Use get_choice_from_env

docs/configuration.md

@@ -2066,6 +2066,18 @@ password. All of these options come from their similarly-named [Django settings]
 
     Defaults to None.
 
+#### [`PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE=<str>`](#PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE) {#PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE}
+
+: Which documents are sent to the remote OCR engine.
+
+    - `always`: every document of a supported file type is sent to the remote
+      engine, bypassing the local OCR engine.
+    - `workflow_only`: documents are processed locally unless a workflow
+      explicitly enables remote OCR for them, letting you use the remote engine
+      selectively.
+
+    Defaults to "always".
+
 ## AI {#ai}
 
 #### [`PAPERLESS_AI_ENABLED=<bool>`](#PAPERLESS_AI_ENABLED) {#PAPERLESS_AI_ENABLED}

docs/development.md

@@ -456,6 +456,20 @@ def score(
     return 10
 ```
 
+**Remote services**
+
+If your parser sends document content to a remote service, declare it:
+
+```python
+class MyCustomParser:
+    uses_remote_service = True
+```
+
+Paperless-ngx excludes such parsers when the document being consumed has not
+been marked for remote processing, so users can keep remote OCR off by default
+and enable it selectively with a workflow. Parsers that do not declare the
+attribute are treated as fully local and are always considered.
+
 **Archive and rendition flags**
 
 ```python

docs/usage.md

@@ -1090,11 +1090,16 @@ Paperless-ngx supports performing OCR on documents using remote services. At the
 [Microsoft's Azure "Document Intelligence" service](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/ai-services/ai-document-intelligence).
 This is of course a paid service (with a free tier) which requires an Azure account and subscription. Azure AI is not affiliated with
 Paperless-ngx in any way. When enabled, Paperless-ngx will automatically send appropriate documents to Azure for OCR processing, bypassing
-the local OCR engine. See the [configuration](configuration.md#PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE) options for more details.
+the local OCR engine. See the [configuration](configuration.md#PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE) options for more details. These
+settings can be supplied as environment variables or via **Application Configuration**.
 
 Additionally, when using a commercial service with this feature, consider both potential costs as well as any associated file size
 or page limitations (e.g. with a free tier).
 
+By default, every document of a supported file type is sent to the remote engine. To use it more selectively, set the
+[remote OCR mode](configuration.md#PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE) to `workflow_only`. Documents are then processed locally
+unless a workflow explicitly enables remote OCR for them, so you can limit the remote engine to particular documents.
+
 ## Architecture
 
 Paperless-ngx consists of the following components:

src-ui/messages.xlf

@@ -8488,67 +8488,67 @@
         <source>Delete version</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.html</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">146,147</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">145,146</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="9111284310237278846" datatype="html">
         <source>Error deleting version</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">164</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">158</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="1450293275912542759" datatype="html">
         <source>Error updating version label</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">197</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">191</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="3567158019134759286" datatype="html">
         <source>Uploading new version. Processing will happen in the background.</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">219</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">213</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="1549684689040001385" datatype="html">
         <source>Missing task ID.</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">232</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">226</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="205445381296663832" datatype="html">
         <source>Upload failed.</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">254</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">248</context>
         </context-group>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">278</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">272</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="8350861980330256599" datatype="html">
         <source>Error uploading new version</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">281</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">275</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="4050545381573552340" datatype="html">
         <source>Existing document added as a version.</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">324</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">318</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="8552490241798412439" datatype="html">
         <source>Error adding existing document as a version</source>
         <context-group purpose="location">
           <context context-type="sourcefile">src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts</context>
-          <context context-type="linenumber">329</context>
+          <context context-type="linenumber">323</context>
         </context-group>
       </trans-unit>
       <trans-unit id="6299008920007331381" datatype="html">

src-ui/src/app/components/admin/config/config.component.html

@@ -14,43 +14,48 @@
                 <a ngbNavLink>{{category}}</a>
                 <ng-template ngbNavContent>
                     <div class="p-3">
-                        <div class="row row-cols-1 row-cols-md-2 row-cols-lg-3 g-2">
-                            @for (option of getCategoryOptions(category); track option.key) {
-                                <div class="col">
-                                    <div class="card bg-light">
-                                        <div class="card-body">
-                                            <div class="card-title d-flex align-items-center">
-                                                <h6 class="mb-0">
-                                                  {{option.title}}
-                                                </h6>
-                                                <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link" title="Read the documentation about this setting" i18n-title [href]="getDocsUrl(option.config_key)" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer">
-                                                    <i-bs name="info-circle"></i-bs>
-                                                </a>
-                                                @if (isSet(option.key)) {
-                                                  <button type="button" class="btn btn-sm btn-link text-danger ms-auto pe-0" title="Reset" i18n-title (click)="resetOption(option.key)">
-                                                      <i-bs class="me-1" name="x"></i-bs><ng-container i18n>Reset</ng-container>
-                                                  </button>
+                        @for (section of getCategorySections(category); track section) {
+                            @if (section) {
+                                <h5 class="mt-4 mb-3">{{section}}</h5>
+                            }
+                            <div class="row row-cols-1 row-cols-md-2 row-cols-lg-3 g-2">
+                                @for (option of getCategoryOptions(category, section); track option.key) {
+                                    <div class="col">
+                                        <div class="card bg-light">
+                                            <div class="card-body">
+                                                <div class="card-title d-flex align-items-center">
+                                                    <h6 class="mb-0">
+                                                      {{option.title}}
+                                                    </h6>
+                                                    <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link" title="Read the documentation about this setting" i18n-title [href]="getDocsUrl(option.config_key)" target="_blank" referrerpolicy="no-referrer">
+                                                        <i-bs name="info-circle"></i-bs>
+                                                    </a>
+                                                    @if (isSet(option.key)) {
+                                                      <button type="button" class="btn btn-sm btn-link text-danger ms-auto pe-0" title="Reset" i18n-title (click)="resetOption(option.key)">
+                                                          <i-bs class="me-1" name="x"></i-bs><ng-container i18n>Reset</ng-container>
+                                                      </button>
+                                                    }
+                                                </div>
+                                                <div class="mb-n3">
+                                                    @switch (option.type) {
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.Select) { <pngx-input-select [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [items]="option.choices" [allowNull]="true"></pngx-input-select> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.Number) { <pngx-input-number [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [showAdd]="false"></pngx-input-number> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.Boolean) { <pngx-input-switch [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [showUnsetNote]="true" [horizontal]="true" title="Enable" i18n-title></pngx-input-switch> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.String) { <pngx-input-text [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-text> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.JSON) { <pngx-input-text [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-text> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.File) { <pngx-input-file [formControlName]="option.key" (upload)="uploadFile($event, option.key)" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-file> }
+                                                        @case (ConfigOptionType.Password) { <pngx-input-password [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-password> }
+                                                    }
+                                                </div>
+                                                @if (option.note) {
+                                                    <div class="form-text fst-italic">{{option.note}}</div>
                                                 }
                                             </div>
-                                            <div class="mb-n3">
-                                                @switch (option.type) {
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.Select) { <pngx-input-select [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [items]="option.choices" [allowNull]="true"></pngx-input-select> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.Number) { <pngx-input-number [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [showAdd]="false"></pngx-input-number> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.Boolean) { <pngx-input-switch [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]" [showUnsetNote]="true" [horizontal]="true" title="Enable" i18n-title></pngx-input-switch> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.String) { <pngx-input-text [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-text> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.JSON) { <pngx-input-text [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-text> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.File) { <pngx-input-file [formControlName]="option.key" (upload)="uploadFile($event, option.key)" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-file> }
-                                                    @case (ConfigOptionType.Password) { <pngx-input-password [formControlName]="option.key" [error]="errors[option.key]"></pngx-input-password> }
-                                                }
-                                            </div>
-                                            @if (option.note) {
-                                                <div class="form-text fst-italic">{{option.note}}</div>
-                                            }
                                         </div>
                                     </div>
-                                </div>
-                            }
-                        </div>
+                                }
+                            </div>
+                        }
                     </div>
                 </ng-template>
             </li>

src-ui/src/app/components/admin/config/config.component.spec.ts

@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ import { NgbModule } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap'
 import { NgSelectModule } from '@ng-select/ng-select'
 import { NgxBootstrapIconsModule, allIcons } from 'ngx-bootstrap-icons'
 import { of, throwError } from 'rxjs'
-import { OutputTypeConfig } from 'src/app/data/paperless-config'
+import {
+  ConfigCategory,
+  ConfigSection,
+  OutputTypeConfig,
+} from 'src/app/data/paperless-config'
 import { ConfigService } from 'src/app/services/config.service'
 import { SettingsService } from 'src/app/services/settings.service'
 import { ToastService } from 'src/app/services/toast.service'
@@ -158,4 +162,24 @@ describe('ConfigComponent', () => {
     component.resetOption('barcodes_enabled')
     expect(component.configForm.get('barcodes_enabled').value).toBeNull()
   })
+
+  it('should group options into sections within a category, or not', () => {
+    const sections = component.getCategorySections(ConfigCategory.OCR)
+    expect(sections).toEqual([null, ConfigSection.RemoteOCR])
+    expect(
+      component
+        .getCategoryOptions(ConfigCategory.OCR)
+        .map((option) => option.key)
+    ).toContain('output_type')
+    expect(
+      component
+        .getCategoryOptions(ConfigCategory.OCR, ConfigSection.RemoteOCR)
+        .map((option) => option.key)
+    ).toEqual([
+      'remote_ocr_engine',
+      'remote_ocr_api_key',
+      'remote_ocr_endpoint',
+      'remote_ocr_mode',
+    ])
+  })
 })

src-ui/src/app/components/admin/config/config.component.ts

@@ -74,8 +74,20 @@ export class ConfigComponent
     return Object.values(ConfigCategory)
   }
 
-  getCategoryOptions(category: string): ConfigOption[] {
-    return PaperlessConfigOptions.filter((o) => o.category === category)
+  getCategorySections(category: string): string[] {
+    return [
+      ...new Set(
+        PaperlessConfigOptions.filter((o) => o.category === category).map(
+          (o) => o.section ?? null // null means no section
+        )
+      ),
+    ]
+  }
+
+  getCategoryOptions(category: string, section: string = null): ConfigOption[] {
+    return PaperlessConfigOptions.filter(
+      (o) => o.category === category && (o.section ?? null) === section
+    )
   }
 
   initialConfig: PaperlessConfig

src-ui/src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.html

@@ -141,7 +141,6 @@
               i18n-confirmMessage
               [disabled]="!userIsOwner || !userCanEdit"
               (confirm)="deleteVersion(version.id)"
-              *pngxIfPermissions="{ action: PermissionAction.Delete, type: PermissionType.Document }"
             >
               <span class="visually-hidden" i18n>Delete version</span>
             </pngx-confirm-button>

src-ui/src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.spec.ts

@@ -1,16 +1,10 @@
 import { DatePipe } from '@angular/common'
 import { SimpleChange, signal } from '@angular/core'
 import { ComponentFixture, TestBed } from '@angular/core/testing'
-import { By } from '@angular/platform-browser'
 import { NgbModal } from '@ng-bootstrap/ng-bootstrap'
 import { NgxBootstrapIconsModule, allIcons } from 'ngx-bootstrap-icons'
 import { Subject, of, throwError } from 'rxjs'
 import { DocumentVersionInfo } from 'src/app/data/document'
-import {
-  PermissionAction,
-  PermissionsService,
-  PermissionType,
-} from 'src/app/services/permissions.service'
 import { DocumentService } from 'src/app/services/rest/document.service'
 import { SettingsService } from 'src/app/services/settings.service'
 import { ToastService } from 'src/app/services/toast.service'
@@ -37,9 +31,6 @@ describe('DocumentVersionDropdownComponent', () => {
   let finished$: Subject<{ taskId: string }>
   let failed$: Subject<{ taskId: string; message?: string }>
   let modalService: jest.Mocked<Pick<NgbModal, 'open'>>
-  let permissionsService: jest.Mocked<
-    Pick<PermissionsService, 'currentUserCan'>
-  >
 
   beforeEach(async () => {
     finished$ = new Subject<{ taskId: string }>()
@@ -56,9 +47,6 @@ describe('DocumentVersionDropdownComponent', () => {
       showError: jest.fn(),
       showInfo: jest.fn(),
     }
-    permissionsService = {
-      currentUserCan: jest.fn().mockReturnValue(true),
-    }
 
     await TestBed.configureTestingModule({
       imports: [
@@ -85,10 +73,6 @@ describe('DocumentVersionDropdownComponent', () => {
           provide: NgbModal,
           useValue: modalService,
         },
-        {
-          provide: PermissionsService,
-          useValue: permissionsService,
-        },
         {
           provide: WebsocketStatusService,
           useValue: {
@@ -159,31 +143,6 @@ describe('DocumentVersionDropdownComponent', () => {
     )
   })
 
-  it('should not show version delete buttons without document delete permission', () => {
-    fixture.destroy()
-    permissionsService.currentUserCan.mockReturnValue(false)
-    fixture = TestBed.createComponent(DocumentVersionDropdownComponent)
-    component = fixture.componentInstance
-    component.documentId = 3
-    component.selectedVersionId = 3
-    component.userIsOwner = true
-    component.userCanEdit = true
-    component.versions = [
-      { id: 3, is_root: true, checksum: 'aaaa' },
-      { id: 10, is_root: false, checksum: 'bbbb' },
-    ]
-
-    fixture.detectChanges()
-
-    expect(permissionsService.currentUserCan).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
-      PermissionAction.Delete,
-      PermissionType.Document
-    )
-    expect(
-      fixture.debugElement.queryAll(By.css('pngx-confirm-button'))
-    ).toHaveLength(0)
-  })
-
   it('beginEditingVersion should set active row and draft label', () => {
     component.userCanEdit = true
     component.userIsOwner = true

src-ui/src/app/components/document-detail/document-version-dropdown/document-version-dropdown.component.ts

@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ import {
   tap,
 } from 'rxjs/operators'
 import { DocumentVersionInfo } from 'src/app/data/document'
-import { IfPermissionsDirective } from 'src/app/directives/if-permissions.directive'
 import { CustomDatePipe } from 'src/app/pipes/custom-date.pipe'
 import { DocumentService } from 'src/app/services/rest/document.service'
 import { ToastService } from 'src/app/services/toast.service'
@@ -34,7 +33,6 @@ import {
   WebsocketStatusService,
 } from 'src/app/services/websocket-status.service'
 import { ConfirmButtonComponent } from '../../common/confirm-button/confirm-button.component'
-import { ComponentWithPermissions } from '../../with-permissions/with-permissions.component'
 import { AddExistingDocumentVersionDialogComponent } from './add-existing-document-version-dialog/add-existing-document-version-dialog.component'
 
 @Component({
@@ -46,15 +44,11 @@ import { AddExistingDocumentVersionDialogComponent } from './add-existing-docume
     NgbDropdownModule,
     NgxBootstrapIconsModule,
     ConfirmButtonComponent,
-    IfPermissionsDirective,
     SlicePipe,
     CustomDatePipe,
   ],
 })
-export class DocumentVersionDropdownComponent
-  extends ComponentWithPermissions
-  implements OnChanges, OnDestroy
-{
+export class DocumentVersionDropdownComponent implements OnChanges, OnDestroy {
   UploadState = UploadState
 
   @Input() documentId: number

src-ui/src/app/data/paperless-config.ts

@@ -54,6 +54,10 @@ export const ConfigCategory = {
   AI: $localize`AI Settings`,
 }
 
+export const ConfigSection = {
+  RemoteOCR: $localize`Remote OCR`,
+}
+
 export const LLMEmbeddingBackendConfig = {
   OPENAI_LIKE: 'openai-like',
   HUGGINGFACE: 'huggingface',
@@ -65,6 +69,15 @@ export const LLMBackendConfig = {
   OLLAMA: 'ollama',
 }
 
+export const RemoteOCREngineConfig = {
+  AZURE_AI: 'azureai',
+}
+
+export const RemoteOCRModeConfig = {
+  ALWAYS: 'always',
+  WORKFLOW_ONLY: 'workflow_only',
+}
+
 export interface ConfigOption {
   key: string
   title: string
@@ -72,6 +85,7 @@ export interface ConfigOption {
   choices?: Array<{ id: string; name: string }>
   config_key?: string
   category: string
+  section?: string
   note?: string
 }
 
@@ -181,6 +195,43 @@ export const PaperlessConfigOptions: ConfigOption[] = [
     config_key: 'PAPERLESS_OCR_USER_ARGS',
     category: ConfigCategory.OCR,
   },
+  {
+    key: 'remote_ocr_engine',
+    title: $localize`Remote OCR Engine`,
+    type: ConfigOptionType.Select,
+    choices: mapToItems(RemoteOCREngineConfig),
+    config_key: 'PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE',
+    category: ConfigCategory.OCR,
+    section: ConfigSection.RemoteOCR,
+    note: $localize`Enabling remote OCR sends documents to a third-party service for processing. Consider the privacy implications as well as potential costs before enabling.`,
+  },
+  {
+    key: 'remote_ocr_api_key',
+    title: $localize`Remote OCR API Key`,
+    type: ConfigOptionType.Password,
+    config_key: 'PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY',
+    category: ConfigCategory.OCR,
+    section: ConfigSection.RemoteOCR,
+  },
+  {
+    key: 'remote_ocr_endpoint',
+    title: $localize`Remote OCR Endpoint`,
+    type: ConfigOptionType.String,
+    config_key: 'PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT',
+    category: ConfigCategory.OCR,
+    section: ConfigSection.RemoteOCR,
+    note: $localize`Required when using the Azure AI engine.`,
+  },
+  {
+    key: 'remote_ocr_mode',
+    title: $localize`Remote OCR Mode`,
+    type: ConfigOptionType.Select,
+    choices: mapToItems(RemoteOCRModeConfig),
+    config_key: 'PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE',
+    category: ConfigCategory.OCR,
+    section: ConfigSection.RemoteOCR,
+    note: $localize`Which documents are sent to the remote engine. Use 'workflow_only' to keep remote OCR off unless a workflow enables it for a document.`,
+  },
   {
     key: 'app_logo',
     title: $localize`Application Logo`,
@@ -398,6 +449,10 @@ export interface PaperlessConfig extends ObjectWithId {
   barcode_enable_tag: boolean
   barcode_tag_mapping: object
   barcode_tag_split: boolean
+  remote_ocr_engine: string
+  remote_ocr_api_key: string
+  remote_ocr_endpoint: string
+  remote_ocr_mode: string
   ai_enabled: boolean
   llm_embedding_backend: string
   llm_embedding_model: string

src/documents/consumer.py

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ from documents.utils import copy_basic_file_stats
 from documents.utils import copy_file_with_basic_stats
 from documents.utils import run_subprocess
 from paperless.config import OcrConfig
+from paperless.config import RemoteOCRConfig
 from paperless.models import ArchiveFileGenerationChoices
 from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 from paperless.parsers import ParserProtocol
@@ -451,12 +452,19 @@ class ConsumerPlugin(
                 except Exception as e:
                     self.log.error(f"Error attempting to clean PDF: {e}")
 
+            # Workflows have already run at this point, so the metadata knows
+            # whether this document was singled out for remote OCR
+            allow_remote = (
+                self.metadata.remote_ocr or RemoteOCRConfig().remote_ocr_by_default
+            )
+
             # Based on the mime type, get the parser for that type
             parser_class: type[ParserProtocol] | None = (
                 get_parser_registry().get_parser_for_file(
                     mime_type,
                     self.filename,
                     self.working_copy,
+                    allow_remote=allow_remote,
                 )
             )
             if not parser_class:

src/documents/data_models.py

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ class DocumentMetadataOverrides:
     skip_asn_if_exists: bool = False
     version_label: str | None = None
     actor_id: int | None = None
+    remote_ocr: bool = False
 
     def update(self, other: "DocumentMetadataOverrides") -> "DocumentMetadataOverrides":
         """
@@ -57,6 +58,8 @@ class DocumentMetadataOverrides:
             self.actor_id = other.actor_id
         if other.skip_asn_if_exists:
             self.skip_asn_if_exists = True
+        if other.remote_ocr:
+            self.remote_ocr = True
         if other.version_label is not None:
             self.version_label = other.version_label
 

src/documents/search/_backend.py

@@ -266,7 +266,11 @@ class WriteBatch:
             if self._lock is not None:
                 self._lock.release()
 
-    def add_or_update(self, document: Document) -> None:
+    def add_or_update(
+        self,
+        document: Document,
+        effective_content: str | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
         """
         Add or update a document in the batch.
 
@@ -276,9 +280,11 @@ class WriteBatch:
 
         Args:
             document: Django Document instance to index
+            effective_content: Override document.content for indexing (used when
+                re-indexing with newer OCR text from document versions)
         """
         self.remove(document.pk)
-        doc = self._backend._build_tantivy_doc(document)
+        doc = self._backend._build_tantivy_doc(document, effective_content)
         self._writer.add_document(doc)
 
     def remove(self, doc_id: int) -> None:
@@ -419,17 +425,18 @@ class TantivyBackend:
     def _build_tantivy_doc(
         self,
         document: Document,
+        effective_content: str | None = None,
         viewer_ids: list[int] | None = None,
         viewer_group_ids: list[int] | None = None,
     ) -> tantivy.Document:
         """Build a tantivy Document from a Django Document instance.
 
-        A root document is indexed with its effective content, i.e. the newest
-        version's OCR text, so it is never indexed with its own outdated text.
-        Annotate the queryset with ``annotate_effective_content`` when indexing
-        more than a couple of documents, to resolve that without a query each.
+        ``effective_content`` overrides ``document.content`` for indexing —
+        used when re-indexing a root document with a newer version's OCR text.
         """
-        content = document.get_effective_content() or ""
+        content = (
+            effective_content if effective_content is not None else document.content
+        )
 
         doc = tantivy.Document()
 
@@ -577,7 +584,11 @@ class TantivyBackend:
 
         return doc
 
-    def add_or_update(self, document: Document) -> None:
+    def add_or_update(
+        self,
+        document: Document,
+        effective_content: str | None = None,
+    ) -> None:
         """
         Add or update a single document with file locking.
 
@@ -590,11 +601,12 @@ class TantivyBackend:
 
         Args:
             document: Django Document instance to index
+            effective_content: Override document.content for indexing
         """
         self._ensure_open()
         try:
             with self.batch_update(lock_timeout=_LOCK_TIMEOUT_SECONDS) as batch:
-                batch.add_or_update(document)
+                batch.add_or_update(document, effective_content)
         except SearchIndexLockError:
             logger.error(
                 "Search index lock exhausted for document %d after %d attempts; "
@@ -1015,6 +1027,7 @@ class TantivyBackend:
             ):
                 doc = self._build_tantivy_doc(
                     document,
+                    document.get_effective_content(),
                     viewer_ids=viewer_ids,
                     viewer_group_ids=viewer_group_ids,
                 )

src/documents/signals/handlers.py

@@ -794,12 +794,10 @@ def cleanup_user_deletion(sender, instance: User | Group, **kwargs) -> None:
 def add_to_index(sender, document, **kwargs) -> None:
     from documents.search import get_backend
 
-    # A newly consumed version is not searchable on its own, its content
-    # becomes the effective_content of the root document
-    if document.root_document_id:
-        document = document.root_document
-
-    get_backend().add_or_update(document)
+    get_backend().add_or_update(
+        document,
+        effective_content=document.get_effective_content(),
+    )
 
 
 def run_workflows_added(

src/documents/tasks.py

@@ -64,9 +64,9 @@ from documents.signals.handlers import send_websocket_document_updated
 from documents.utils import IterWrapper
 from documents.utils import compute_checksum
 from documents.utils import identity
-from documents.versioning import annotate_effective_content
 from documents.workflows.utils import get_workflows_for_trigger
 from paperless.config import AIConfig
+from paperless.config import RemoteOCRConfig
 from paperless.logging import consume_task_id
 from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 from paperless.parsers.registry import get_parser_registry
@@ -115,7 +115,10 @@ def index_document(self, document_id: int) -> None:
         )
         return
     with get_backend().batch_update() as batch:
-        batch.add_or_update(document)
+        batch.add_or_update(
+            document,
+            effective_content=document.get_effective_content(),
+        )
 
 
 @shared_task(
@@ -310,10 +313,7 @@ def bulk_update_documents(document_ids) -> None:
     from documents.search import get_backend
 
     document_ids = list(document_ids)
-    # Annotated so indexing below doesn't query the versions of each document
-    documents = annotate_effective_content(
-        Document.objects.filter(id__in=document_ids),
-    )
+    documents = Document.objects.filter(id__in=document_ids)
 
     for doc in documents:
         clear_document_caches(doc.pk)
@@ -338,10 +338,17 @@ def bulk_update_documents(document_ids) -> None:
 
 
 @shared_task
-def update_document_content_maybe_archive_file(document_id) -> None:
+def update_document_content_maybe_archive_file(
+    document_id,
+    *,
+    remote_ocr: bool = False,
+) -> None:
     """
     Re-creates OCR content and thumbnail for a document, and archive file if
     it exists.
+
+    Remote OCR is used only when the engine is configured to handle everything
+    or if explicitly asked for via ``remote_ocr``.
     """
     document = Document.objects.get(id=document_id)
 
@@ -351,6 +358,7 @@ def update_document_content_maybe_archive_file(document_id) -> None:
         mime_type,
         document.original_filename or "",
         document.source_path,
+        allow_remote=remote_ocr or RemoteOCRConfig().remote_ocr_by_default,
     )
 
     if not parser_class:

src/documents/tests/search/test_backend.py

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ from documents.search._backend import TantivyBackend
 from documents.search._backend import WriteBatch
 from documents.search._backend import get_backend
 from documents.search._backend import reset_backend
-from documents.signals.handlers import add_to_index
 from documents.tests.factories import CorrespondentFactory
 from documents.tests.factories import DocumentFactory
 from documents.tests.factories import DocumentTypeFactory
@@ -1031,81 +1030,6 @@ class TestHighlightHits:
         assert len(hits) == 0
 
 
-class TestVersionIndexing:
-    """
-    GIVEN:
-        - A root document whose new version has just been consumed, e.g. by
-          the password removal workflow action
-    WHEN:
-        - The consumption finished signal is handled
-    THEN:
-        - The root document is indexed with the new version's content, since
-          versions are not searchable on their own
-    """
-
-    def test_consumed_version_updates_root_entry(
-        self,
-        backend: TantivyBackend,
-        mocker: MockerFixture,
-    ) -> None:
-        root = Document.objects.create(
-            title="Statement",
-            content="",
-            checksum="VER1",
-            pk=90,
-        )
-        backend.add_or_update(root)
-        version = Document.objects.create(
-            title="Statement",
-            content="unprotected statement text",
-            checksum="VER2",
-            pk=91,
-            root_document=root,
-            version_index=1,
-        )
-        mocker.patch("documents.search.get_backend", return_value=backend)
-
-        add_to_index(sender=None, document=version)
-
-        assert backend.search_ids("unprotected", user=None) == [root.pk]
-
-
-class TestEffectiveContentIndexing:
-    """
-    GIVEN:
-        - A root document with a newer version
-    WHEN:
-        - The root document is indexed
-    THEN:
-        - The newest version's content is indexed, never the root's own
-          outdated text
-    """
-
-    def test_root_is_indexed_with_latest_version_content(
-        self,
-        backend: TantivyBackend,
-    ) -> None:
-        root = Document.objects.create(
-            title="Statement",
-            content="stale original text",
-            checksum="EFF1",
-            pk=95,
-        )
-        Document.objects.create(
-            title="Statement",
-            content="latest version text",
-            checksum="EFF2",
-            pk=96,
-            root_document=root,
-            version_index=1,
-        )
-
-        backend.add_or_update(root)
-
-        assert backend.search_ids("latest", user=None) == [root.pk]
-        assert backend.search_ids("stale", user=None) == []
-
-
 class TestIndexDirectoryGarbageCollection:
     """Regression tests for Tantivy segment files leaking on disk when
     multiple long-lived worker processes (Granian/Celery) take turns writing

src/documents/tests/test_api_app_config.py

@@ -72,6 +72,10 @@ class TestApiAppConfig(DirectoriesMixin, APITestCase):
                 "barcode_enable_tag": None,
                 "barcode_tag_mapping": None,
                 "barcode_tag_split": None,
+                "remote_ocr_engine": None,
+                "remote_ocr_api_key": None,
+                "remote_ocr_endpoint": None,
+                "remote_ocr_mode": None,
                 "ai_enabled": False,
                 "llm_embedding_backend": None,
                 "llm_embedding_model": None,
@@ -870,6 +874,49 @@ class TestApiAppConfig(DirectoriesMixin, APITestCase):
         config.refresh_from_db()
         self.assertEqual(config.llm_api_key, None)
 
+    def test_update_remote_ocr_api_key(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN:
+            - Existing config with remote_ocr_api_key specified
+        WHEN:
+            - API to update remote_ocr_api_key is called with all *s
+            - API to update remote_ocr_api_key is called with empty string
+        THEN:
+            - remote_ocr_api_key is unchanged
+            - remote_ocr_api_key is set to None
+        """
+        config = ApplicationConfiguration.objects.first()
+        assert config is not None
+        config.remote_ocr_api_key = "1234567890"
+        config.save()
+
+        # Test with all *
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            f"{self.ENDPOINT}1/",
+            json.dumps(
+                {
+                    "remote_ocr_api_key": "*" * 32,
+                },
+            ),
+            content_type="application/json",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, status.HTTP_200_OK)
+        config.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(config.remote_ocr_api_key, "1234567890")
+        # Test with empty string
+        response = self.client.patch(
+            f"{self.ENDPOINT}1/",
+            json.dumps(
+                {
+                    "remote_ocr_api_key": "",
+                },
+            ),
+            content_type="application/json",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, status.HTTP_200_OK)
+        config.refresh_from_db()
+        self.assertEqual(config.remote_ocr_api_key, None)
+
     def test_enable_ai_index_triggers_update(self) -> None:
         """
         GIVEN:

src/documents/tests/test_consumer.py

@@ -1559,6 +1559,72 @@ class PostConsumeTestCase(DirectoriesMixin, GetConsumerMixin, TestCase):
                         consumer.run_post_consume_script(doc)
 
 
+class TestConsumerRemoteOCR(
+    DirectoriesMixin,
+    FileSystemAssertsMixin,
+    GetConsumerMixin,
+    TestCase,
+):
+    """
+    The consumer resolves the remote OCR mode and the per-document request from
+    workflows into the allow_remote flag it hands to the parser registry.
+    """
+
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
+        super().setUp()
+
+        patcher = mock.patch("documents.consumer.get_parser_registry")
+        self.mock_registry = patcher.start()
+        self.mock_registry.return_value.get_parser_for_file.return_value = DummyParser
+        self.addCleanup(patcher.stop)
+
+    def _consume(self, *, overrides: DocumentMetadataOverrides | None = None) -> bool:
+        src = (
+            Path(__file__).parent
+            / "samples"
+            / "documents"
+            / "originals"
+            / "0000001.pdf"
+        )
+        dst = self.dirs.scratch_dir / "sample.pdf"
+        shutil.copy(src, dst)
+
+        with self.get_consumer(dst, overrides=overrides) as consumer:
+            consumer.run()
+
+        _, kwargs = self.mock_registry.return_value.get_parser_for_file.call_args
+        return kwargs["allow_remote"]
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="always")
+    def test_always_mode_allows_remote(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: Remote OCR mode is 'always'.
+        WHEN:  A document is consumed without any workflow asking for it.
+        THEN:  The registry is allowed to pick the remote parser.
+        """
+        self.assertTrue(self._consume())
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="workflow_only")
+    def test_workflow_only_mode_denies_remote_by_default(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: Remote OCR mode is 'workflow_only'.
+        WHEN:  A document is consumed and nothing asked for remote OCR.
+        THEN:  The remote parser is excluded.
+        """
+        self.assertFalse(self._consume())
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="workflow_only")
+    def test_workflow_only_mode_allows_remote_when_requested(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: Remote OCR mode is 'workflow_only'.
+        WHEN:  A workflow set remote_ocr on the metadata overrides.
+        THEN:  The registry is allowed to pick the remote parser.
+        """
+        self.assertTrue(
+            self._consume(overrides=DocumentMetadataOverrides(remote_ocr=True)),
+        )
+
+
 class TestMetadataOverrides(TestCase):
     def test_update_skip_asn_if_exists(self) -> None:
         base = DocumentMetadataOverrides()
@@ -1566,6 +1632,20 @@ class TestMetadataOverrides(TestCase):
         base.update(incoming)
         self.assertTrue(base.skip_asn_if_exists)
 
+    def test_update_remote_ocr(self) -> None:
+        base = DocumentMetadataOverrides()
+        base.update(DocumentMetadataOverrides(remote_ocr=True))
+        self.assertTrue(base.remote_ocr)
+
+    def test_update_remote_ocr_is_not_unset(self) -> None:
+        """
+        A later workflow that says nothing must not undo an earlier one that
+        asked for remote OCR.
+        """
+        base = DocumentMetadataOverrides(remote_ocr=True)
+        base.update(DocumentMetadataOverrides())
+        self.assertTrue(base.remote_ocr)
+
     def test_update_actor_and_version_label(self) -> None:
         base = DocumentMetadataOverrides(
             actor_id=1,

src/documents/tests/test_tasks.py

@@ -287,6 +287,45 @@ class TestUpdateContent(DirectoriesMixin, TestCase):
         self.assertNotEqual(Document.objects.get(pk=doc.pk).content, "test")
 
 
+class TestUpdateContentRemoteOCR(DirectoriesMixin, TestCase):
+    """
+    Consumption workflows do not run on reprocess, so the remote parser is
+    used only in 'always' mode or when the caller explicitly asks for it.
+    """
+
+    def setUp(self) -> None:
+        super().setUp()
+
+        patcher = mock.patch("documents.tasks.get_parser_registry")
+        self.mock_registry = patcher.start()
+        self.mock_registry.return_value.get_parser_for_file.return_value = None
+        self.addCleanup(patcher.stop)
+
+        self.doc = Document.objects.create(
+            title="test",
+            content="my document",
+            checksum="wow",
+            mime_type="application/pdf",
+        )
+
+    def _allow_remote(self, **kwargs) -> bool:
+        tasks.update_document_content_maybe_archive_file(self.doc.pk, **kwargs)
+        _, call_kwargs = self.mock_registry.return_value.get_parser_for_file.call_args
+        return call_kwargs["allow_remote"]
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="always")
+    def test_always_mode_allows_remote(self) -> None:
+        self.assertTrue(self._allow_remote())
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="workflow_only")
+    def test_workflow_only_mode_denies_remote_by_default(self) -> None:
+        self.assertFalse(self._allow_remote())
+
+    @override_settings(REMOTE_OCR_MODE="workflow_only")
+    def test_workflow_only_mode_allows_remote_when_requested(self) -> None:
+        self.assertTrue(self._allow_remote(remote_ocr=True))
+
+
 class TestAIIndex(DirectoriesMixin, TestCase):
     @override_settings(
         AI_ENABLED=True,

src/documents/versioning.py

@@ -6,10 +6,7 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 from typing import Any
 
 from django.db.models import F
-from django.db.models import OuterRef
 from django.db.models import QuerySet
-from django.db.models import Subquery
-from django.db.models.functions import Coalesce
 
 from documents.models import Document
 
@@ -25,24 +22,6 @@ def versions_newest_first(documents: QuerySet[Document]) -> QuerySet[Document]:
     return documents.order_by(F("version_index").desc(nulls_last=True), "-id")
 
 
-def annotate_effective_content(documents: QuerySet[Document]) -> QuerySet[Document]:
-    """
-    Annotates documents with the content of their newest version, falling back
-    to their own, so get_effective_content() can answer from the row rather
-    than querying for the versions of each document
-    """
-    return documents.annotate(
-        effective_content=Coalesce(
-            Subquery(
-                versions_newest_first(
-                    Document.objects.filter(root_document=OuterRef("pk")),
-                ).values("content")[:1],
-            ),
-            F("content"),
-        ),
-    )
-
-
 def sort_versions_newest_first(documents: list[Document]) -> list[Document]:
     """
     Same sorting as versions_newest_first()

src/locale/en_US/LC_MESSAGES/django.po

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ msgid ""
 msgstr ""
 "Project-Id-Version: paperless-ngx\n"
 "Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: \n"
-"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-08-19 18:18+0000\n"
+"POT-Creation-Date: 2026-08-19 14:23+0000\n"
 "PO-Revision-Date: 2022-02-17 04:17\n"
 "Last-Translator: \n"
 "Language-Team: English\n"
@@ -2170,151 +2170,151 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "paperless application settings"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:562
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:556
 msgid "English (US)"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:563
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:557
 msgid "Arabic"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:564
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:558
 msgid "Afrikaans"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:565
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:559
 msgid "Belarusian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:566
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:560
 msgid "Bulgarian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:567
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:561
 msgid "Catalan"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:568
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:562
 msgid "Czech"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:569
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:563
 msgid "Danish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:570
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:564
 msgid "German"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:571
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:565
 msgid "Greek"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:572
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:566
 msgid "English (GB)"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:573
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:567
 msgid "Spanish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:574
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:568
 msgid "Persian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:575
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:569
 msgid "Finnish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:576
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:570
 msgid "French"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:577
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:571
 msgid "Hungarian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:578
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:572
 msgid "Indonesian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:579
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:573
 msgid "Italian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:580
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:574
 msgid "Japanese"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:581
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:575
 msgid "Korean"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:582
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:576
 msgid "Luxembourgish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:583
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:577
 msgid "Norwegian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:584
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:578
 msgid "Dutch"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:585
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:579
 msgid "Polish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:586
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:580
 msgid "Portuguese (Brazil)"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:587
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:581
 msgid "Portuguese"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:588
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:582
 msgid "Romanian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:589
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:583
 msgid "Russian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:590
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:584
 msgid "Slovak"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:591
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:585
 msgid "Slovenian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:592
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:586
 msgid "Serbian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:593
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:587
 msgid "Swedish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:594
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:588
 msgid "Turkish"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:595
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:589
 msgid "Ukrainian"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:596
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:590
 msgid "Vietnamese"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:597
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:591
 msgid "Chinese Simplified"
 msgstr ""
 
-#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:598
+#: paperless/settings/__init__.py:592
 msgid "Chinese Traditional"
 msgstr ""
 

src/paperless/checks.py

@@ -337,20 +337,6 @@ def check_deprecated_v2_ocr_env_vars(
     return warnings
 
 
-@register()
-def check_remote_parser_configured(app_configs: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> list[Error]:
-    if settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE == "azureai" and not (
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT and settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY
-    ):
-        return [
-            Error(
-                "Azure AI remote parser requires endpoint and API key to be configured.",
-            ),
-        ]
-
-    return []
-
-
 def get_tesseract_langs():
     proc = subprocess.run(
         [shutil.which("tesseract"), "--list-langs"],

src/paperless/config.py

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ from paperless.models import CleanChoices
 from paperless.models import ColorConvertChoices
 from paperless.models import ModeChoices
 from paperless.models import OutputTypeChoices
+from paperless.models import RemoteOCRMode
 
 
 @dataclasses.dataclass
@@ -185,6 +186,45 @@ class GeneralConfig(BaseConfig):
         self.app_logo = app_config.app_logo.url if app_config.app_logo else None
 
 
+@dataclasses.dataclass
+class RemoteOCRConfig(BaseConfig):
+    """
+    Settings for the remote (cloud) OCR parser
+    """
+
+    remote_ocr_engine: str | None = dataclasses.field(init=False)
+    remote_ocr_api_key: str | None = dataclasses.field(init=False)
+    remote_ocr_endpoint: str | None = dataclasses.field(init=False)
+    remote_ocr_mode: RemoteOCRMode = dataclasses.field(init=False)
+
+    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
+        app_config = self._get_config_instance()
+
+        self.remote_ocr_engine = (
+            app_config.remote_ocr_engine or settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE
+        )
+        self.remote_ocr_api_key = (
+            app_config.remote_ocr_api_key or settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY
+        )
+        self.remote_ocr_endpoint = (
+            app_config.remote_ocr_endpoint or settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT
+        )
+        self.remote_ocr_mode = app_config.remote_ocr_mode or RemoteOCRMode(
+            settings.REMOTE_OCR_MODE,
+        )
+
+    @property
+    def remote_ocr_by_default(self) -> bool:
+        """
+        Whether every supported document goes to the remote engine.
+
+        When False the remote engine is used only for documents that
+        explicitly asked for it, i.e. a workflow matched during consumption or
+        the user ticked the box when reprocessing.
+        """
+        return self.remote_ocr_mode == RemoteOCRMode.ALWAYS
+
+
 @dataclasses.dataclass
 class AIConfig(BaseConfig):
     """

src/paperless/migrations/0014_applicationconfiguration_remote_ocr_api_key_and_more.py

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Generated by Django 5.2.16 on 2026-08-10 14:37
+
+from django.db import migrations
+from django.db import models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+    dependencies = [
+        ("paperless", "0013_applicationconfiguration_llm_request_timeout"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name="applicationconfiguration",
+            name="remote_ocr_api_key",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                blank=True,
+                max_length=1024,
+                null=True,
+                verbose_name="Sets the remote OCR API key",
+            ),
+        ),
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name="applicationconfiguration",
+            name="remote_ocr_endpoint",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                blank=True,
+                max_length=256,
+                null=True,
+                verbose_name="Sets the remote OCR endpoint",
+            ),
+        ),
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name="applicationconfiguration",
+            name="remote_ocr_engine",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                blank=True,
+                choices=[("azureai", "Azure AI Document Intelligence")],
+                max_length=32,
+                null=True,
+                verbose_name="Sets the remote OCR engine",
+            ),
+        ),
+    ]

src/paperless/migrations/0015_applicationconfiguration_remote_ocr_mode.py

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# Generated by Django 5.2.16 on 2026-08-10 15:43
+
+from django.db import migrations
+from django.db import models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+    dependencies = [
+        ("paperless", "0014_applicationconfiguration_remote_ocr_api_key_and_more"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name="applicationconfiguration",
+            name="remote_ocr_mode",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                blank=True,
+                choices=[
+                    ("always", "All supported documents"),
+                    ("workflow_only", "Only when a workflow enables it"),
+                ],
+                max_length=32,
+                null=True,
+                verbose_name="Sets which documents are sent to the remote OCR engine",
+            ),
+        ),
+    ]

src/paperless/models.py

@@ -74,6 +74,23 @@ class ColorConvertChoices(models.TextChoices):
     CMYK = ("CMYK", _("CMYK"))
 
 
+class RemoteOCREngine(models.TextChoices):
+    """
+    Matches to PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE
+    """
+
+    AZURE_AI = ("azureai", _("Azure AI Document Intelligence"))
+
+
+class RemoteOCRMode(models.TextChoices):
+    """
+    Matches to PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE
+    """
+
+    ALWAYS = ("always", _("All supported documents"))
+    WORKFLOW_ONLY = ("workflow_only", _("Only when a workflow enables it"))
+
+
 class LLMEmbeddingBackend(models.TextChoices):
     OPENAI_LIKE = ("openai-like", _("OpenAI-compatible"))
     HUGGINGFACE = ("huggingface", _("Huggingface"))
@@ -286,6 +303,44 @@ class ApplicationConfiguration(AbstractSingletonModel):
         null=True,
     )
 
+    """
+    Settings for the remote OCR parser
+    """
+
+    # PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE
+    remote_ocr_engine = models.CharField(
+        verbose_name=_("Sets the remote OCR engine"),
+        blank=True,
+        null=True,
+        max_length=32,
+        choices=RemoteOCREngine.choices,
+    )
+
+    # PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY
+    remote_ocr_api_key = models.CharField(
+        verbose_name=_("Sets the remote OCR API key"),
+        blank=True,
+        null=True,
+        max_length=1024,
+    )
+
+    # PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT
+    remote_ocr_endpoint = models.CharField(
+        verbose_name=_("Sets the remote OCR endpoint"),
+        blank=True,
+        null=True,
+        max_length=256,
+    )
+
+    # PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE
+    remote_ocr_mode = models.CharField(
+        verbose_name=_("Sets which documents are sent to the remote OCR engine"),
+        blank=True,
+        null=True,
+        max_length=32,
+        choices=RemoteOCRMode.choices,
+    )
+
     """
     AI related settings
     """

src/paperless/parsers/__init__.py

@@ -134,6 +134,11 @@ class ParserProtocol(Protocol):
         Author or organisation name.
     url : str
         URL for documentation, source code, or issue tracker.
+
+    Parsers that send document content to a remote service should additionally
+    set ``uses_remote_service = True`` so the registry can exclude them when
+    remote processing has not been requested for a document. The attribute is
+    optional so a parser that omits it is treated as fully local.
     """
 
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -145,6 +150,10 @@ class ParserProtocol(Protocol):
     author: str
     url: str
 
+    # NOTE: uses_remote_service is not declared here, the registry reads it
+    # with getattr(cls, ..., False) for backwards-compatibility with existing
+    # parsers
+
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Class methods
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------

src/paperless/parsers/registry.py

@@ -334,6 +334,8 @@ class ParserRegistry:
         mime_type: str,
         filename: str,
         path: Path | None = None,
+        *,
+        allow_remote: bool = True,
     ) -> type[ParserProtocol] | None:
         """Return the best parser class for the given file, or None.
 
@@ -359,6 +361,11 @@ class ParserRegistry:
         path:
             Optional filesystem path to the file. Forwarded to each
             parser's score method.
+        allow_remote:
+            When False, parsers that declare ``uses_remote_service = True``
+            are excluded from consideration, so a document is never sent to
+            a remote service. Parsers that do not declare the attribute
+            are treated as local and are always considered.
 
         Returns
         -------
@@ -374,6 +381,13 @@ class ParserRegistry:
             if mime_type not in parser_class.supported_mime_types():
                 continue
 
+            if not allow_remote and getattr(
+                parser_class,
+                "uses_remote_service",
+                False,
+            ):
+                continue
+
             score = parser_class.score(mime_type, filename, path)
             if score is None:
                 continue

src/paperless/parsers/remote.py

@@ -61,6 +61,18 @@ class RemoteEngineConfig:
         self.api_key = api_key
         self.endpoint = endpoint
 
+    @classmethod
+    def from_app_config(cls) -> Self:
+        """Build the config from the app config, falling back to the env."""
+        from paperless.config import RemoteOCRConfig
+
+        app_config = RemoteOCRConfig()
+        return cls(
+            engine=app_config.remote_ocr_engine,
+            api_key=app_config.remote_ocr_api_key,
+            endpoint=app_config.remote_ocr_endpoint,
+        )
+
     def engine_is_valid(self) -> bool:
         """Return True when the engine is known and fully configured."""
         return (
@@ -90,6 +102,9 @@ class RemoteDocumentParser:
         Maintainer name.
     url : str
         Issue tracker / source URL.
+    uses_remote_service : bool
+        Content is sent to a remote service, True so that the registry
+        can skip this parser if remote processing was not requested.
     """
 
     name: str = "Paperless-ngx Remote OCR Parser"
@@ -97,6 +112,8 @@ class RemoteDocumentParser:
     author: str = "Paperless-ngx Contributors"
     url: str = "https://github.com/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx"
 
+    uses_remote_service: bool = True
+
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Class methods
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -145,11 +162,7 @@ class RemoteDocumentParser:
             20 when the remote engine is configured and the MIME type is
             supported, otherwise None.
         """
-        config = RemoteEngineConfig(
-            engine=settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE,
-            api_key=settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY,
-            endpoint=settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT,
-        )
+        config = RemoteEngineConfig.from_app_config()
         if not config.engine_is_valid():
             return None
         if mime_type not in _SUPPORTED_MIME_TYPES:
@@ -244,11 +257,7 @@ class RemoteDocumentParser:
             Whether an archive copy is wanted. For PDFs, False skips the
             remote engine and uses locally-extracted text instead.
         """
-        config = RemoteEngineConfig(
-            engine=settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE,
-            api_key=settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY,
-            endpoint=settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT,
-        )
+        config = RemoteEngineConfig.from_app_config()
 
         if not config.engine_is_valid():
             logger.warning(

src/paperless/serialisers.py

@@ -219,6 +219,13 @@ class ApplicationConfigurationSerializer(
         allow_null=True,
         max_length=1024,
     )
+    remote_ocr_api_key = ObfuscatedPasswordField(
+        required=False,
+        allow_null=True,
+        max_length=1024,
+    )
+
+    OBFUSCATED_FIELDS = ("llm_api_key", "remote_ocr_api_key")
 
     def run_validation(self, data):
         # Empty strings treated as None to avoid unexpected behavior
@@ -230,11 +237,13 @@ class ApplicationConfigurationSerializer(
             data["language"] = None
         if "llm_output_language" in data and data["llm_output_language"] == "":
             data["llm_output_language"] = None
-        if "llm_api_key" in data and data["llm_api_key"] is not None:
-            if data["llm_api_key"] == "":
-                data["llm_api_key"] = None
-            elif len(data["llm_api_key"].replace("*", "")) == 0:
-                del data["llm_api_key"]
+        for field in self.OBFUSCATED_FIELDS:
+            if field in data and data[field] is not None:
+                if data[field] == "":
+                    data[field] = None
+                # Not a real value, don't overwrite the stored one
+                elif len(data[field].replace("*", "")) == 0:
+                    del data[field]
         return super().run_validation(data)
 
     def update(self, instance, validated_data):

src/paperless/settings/__init__.py

@@ -1203,6 +1203,11 @@ WEBHOOKS_ALLOW_INTERNAL_REQUESTS = get_bool_from_env(
 REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = os.getenv("PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE")
 REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = os.getenv("PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY")
 REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = os.getenv("PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT")
+REMOTE_OCR_MODE = get_choice_from_env(
+    "PAPERLESS_REMOTE_OCR_MODE",
+    {"always", "workflow_only"},
+    default="always",
+)
 
 ################################################################################
 # AI Settings                                                                  #

src/paperless/tests/parsers/conftest.py

@@ -114,7 +114,26 @@ def remote_parser() -> Generator[RemoteDocumentParser, None, None]:
 
 
 @pytest.fixture()
-def azure_settings(settings: SettingsWrapper) -> SettingsWrapper:
+def empty_remote_ocr_app_config(mocker: MockerFixture) -> MagicMock:
+    # empty app config without accessing db
+    app_config = mocker.MagicMock(
+        remote_ocr_engine=None,
+        remote_ocr_api_key=None,
+        remote_ocr_endpoint=None,
+        remote_ocr_mode=None,
+    )
+    mocker.patch(
+        "paperless.config.BaseConfig._get_config_instance",
+        return_value=app_config,
+    )
+    return app_config
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def azure_settings(
+    settings: SettingsWrapper,
+    empty_remote_ocr_app_config: MagicMock,
+) -> SettingsWrapper:
     """Configure Django settings for a valid Azure AI OCR engine.
 
     Sets ``REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE``, ``REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY``, and
@@ -133,7 +152,10 @@ def azure_settings(settings: SettingsWrapper) -> SettingsWrapper:
 
 
 @pytest.fixture()
-def no_engine_settings(settings: SettingsWrapper) -> SettingsWrapper:
+def no_engine_settings(
+    settings: SettingsWrapper,
+    empty_remote_ocr_app_config: MagicMock,
+) -> SettingsWrapper:
     """Configure Django settings with no remote engine configured.
 
     Returns

src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_remote_parser.py

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ from unittest.mock import Mock
 import pytest
 
 from documents.parsers import ParseError
+from paperless.models import ApplicationConfiguration
 from paperless.parsers import ParserContext
 from paperless.parsers import ParserProtocol
 from paperless.parsers.remote import RemoteDocumentParser
@@ -198,21 +199,21 @@ class TestRemoteParserScore:
 
     def test_score_returns_none_when_api_key_missing(
         self,
-        settings: SettingsWrapper,
+        no_engine_settings: SettingsWrapper,
     ) -> None:
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = "azureai"
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = None
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = "https://test.cognitiveservices.azure.com"
+        no_engine_settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = "azureai"
+        no_engine_settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = (
+            "https://test.cognitiveservices.azure.com"
+        )
         result = RemoteDocumentParser.score("application/pdf", "doc.pdf")
         assert result is None
 
     def test_score_returns_none_when_endpoint_missing(
         self,
-        settings: SettingsWrapper,
+        no_engine_settings: SettingsWrapper,
     ) -> None:
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = "azureai"
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = "key"
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = None
+        no_engine_settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = "azureai"
+        no_engine_settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = "key"
         result = RemoteDocumentParser.score("application/pdf", "doc.pdf")
         assert result is None
 
@@ -227,6 +228,24 @@ class TestRemoteParserScore:
         score = RemoteDocumentParser.score("application/pdf", "doc.pdf")
         assert score is not None and score > 10
 
+    @pytest.mark.django_db
+    def test_score_uses_app_config_when_env_unset(
+        self,
+        settings: SettingsWrapper,
+    ) -> None:
+        """The app config alone is enough to activate the parser."""
+        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = None
+        settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = None
+        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = None
+        config = ApplicationConfiguration.objects.first()
+        assert config is not None
+        config.remote_ocr_engine = "azureai"
+        config.remote_ocr_api_key = "app-config-key"
+        config.remote_ocr_endpoint = "https://config.cognitiveservices.azure.com"
+        config.save()
+
+        assert RemoteDocumentParser.score("application/pdf", "doc.pdf") == 20
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Properties

src/paperless/tests/parsers/test_tesseract_parser.py

@@ -1277,6 +1277,8 @@ class TestParserFileTypes:
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
+# Remote ocr config from ApplicationConfiguration needs DB access
+@pytest.mark.django_db
 class TestRasterisedDocumentParserRegistry:
     def test_registered_in_defaults(self) -> None:
         from paperless.parsers.registry import ParserRegistry

src/paperless/tests/test_checks.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ from paperless.checks import audit_log_check
 from paperless.checks import binaries_check
 from paperless.checks import check_default_language_available
 from paperless.checks import check_deprecated_db_settings
-from paperless.checks import check_remote_parser_configured
 from paperless.checks import check_v3_minimum_upgrade_version
 from paperless.checks import debug_mode_check
 from paperless.checks import paths_check
@@ -631,31 +630,6 @@ class TestV3MinimumUpgradeVersionCheck:
         assert check_v3_minimum_upgrade_version(None) == []
 
 
-class TestRemoteParserChecks:
-    def test_no_engine(self, settings: SettingsWrapper) -> None:
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = None
-        msgs = check_remote_parser_configured(None)
-
-        assert len(msgs) == 0
-
-    def test_azure_no_endpoint(self, settings: SettingsWrapper) -> None:
-
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE = "azureai"
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY = "somekey"
-        settings.REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT = None
-
-        msgs = check_remote_parser_configured(None)
-
-        assert len(msgs) == 1
-
-        msg = msgs[0]
-
-        assert (
-            "Azure AI remote parser requires endpoint and API key to be configured."
-            in msg.msg
-        )
-
-
 class TestTesseractChecks:
     def test_default_language(self) -> None:
         check_default_language_available(None)

src/paperless/tests/test_registry.py

@@ -468,6 +468,124 @@ class TestParserRegistryGetParserForFile:
         assert result is AcceptingBuiltin
 
 
+class TestParserRegistryRemoteParsers:
+    """Verify the allow_remote filter in ParserRegistry.get_parser_for_file()."""
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _remote_parser_cls() -> type:
+        class RemoteParser:
+            name = "remote"
+            version = "1.0"
+            author = "A"
+            url = "https://example.com/remote"
+            uses_remote_service = True
+
+            @classmethod
+            def supported_mime_types(cls):
+                return {"text/plain": ".txt"}
+
+            @classmethod
+            def score(cls, mime_type, filename, path=None):
+                return 20
+
+        return RemoteParser
+
+    def test_remote_parser_wins_when_remote_allowed(
+        self,
+        dummy_parser_cls: type,
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: A remote parser scoring 20 and a local parser scoring 10.
+        WHEN:  get_parser_for_file() is called with allow_remote=True.
+        THEN:  The remote parser is returned.
+        """
+        remote_parser_cls = self._remote_parser_cls()
+        registry = ParserRegistry()
+        registry.register_builtin(dummy_parser_cls)
+        registry.register_builtin(remote_parser_cls)
+
+        result = registry.get_parser_for_file(
+            "text/plain",
+            "readme.txt",
+            allow_remote=True,
+        )
+        assert result is remote_parser_cls
+
+    def test_remote_parser_skipped_when_remote_not_allowed(
+        self,
+        dummy_parser_cls: type,
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: A remote parser scoring 20 and a local parser scoring 10.
+        WHEN:  get_parser_for_file() is called with allow_remote=False.
+        THEN:  The local parser is returned despite its lower score.
+        """
+        registry = ParserRegistry()
+        registry.register_builtin(dummy_parser_cls)
+        registry.register_builtin(self._remote_parser_cls())
+
+        result = registry.get_parser_for_file(
+            "text/plain",
+            "readme.txt",
+            allow_remote=False,
+        )
+        assert result is dummy_parser_cls
+
+    def test_no_parser_when_only_remote_available_and_not_allowed(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: A registry whose only candidate declares uses_remote_service.
+        WHEN:  get_parser_for_file() is called with allow_remote=False.
+        THEN:  None is returned — the remote parser is never used as a
+               fallback when remote processing was not requested.
+        """
+        registry = ParserRegistry()
+        registry.register_builtin(self._remote_parser_cls())
+
+        result = registry.get_parser_for_file(
+            "text/plain",
+            "readme.txt",
+            allow_remote=False,
+        )
+        assert result is None
+
+    def test_parser_without_attribute_treated_as_local(
+        self,
+        dummy_parser_cls: type,
+    ) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: A third-party parser predating uses_remote_service, so it does
+               not declare the attribute at all.
+        WHEN:  get_parser_for_file() is called with allow_remote=False.
+        THEN:  It is still considered, i.e. treated as fully local, rather
+               than raising AttributeError.
+        """
+        assert not hasattr(dummy_parser_cls, "uses_remote_service")
+
+        registry = ParserRegistry()
+        registry.register_builtin(dummy_parser_cls)
+
+        result = registry.get_parser_for_file(
+            "text/plain",
+            "readme.txt",
+            allow_remote=False,
+        )
+        assert result is dummy_parser_cls
+
+    def test_remote_allowed_by_default(self) -> None:
+        """
+        GIVEN: A registry containing only a remote parser.
+        WHEN:  get_parser_for_file() is called without allow_remote.
+        THEN:  The remote parser is returned — callers that do not opt in to
+               the filter keep the previous behaviour.
+        """
+        remote_parser_cls = self._remote_parser_cls()
+        registry = ParserRegistry()
+        registry.register_builtin(remote_parser_cls)
+
+        result = registry.get_parser_for_file("text/plain", "readme.txt")
+        assert result is remote_parser_cls
+
+
 class TestDiscover:
     """Verify entrypoint discovery in ParserRegistry.discover()."""
 

src/paperless/tests/test_remote_ocr_config.py

@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+"""Tests for RemoteOCRConfig precedence between app config and Django settings."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+import pytest
+from django.test import override_settings
+
+from paperless.config import RemoteOCRConfig
+from paperless.models import RemoteOCRMode
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def null_app_config(mocker) -> MagicMock:
+    """Mock ApplicationConfiguration with all fields None → falls back to Django settings."""
+    return mocker.MagicMock(
+        remote_ocr_engine=None,
+        remote_ocr_api_key=None,
+        remote_ocr_endpoint=None,
+        remote_ocr_mode=None,
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def make_remote_ocr_config(mocker):
+    def _make(app_config, **django_settings_overrides):
+        mocker.patch(
+            "paperless.config.BaseConfig._get_config_instance",
+            return_value=app_config,
+        )
+        with override_settings(**django_settings_overrides):
+            return RemoteOCRConfig()
+
+    return _make
+
+
+class TestRemoteOCRConfig:
+    def test_falls_back_to_settings(
+        self,
+        make_remote_ocr_config,
+        null_app_config,
+    ) -> None:
+        cfg = make_remote_ocr_config(
+            null_app_config,
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE="azureai",
+            REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY="env-key",
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT="https://env.cognitiveservices.azure.com",
+            REMOTE_OCR_MODE=RemoteOCRMode.WORKFLOW_ONLY,
+        )
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_engine == "azureai"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_api_key == "env-key"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_endpoint == "https://env.cognitiveservices.azure.com"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_mode == RemoteOCRMode.WORKFLOW_ONLY
+
+    def test_app_config_takes_precedence(
+        self,
+        make_remote_ocr_config,
+        mocker,
+    ) -> None:
+        app_config = mocker.MagicMock(
+            remote_ocr_engine="azureai",
+            remote_ocr_api_key="db-key",
+            remote_ocr_endpoint="https://db.cognitiveservices.azure.com",
+            remote_ocr_mode=RemoteOCRMode.WORKFLOW_ONLY,
+        )
+        cfg = make_remote_ocr_config(
+            app_config,
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE=None,
+            REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY="env-key",
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT="https://env.cognitiveservices.azure.com",
+            REMOTE_OCR_MODE=RemoteOCRMode.ALWAYS,
+        )
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_engine == "azureai"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_api_key == "db-key"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_endpoint == "https://db.cognitiveservices.azure.com"
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_mode == RemoteOCRMode.WORKFLOW_ONLY
+
+    def test_unset_everywhere(
+        self,
+        make_remote_ocr_config,
+        null_app_config,
+    ) -> None:
+        cfg = make_remote_ocr_config(
+            null_app_config,
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENGINE=None,
+            REMOTE_OCR_API_KEY=None,
+            REMOTE_OCR_ENDPOINT=None,
+        )
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_engine is None
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_api_key is None
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_endpoint is None
+
+
+class TestRemoteOCRByDefault:
+    def test_always_mode(self, make_remote_ocr_config, null_app_config) -> None:
+        cfg = make_remote_ocr_config(
+            null_app_config,
+            REMOTE_OCR_MODE=RemoteOCRMode.ALWAYS,
+        )
+
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_by_default is True
+
+    def test_workflow_only_mode(self, make_remote_ocr_config, null_app_config) -> None:
+        cfg = make_remote_ocr_config(
+            null_app_config,
+            REMOTE_OCR_MODE=RemoteOCRMode.WORKFLOW_ONLY,
+        )
+
+        assert cfg.remote_ocr_by_default is False