diff --git a/libs/core/kiln_ai/utils/pdf_utils.py b/libs/core/kiln_ai/utils/pdf_utils.py
index a29e51d0e..dda2e6f06 100644
--- a/libs/core/kiln_ai/utils/pdf_utils.py
+++ b/libs/core/kiln_ai/utils/pdf_utils.py
@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 
 import asyncio
 import atexit
+import logging
 import tempfile
-from concurrent.futures import ProcessPoolExecutor
+from concurrent.futures import BrokenExecutor, ProcessPoolExecutor
 from contextlib import asynccontextmanager
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import AsyncGenerator
@@ -13,9 +14,22 @@
 import pypdfium2
 from pypdf import PdfReader, PdfWriter
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
 _pdf_conversion_executor: ProcessPoolExecutor | None = None
 
 
+def _reset_pdf_conversion_executor():
+    """Reset the PDF conversion executor, shutting down the old one if it exists."""
+    global _pdf_conversion_executor
+    if _pdf_conversion_executor is not None:
+        try:
+            _pdf_conversion_executor.shutdown(wait=False)
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        _pdf_conversion_executor = None
+
+
 # Lazy load for speed, singleton so dev-server reloading doesn't recreate the executor
 def get_pdf_conversion_executor() -> ProcessPoolExecutor:
     global _pdf_conversion_executor
@@ -72,13 +86,35 @@ def _convert_pdf_to_images_sync(pdf_path: Path, output_dir: Path) -> list[Path]:
 
 async def convert_pdf_to_images(pdf_path: Path, output_dir: Path) -> list[Path]:
     loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
-    result = await loop.run_in_executor(
-        get_pdf_conversion_executor(),
-        _convert_pdf_to_images_sync,
-        pdf_path,
-        output_dir,
-    )
-    return result
+    executor = get_pdf_conversion_executor()
+    try:
+        result = await loop.run_in_executor(
+            executor,
+            _convert_pdf_to_images_sync,
+            pdf_path,
+            output_dir,
+        )
+        return result
+    except (BrokenExecutor, RuntimeError) as e:
+        error_msg = str(e).lower()
+        if (
+            "process pool" in error_msg
+            or "child process" in error_msg
+            or isinstance(e, BrokenExecutor)
+        ):
+            logger.warning(
+                f"Process pool became unusable, recreating executor. Error: {e}"
+            )
+            _reset_pdf_conversion_executor()
+            executor = get_pdf_conversion_executor()
+            result = await loop.run_in_executor(
+                executor,
+                _convert_pdf_to_images_sync,
+                pdf_path,
+                output_dir,
+            )
+            return result
+        raise
 
 
 def _shutdown_pdf_conversion_executor():