Document Downloads That No Longer Time Out

A download that stalls at 80 percent is useless, especially when the file is a paper book or a scanned set of pleadings you need before a hearing. We have fixed how Niyam handles secure document transfers so large files move cleanly from start to finish.

What changed

Documents in Niyam move through time-limited signed links. These links authenticate the request, keep files private to your workspace, and expire after use. The security model is correct — but the links were not being given enough time to cover a large or slow transfer. The result was:

• A large PDF that downloaded most of the way, then failed near the end, saving a truncated file that appeared complete but could not be opened properly.
• An upload of a scanned record that timed out on a slower connection, leaving nothing usable on either side.
• A link that returned an error a few minutes after it worked, because the generation was stale rather than the request being invalid.

Niyam now issues a fresh signed link for each transfer, with a lifetime sized to the file being moved rather than a fixed short window. The security properties remain the same — links are still private, still tied to your session, and still expire — but the window is now realistic for what a genuine transfer on a real-world connection requires.

Transfers are also validated end to end. If something genuinely does not complete, you find out immediately with a clear error rather than ending up with a half-saved file that gives no sign of being incomplete.

How to use it

1. Open a matter or document area and select Upload to add a file, or the download icon to retrieve one.
2. The transfer proceeds over a fresh signed link. Large PDFs, multi-page scanned records, and exhibit bundles go through in one pass.
3. For downloads, the file saves completely. If something does not complete, the error is surfaced clearly rather than left silent.

For most transfers, nothing will feel different — it should simply work where it was failing before.

Why it matters

A paper book for a constitution bench, a bundle of exhibits from the lower court, a scanned set of pleadings that runs to several hundred pages — these are exactly the documents you need before a hearing and exactly the size that was hitting the expiry window. A partial download leaves you in a worse position than if you had not started: you have a file you cannot use and less time to obtain the correct one.

The signed-link mechanism is not going away. A link that expires shortly after use and cannot be reused or shared is a meaningful protection for documents that contain client matter details. The fix is not about weakening that protection but about giving the link enough time to fulfil its purpose on a real connection rather than a theoretical fast one.

Uploads benefit equally. Sending a large scanned record from a district court, especially on a mobile connection at a courthouse, previously meant the upload might fail near the end and require a full retry. With appropriate link lifetimes, the transfer completes in one attempt.

Good to know

• Signed links remain short-lived by design and still expire after the transfer window closes. The fix extends the window to cover the transfer, not to leave links permanently reusable.
• Very large transfers on a congested or slow network will still take time, but they will no longer be cut off by an expiry before the file finishes moving.
• Your documents remain private to your workspace throughout. Nothing about this change affects who can access a file — only whether a legitimate transfer completes successfully.
• If you previously downloaded a file that appeared to save correctly but opened with errors or missing pages, re-downloading it will give you the complete version now that transfers complete cleanly.