diff --git a/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp.go b/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp.go
index 969962a76..724996974 100644
--- a/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp.go
+++ b/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp.go
@@ -236,10 +236,19 @@ func (p *ParakeetCpp) AudioTranscription(ctx context.Context, opts *pb.Transcrip
 		return pb.TranscriptResult{}, errors.New("parakeet-cpp: TranscriptRequest.dst (audio path) is required")
 	}
 
-	// Fallback when the batched C-API is unavailable: transcribe directly from
-	// the file path (original behavior, no batching).
+	// Fallback when the batched C-API is unavailable: transcribe from a file
+	// path (original behavior, no batching). The C library's audio loader only
+	// understands 16 kHz mono WAV/PCM, so convert the input first - otherwise
+	// any non-WAV upload (MP3, etc.) fails with "failed to load audio". This
+	// mirrors what every other audio backend (whisper, crispasr) does via
+	// utils.AudioToWav before handing the file to the engine.
 	if p.bat == nil {
-		cstr := CppTranscribePathJSON(p.ctxPtr, opts.Dst, 0)
+		converted, cleanup, err := convertToWavMono16k(opts.Dst)
+		if err != nil {
+			return pb.TranscriptResult{}, err
+		}
+		defer cleanup()
+		cstr := CppTranscribePathJSON(p.ctxPtr, converted, 0)
 		if cstr == 0 {
 			return pb.TranscriptResult{}, fmt.Errorf("parakeet-cpp: transcribe_path_json failed: %s", CppLastError(p.ctxPtr))
 		}
@@ -460,17 +469,33 @@ func (p *ParakeetCpp) AudioTranscriptionStream(ctx context.Context, opts *pb.Tra
 // float samples plus the clip duration in seconds. Mirrors the whisper
 // backend: utils.AudioToWav (ffmpeg) normalises rate/channels, go-audio
 // decodes the PCM.
-func decodeWavMono16k(path string) ([]float32, float32, error) {
+// convertToWavMono16k converts an arbitrary audio file to a 16 kHz mono WAV in
+// a fresh temp dir and returns the path together with a cleanup func the caller
+// must defer. WAV inputs already at 16 kHz/mono/16-bit are passed through by
+// utils.AudioToWav (hardlink/copy), everything else is transcoded via ffmpeg.
+// Used by the direct (non-batched) transcription path, which hands a file path
+// to the C library's WAV-only audio loader.
+func convertToWavMono16k(path string) (string, func(), error) {
 	dir, err := os.MkdirTemp("", "parakeet")
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, 0, err
+		return "", func() {}, err
 	}
-	defer func() { _ = os.RemoveAll(dir) }()
+	cleanup := func() { _ = os.RemoveAll(dir) }
 
 	converted := filepath.Join(dir, "converted.wav")
 	if err := utils.AudioToWav(path, converted); err != nil {
+		cleanup()
+		return "", func() {}, err
+	}
+	return converted, cleanup, nil
+}
+
+func decodeWavMono16k(path string) ([]float32, float32, error) {
+	converted, cleanup, err := convertToWavMono16k(path)
+	if err != nil {
 		return nil, 0, err
 	}
+	defer cleanup()
 
 	fh, err := os.Open(converted)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp_test.go b/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp_test.go
index c059eb4bf..d72e10d05 100644
--- a/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp_test.go
+++ b/backend/go/parakeet-cpp/goparakeetcpp_test.go
@@ -3,11 +3,14 @@ package main
 import (
 	"context"
 	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/ebitengine/purego"
+	"github.com/go-audio/audio"
+	"github.com/go-audio/wav"
 	pb "github.com/mudler/LocalAI/pkg/grpc/proto"
 	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
 	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
@@ -70,6 +73,24 @@ func fixturesOrSkip() (string, string) {
 	return modelPath, audioPath
 }
 
+// writeMono16kWav writes `samples` frames of 16 kHz mono 16-bit silence to
+// path. The result is already in AudioToWav's target format, so the conversion
+// helper copies it through without invoking ffmpeg.
+func writeMono16kWav(path string, samples int) {
+	GinkgoHelper()
+	f, err := os.Create(path)
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	enc := wav.NewEncoder(f, 16000, 16, 1, 1)
+	buf := &audio.IntBuffer{
+		Format:         &audio.Format{NumChannels: 1, SampleRate: 16000},
+		SourceBitDepth: 16,
+		Data:           make([]int, samples),
+	}
+	Expect(enc.Write(buf)).To(Succeed())
+	Expect(enc.Close()).To(Succeed())
+	Expect(f.Close()).To(Succeed())
+}
+
 var _ = Describe("ParakeetCpp", func() {
 	Context("AudioTranscription", func() {
 		It("transcribes a WAV via the parakeet C-API", func() {
@@ -120,6 +141,39 @@ var _ = Describe("ParakeetCpp", func() {
 		})
 	})
 
+	Context("convertToWavMono16k", func() {
+		// The non-batched transcription path hands a file path to the C
+		// library's WAV-only audio loader, so it must convert first.
+		// utils.AudioToWav passes an already-16kHz/mono/16-bit WAV through
+		// without ffmpeg, which lets us exercise the helper (and the
+		// regression: the direct path used to skip conversion entirely)
+		// without a model, the C library, or ffmpeg.
+		It("returns a decodable 16kHz mono WAV copy and cleans it up", func() {
+			dir := GinkgoT().TempDir()
+			src := filepath.Join(dir, "input.wav")
+			writeMono16kWav(src, 16000) // 1s of silence at 16 kHz
+
+			converted, cleanup, err := convertToWavMono16k(src)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+			// It must produce a fresh temp file, not return the original path.
+			Expect(converted).ToNot(Equal(src))
+			Expect(converted).To(BeAnExistingFile())
+
+			pcm, _, err := decodeWavMono16k(converted)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(pcm).To(HaveLen(16000), "round-trips the sample count")
+
+			cleanup()
+			Expect(converted).ToNot(BeAnExistingFile(), "cleanup removes the temp dir")
+		})
+
+		It("errors on a non-existent input rather than passing the path through", func() {
+			_, _, err := convertToWavMono16k(filepath.Join(GinkgoT().TempDir(), "missing.mp3"))
+			Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+		})
+	})
+
 	Context("AudioTranscriptionStream", func() {
 		It("streams deltas and a closing FinalResult from a cache-aware model", func() {
 			// Streaming needs a cache-aware streaming model (e.g.