diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/document_processors/escalation.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/document_processors/escalation.py
index 67af6c0a..75ca4e72 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/document_processors/escalation.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/document_processors/escalation.py
@@ -45,6 +45,13 @@ def escalation_tiers_signature(settings: Any) -> str:
     pin (``document_tier1_engine``). Enabling OCR changes the signature, so the
     pathological-but-OCR-recoverable documents dead-lettered while OCR was off are
     re-attempted automatically.
+
+    TODO: when a future setting can make a previously-terminal document parseable,
+    fold it in here so raising it auto-retries existing dead-letters. Two known
+    candidates: a new escalation tier becoming toggleable (e.g. the reserved
+    ``llm`` rung in ``TIER_LADDER``), and a raised oversize cap (an oversize PDF is
+    always-terminal, so without the cap in this signature it stays dead-lettered
+    until its etag changes even after an operator allows bigger files).
     """
     return (
         f"ocr={int(bool(settings.document_ocr_enabled))};"
diff --git a/nextcloud_mcp_server/vector/processor.py b/nextcloud_mcp_server/vector/processor.py
index c6f90526..4c3f4076 100644
--- a/nextcloud_mcp_server/vector/processor.py
+++ b/nextcloud_mcp_server/vector/processor.py
@@ -1108,7 +1108,11 @@ async def _index_document(
                                 user_id=doc_task.user_id,
                             )
                         except Exception:
-                            logger.debug(
+                            # A real Qdrant I/O failure (not control-flow): warn so
+                            # it's observable. Non-fatal -- the durable dead-letter
+                            # marker is already written, so the leftover volatile
+                            # placeholder is merely redundant.
+                            logger.warning(
                                 "Could not delete placeholder for dead-lettered %s",
                                 doc_task.doc_id,
                                 exc_info=True,