diff --git a/modules/joex/src/main/resources/reference.conf b/modules/joex/src/main/resources/reference.conf
index 16bc791a..bd2b19f9 100644
--- a/modules/joex/src/main/resources/reference.conf
+++ b/modules/joex/src/main/resources/reference.conf
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ docspell.joex {
     # How often a failed job should be retried until it enters failed
     # state. If a job fails, it becomes "stuck" and will be retried
     # after a delay.
-    retries = 5
+    retries = 2
 
     # The delay until the next try is performed for a failed job. This
     # delay is increased exponentially with the number of retries.