, so an encode keeps its
+// slot until it finishes.
 func (p *ImageProcessor) Process(
 	ctx context.Context,
 	input io.Reader,
@@ -532,9 +533,9 @@ func (p *ImageProcessor) resize(
 
 const defaultQuality = 85
 
-// encode encodes an image to the specified format. libvips cannot stop an
-// encode once it has begun, so when ctx has ended encode returns ctx's error
-// without beginning one.
+// encode encodes an image to the specified format. govips gives pixa no way
+// to stop libvips once an encode has begun, so when ctx has ended encode
+// returns ctx's error without beginning one.
 func (p *ImageProcessor) encode(
 	ctx context.Context, img *vips.ImageRef, format Format, quality int,
 ) ([]byte, error) {
@@ -644,10 +645,11 @@ func exportWebP(img *vips.ImageRef, quality int) ([]byte, error) {
 
 // avifEffort is the AVIF effort, from 0 (fastest) to 9; 1 is the lowest
 // govips can set. With one thread, as pixad runs libvips, 1 takes about 51
-// seconds to save an 8192x8192 image of random pixels, the worst case,
-// against the default downstream_timeout of 60 seconds. On an image of
-// milder noise, which 1 saves in about 12 seconds, 2 takes nearly a minute
-// and libvips' default, 4, takes minutes.
+// seconds to save an 8192x8192 RGB image of random pixels, and about 110
+// with an alpha channel, the worst case, against the default
+// downstream_timeout of 60 seconds. On an image of milder noise, which 1
+// saves in about 12 seconds, 2 takes nearly a minute and libvips' default,
+// 4, takes minutes.
 const avifEffort = 1
 
 // avifBitdepth is the AVIF bit depth, 8 bits per sample for every image.

internal/imgcache/concurrent_misses_internal_test.go

@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/getsentry/sentry-go"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/httpfetcher"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/imageprocessor"
 	"sneak.berlin/go/pixa/internal/magic"
 )
 
@@ -435,6 +436,47 @@ func TestService_Get_ReturnsByItsDeadline(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestService_Get_WaiterGetsProcessingTimedOut has a request with no deadline
+// join the held fetch of a first request with a short one. With the only
+// processing slot held, the first request's transcode waits for it until the
+// first request's deadline ends, and stops then. The waiting request, whose
+// own context has not ended, must get ErrProcessingTimedOut, which the image
+// routes answer 503 as when pixa is busy.
+func TestService_Get_WaiterGetsProcessingTimedOut(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	svc, fixtures, fetcher := setupHeldFetchService(t)
+	svc.processor = imageprocessor.New(
+		imageprocessor.Params{MaxConcurrentProcessing: 1},
+	)
+
+	holdProcessingSlot(t, svc.processor)
+
+	const firstTimeout = 500 * time.Millisecond
+
+	firstCtx, cancelFirst := context.WithTimeout(t.Context(), firstTimeout)
+	defer cancelFirst()
+
+	first := startGet(firstCtx, svc, photoVariant(fixtures, 85, FitCover))
+
+	<-fetcher.started
+
+	waiter := startGet(t.Context(), svc, photoVariant(fixtures, 85, FitCover))
+
+	time.Sleep(arrivalWait)
+	fetcher.releaseFetches()
+
+	t.Logf("first request: Get() error = %v", (<-first).err)
+
+	got := <-waiter
+	t.Logf("waiting request: Get() error = %v", got.err)
+
+	if !errors.Is(got.err, ErrProcessingTimedOut) {
+		t.Errorf("waiting request: Get() error = %v, want %v",
+			got.err, ErrProcessingTimedOut)
+	}
+}
+
 // panickingFetcher panics on every fetch.
 type panickingFetcher struct{}
 

internal/imgcache/service.go

@@ -129,6 +129,12 @@ func NewService(cfg *ServiceConfig) (*Service, error) {
 // ErrNegativeCached is returned when a URL is in the negative cache (recently failed).
 var ErrNegativeCached = errors.New("request is in negative cache (recently failed)")
 
+// ErrProcessingTimedOut is returned when processing an image stopped because
+// the downstream_timeout of the request doing it ended, to that request and to
+// every request that waited for its image.
+var ErrProcessingTimedOut = errors.New(
+	"image processing stopped at the deadline of the request doing it")
+
 // Get retrieves a processed image, fetching and processing if necessary.
 // While its source URL is in the negative cache, a cached variant is still
 // served and a variant not in the cache is still made from a cached source;
@@ -549,7 +555,13 @@ func (s *Service) processAndStore(
 		FitMode: imageprocessor.FitMode(req.FitMode),
 	}
 
+	// ctx has the deadline of the request doing the processing, which can
+	// end while a request waiting for its image has time left
 	processResult, err := s.processor.Process(ctx, source, processReq)
+	if errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", ErrProcessingTimedOut, err)
+	}
+
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("image processing failed: %w", err)
 	}