diff --git a/docs/ingester.md b/docs/ingester.md
index 44c407ad..4deaf1ba 100644
--- a/docs/ingester.md
+++ b/docs/ingester.md
@@ -148,7 +148,6 @@ Bearer-token auth can replace HTTP Basic via the standard `headers` map:
 ingester:
   workers:
     worker_count: 4
-    max_concurrent: 4
     poll_idle_interval_s: 1.0
     claim_timeout_s: 1800
     reaper_interval_s: 60
@@ -160,8 +159,9 @@ ingester:
       jitter: 0.25                  # ±25%
 ```
 
-The worker pool runs `worker_count` async workers behind a shared
-`max_concurrent` semaphore. Jobs that hit a `TransientError` are
+The worker pool runs `worker_count` async workers, each processing one
+job at a time. `worker_count` is therefore also the maximum number of
+concurrent in-flight jobs. Jobs that hit a `TransientError` are
 rescheduled with exponential backoff plus jitter, up to `max_attempts`,
 then land in the dead-letter queue. `PermanentError` (unsupported
 extension, 4xx HTTP except 408/429, etc.) skips retry entirely.
@@ -185,9 +185,8 @@ once `claim_timeout_s` elapses.
 
 - `claim_timeout_s` must exceed the longest legitimate job duration; a
   shorter value lets the reaper resurrect in-flight jobs.
-- `worker_count <= max_concurrent`; extras stall in the semaphore.
-- `max_concurrent` should match downstream capacity. docling-serve
-  processes one task per instance, so `max_concurrent` above the number
+- `worker_count` should match downstream capacity. docling-serve
+  processes one task per instance, so `worker_count` above the number
   of `providers.docling_serve.base_url` entries over-subscribes the
   fleet — extra submissions queue inside docling-serve and inflate
   `claimed_at` duration toward `claim_timeout_s`.
diff --git a/examples/docker/haiku.rag.yaml.example b/examples/docker/haiku.rag.yaml.example
index dc1f43e6..9ac1addb 100644
--- a/examples/docker/haiku.rag.yaml.example
+++ b/examples/docker/haiku.rag.yaml.example
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ ingester:
   # Queue lives next to the LanceDB so both persist in the data volume.
   queue:
     path: /data/ingester.db
+  workers:
+    # Match the docling-serve fleet size below — each instance processes
+    # one task at a time, so more workers would just queue submissions
+    # inside docling-serve.
+    worker_count: 2
   api:
     # Bind to all interfaces inside the container so docker port-mapping works.
     host: 0.0.0.0
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
index 791887bd..2719623d 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/config/models.py
@@ -291,14 +291,10 @@ class WorkerConfig(BaseModel):
     worker_count: int = Field(
         default=4,
         description="Number of async worker tasks pulling from the queue. "
-        "Each worker holds at most one job at a time. Should be <= "
-        "max_concurrent; extra workers stall in the semaphore queue.",
-    )
-    max_concurrent: int = Field(
-        default=4,
-        description="Upper bound on jobs running concurrently across all "
-        "workers. Sized to the slowest shared downstream — typically the "
-        "docling-serve fleet or the embedding endpoint's request budget.",
+        "Each worker holds at most one job at a time, so worker_count is "
+        "also the maximum number of concurrent in-flight jobs. Size to the "
+        "slowest shared downstream — typically the docling-serve fleet or "
+        "the embedding endpoint's request budget.",
     )
     poll_idle_interval_s: float = Field(
         default=1.0,
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/app.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/app.py
index 6747d5bf..ecc0d358 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/app.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/app.py
@@ -77,7 +77,6 @@ class IngesterApp:
                     job_repo=self._jobs,
                     sync_repo=self._sync,
                     worker_count=ingester_cfg.workers.worker_count,
-                    max_concurrent=ingester_cfg.workers.max_concurrent,
                     retry_policy=retry,
                     poll_idle_interval_s=ingester_cfg.workers.poll_idle_interval_s,
                     claim_timeout_s=ingester_cfg.workers.claim_timeout_s,
diff --git a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/workers/pool.py b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/workers/pool.py
index 75026e42..277cad85 100644
--- a/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/workers/pool.py
+++ b/haiku_rag_slim/haiku/rag/ingester/workers/pool.py
@@ -37,7 +37,6 @@ class WorkerPool:
         job_repo: JobRepo,
         sync_repo: SyncStateRepo,
         worker_count: int = 4,
-        max_concurrent: int = 4,
         retry_policy: RetryPolicy | None = None,
         poll_idle_interval_s: float = 1.0,
         claim_timeout_s: int = 1800,
@@ -48,7 +47,6 @@ class WorkerPool:
         self._jobs = job_repo
         self._sync = sync_repo
         self._worker_count = worker_count
-        self._semaphore = asyncio.Semaphore(max_concurrent)
         self._retry = retry_policy or RetryPolicy()
         self._poll_idle_s = poll_idle_interval_s
         self._claim_timeout_s = claim_timeout_s
@@ -132,14 +130,11 @@ class WorkerPool:
             if self._breaker.is_open:
                 await self._sleep_or_stop(self._poll_idle_s)
                 continue
-            # Semaphore wraps claim + process: at most max_concurrent workers
-            # hold a claimed job at any one time.
-            async with self._semaphore:
-                job = await self._jobs.claim_next(worker_id)
-                if job is None:
-                    await self._sleep_or_stop(self._poll_idle_s)
-                    continue
-                await self._process(job)
+            job = await self._jobs.claim_next(worker_id)
+            if job is None:
+                await self._sleep_or_stop(self._poll_idle_s)
+                continue
+            await self._process(job)
 
     async def _reaper_loop(self) -> None:
         while not self._stop.is_set():
diff --git a/tests/ingester/test_config.py b/tests/ingester/test_config.py
index db49223b..0510a53d 100644
--- a/tests/ingester/test_config.py
+++ b/tests/ingester/test_config.py
@@ -114,7 +114,6 @@ ingester:
       poll_interval_s: 86400
   workers:
     worker_count: 8
-    max_concurrent: 4
   api:
     enabled: false
 """
diff --git a/tests/ingester/test_serve_integration.py b/tests/ingester/test_serve_integration.py
index 2b9d7137..46c42334 100644
--- a/tests/ingester/test_serve_integration.py
+++ b/tests/ingester/test_serve_integration.py
@@ -102,7 +102,6 @@ async def test_e2e_initial_sweep_lands_succeeded_jobs(tmp_path, jobs, sync):
         job_repo=jobs,
         sync_repo=sync,
         worker_count=2,
-        max_concurrent=2,
         poll_idle_interval_s=0.05,
     )
 
@@ -171,7 +170,6 @@ async def test_e2e_handles_url_encoded_special_chars_in_path(tmp_path, jobs, syn
         job_repo=jobs,
         sync_repo=sync,
         worker_count=1,
-        max_concurrent=1,
         poll_idle_interval_s=0.05,
     )
 
@@ -268,7 +266,6 @@ async def test_pre_existing_job_resolves_through_configured_source(
         job_repo=jobs,
         sync_repo=sync,
         worker_count=1,
-        max_concurrent=1,
         poll_idle_interval_s=0.05,
         sources=manager.sources,
     )
diff --git a/tests/ingester/test_workers.py b/tests/ingester/test_workers.py
index 46994394..03f5a237 100644
--- a/tests/ingester/test_workers.py
+++ b/tests/ingester/test_workers.py
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ def _pool(client, jobs, sync, **kwargs) -> WorkerPool:
         job_repo=jobs,
         sync_repo=sync,
         worker_count=kwargs.pop("worker_count", 2),
-        max_concurrent=kwargs.pop("max_concurrent", 2),
         poll_idle_interval_s=kwargs.pop("poll_idle_interval_s", 0.05),
         reaper_interval_s=kwargs.pop("reaper_interval_s", 60),
         claim_timeout_s=kwargs.pop("claim_timeout_s", 60),
@@ -233,7 +232,7 @@ async def test_workers_drain_queue_after_start(client, jobs, sync):
     for i in range(5):
         await jobs.enqueue("src", f"u{i}", JobOp.UPSERT)
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=3, max_concurrent=3)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=3)
     await pool.start()
     try:
         # Wait until everything is succeeded or until a deadline.
@@ -268,7 +267,7 @@ async def test_shutdown_grace_lets_inflight_job_complete(client, jobs, sync):
     client.create_document_from_source.side_effect = _slow_then_finish
     await jobs.enqueue("src", "u", JobOp.UPSERT)
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     await pool.start()
     # Yield long enough for the worker to claim and enter _process.
     await asyncio.sleep(0.02)
@@ -298,7 +297,7 @@ async def test_shutdown_grace_timeout_releases_claim(client, jobs, sync):
     job = await jobs.enqueue("src", "u", JobOp.UPSERT)
     assert job is not None
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     await pool.start()
     await asyncio.sleep(0.05)
 
@@ -334,7 +333,7 @@ async def test_worker_loses_claim_to_reaper_does_not_write_sync_state(
     await jobs.reap_stale(claim_timeout_seconds=0)
     await jobs.claim_next("worker-B")
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     # Drive A's _process directly with A's (now stale) Job snapshot.
     await pool._process(claimed_by_a)
 
@@ -376,7 +375,7 @@ async def test_cancel_cleanup_survives_second_cancel(client, jobs, sync, monkeyp
     job = await jobs.enqueue("src", "u", JobOp.UPSERT)
     assert job is not None
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     await pool.start()
     try:
         await asyncio.sleep(0.05)
@@ -425,7 +424,7 @@ async def test_drain_pending_releases_waits_for_orphan_releases(
     job = await jobs.enqueue("src", "u", JobOp.UPSERT)
     assert job is not None
 
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     await pool.start()
     try:
         await asyncio.sleep(0.05)
@@ -454,7 +453,7 @@ async def test_drain_pending_releases_waits_for_orphan_releases(
 async def test_drain_pending_releases_with_no_orphans_is_noop(client, jobs, sync):
     """Common case: nothing to drain — drain returns 0 immediately, no
     asyncio.wait against an empty set."""
-    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1)
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1)
     assert await pool.drain_pending_releases() == 0
 
 
@@ -505,9 +504,7 @@ async def test_breaker_opens_after_n_consecutive_transient_failures(client, jobs
 async def test_breaker_pauses_worker_loop_claims(client, jobs, sync):
     """Worker loop honours the breaker: claim_next is not called while
     is_open, so queued jobs stay queued until the breaker closes."""
-    pool = _pool(
-        client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, max_concurrent=1, poll_idle_interval_s=0.02
-    )
+    pool = _pool(client, jobs, sync, worker_count=1, poll_idle_interval_s=0.02)
     # Force the breaker open without touching the queue.
     for _ in range(10):
         pool._breaker.record_failure()