diff --git a/server/reflector/dailyco_api/webhook_utils.py b/server/reflector/dailyco_api/webhook_utils.py
index b10d4fa2..27d5fb4e 100644
--- a/server/reflector/dailyco_api/webhook_utils.py
+++ b/server/reflector/dailyco_api/webhook_utils.py
@@ -195,7 +195,6 @@ def parse_recording_error(event: DailyWebhookEvent) -> RecordingErrorPayload:
     return RecordingErrorPayload(**event.payload)
 
 
-# Webhook event type to parser mapping
 WEBHOOK_PARSERS = {
     "participant.joined": parse_participant_joined,
     "participant.left": parse_participant_left,
diff --git a/server/reflector/services/transcript_process.py b/server/reflector/services/transcript_process.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bc48a4eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/reflector/services/transcript_process.py
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+"""
+Transcript processing service - shared logic for HTTP endpoints and Celery tasks.
+
+This module provides result-based error handling that works in both contexts:
+- HTTP endpoint: converts errors to HTTPException
+- Celery task: converts errors to Exception
+"""
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Literal, Union
+
+import celery
+from celery.result import AsyncResult
+
+from reflector.db.recordings import recordings_controller
+from reflector.db.transcripts import Transcript
+from reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline import task_pipeline_file_process
+from reflector.pipelines.main_multitrack_pipeline import (
+    task_pipeline_multitrack_process,
+)
+from reflector.utils.match import absurd
+from reflector.utils.string import NonEmptyString
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ProcessError:
+    detail: NonEmptyString
+
+
+@dataclass
+class FileProcessingConfig:
+    transcript_id: NonEmptyString
+    mode: Literal["file"] = "file"
+
+
+@dataclass
+class MultitrackProcessingConfig:
+    transcript_id: NonEmptyString
+    bucket_name: NonEmptyString
+    track_keys: list[str]
+    mode: Literal["multitrack"] = "multitrack"
+
+
+ProcessingConfig = Union[FileProcessingConfig, MultitrackProcessingConfig]
+PrepareResult = Union[ProcessingConfig, ProcessError]
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ValidationOk:
+    # transcript currently doesnt always have recording_id
+    recording_id: NonEmptyString | None
+    transcript_id: NonEmptyString
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ValidationLocked:
+    detail: NonEmptyString
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ValidationNotReady:
+    detail: NonEmptyString
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ValidationAlreadyScheduled:
+    detail: NonEmptyString
+
+
+ValidationError = Union[
+    ValidationNotReady, ValidationLocked, ValidationAlreadyScheduled
+]
+ValidationResult = Union[ValidationOk, ValidationError]
+
+
+@dataclass
+class DispatchOk:
+    status: Literal["ok"] = "ok"
+
+
+@dataclass
+class DispatchAlreadyRunning:
+    status: Literal["already_running"] = "already_running"
+
+
+DispatchResult = Union[
+    DispatchOk, DispatchAlreadyRunning, ProcessError, ValidationError
+]
+
+
+async def validate_transcript_for_processing(
+    transcript: Transcript,
+) -> ValidationResult:
+    if transcript.locked:
+        return ValidationLocked(detail="Recording is locked")
+
+    if transcript.status == "idle":
+        return ValidationNotReady(detail="Recording is not ready for processing")
+
+    if task_is_scheduled_or_active(
+        "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.task_pipeline_file_process",
+        transcript_id=transcript.id,
+    ) or task_is_scheduled_or_active(
+        "reflector.pipelines.main_multitrack_pipeline.task_pipeline_multitrack_process",
+        transcript_id=transcript.id,
+    ):
+        return ValidationAlreadyScheduled(detail="already running")
+
+    return ValidationOk(
+        recording_id=transcript.recording_id, transcript_id=transcript.id
+    )
+
+
+async def prepare_transcript_processing(validation: ValidationOk) -> PrepareResult:
+    """
+    Determine processing mode from transcript/recording data.
+    """
+    bucket_name: str | None = None
+    track_keys: list[str] | None = None
+
+    if validation.recording_id:
+        recording = await recordings_controller.get_by_id(validation.recording_id)
+        if recording:
+            bucket_name = recording.bucket_name
+            track_keys = recording.track_keys
+
+            if track_keys is not None and len(track_keys) == 0:
+                return ProcessError(
+                    detail="No track keys found, must be either > 0 or None",
+                )
+            if track_keys is not None and not bucket_name:
+                return ProcessError(
+                    detail="Bucket name must be specified",
+                )
+
+    if track_keys:
+        return MultitrackProcessingConfig(
+            bucket_name=bucket_name,  # type: ignore (validated above)
+            track_keys=track_keys,
+            transcript_id=validation.transcript_id,
+        )
+
+    return FileProcessingConfig(
+        transcript_id=validation.transcript_id,
+    )
+
+
+def dispatch_transcript_processing(config: ProcessingConfig) -> AsyncResult:
+    if isinstance(config, MultitrackProcessingConfig):
+        return task_pipeline_multitrack_process.delay(
+            transcript_id=config.transcript_id,
+            bucket_name=config.bucket_name,
+            track_keys=config.track_keys,
+        )
+    elif isinstance(config, FileProcessingConfig):
+        return task_pipeline_file_process.delay(transcript_id=config.transcript_id)
+    else:
+        absurd(config)
+
+
+def task_is_scheduled_or_active(task_name: str, **kwargs):
+    inspect = celery.current_app.control.inspect()
+
+    for worker, tasks in (inspect.scheduled() | inspect.active()).items():
+        for task in tasks:
+            if task["name"] == task_name and task["kwargs"] == kwargs:
+                return True
+
+    return False
diff --git a/server/reflector/tools/process_transcript.py b/server/reflector/tools/process_transcript.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ce9efd71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/reflector/tools/process_transcript.py
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+"""
+Process transcript by ID - auto-detects multitrack vs file pipeline.
+
+Usage:
+    uv run -m reflector.tools.process_transcript <transcript_id>
+
+    # Or via docker:
+    docker compose exec server uv run -m reflector.tools.process_transcript <transcript_id>
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import asyncio
+import sys
+import time
+from typing import Callable
+
+from celery.result import AsyncResult
+
+from reflector.db.transcripts import Transcript, transcripts_controller
+from reflector.services.transcript_process import (
+    FileProcessingConfig,
+    MultitrackProcessingConfig,
+    PrepareResult,
+    ProcessError,
+    ValidationError,
+    ValidationResult,
+    dispatch_transcript_processing,
+    prepare_transcript_processing,
+    validate_transcript_for_processing,
+)
+
+
+async def process_transcript_inner(
+    transcript: Transcript,
+    on_validation: Callable[[ValidationResult], None],
+    on_preprocess: Callable[[PrepareResult], None],
+) -> AsyncResult:
+    validation = await validate_transcript_for_processing(transcript)
+    on_validation(validation)
+    config = await prepare_transcript_processing(validation)
+    on_preprocess(config)
+    return dispatch_transcript_processing(config)
+
+
+async def process_transcript(transcript_id: str, sync: bool = False) -> None:
+    """
+    Process a transcript by ID, auto-detecting multitrack vs file pipeline.
+
+    Args:
+        transcript_id: The transcript UUID
+        sync: If True, wait for task completion. If False, dispatch and exit.
+    """
+    from reflector.db import get_database
+
+    database = get_database()
+    await database.connect()
+
+    try:
+        transcript = await transcripts_controller.get_by_id(transcript_id)
+        if not transcript:
+            print(f"Error: Transcript {transcript_id} not found", file=sys.stderr)
+            sys.exit(1)
+
+        print(f"Found transcript: {transcript.title or transcript_id}", file=sys.stderr)
+        print(f"  Status: {transcript.status}", file=sys.stderr)
+        print(f"  Recording ID: {transcript.recording_id or 'None'}", file=sys.stderr)
+
+        def on_validation(validation: ValidationResult) -> None:
+            if isinstance(validation, ValidationError):
+                print(f"Error: {validation.detail}", file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(1)
+
+        def on_preprocess(config: PrepareResult) -> None:
+            if isinstance(config, ProcessError):
+                print(f"Error: {config.detail}", file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(1)
+            elif isinstance(config, MultitrackProcessingConfig):
+                print(f"Dispatching multitrack pipeline", file=sys.stderr)
+                print(f"  Bucket: {config.bucket_name}", file=sys.stderr)
+                print(f"  Tracks: {len(config.track_keys)}", file=sys.stderr)
+            elif isinstance(config, FileProcessingConfig):
+                print(f"Dispatching file pipeline", file=sys.stderr)
+
+        result = await process_transcript_inner(
+            transcript, on_validation=on_validation, on_preprocess=on_preprocess
+        )
+
+        if sync:
+            print("Waiting for task completion...", file=sys.stderr)
+            while not result.ready():
+                print(f"  Status: {result.state}", file=sys.stderr)
+                time.sleep(5)
+
+            if result.successful():
+                print("Task completed successfully", file=sys.stderr)
+            else:
+                print(f"Task failed: {result.result}", file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(1)
+        else:
+            print(
+                "Task dispatched (use --sync to wait for completion)", file=sys.stderr
+            )
+
+    finally:
+        await database.disconnect()
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Process transcript by ID - auto-detects multitrack vs file pipeline"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "transcript_id",
+        help="Transcript UUID to process",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--sync",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Wait for task completion instead of just dispatching",
+    )
+
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+    asyncio.run(process_transcript(args.transcript_id, sync=args.sync))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/server/reflector/utils/match.py b/server/reflector/utils/match.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e0f6bc53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/reflector/utils/match.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from typing import NoReturn
+
+
+def assert_exhaustiveness(x: NoReturn) -> NoReturn:
+    """Provide an assertion at type-check time that this function is never called."""
+    raise AssertionError(f"Invalid value: {x!r}")
+
+
+def absurd(x: NoReturn) -> NoReturn:
+    return assert_exhaustiveness(x)
diff --git a/server/reflector/views/transcripts_process.py b/server/reflector/views/transcripts_process.py
index cee1e10d..88f11e71 100644
--- a/server/reflector/views/transcripts_process.py
+++ b/server/reflector/views/transcripts_process.py
@@ -1,16 +1,21 @@
 from typing import Annotated, Optional
 
-import celery
 from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends, HTTPException
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 import reflector.auth as auth
-from reflector.db.recordings import recordings_controller
 from reflector.db.transcripts import transcripts_controller
-from reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline import task_pipeline_file_process
-from reflector.pipelines.main_multitrack_pipeline import (
-    task_pipeline_multitrack_process,
+from reflector.services.transcript_process import (
+    ProcessError,
+    ValidationAlreadyScheduled,
+    ValidationError,
+    ValidationLocked,
+    ValidationOk,
+    dispatch_transcript_processing,
+    prepare_transcript_processing,
+    validate_transcript_for_processing,
 )
+from reflector.utils.match import absurd
 
 router = APIRouter()
 
@@ -23,68 +28,28 @@ class ProcessStatus(BaseModel):
 async def transcript_process(
     transcript_id: str,
     user: Annotated[Optional[auth.UserInfo], Depends(auth.current_user_optional)],
-):
+) -> ProcessStatus:
     user_id = user["sub"] if user else None
     transcript = await transcripts_controller.get_by_id_for_http(
         transcript_id, user_id=user_id
     )
 
-    if transcript.locked:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail="Transcript is locked")
-
-    if transcript.status == "idle":
-        raise HTTPException(
-            status_code=400, detail="Recording is not ready for processing"
-        )
-
-    # avoid duplicate scheduling for either pipeline
-    if task_is_scheduled_or_active(
-        "reflector.pipelines.main_file_pipeline.task_pipeline_file_process",
-        transcript_id=transcript_id,
-    ) or task_is_scheduled_or_active(
-        "reflector.pipelines.main_multitrack_pipeline.task_pipeline_multitrack_process",
-        transcript_id=transcript_id,
-    ):
-        return ProcessStatus(status="already running")
-
-    # Determine processing mode strictly from DB to avoid S3 scans
-    bucket_name = None
-    track_keys: list[str] = []
-
-    if transcript.recording_id:
-        recording = await recordings_controller.get_by_id(transcript.recording_id)
-        if recording:
-            bucket_name = recording.bucket_name
-            track_keys = recording.track_keys
-            if track_keys is not None and len(track_keys) == 0:
-                raise HTTPException(
-                    status_code=500,
-                    detail="No track keys found, must be either > 0 or None",
-                )
-            if track_keys is not None and not bucket_name:
-                raise HTTPException(
-                    status_code=500, detail="Bucket name must be specified"
-                )
-
-    if track_keys:
-        task_pipeline_multitrack_process.delay(
-            transcript_id=transcript_id,
-            bucket_name=bucket_name,
-            track_keys=track_keys,
-        )
+    validation = await validate_transcript_for_processing(transcript)
+    if isinstance(validation, ValidationLocked):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=validation.detail)
+    elif isinstance(validation, ValidationError):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=400, detail=validation.detail)
+    elif isinstance(validation, ValidationAlreadyScheduled):
+        return ProcessStatus(status=validation.detail)
+    elif isinstance(validation, ValidationOk):
+        pass
     else:
-        # Default single-file pipeline
-        task_pipeline_file_process.delay(transcript_id=transcript_id)
+        absurd(validation)
 
-    return ProcessStatus(status="ok")
+    config = await prepare_transcript_processing(validation)
 
-
-def task_is_scheduled_or_active(task_name: str, **kwargs):
-    inspect = celery.current_app.control.inspect()
-
-    for worker, tasks in (inspect.scheduled() | inspect.active()).items():
-        for task in tasks:
-            if task["name"] == task_name and task["kwargs"] == kwargs:
-                return True
-
-    return False
+    if isinstance(config, ProcessError):
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail=config.detail)
+    else:
+        dispatch_transcript_processing(config)
+        return ProcessStatus(status="ok")
diff --git a/server/tests/test_transcripts_process.py b/server/tests/test_transcripts_process.py
index 3a0614c1..e3d749df 100644
--- a/server/tests/test_transcripts_process.py
+++ b/server/tests/test_transcripts_process.py
@@ -139,10 +139,10 @@ async def test_whereby_recording_uses_file_pipeline(client):
 
     with (
         patch(
-            "reflector.views.transcripts_process.task_pipeline_file_process"
+            "reflector.services.transcript_process.task_pipeline_file_process"
         ) as mock_file_pipeline,
         patch(
-            "reflector.views.transcripts_process.task_pipeline_multitrack_process"
+            "reflector.services.transcript_process.task_pipeline_multitrack_process"
         ) as mock_multitrack_pipeline,
     ):
         response = await client.post(f"/transcripts/{transcript.id}/process")
@@ -194,10 +194,10 @@ async def test_dailyco_recording_uses_multitrack_pipeline(client):
 
     with (
         patch(
-            "reflector.views.transcripts_process.task_pipeline_file_process"
+            "reflector.services.transcript_process.task_pipeline_file_process"
         ) as mock_file_pipeline,
         patch(
-            "reflector.views.transcripts_process.task_pipeline_multitrack_process"
+            "reflector.services.transcript_process.task_pipeline_multitrack_process"
         ) as mock_multitrack_pipeline,
     ):
         response = await client.post(f"/transcripts/{transcript.id}/process")