diff --git a/docling/backend/json/docling_json_backend.py b/docling/backend/json/docling_json_backend.py
index fd2a495eb5..e60192015d 100644
--- a/docling/backend/json/docling_json_backend.py
+++ b/docling/backend/json/docling_json_backend.py
@@ -95,7 +95,10 @@ def _get_doc_or_err(self) -> Union[DoclingDocument, Exception]:
             else:
                 raise RuntimeError(f"Unexpected: {type(self.path_or_stream)=}")
             doc = DoclingDocument.model_validate_json(json_data=json_data)
-            if not self.options.enable_local_fetch:
+            if self.options.enable_local_fetch:
+                # docling-core reads local image paths only after this opt-in.
+                doc.load_local_images()
+            else:
                 self._drop_local_image_refs(doc)
             return doc
         except Exception as e:
diff --git a/docling/pipeline/vlm_pipeline.py b/docling/pipeline/vlm_pipeline.py
index 88de8a19aa..0bf6cc0bba 100644
--- a/docling/pipeline/vlm_pipeline.py
+++ b/docling/pipeline/vlm_pipeline.py
@@ -69,9 +69,21 @@
 from docling.pipeline.base_pipeline import PaginatedPipeline
 from docling.utils.deepseekocr_utils import parse_deepseekocr_markdown
 from docling.utils.profiling import TimeRecorder
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import normalize_section_header_levels
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 _DOCLANG_OPEN_RE = re.compile(r"<doclang(?:\s[^>]*)?>")
+# Formats whose mappers keep raw heading depths per page; the joined document is normalized.
+_RAW_HEADING_DEPTH_FORMATS = frozenset(
+    {
+        ResponseFormat.CHANDRA_HTML,
+        ResponseFormat.DEEPSEEKOCR_MARKDOWN,
+        ResponseFormat.DOTS_JSON,
+        ResponseFormat.NEMOTRON_PARSE_V2,
+        ResponseFormat.NEMOTRON_PARSE_V3_5,
+        ResponseFormat.UNLIMITED_OCR_MARKDOWN,
+    }
+)
 
 
 class VlmPipeline(PaginatedPipeline):
@@ -353,7 +365,7 @@ def _build_document(self, conv_res: ConversionResult) -> ConversionResult:
             for page_no in expected_page_nos
             if page_no in processed_page_nos
         ]
-        conv_res.document = self._concatenate_page_documents(
+        conv_res.document = self._join_page_documents(
             [
                 (page_no, page_documents[page_no])
                 for page_no in expected_page_nos
@@ -362,6 +374,15 @@ def _build_document(self, conv_res: ConversionResult) -> ConversionResult:
         )
         return conv_res
 
+    def _join_page_documents(
+        self, page_documents: list[tuple[int, DoclingDocument]]
+    ) -> DoclingDocument:
+        document = self._concatenate_page_documents(page_documents)
+        if self._response_format() in _RAW_HEADING_DEPTH_FORMATS:
+            # Once per document, so a heading depth has one level on all pages.
+            normalize_section_header_levels(document)
+        return document
+
     def _process_page_batch(
         self,
         *,
@@ -525,6 +546,7 @@ def _finalize_page_document(
                 page_no=page.page_no,
                 filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
                 page_image=page.image,
+                normalize_heading_levels=False,
             )
         elif response_format == ResponseFormat.UNLIMITED_OCR_MARKDOWN:
             from docling.utils.deepseekocr_utils import parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown
@@ -535,6 +557,7 @@ def _finalize_page_document(
                 page_no=page.page_no,
                 filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
                 page_image=page.image,
+                normalize_heading_levels=False,
             )
         elif response_format == ResponseFormat.MARKDOWN:
             document = self._convert_text_page(
@@ -554,6 +577,7 @@ def _finalize_page_document(
                     page_no=page.page_no,
                     filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
                     page_image=page.image,
+                    normalize_heading_levels=False,
                 )
             except ValueError as exc:
                 conv_res.errors.append(
@@ -585,6 +609,7 @@ def _finalize_page_document(
                 page_no=page.page_no,
                 filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
                 page_image=page.image,
+                normalize_heading_levels=False,
             )
         elif response_format == ResponseFormat.MINERU2:
             from docling.utils.mineru_utils import parse_mineru2
@@ -703,6 +728,7 @@ def _dots_page_document(
             filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
             page_image=page_image,
             model_image_size=model_image_size,
+            normalize_heading_levels=False,
         )
 
     def _nemotron_parse_v2_page_document(
@@ -740,6 +766,7 @@ def _nemotron_parse_v2_page_document(
             page_no=page.page_no,
             filename=conv_res.input.file.name or "file",
             page_image=page_image,
+            normalize_heading_levels=False,
         )
 
     def _extract_code_block(self, text: str) -> str:
diff --git a/docling/utils/chandra_utils.py b/docling/utils/chandra_utils.py
index d841630c88..ece606d134 100644
--- a/docling/utils/chandra_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/chandra_utils.py
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 from pydantic import AnyUrl, ValidationError
 
 from docling.utils.code_language import detect_code_language
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import normalize_section_header_levels
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -435,6 +436,7 @@ def _emit_runs(
                 run.text = " ".join(run.text.split())
         if not merged:
             return
+        before = len(self.doc.texts)
         layer = (
             ContentLayer.FURNITURE
             if label in {DocItemLabel.PAGE_HEADER, DocItemLabel.PAGE_FOOTER}
@@ -501,6 +503,10 @@ def _emit_runs(
             )
             if run_label == DocItemLabel.FIELD_VALUE:
                 item.kind = "fillable"
+        for item in self.doc.texts[before:]:
+            if isinstance(item, SectionHeaderItem):
+                # Without <hN>, a section header has raw depth 2, like "##".
+                item.level = 2
 
     def walk(
         self,
@@ -620,6 +626,7 @@ def _block(
             if re.fullmatch(r"h[1-6]", node.tag):
                 for item in self.doc.texts[before:]:
                     if isinstance(item, SectionHeaderItem):
+                        # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
                         item.level = int(node.tag[1])
 
     def _list(self, node: _Element, parent: NodeItem | None) -> None:
@@ -796,6 +803,8 @@ def parse_chandra_html(
     page_no: int,
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: PILImage.Image | None = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
     """Map Chandra layout blocks and their HTML contents to document primitives.
 
@@ -803,7 +812,9 @@ def parse_chandra_html(
     block; derived children remain unlocated unless they declare their own bbox.
     Bare HTML is recovered without provenance; non-HTML responses raise ValueError.
     Caption/footnote links require explicit nesting. Separate layout blocks are
-    neither associated nor merged by proximity.
+    neither associated nor merged by proximity. Set ``normalize_heading_levels``
+    to False to keep raw heading depths for a later document-wide
+    :func:`normalize_section_header_levels`.
     """
     doc = DoclingDocument(
         name=Path(filename).stem,
@@ -855,4 +866,6 @@ def parse_chandra_html(
         block.attrs.get("data-label") == "Blank-Page" for block in blocks
     ):
         raise ValueError("Chandra HTML contains no document content")
+    if normalize_heading_levels:
+        normalize_section_header_levels(doc)
     return doc
diff --git a/docling/utils/deepseekocr_utils.py b/docling/utils/deepseekocr_utils.py
index 76a39aaca5..1634b2b492 100644
--- a/docling/utils/deepseekocr_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/deepseekocr_utils.py
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@
 from lxml import etree
 from PIL import Image as PILImage
 
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import normalize_section_header_levels
+
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
@@ -158,23 +160,16 @@ def _collect_annotation_content(
                 break
             ii += 1
     else:
-        # Original logic for other labels
+        # Every non-table block keeps its lines up to the next annotation.
         while i < len(lines):
-            content_line = lines[i].strip()
-            if content_line:
-                if re.match(annotation_pattern, content_line):
-                    break
-                visited_lines.add(i)
+            if re.match(annotation_pattern, lines[i].strip()):
+                break
+            if i not in visited_lines:
                 content_lines.append(lines[i].rstrip())
-                i += 1
-                if label_str not in ["figure", "image"]:
-                    break
-            else:
-                i += 1
-                if content_lines:
-                    break
+                visited_lines.add(i)
+            i += 1
 
-    return "\n".join(content_lines), i
+    return "\n".join(content_lines).strip("\n"), i
 
 
 def _process_annotation_item(
@@ -214,7 +209,8 @@ def _process_annotation_item(
             clean_content = content[hash_count:].strip()
         page_doc.add_title(text=clean_content, prov=prov)
     elif label_str == "sub_title":
-        heading_level = 1
+        # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
+        heading_level = 2
         clean_content = content
         if content.startswith("#"):
             hash_count = 0
@@ -223,8 +219,7 @@ def _process_annotation_item(
                     hash_count += 1
                 else:
                     break
-            if hash_count > 1:
-                heading_level = hash_count - 1
+            heading_level = hash_count
             clean_content = content[hash_count:].strip()
         page_doc.add_heading(text=clean_content, level=heading_level, prov=prov)
     else:
@@ -237,6 +232,8 @@ def parse_deepseekocr_markdown(
     page_no: int,
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: Optional[PILImage.Image] = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
     """Parse DeepSeek OCR markdown with label[[x1, y1, x2, y2]] format.
 
@@ -259,6 +256,8 @@ def parse_deepseekocr_markdown(
         page_no: Page number (1-based).
         filename: Source filename.
         page_image: Optional PIL image of the page.
+        normalize_heading_levels: If False, keep raw heading depths for a later
+            document-wide :func:`normalize_section_header_levels`.
 
     Returns:
         DoclingDocument with parsed content
@@ -389,6 +388,8 @@ def parse_deepseekocr_markdown(
             label_str, content_text, prov, caption_item, page_doc, label_map
         )
 
+    if normalize_heading_levels:
+        normalize_section_header_levels(page_doc)
     return page_doc
 
 
@@ -419,6 +420,8 @@ def parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown(
     page_no: int,
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: Optional[PILImage.Image] = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
     """Parse Unlimited-OCR grounding output into a :class:`DoclingDocument`.
 
@@ -431,4 +434,5 @@ def parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown(
         page_no=page_no,
         filename=filename,
         page_image=page_image,
+        normalize_heading_levels=normalize_heading_levels,
     )
diff --git a/docling/utils/dots_utils.py b/docling/utils/dots_utils.py
index 0002182379..d944eb9ad7 100644
--- a/docling/utils/dots_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/dots_utils.py
@@ -43,7 +43,11 @@
 
 from docling.utils.chandra_utils import _add_html_fragment, _add_html_table
 from docling.utils.code_language import detect_code_language
-from docling.utils.vlm_utils import link_adjacent_captions, parse_markdown_heading
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import (
+    link_adjacent_captions,
+    normalize_section_header_levels,
+    parse_markdown_heading,
+)
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -213,6 +217,8 @@ def parse_dots_json(
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: PILImage.Image | None = None,
     model_image_size: Size | None = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
     """Parse dots.ocr / dots.mocr JSON output into a DoclingDocument.
 
@@ -224,6 +230,8 @@ def parse_dots_json(
         page_image: Optional PIL image of the page.
         model_image_size: If provided, bbox pixel coords are rescaled from
             this resolution to *original_page_size*.
+        normalize_heading_levels: If False, keep raw heading depths for a later
+            document-wide :func:`normalize_section_header_levels`.
 
     Returns:
         DoclingDocument populated with parsed elements.
@@ -332,7 +340,8 @@ def parse_dots_json(
             item = doc.add_heading(
                 text="",
                 orig=text,
-                level=max(1, markdown_level - 1) if markdown_level is not None else 1,
+                # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
+                level=markdown_level if markdown_level is not None else 2,
                 prov=prov,
             )
             if not _add_inline_text(
@@ -371,4 +380,6 @@ def parse_dots_json(
                 )
 
     link_adjacent_captions(doc, block_starts, caption_owners)
+    if normalize_heading_levels:
+        normalize_section_header_levels(doc)
     return doc
diff --git a/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_utils.py b/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_utils.py
index 134f794201..5079b26b92 100644
--- a/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_utils.py
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@
 from docling.backend.md_backend import MarkdownDocumentBackend
 from docling.datamodel.base_models import InputFormat
 from docling.datamodel.document import InputDocument
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import (
+    normalize_section_header_levels,
+    strip_math_delimiters,
+)
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -255,8 +259,14 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v2(
     page_no: int,
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: PILImage.Image | None = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
-    """Parse one page of Nemotron Parse 2.0 native output."""
+    """Parse one page of Nemotron Parse 2.0 native output.
+
+    Set ``normalize_heading_levels`` to False to keep raw heading depths for a
+    later document-wide :func:`normalize_section_header_levels`.
+    """
     origin = DocumentOrigin(filename=filename, mimetype="text/plain", binary_hash=0)
     document = DoclingDocument(name=filename.rsplit(".", 1)[0], origin=origin)
     image_dpi = 72
@@ -311,17 +321,17 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v2(
             )
         elif region.label == "Section-header":
             heading_match = _HEADING_PATTERN.match(raw_text)
-            level = len(heading_match.group(1)) if heading_match is not None else 1
             document.add_heading(
                 text=_markdown_to_text(raw_text),
                 orig=raw_text,
-                level=level,
+                # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
+                level=len(heading_match.group(1)) if heading_match is not None else 2,
                 prov=provenance,
             )
         else:
             label = _TEXT_LABELS.get(region.label, DocItemLabel.TEXT)
             text = (
-                raw_text
+                strip_math_delimiters(raw_text)
                 if label == DocItemLabel.FORMULA
                 else _markdown_to_text(raw_text)
             )
@@ -332,4 +342,6 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v2(
                 prov=provenance,
             )
 
+    if normalize_heading_levels:
+        normalize_section_header_levels(document)
     return document
diff --git a/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_v3_5_utils.py b/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_v3_5_utils.py
index 7e34af4c1e..832e5e0e33 100644
--- a/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_v3_5_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/nemotron_parse_v3_5_utils.py
@@ -49,7 +49,12 @@
     _markdown_inline_html,
     _unescape_markdown_literals,
 )
-from docling.utils.vlm_utils import link_adjacent_captions, parse_markdown_heading
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import (
+    link_adjacent_captions,
+    normalize_section_header_levels,
+    parse_markdown_heading,
+    strip_math_delimiters,
+)
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -83,11 +88,6 @@
 }
 _CHART_OPEN = re.compile(r'<chart\s+type="([^"]*)"\s*>')
 _CHART_TABLE_KEY = re.compile(r"table\[(\w+)\]")
-# `\(` and `\)` are not math symbols, so in a formula they are delimiters; `\\` stays.
-_INLINE_MATH_DELIMITER = re.compile(r"\\\\|\\[()]")
-_OUTER_MATH = re.compile(
-    r"\$\$((?:(?!\$\$).)*)\$\$|\\\[((?:(?!\\[\[\]]).)*)\\\]|\$([^$]*)\$", re.DOTALL
-)
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
@@ -150,20 +150,6 @@ def _page_bbox(bbox: tuple[float, float, float, float], size: Size) -> BoundingB
     )
 
 
-def _formula_latex(text: str) -> str:
-    """Formula LaTeX without math delimiters; the serializer adds its own.
-
-    The model wraps each segment in ``\\(...\\)``, often with text between them
-    (``(6) \\(x_1=a\\), \\(x_2=b\\)``), and leaves single ones in truncated output.
-    """
-    text = _INLINE_MATH_DELIMITER.sub(
-        lambda match: match.group() if match.group() == "\\\\" else "", text
-    ).strip()
-    while (outer := _OUTER_MATH.fullmatch(text)) is not None:
-        text = next(group for group in outer.groups() if group is not None).strip()
-    return text
-
-
 def _add_rich_text(
     doc: DoclingDocument,
     text: str,
@@ -470,8 +456,14 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5(
     page_no: int,
     filename: str = "file",
     page_image: PILImage.Image | None = None,
+    *,
+    normalize_heading_levels: bool = True,
 ) -> DoclingDocument:
-    """Parse one page of Nemotron 3.5 Parse native output."""
+    """Parse one page of Nemotron 3.5 Parse native output.
+
+    Set ``normalize_heading_levels`` to False to keep raw heading depths for a
+    later document-wide :func:`normalize_section_header_levels`.
+    """
     doc = DoclingDocument(
         name=filename.rsplit(".", 1)[0],
         origin=DocumentOrigin(filename=filename, mimetype="text/plain", binary_hash=0),
@@ -544,14 +536,14 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5(
                 )
         elif block.label in {"Title", "Section-header"}:
             clean_text, level = parse_markdown_heading(text)
-            # Markdown "##" is a level-1 section below the "#" title, as in dots.
             heading = (
                 doc.add_title(text="", orig=text, prov=prov)
                 if block.label == "Title"
                 else doc.add_heading(
                     text="",
                     orig=text,
-                    level=max(1, level - 1) if level is not None else 1,
+                    # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
+                    level=level if level is not None else 2,
                     prov=prov,
                 )
             )
@@ -560,7 +552,7 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5(
             ):
                 heading.text = _unescape_markdown_literals(clean_text)
         elif block.label == "Formula":
-            doc.add_formula(text=_formula_latex(text), orig=text, prov=prov)
+            doc.add_formula(text=strip_math_delimiters(text), orig=text, prov=prov)
         elif block.label == "Code":
             doc.add_code(
                 text=text,
@@ -579,4 +571,6 @@ def parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5(
             )
 
     link_adjacent_captions(doc, block_starts, caption_owners)
+    if normalize_heading_levels:
+        normalize_section_header_levels(doc)
     return doc
diff --git a/docling/utils/paddleocr_vl_utils.py b/docling/utils/paddleocr_vl_utils.py
index 6b3d05241e..8164dd1528 100644
--- a/docling/utils/paddleocr_vl_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/paddleocr_vl_utils.py
@@ -39,7 +39,10 @@
 from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict, Field, field_validator
 
 from docling.utils.chandra_utils import _add_html_table
-from docling.utils.vlm_utils import parse_markdown_heading
+from docling.utils.vlm_utils import (
+    normalize_section_header_levels,
+    parse_markdown_heading,
+)
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -253,13 +256,12 @@ def _add_block(
             text, _ = parse_markdown_heading(text)
         doc.add_title(text=text, prov=prov)
     elif label == "paragraph_title":
-        heading_level = 1
+        # Raw markup depth, normalized per document later.
+        heading_level = 2
         if formatted_content:
             text, markdown_level = parse_markdown_heading(text)
             if markdown_level is not None:
-                # Paddle reserves Markdown H1 for ``doc_title``. Docling's
-                # section level 1 is exported as H2, so remove that offset.
-                heading_level = max(1, markdown_level - 1)
+                heading_level = markdown_level
         doc.add_heading(text=text, level=heading_level, prov=prov)
     elif label == "table":
         if _add_html_table(doc, text, prov) is None:
@@ -336,4 +338,6 @@ def parse_paddleocr_vl_result(
     for block in page.parsing_res_list:
         _add_block(doc, block, page=page, page_no=resolved_page_no)
 
+    # One page is one document here, so its heading levels are normalized now.
+    normalize_section_header_levels(doc)
     return doc
diff --git a/docling/utils/vlm_utils.py b/docling/utils/vlm_utils.py
index d3ed9c5d11..016674911d 100644
--- a/docling/utils/vlm_utils.py
+++ b/docling/utils/vlm_utils.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     DocItemLabel,
     DoclingDocument,
     FloatingItem,
+    SectionHeaderItem,
     Size,
     TextItem,
 )
@@ -71,6 +72,45 @@ def parse_markdown_heading(text: str) -> tuple[str, int | None]:
     return match.group(2), len(match.group(1))
 
 
+def normalize_section_header_levels(doc: DoclingDocument) -> None:
+    """Turn the raw heading depths of a whole document into section levels.
+
+    VLM mappers store a section header with N Markdown ``#`` or HTML ``<hN>``
+    at level N, and one without markup at level 2 (like ``##``). Docling exports
+    section level N one step deeper, below the title. If no section header has
+    level 1, all levels go up one step, so exports keep the source depth.
+    Otherwise nothing changes, so two source depths never share one level.
+    The layout label alone decides title versus section header. Call this once
+    per document, after pages are joined, so a depth maps to one level on all
+    pages. ``doc.texts`` holds every text item, in every layer and container.
+    """
+    headers = [item for item in doc.texts if isinstance(item, SectionHeaderItem)]
+    if all(item.level > 1 for item in headers):
+        for item in headers:
+            item.level -= 1
+
+
+# `\(` and `\)` are not math symbols, so in a formula they are delimiters; `\\` stays.
+_INLINE_MATH_DELIMITER = re.compile(r"\\\\|\\[()]")
+_OUTER_MATH = re.compile(
+    r"\$\$((?:(?!\$\$).)*)\$\$|\\\[((?:(?!\\[\[\]]).)*)\\\]|\$([^$]*)\$", re.DOTALL
+)
+
+
+def strip_math_delimiters(text: str) -> str:
+    """Formula LaTeX without math delimiters; the serializer adds its own.
+
+    VLMs can wrap each segment in ``\\(...\\)``, often with text between them
+    (``(6) \\(x_1=a\\), \\(x_2=b\\)``), and leave single ones in truncated output.
+    """
+    text = _INLINE_MATH_DELIMITER.sub(
+        lambda match: match.group() if match.group() == "\\\\" else "", text
+    ).strip()
+    while (outer := _OUTER_MATH.fullmatch(text)) is not None:
+        text = next(group for group in outer.groups() if group is not None).strip()
+    return text
+
+
 def strip_stop_strings(texts: list[str], stop_strings: list[str]) -> list[str]:
     """Strip stop strings from decoded texts.
 
diff --git a/docs/usage/vision_models.md b/docs/usage/vision_models.md
index 338058c083..f021fb9fb6 100644
--- a/docs/usage/vision_models.md
+++ b/docs/usage/vision_models.md
@@ -223,3 +223,20 @@ invented coordinates. Invalid bounding boxes also produce a warning while their
 content is retained. Nonempty prose or JSON responses without HTML transcription
 produce a page-specific inference error and `PARTIAL_SUCCESS`, rather than an
 unreported empty result. An explicitly labeled `Blank-Page` may be empty.
+
+## Heading depths in native layout output
+
+For Chandra, dots, Nemotron Parse, DeepSeek-OCR, Unlimited-OCR, and PaddleOCR-VL
+output, the layout label alone decides title versus section header. Docling
+exports a title as `#` and a section header one step below it. If no section
+header in the document uses depth 1 (`#` or `<h1>`), each section header exports
+with its source depth: `##` stays `##`. Otherwise each one exports one step
+deeper, so different source depths never share one section level. A section
+header without heading markup counts as `##`. Markdown has no heading deeper than
+`######`, so in a document with depth 1, source depths 5 and 6 both export as
+`######`, but their section levels stay different.
+
+The VLM pipeline applies this rule once to the whole document, so one depth gets
+the same level on all pages. Each mapper function applies it to its own page when
+you call it directly. `parse_paddleocr_vl_result` reads one saved PaddleOCR-VL
+page, so it always applies the rule to that page.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 25365130fc..692dfb169c 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ requires-python = '>=3.10,<4.0'
 # MINIMAL BASE (8 packages) - ~50MB
 dependencies = [
   'pydantic>=2.0.0,<3.0.0',
-  'docling-core>=2.102.0,<3.0.0',
+  'docling-core>=2.103.1,<3.0.0',
   'pydantic-settings>=2.3.0,<3.0.0',
   'filetype>=1.2.0,<2.0.0',
   'requests>=2.32.2,<3.0.0',
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ models-vlm-inline = [
 feat-chunking = [
   # >=2.94.1 relaxed its transformers pin; older releases cap transformers<5.9.0
   # on macOS, which conflicts with the mlx-vlm floor in models-vlm-inline.
-  'docling-core[chunking]>=2.102.0,<3.0.0',
+  'docling-core[chunking]>=2.103.1,<3.0.0',
 ]
 
 service-client = [
@@ -334,7 +334,7 @@ typecheck = [
 ]
 pr-fast-checks = [
   { include-group = "typecheck" },
-  "docling-core[chunking] (>=2.102.0,<3.0.0)",
+  "docling-core[chunking] (>=2.103.1,<3.0.0)",
   "pydantic (>=2.0.0,<3.0.0)",
   "pydantic-settings (>=2.3.0,<3.0.0)",
   "ruff==0.15.12",
diff --git a/tach.toml b/tach.toml
index b8635b2581..8e2d8f2c2a 100644
--- a/tach.toml
+++ b/tach.toml
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ depends_on = []
 [[modules]]
 path = "docling.utils.nemotron_parse_utils"
 layer = "core"
-depends_on = ["docling.backend", "docling.datamodel"]
+depends_on = ["docling.backend", "docling.datamodel", "docling.utils"]
 
 [[modules]]
 path = "docling.utils"
diff --git a/tests/data/docx/groundtruth/docx_rich_cells.docx.html b/tests/data/docx/groundtruth/docx_rich_cells.docx.html
index be69ab91e7..e715dd7c90 100644
--- a/tests/data/docx/groundtruth/docx_rich_cells.docx.html
+++ b/tests/data/docx/groundtruth/docx_rich_cells.docx.html
@@ -197,27 +197,27 @@ <h3>Table with rich cells</h3>
 <li style="list-style-type: '2. ';">Number two</li>
 <li style="list-style-type: '3. ';">Number three</li>
 </ol></td><td><p>This is simple text with</p>
-<strong><p>bold</p></strong>
+<p><strong>bold</strong></p>
 <p>,</p>
-<del><p>strikethrough</p></del>
+<p><del>strikethrough</del></p>
 <p>and</p>
-<em><p>italic</p></em>
+<p><em>italic</em></p>
 <p>formatting with x</p>
-<sup><p>2</p></sup>
+<p><sup>2</sup></p>
 <p>and H</p>
-<sub><p>2</p></sub>
+<p><sub>2</sub></p>
 <p>O</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>This is a paragraph</p>
 <p>This is another paragraph</p></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
 <p></p>
 <h3>Table with nested table</h3>
 <p>Before table</p>
 <table><tbody><tr><th>Column A</th><th>Column B</th></tr><tr><td>Simple cell upper left</td><td><p>Simple cell with</p>
-<strong><p>bold</p></strong>
+<p><strong>bold</strong></p>
 <p>and</p>
-<em><p>italic</p></em>
-<p>text</p></td></tr><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><th>A</th><th>B</th><th>C</th></tr><tr><td><em><p>Cell 1</p></em></td><td><u><p>Cell 2</p></u></td><td><strong><p>Cell 3</p></strong></td></tr></tbody></table>
+<p><em>italic</em></p>
+<p>text</p></td></tr><tr><td><table><tbody><tr><th>A</th><th>B</th><th>C</th></tr><tr><td><p><em>Cell 1</em></p></td><td><p><u>Cell 2</u></p></td><td><p><strong>Cell 3</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
 <p></p></td><td><p>Rich cell<br>A nested table</p>
-<table><tbody><tr><th>A</th><th>B</th><th>C</th></tr><tr><td><del><p>Cell 1</p></del></td><td><em><strong><p>Cell 2</p></strong></em></td><td><u><p>Cell 3</p></u></td></tr></tbody></table>
+<table><tbody><tr><th>A</th><th>B</th><th>C</th></tr><tr><td><p><del>Cell 1</del></p></td><td><p><em><strong>Cell 2</strong></em></p></td><td><p><u>Cell 3</u></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
 <p></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
 <span class='inline-group'>After table with <strong>bold</strong> , <u>underline</u> , <del>strikethrough</del> , and <em>italic</em> formatting</span>
 <p></p>
diff --git a/tests/test_chandra_vlm.py b/tests/test_chandra_vlm.py
index 0cb8725204..b54f79a1b5 100644
--- a/tests/test_chandra_vlm.py
+++ b/tests/test_chandra_vlm.py
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ def test_chandra_inline_math_formatting_and_code_whitespace():
         str(next(t.hyperlink for t in doc.texts if t.text == "link"))
         == "https://example.org/"
     )
-    assert doc.texts[-1].level == 3
+    assert doc.texts[-1].level == 2
 
 
 def test_chandra_nested_math_does_not_inherit_table_bbox():
diff --git a/tests/test_nemotron_formula_exports.py b/tests/test_nemotron_formula_exports.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..63da5c3761
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_nemotron_formula_exports.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: The Docling Contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import pytest
+from docling_core.types.doc import FormulaItem, Size
+
+from docling.utils.nemotron_parse_utils import parse_nemotron_parse_v2
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "opening, closing",
+    [("$", "$"), ("$$", "$$"), (r"\(", r"\)"), (r"\[", r"\]"), ("", "")],
+)
+def test_formula_export_has_one_delimiter_pair(opening: str, closing: str) -> None:
+    latex = r"\left\{x_1 * y_2 : x > 0\right\}"
+    raw = f"{opening}{latex}{closing}"
+    source = f"<x_0.2><y_0.2>{raw}<x_0.8><y_0.4><class_Formula>"
+    size = Size(width=600, height=800)
+    doc = parse_nemotron_parse_v2(source, size, size, page_no=1)
+    formula = doc.texts[0]
+    assert isinstance(formula, FormulaItem)
+    assert formula.text == latex
+    assert formula.orig == raw
+    assert formula.prov
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == f"$${latex}$$"
+
+
+def test_multiline_formula_keeps_latex_and_line_breaks() -> None:
+    latex = "\\begin{aligned}\nx &= y \\\\\nz &= w\n\\end{aligned}"
+    source = f"<x_0.2><y_0.2>$$\n{latex}\n$$<x_0.8><y_0.4><class_Formula>"
+    size = Size(width=600, height=800)
+    doc = parse_nemotron_parse_v2(source, size, size, page_no=1)
+    assert doc.texts[0].text == latex
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == f"$${latex}$$"
+
+
+def test_formula_segments_lose_every_inline_delimiter() -> None:
+    raw = r"(6) \(x_1=a\), \(x_2=b\)"
+    source = f"<x_0.2><y_0.2>{raw}<x_0.8><y_0.4><class_Formula>"
+    size = Size(width=600, height=800)
+    doc = parse_nemotron_parse_v2(source, size, size, page_no=1)
+    assert doc.texts[0].text == "(6) x_1=a, x_2=b"
+    assert doc.texts[0].orig == raw
diff --git a/tests/test_nemotron_parse_v2.py b/tests/test_nemotron_parse_v2.py
index 3ff1941cbd..44654724c1 100644
--- a/tests/test_nemotron_parse_v2.py
+++ b/tests/test_nemotron_parse_v2.py
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ def test_parse_nemotron_markdown_and_semantic_classes() -> None:
     assert document.texts[0].label == DocItemLabel.TITLE
     assert document.texts[0].text == "Main title"
     assert document.texts[1].label == DocItemLabel.SECTION_HEADER
-    assert document.texts[1].level == 3
+    assert document.texts[1].level == 2
     assert document.texts[1].text == "1.2 Method"
     assert document.texts[2].text == "Article history:\nReceived 12 June"
     assert any(item.label == DocItemLabel.REFERENCE for item in document.texts)
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ def test_parse_nemotron_markdown_and_semantic_classes() -> None:
         item.text for item in document.texts if item.label == DocItemLabel.LIST_ITEM
     ] == ["First item", "Second item"]
     assert any(
-        item.label == DocItemLabel.FORMULA and item.text == r"\(x^2\)"
+        item.label == DocItemLabel.FORMULA and item.text == r"x^2"
         for item in document.texts
     )
     assert len(document.pictures) == 2
diff --git a/tests/test_ocr_multiline_blocks.py b/tests/test_ocr_multiline_blocks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2cfb589c16
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_ocr_multiline_blocks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: The Docling Contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import pytest
+from docling_core.types.doc import DocItemLabel, Size
+
+from docling.utils.deepseekocr_utils import (
+    parse_deepseekocr_markdown,
+    parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown,
+)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", ["deepseek", "unlimited"])
+def test_text_block_keeps_continuation_lines_and_following_table(parser: str) -> None:
+    def marker(label: str, top: int) -> str:
+        if parser == "deepseek":
+            return f"{label}[[100,{top},900,{top + 100}]]\n"
+        return f"<|det|>{label} [100,{top},900,{top + 100}]<|/det|>"
+
+    source = (
+        marker("text", 100)
+        + "First line\nSecond line\n\nThird paragraph\n"
+        + marker("table", 400)
+        + "<table><tr><td>Total</td></tr></table>\n"
+        + marker("table_caption", 600)
+        + "Caption first line\nCaption second line\n"
+        + marker("text", 800)
+        + "Final block"
+    )
+    parse = (
+        parse_deepseekocr_markdown
+        if parser == "deepseek"
+        else parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown
+    )
+    doc = parse(source, Size(width=600, height=800), page_no=2)
+    text = next(item for item in doc.texts if item.label == DocItemLabel.TEXT)
+    assert text.text == "First line\nSecond line\n\nThird paragraph"
+    assert text.prov[0].page_no == 2
+    assert len(doc.tables) == 1
+    assert doc.tables[0].data.grid[0][0].text == "Total"
+    caption = doc.tables[0].captions[0].resolve(doc)
+    assert caption.text == "Caption first line\nCaption second line"
+    assert doc.texts[-1].text == "Final block"
+    assert "Second line" in doc.export_to_markdown()
+
+
+def test_caption_does_not_claim_table_markup_already_collected() -> None:
+    source = (
+        "table[[100,100,900,300]]\n"
+        "table_caption[[100,400,900,500]]\nCaption first\nCaption second\n\n"
+        "<table><tr><td>Total</td></tr></table>\n\n"
+        "text[[100,600,900,700]]\nFinal block"
+    )
+    doc = parse_deepseekocr_markdown(source, Size(width=600, height=800), page_no=1)
+    assert doc.tables[0].data.grid[0][0].text == "Total"
+    assert (
+        doc.tables[0].captions[0].resolve(doc).text == "Caption first\nCaption second"
+    )
+    assert all("<table>" not in item.text for item in doc.texts)
+    assert doc.texts[-1].text == "Final block"
diff --git a/tests/test_vlm_heading_exports.py b/tests/test_vlm_heading_exports.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b75d5b0420
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_vlm_heading_exports.py
@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: The Docling Contributors
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+"""Heading depth must survive VLM response parsing and Markdown export."""
+
+import json
+from pathlib import PurePath
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+from docling_core.types.doc import (
+    DocItemLabel,
+    DoclingDocument,
+    SectionHeaderItem,
+    Size,
+    TitleItem,
+)
+
+from docling.datamodel.base_models import Page, PagePredictions, VlmPrediction
+from docling.datamodel.pipeline_options_vlm_model import (
+    InferenceFramework,
+    InlineVlmOptions,
+    ResponseFormat,
+)
+from docling.pipeline.vlm_pipeline import VlmPipeline
+from docling.utils.chandra_utils import _add_html_fragment, parse_chandra_html
+from docling.utils.deepseekocr_utils import (
+    parse_deepseekocr_markdown,
+    parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown,
+)
+from docling.utils.dots_utils import parse_dots_json
+from docling.utils.nemotron_parse_utils import parse_nemotron_parse_v2
+from docling.utils.nemotron_parse_v3_5_utils import parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5
+from docling.utils.paddleocr_vl_utils import parse_paddleocr_vl_result
+
+_SIZE = Size(width=600, height=800)
+# A block is (is_title, markup depth or None for no heading markup).
+_Block = tuple[bool, int | None]
+_FORMATS = {
+    "chandra": ResponseFormat.CHANDRA_HTML,
+    "dots": ResponseFormat.DOTS_JSON,
+    "nemotron_v2": ResponseFormat.NEMOTRON_PARSE_V2,
+    "nemotron_v3_5": ResponseFormat.NEMOTRON_PARSE_V3_5,
+    "deepseek": ResponseFormat.DEEPSEEKOCR_MARKDOWN,
+    "unlimited": ResponseFormat.UNLIMITED_OCR_MARKDOWN,
+}
+_PARSERS = [*_FORMATS, "paddle"]
+
+
+def _markdown(index: int, depth: int | None) -> str:
+    return f"{'#' * depth} H{index}" if depth is not None else f"H{index}"
+
+
+def _response(parser: str, blocks: list[_Block]) -> str:
+    """Render one page of model output with one block per heading."""
+    parts = []
+    for index, (is_title, depth) in enumerate(blocks):
+        y = 100 + 50 * index
+        text = _markdown(index, depth)
+        if parser == "chandra":
+            label = "Title" if is_title else "Section-Header"
+            body = f"<h{depth}>H{index}</h{depth}>" if depth is not None else text
+            parts.append(
+                f'<div data-bbox="100 {y} 900 {y + 40}" data-label="{label}">'
+                f"{body}</div>"
+            )
+        elif parser == "dots":
+            category = "Title" if is_title else "Section-header"
+            parts.append(
+                json.dumps(
+                    {"category": category, "bbox": [60, y, 540, y + 40], "text": text}
+                )
+            )
+        elif parser in {"nemotron_v2", "nemotron_v3_5"}:
+            label = "Title" if is_title else "Section-header"
+            parts.append(
+                f"<x_0.1><y_{y / 1000}>{text}<x_0.9><y_{(y + 40) / 1000}>"
+                f"<class_{label}>\n\n"
+            )
+        elif parser == "deepseek":
+            label = "title" if is_title else "sub_title"
+            parts.append(
+                f"<|ref|>{label}<|/ref|><|det|>[[100, {y}, 900, {y + 40}]]<|/det|>\n"
+                f"{text}\n\n"
+            )
+        elif parser == "unlimited":
+            label = "title" if is_title else "sub_title"
+            parts.append(f"<|det|>{label} [100, {y}, 900, {y + 40}]<|/det|>{text}\n")
+        else:
+            raise AssertionError(parser)
+    if parser == "dots":
+        return f"[{', '.join(parts)}]"
+    return "".join(parts)
+
+
+def _parse(parser: str, blocks: list[_Block], page_no: int = 1) -> DoclingDocument:
+    """Map one page with the standalone mapper and its default normalization."""
+    if parser == "paddle":
+        payload = {
+            "width": _SIZE.width,
+            "height": _SIZE.height,
+            "model_settings": {"format_block_content": True},
+            "parsing_res_list": [
+                {
+                    "block_label": "doc_title" if is_title else "paragraph_title",
+                    "block_content": _markdown(index, depth),
+                    "block_bbox": [60, 100 + 50 * index, 540, 140 + 50 * index],
+                }
+                for index, (is_title, depth) in enumerate(blocks)
+            ],
+        }
+        return parse_paddleocr_vl_result(payload, filename="page.pdf", page_no=page_no)
+    content = _response(parser, blocks)
+    if parser == "chandra":
+        return parse_chandra_html(content, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+    if parser == "dots":
+        return parse_dots_json(content, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+    if parser == "nemotron_v2":
+        return parse_nemotron_parse_v2(content, _SIZE, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+    if parser == "nemotron_v3_5":
+        return parse_nemotron_parse_v3_5(content, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+    if parser == "deepseek":
+        return parse_deepseekocr_markdown(content, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+    return parse_unlimited_ocr_markdown(content, _SIZE, page_no=page_no)
+
+
+def _levels(doc: DoclingDocument) -> list[int]:
+    return [item.level for item in doc.texts if isinstance(item, SectionHeaderItem)]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", _PARSERS)
+def test_depth_one_section_keeps_every_depth_distinct(parser: str) -> None:
+    doc = _parse(parser, [(False, 1), (False, 2), (False, 3)])
+
+    assert all(isinstance(item, SectionHeaderItem) for item in doc.texts)
+    assert _levels(doc) == [1, 2, 3]
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == "## H0\n\n### H1\n\n#### H2"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", _PARSERS)
+def test_source_depth_survives_export_without_depth_one(parser: str) -> None:
+    doc = _parse(parser, [(False, 2), (False, 3), (False, 6)], page_no=2)
+
+    assert _levels(doc) == [1, 2, 5]
+    assert all(item.prov[0].page_no == 2 for item in doc.texts)
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == "## H0\n\n### H1\n\n###### H2"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", _PARSERS)
+def test_section_without_markup_is_depth_two(parser: str) -> None:
+    assert _levels(_parse(parser, [(False, None), (False, 3)])) == [1, 2]
+    assert _levels(_parse(parser, [(False, 1), (False, None)])) == [1, 2]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", _PARSERS)
+def test_layout_label_alone_decides_title(parser: str) -> None:
+    doc = _parse(parser, [(True, 2), (False, 1), (False, 2)])
+
+    assert isinstance(doc.texts[0], TitleItem)
+    assert doc.texts[0].text == "H0"
+    assert _levels(doc) == [1, 2]
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == "# H0\n\n## H1\n\n### H2"
+
+
+def test_html_fragment_records_raw_depth() -> None:
+    doc = DoclingDocument(name="fragment")
+    doc.add_page(page_no=2, size=_SIZE)
+    for depth in (2, 3):
+        _add_html_fragment(doc, f"<h{depth}>Method</h{depth}>", label=DocItemLabel.TEXT)
+
+    # The calling mapper normalizes; the shared fragment helper must not.
+    assert _levels(doc) == [2, 3]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("parser", list(_FORMATS))
+def test_pipeline_normalizes_joined_pages_once(parser: str) -> None:
+    pipeline = VlmPipeline.__new__(VlmPipeline)
+    pipeline.pipeline_options = SimpleNamespace(
+        generate_page_images=False,
+        generate_picture_images=False,
+        images_scale=1.0,
+        vlm_options=InlineVlmOptions(
+            prompt="",
+            repo_id="test",
+            response_format=_FORMATS[parser],
+            inference_framework=InferenceFramework.TRANSFORMERS,
+            scale=1.0,
+        ),
+    )
+    pipeline.force_backend_text = False
+    conv_res = SimpleNamespace(
+        input=SimpleNamespace(file=PurePath("test.pdf")), errors=[]
+    )
+
+    def join(pages: dict[int, list[_Block]]) -> DoclingDocument:
+        page_documents = []
+        for page_no, blocks in pages.items():
+            page = Page(
+                page_no=page_no,
+                size=_SIZE,
+                predictions=PagePredictions(
+                    vlm_response=VlmPrediction(text=_response(parser, blocks))
+                ),
+            )
+            page_documents.append(
+                (page_no, pipeline._finalize_page_document(conv_res, page))
+            )
+        return pipeline._join_page_documents(page_documents)
+
+    # Only page 1 has a depth-1 section, yet "##" has one level on both pages.
+    doc = join({1: [(False, 1), (False, 2)], 2: [(False, 2)]})
+    assert [(item.prov[0].page_no, item.level) for item in doc.texts] == [
+        (1, 1),
+        (1, 2),
+        (2, 2),
+    ]
+    # A second normalization would turn "###" into "##".
+    doc = join({1: [(False, 3)], 2: [(False, 3)]})
+    assert _levels(doc) == [2, 2]
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == "### H0\n\n### H0"
+    assert not conv_res.errors
+
+
+def test_formatted_html_heading_keeps_one_coordinate_owner() -> None:
+    doc = parse_chandra_html(
+        '<div data-bbox="100 100 900 200" data-label="Section-Header">'
+        "<h3><b>Method</b> and results</h3></div>",
+        Size(width=600, height=800),
+        page_no=1,
+    )
+    assert isinstance(doc.texts[0], SectionHeaderItem)
+    assert doc.texts[0].level == 2
+    assert doc.texts[0].prov
+    assert all(not item.prov for item in doc.texts[1:])
+    assert doc.export_to_markdown() == "### **Method** and results"
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 3ecf2aea0c..d12dc1fac6 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -1943,7 +1943,7 @@ requires-dist = [{ name = "docling-slim", extras = ["service-client"], editable
 
 [[package]]
 name = "docling-core"
-version = "2.102.0"
+version = "2.103.1"
 source = { registry = "https://pypi.org/simple" }
 dependencies = [
     { name = "defusedxml" },
@@ -1962,9 +1962,9 @@ dependencies = [
     { name = "typer" },
     { name = "typing-extensions" },
 ]
-sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/c8/cc/af034afb72ddc4bfcb24f6cace3ffcf800ca4226080497c989a6a4124a4b/docling_core-2.102.0.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:f951eef5ba69391d8fc0b39e54726475d6135b49d4080f886ad98945ea397872", size = 425379, upload-time = "2026-10-18T05:31:45.103Z" }
+sdist = { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/5e/74/70107b222626fa5167a4de9dd24148b2ff657667d9ad57d17d3fba3906ef/docling_core-2.103.1.tar.gz", hash = "sha256:52398d2369fe32fccb7c06527d888b4cfa50226b25f55bbdc5d6e6d6863ee4f4", size = 440557, upload-time = "2026-10-20T14:45:14.447Z" }
 wheels = [
-    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/83/ee/5e8ddf1cdccf623aa2f131cddbd5e50fc0647f933481ebe347185a05a259/docling_core-2.102.0-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:dc2d1d6e6ec5e96c762e7b71df0d017dfd94224a06c92eeccced1625a7e921c2", size = 321488, upload-time = "2026-10-18T05:31:43.292Z" },
+    { url = "https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/8a/6b/047a02de5828d54462f48f7d12da50861cc36505a600460ae08eeeeca2f5/docling_core-2.103.1-py3-none-any.whl", hash = "sha256:2407bb42bb95468192b69b772ab72477e2a636bd33c5c6a401047b190fc81b96", size = 328165, upload-time = "2026-10-20T14:45:12.455Z" },
 ]
 
 [package.optional-dependencies]
@@ -2422,8 +2422,8 @@ requires-dist = [
     { name = "defusedxml", marker = "extra == 'format-iwork'", specifier = ">=0.7.1,<0.8.0" },
     { name = "defusedxml", marker = "extra == 'format-xml-uspto'", specifier = ">=0.7.1,<0.8.0" },
     { name = "defusedxml", marker = "extra == 'models-local'", specifier = ">=0.7.1,<0.8.0" },
-    { name = "docling-core", specifier = ">=2.102.0,<3.0.0" },
-    { name = "docling-core", extras = ["chunking"], marker = "extra == 'feat-chunking'", specifier = ">=2.102.0,<3.0.0" },
+    { name = "docling-core", specifier = ">=2.103.1,<3.0.0" },
+    { name = "docling-core", extras = ["chunking"], marker = "extra == 'feat-chunking'", specifier = ">=2.103.1,<3.0.0" },
     { name = "docling-ibm-models", marker = "extra == 'models-local'", specifier = ">=4.0.2,<5" },
     { name = "docling-parse", marker = "extra == 'format-pdf-docling'", specifier = ">=7.22.2,<8.0.0" },
     { name = "docling-slim", extras = ["convert-core"], marker = "extra == 'extract-core'" },
@@ -2562,7 +2562,7 @@ examples = [
 ]
 pr-fast-checks = [
     { name = "boto3-stubs", specifier = "~=1.37" },
-    { name = "docling-core", extras = ["chunking"], specifier = ">=2.102.0,<3.0.0" },
+    { name = "docling-core", extras = ["chunking"], specifier = ">=2.103.1,<3.0.0" },
     { name = "pandas-stubs", specifier = "~=2.1" },
     { name = "pydantic", specifier = ">=2.0.0,<3.0.0" },
     { name = "pydantic-settings", specifier = ">=2.3.0,<3.0.0" },