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+# Reading Order Patch Documentation
+
+## Overview
+
+This document explains the monkey patch applied to fix a KeyError in the `docling_ibm_models.reading_order.reading_order_rb` module.
+
+## Problem Description
+
+Users encountered a `KeyError` when converting certain PDF files using docling. The error occurred in the reading order prediction phase:
+
+```
+KeyError: 22
+  File "docling_ibm_models/reading_order/reading_order_rb.py", line 366, in _init_ud_maps
+    self.dn_map[i].append(j)
+```
+
+The error number (22 in this example) varied depending on the PDF being processed.
+
+## Root Cause
+
+The `_init_ud_maps` method in `docling_ibm_models.reading_order.reading_order_rb` performs the following operations:
+
+1. Initializes `dn_map` and `up_map` dictionaries for all page elements (indices 0 to N-1)
+2. Iterates through elements to build spatial relationships
+3. When processing element j, it may follow a left-to-right mapping chain:
+   ```python
+   while i in state.l2r_map:
+       i = state.l2r_map[i]
+   ```
+4. After following the chain, it accesses `state.dn_map[i]`
+
+The KeyError occurs when:
+- The final value of `i` after following the `l2r_map` chain doesn't exist in `dn_map`
+- This can happen when maps are reinitialized with different element lists
+- Or when invalid mappings exist in `r2l_map`
+
+## Solution
+
+A monkey patch was created in `/docling/models/_reading_order_patch.py` that:
+
+1. **Defensive checks for map access**: Before accessing `dn_map[i]` or `up_map[j]`, the patch verifies the key exists
+2. **Infinite loop prevention**: Tracks the original value of `i` and breaks if a circular reference is detected
+3. **Graceful degradation**: Silently skips invalid mappings instead of crashing
+
+### Patch Application
+
+The patch is automatically applied when the `readingorder_model` module is imported:
+
+```python
+from docling.models import _reading_order_patch
+_reading_order_patch.apply_patch()
+```
+
+This ensures the fix is transparent to users and doesn't require code changes.
+
+## Testing
+
+Comprehensive tests were added in `tests/test_reading_order_patch.py` to verify:
+
+1. **Patch application**: Confirms the monkey patch is correctly applied
+2. **Basic functionality**: Verifies reading order model can be initialized
+3. **Defensive checks**: Tests that edge cases don't raise KeyError
+4. **l2r_map chains**: Validates proper handling of left-to-right mapping chains
+5. **Invalid mappings**: Ensures invalid `r2l_map` references are handled gracefully
+
+All tests pass successfully.
+
+## Impact
+
+- **Minimal changes**: Only adds a monkey patch, no modifications to core docling code
+- **Backward compatible**: Existing functionality is preserved
+- **Transparent**: Applied automatically, no user action required
+- **Safe**: Adds defensive checks without modifying core logic
+
+## Future Work
+
+This is a temporary workaround. The proper fix should be submitted to the upstream `docling-ibm-models` repository. Once the upstream fix is released and the dependency is updated, this monkey patch can be removed.
+
+## References
+
+- Issue: [Link to GitHub issue]
+- External package: `docling-ibm-models` (version 3.10.2)
+- Affected file: `docling_ibm_models/reading_order/reading_order_rb.py`