[BUG] PDF Chatbot backend not responding (messages API returns error / no response) #116
Description
🐛 Bug Description
The PDF Chatbot backend is not responding when asking questions after uploading a PDF.
The UI shows:
“Sorry, I encountered an error processing your request. Please try again.”
This happens repeatedly even for simple questions like “what is this pdf about”.
The network request to the backend /api/pdf-chat/messages fails / does not return a valid response.
📝 Steps to Reproduce
Go to https://edulume.site/pdf-chatbot
Upload any PDF file
Click on Chat with PDF
Ask a question like:
what is this about
what is this pdf about
Observe the response
✅ Expected Behavior
The backend should respond with an AI-generated answer based on the uploaded PDF content.
❌ Actual Behavior
The chatbot returns an error message:
“Sorry, I encountered an error processing your request. Please try again.”
Backend endpoint does not respond properly / fails.
📸 Screenshots
Attached below:
Chat UI showing repeated error responses
Network tab showing request to /api/pdf-chat/messages not responding properly
🖥️ Environment
OS: Windows 11
Browser: Chrome (latest)
Node.js Version: N/A (web app usage)
Python Version: N/A (web app usage)
📋 Console Errors
Network details observed in DevTools:
Endpoint: /api/pdf-chat/messages
Server: Express (Fly.io)
The request fails and chatbot returns error message in UI.
📎 Additional Context
This issue prevents the core PDF chatbot functionality from working (no answers generated).
Looks like the backend might be failing due to missing env variables (API key), CORS/auth, or server-side processing error.
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