Batch Metadata Download Broken 9.2(?)

johnelle · 02-08-2026, 04:45 PM

I can download metadata manually but the batch download, which I use a lot, is failing in multiple ways:

Tried twice to do a 150 or so batch of books and both jobs were active for a while then I received the "Failed to Download" dialog
Restarted machine and did a smaller batch which essentially stopped making progress at 55% for more than 3 hours
Restarted Calibre without restarting Windows and tried with 100 or so books and its been running 5.5 hrs and is stuck at 64%

The VPN is off. Windows is up to date. Like I said the manual metadata download seems normal but the batch seems to be going off to never never land.

theducks · 02-08-2026, 05:01 PM

What sites are enabled?
More and more sites are now protected by Cloudflare and the block filter kicks in when traffic gets high.

DNSB · 02-08-2026, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnelle

I can download metadata manually but the batch download, which I use a lot, is failing in multiple ways:

I've seen that for longer than I care to think about. It seems the batch downloads are a great way to trigger DOS protection. One recent test with Amazon got me 2 good returns and then nothing. After ~2 hours, that repeated. If I did each of the books as a individual download, there were no issues likely because of my delays checking metadata and choosing covers.

johnelle · 02-09-2026, 09:37 AM

I tried the obvious VPN solution and I got another timeout on 137 metadata download. A may try a different node, but I'm all out of ideas. Any other suggestions?

Does it help to disable probing any particular service? Amazon being the most suspect.

johnelle · 02-09-2026, 02:51 PM

I tried a Canada node and things are just as bad if not worse. Looks like batch download is no longer an option for me unless somebody has another idea.

BetterRed · 02-09-2026, 03:20 PM

Every calibre metadata download represents a potential loss of revenue for Amazon, Google, etc, etc. It is in their interest to put a guard at their gate.

BR

DNSB · 02-09-2026, 03:38 PM

I think it is more of what appears to Amazon and other vendors' to be a denial of service attack. For my uses, the last large batch of books I got was a Humble Bundle which was large enough I tried the batch download and it stalled very rapidly. With the timeout required for the DOS block to expire, it was simply faster and easier to do individual updates.

During my testing on Amazon, I once triggered a simultaneous download of 17 Kindle and Fire firmware updates. The total download speed dropped from ~750Mbps to <1Mbps within 30 seconds and eventually all 17 downloads timed out.

johnelle · 02-12-2026, 06:41 AM

Yeah I have been experimenting over the last few days. Unchecking Amazon as a source actually causes the batch system to never start the downloads. Things are a little better without the VPN but it still hangs about 50%. The only way I have had a batch job complete is to select a tiny number (1-5) with Amazon turned on. Not really useable for me anymore. ISP is Verizon (US Fiber Connection). VPN is PIA.

02-08-2026, 04:45 PM	#1
johnelle Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	Batch Metadata Download Broken 9.2(?) I can download metadata manually but the batch download, which I use a lot, is failing in multiple ways: Tried twice to do a 150 or so batch of books and both jobs were active for a while then I received the "Failed to Download" dialog Restarted machine and did a smaller batch which essentially stopped making progress at 55% for more than 3 hours Restarted Calibre without restarting Windows and tried with 100 or so books and its been running 5.5 hrs and is stuck at 64% The VPN is off. Windows is up to date. Like I said the manual metadata download seems normal but the batch seems to be going off to never never land.

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02-08-2026, 05:01 PM	#2
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,512 Karma: 62503986 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	What sites are enabled? More and more sites are now protected by Cloudflare and the block filter kicks in when traffic gets high.

02-09-2026, 09:37 AM	#4
johnelle Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	I tried the obvious VPN solution and I got another timeout on 137 metadata download. A may try a different node, but I'm all out of ideas. Any other suggestions? Does it help to disable probing any particular service? Amazon being the most suspect.

02-09-2026, 02:51 PM	#5
johnelle Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	I tried a Canada node and things are just as bad if not worse. Looks like batch download is no longer an option for me unless somebody has another idea.

02-09-2026, 03:20 PM	#6
BetterRed null operator (he/him) Posts: 22,341 Karma: 30621608 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Sydney Australia Device: none	Every calibre metadata download represents a potential loss of revenue for Amazon, Google, etc, etc. It is in their interest to put a guard at their gate. BR

02-09-2026, 03:38 PM	#7
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 50,286 Karma: 178402650 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	I think it is more of what appears to Amazon and other vendors' to be a denial of service attack. For my uses, the last large batch of books I got was a Humble Bundle which was large enough I tried the batch download and it stalled very rapidly. With the timeout required for the DOS block to expire, it was simply faster and easier to do individual updates. During my testing on Amazon, I once triggered a simultaneous download of 17 Kindle and Fire firmware updates. The total download speed dropped from ~750Mbps to <1Mbps within 30 seconds and eventually all 17 downloads timed out.

02-12-2026, 06:41 AM	#8
johnelle Zealot Posts: 125 Karma: 2137668 Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Groton, MA Device: Kindle app on Samsung Tab	Yeah I have been experimenting over the last few days. Unchecking Amazon as a source actually causes the batch system to never start the downloads. Things are a little better without the VPN but it still hangs about 50%. The only way I have had a batch job complete is to select a tiny number (1-5) with Amazon turned on. Not really useable for me anymore. ISP is Verizon (US Fiber Connection). VPN is PIA.

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