diff --git a/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.spec.ts b/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.spec.ts
index a360b7f760..f22693718a 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.spec.ts
@@ -121,4 +121,28 @@ describe('Document Parser', () => {
 
     await expect(parseDocument({ file })).rejects.toThrow('No text found in document');
   });
+
+  test('parseDocument() parses empty xlsx with only sheet name', async () => {
+    const file = {
+      originalname: 'empty.xlsx',
+      path: path.join(__dirname, 'empty.xlsx'),
+      mimetype: 'application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet',
+    } as Express.Multer.File;
+
+    const document = await parseDocument({ file });
+
+    expect(document).toEqual({
+      bytes: 8,
+      filename: 'empty.xlsx',
+      filepath: 'document_parser',
+      images: [],
+      text: 'Empty:\n\n',
+    });
+  });
+
+  test('xlsx exports read and utils as named imports', async () => {
+    const { read, utils } = await import('xlsx');
+    expect(typeof read).toBe('function');
+    expect(typeof utils?.sheet_to_csv).toBe('function');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.ts b/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.ts
index 94a563bc96..ab16534b45 100644
--- a/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.ts
+++ b/packages/api/src/files/documents/crud.ts
@@ -68,14 +68,17 @@ async function pdfToText(file: Express.Multer.File): Promise<string> {
 /** Parses Word document, returns text inside. */
 async function wordDocToText(file: Express.Multer.File): Promise<string> {
   const { extractRawText } = await import('mammoth');
-  const rawText = await extractRawText({ path: file.path });
+  const rawText = await extractRawText({ buffer: await fs.promises.readFile(file.path) });
   return rawText.value;
 }
 
 /** Parses Excel sheet, returns text inside. */
 async function excelSheetToText(file: Express.Multer.File): Promise<string> {
-  const { readFile, utils } = await import('xlsx');
-  const workbook = readFile(file.path);
+  // xlsx CDN build (0.20.x) does not bind fs internally when dynamically imported;
+  // readFile() fails with "Cannot access file". read() takes a pre-loaded Buffer instead.
+  const { read, utils } = await import('xlsx');
+  const data = await fs.promises.readFile(file.path);
+  const workbook = read(data, { type: 'buffer' });
 
   let text = '';
   for (const sheetName of workbook.SheetNames) {
diff --git a/packages/api/src/files/documents/empty.xlsx b/packages/api/src/files/documents/empty.xlsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6e54514f24
Binary files /dev/null and b/packages/api/src/files/documents/empty.xlsx differ