NGINX CRITICAL BUFFERING CACHE PROXY

docs/troubleshooting/connection-error.mdx

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ If you're experiencing connectivity problems with Open WebUI, especially when us
 You might be experiencing these issues if you see:
 - Empty responses like `"{}"` in the chat
 - Errors like `"Unexpected token 'd', "data: {"id"... is not valid JSON"`
+- Garbled markdown (visible `##`, `**`, broken formatting) during streaming—see [Streaming Response Corruption](#-garbled-markdown--streaming-response-corruption)
 - WebSocket connection failures in browser console
 - WebSocket connection failures in CLI logs
 - Login problems or session issues
@@ -108,6 +109,57 @@ To verify your setup is working:
 - ✓ Set proper `X-Forwarded-Proto` headers in your reverse proxy
 - ✓ Ensure HTTP to HTTPS redirects are in place
 - ✓ Configure Let's Encrypt for automatic certificate renewal
+- ✓ Disable proxy buffering for SSE streaming (see below)
+
+## 📝 Garbled Markdown / Streaming Response Corruption
+
+If streaming responses show garbled markdown rendering (e.g., visible `##`, `**`, or broken formatting), but disabling streaming fixes the issue, this is typically caused by **nginx proxy buffering**.
+
+### Common Symptoms
+
+- Raw markdown tokens visible in responses (`##`, `**`, `###`)
+- Bold markers appearing incorrectly (`** Control:**` instead of `**Control:**`)
+- Words or sections randomly missing from responses
+- Formatting works correctly when streaming is disabled
+
+### Cause: Nginx Proxy Buffering
+
+When nginx's proxy buffering is enabled, it re-chunks the SSE (Server-Sent Events) stream arbitrarily. This breaks markdown tokens across chunk boundaries—for example, `**bold**` becomes separate chunks `**` + `bold` + `**`, causing the markdown parser to fail.
+
+### Solution: Disable Proxy Buffering
+
+Add these directives to your nginx location block for Open WebUI:
+
+```nginx
+location / {
+    proxy_pass http://your-open-webui-upstream;
+    
+    # CRITICAL: Disable buffering for SSE streaming
+    proxy_buffering off;
+    proxy_cache off;
+    
+    # WebSocket support
+    proxy_http_version 1.1;
+    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
+    
+    # Standard proxy headers
+    proxy_set_header Host $host;
+    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+}
+```
+
+:::tip
+Disabling proxy buffering also **significantly improves streaming speed**, as responses stream byte-by-byte directly to the client without nginx's buffering delay.
+:::
+
+### For Other Reverse Proxies
+
+- **HAProxy**: Ensure `option http-buffer-request` is not enabled for SSE endpoints
+- **Traefik**: Check compression/buffering middleware settings
+- **Caddy**: Generally handles SSE correctly by default, but check for any buffering plugins
 
 ## 🌟 Connection to Ollama Server
 

docs/troubleshooting/performance.md

@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ If you are deploying for **enterprise scale** (hundreds of users), simple Docker
 *   **Redis (Mandatory)**: When running multiple workers (`UVICORN_WORKERS > 1`) or multiple replicas, **Redis is required** to handle WebSocket connections and session syncing. See **[Redis Integration](/tutorials/integrations/redis)**.
 *   **Load Balancing**: Ensure your Ingress controller supports **Session Affinity** (Sticky Sessions) for best performance.
 *   **Reverse Proxy Caching**: Configure your reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx, Caddy, Cloudflare) to **cache static assets** (JS, CSS, Images). This significantly reduces load on the application server. See **[Nginx Config](/tutorials/https/nginx)** or **[Caddy Config](/tutorials/https/caddy)**.
+*   **Disable Proxy Buffering (Critical for Streaming)**: If using Nginx, you **must** disable `proxy_buffering` for Open WebUI. Proxy buffering re-chunks SSE streams, causing garbled markdown and slow streaming. Add `proxy_buffering off;` and `proxy_cache off;` to your location block. See **[Streaming Troubleshooting](/troubleshooting/connection-error#-garbled-markdown--streaming-response-corruption)**.
 
 ---
 

docs/tutorials/https/nginx.md

@@ -38,6 +38,30 @@ proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
 
 :::
 
+:::danger Critical: Disable Proxy Buffering for SSE Streaming
+
+**This is the most common cause of garbled markdown and broken streaming responses.**
+
+When Nginx's `proxy_buffering` is enabled (the default!), it re-chunks SSE streams arbitrarily. This breaks markdown tokens across chunk boundaries—for example, `**bold**` becomes `**` + `bold` + `**`—causing corrupted output with visible `##`, `**`, or missing words.
+
+**You MUST include these directives in your Nginx location block:**
+
+```nginx
+# CRITICAL: Disable buffering for SSE streaming
+proxy_buffering off;
+proxy_cache off;
+```
+
+**Symptoms if you forget this:**
+- Raw markdown tokens visible (`##`, `**`, `###`)
+- Bold/heading markers appearing incorrectly
+- Words or sections randomly missing from responses
+- Streaming works perfectly when disabled, breaks when enabled
+
+**Bonus:** Disabling buffering also makes streaming responses **significantly faster**, as content flows directly to the client without Nginx's buffering delay.
+
+:::
+
 Choose the method that best fits your deployment needs.
 
 import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';

docs/tutorials/tab-nginx/LetsEncrypt.md

@@ -224,6 +224,7 @@ With the certificate saved in your `ssl` directory, you can now update the Nginx
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
             client_max_body_size 20M;
 
             proxy_no_cache 1;
@@ -257,6 +258,7 @@ With the certificate saved in your `ssl` directory, you can now update the Nginx
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
             client_max_body_size 20M;
 
             add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=300, must-revalidate";

docs/tutorials/tab-nginx/NginxProxyManager.md

@@ -79,6 +79,21 @@ Failure to do so will cause WebSocket connections to fail, even if you have enab
 
 :::
 
+:::danger Critical: Disable Proxy Buffering for Streaming
+
+**This is the most common cause of garbled markdown and broken streaming responses.**
+
+In Nginx Proxy Manager, go to your proxy host → **Advanced** tab → and add these directives to the **Custom Nginx Configuration** field:
+
+```nginx
+proxy_buffering off;
+proxy_cache off;
+```
+
+Without this, Nginx re-chunks SSE streams, breaking markdown formatting (visible `##`, `**`, missing words). This also makes streaming responses significantly faster.
+
+:::
+
 :::tip Caching Best Practice
 
 While Nginx Proxy Manager handles most configuration automatically, be aware that:

docs/tutorials/tab-nginx/SelfSigned.md

@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ Using self-signed certificates is suitable for development or internal use where
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
 
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
             client_max_body_size 20M;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;
 
@@ -68,6 +69,7 @@ Using self-signed certificates is suitable for development or internal use where
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
 
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
 
             client_max_body_size 20M;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;

docs/tutorials/tab-nginx/Windows.md

@@ -113,6 +113,7 @@ http {
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
 
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
             client_max_body_size 20M;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;
 
@@ -142,6 +143,7 @@ http {
             proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
 
             proxy_buffering off;
+            proxy_cache off;
             client_max_body_size 20M;
             proxy_read_timeout 10m;