During December 2025, Max worked on stabilizing DOCX parsing in the DS4SD/docling repository, focusing on backend development with Python. He addressed a critical issue where parsing tables with merged cells in DOCX files could trigger an IndexError. By introducing a bounds check before accessing row cells, Max improved the parser’s reliability for real-world documents, reducing crashes and minimizing user downtime. His targeted bug fix enhanced code safety and maintainability, reflecting a thoughtful approach to defensive programming. Although the period involved no new features, Max’s work demonstrated depth in Python and backend engineering, directly improving document processing robustness for end users.