diff --git a/src/__tests__/retry.spec.ts b/src/__tests__/retry.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4b761dd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__tests__/retry.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from '@jest/globals'
+import axios from 'axios'
+import MockAdapter from 'axios-mock-adapter'
+
+import { CreateTemplate, TemplateVariables } from '../generated'
+import { PdfService } from '../services/PdfService'
+import { ScreenshotService } from '../services/ScreenshotService'
+import { TemplateService } from '../services/TemplateService'
+
+function createBody(): TemplateVariables {
+  return {
+    page: {
+      html: '<p>Hello</p>',
+      htmlTemplate: '<p>{{name}}</p>',
+      templateData: { name: 'Example' }
+    },
+    pdf: {
+      headerHtml: '<header>Header</header>',
+      footerHtml: '<footer>Footer</footer>'
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+function encodedBody(): TemplateVariables {
+  const body = createBody()
+  return {
+    page: {
+      ...body.page,
+      html: Buffer.from(body.page.html).toString('base64'),
+      htmlTemplate: Buffer.from(body.page.htmlTemplate).toString('base64')
+    },
+    pdf: {
+      headerHtml: Buffer.from(body.pdf.headerHtml).toString('base64'),
+      footerHtml: Buffer.from(body.pdf.footerHtml).toString('base64')
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+describe.each(['pdf', 'screenshot', 'template generation', 'template create', 'template update'])('%s encoding', service => {
+  function setup() {
+    const client = axios.create()
+    const mock = new MockAdapter(client)
+    const template = new TemplateService(client)
+    const requests: Record<string, (body: TemplateVariables) => Promise<unknown>> = {
+      pdf: body => new PdfService(client).direct(body),
+      screenshot: body => new ScreenshotService(client).direct(body),
+      'template generation': body => template.direct('id', body),
+      'template create': body => template.create({ name: 'Example', output: CreateTemplate.output.PDF, variables: body }),
+      'template update': body => template.update('id', { variables: body })
+    }
+    return { mock, request: requests[service] }
+  }
+
+  function expectEncodedPayload(data: string) {
+    const payload = JSON.parse(data)
+    expect(payload.variables ?? payload).toEqual(encodedBody())
+  }
+
+  test('sends the same singly encoded content after a 429', async () => {
+    const { mock, request } = setup()
+    mock.onPost().replyOnce(429).onPost().reply(200, Buffer.from('result'))
+    const body = createBody()
+
+    await request(body)
+
+    expect(mock.history.post).toHaveLength(2)
+    expectEncodedPayload(mock.history.post[0].data)
+    expect(mock.history.post[1].data).toBe(mock.history.post[0].data)
+    expect(body).toEqual(encodedBody())
+  })
+
+  test('encodes the input in place on a successful call', async () => {
+    const { mock, request } = setup()
+    mock.onPost().reply(200, Buffer.from('result'))
+    const body = createBody()
+
+    await request(body)
+
+    expect(mock.history.post).toHaveLength(1)
+    expectEncodedPayload(mock.history.post[0].data)
+    expect(body).toEqual(encodedBody())
+  })
+
+  test('stops after one retry if the rate limit persists', async () => {
+    const { mock, request } = setup()
+    mock.onPost().reply(429)
+    const body = createBody()
+
+    await expect(request(body)).rejects.toMatchObject({ response: { status: 429 } })
+
+    expect(mock.history.post).toHaveLength(2)
+    expectEncodedPayload(mock.history.post[0].data)
+    expect(mock.history.post[1].data).toBe(mock.history.post[0].data)
+    expect(body).toEqual(encodedBody())
+  })
+
+  test('does not retry other errors', async () => {
+    const { mock, request } = setup()
+    mock.onPost().reply(500)
+
+    await expect(request(createBody())).rejects.toMatchObject({ response: { status: 500 } })
+
+    expect(mock.history.post).toHaveLength(1)
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/services/BaseService.ts b/src/services/BaseService.ts
index 54424fc..8b91d7c 100644
--- a/src/services/BaseService.ts
+++ b/src/services/BaseService.ts
@@ -33,14 +33,18 @@ export class BaseService {
 
   constructor(private readonly client: Axios) {}
 
-  protected async request<T>(method: Method, url: string, requestBody?: object, config: AxiosRequestConfig = {}, retries = 1): Promise<T> {
+  protected async request<T>(method: Method, url: string, requestBody?: object, config: AxiosRequestConfig = {}, retries = 1, encodeBody = true): Promise<T> {
     try {
       await this.waitForRateLimit()
 
+      if (requestBody && encodeBody) {
+        requestBody = this.encodeRequestBody(requestBody)
+      }
+
       const axiosResponse = await this.client.request<T>({
         method,
         url: url,
-        data: requestBody ? this.encodeRequestBody(requestBody) : undefined,
+        data: requestBody,
         ...config
       })
       this.processRateLimit(new AxiosHeaders(axiosResponse.headers))
@@ -52,7 +56,7 @@ export class BaseService {
       return axiosResponse.data
     } catch (err) {
       if (isAxiosError(err) && err.status === 429 && retries > 0) {
-        return this.request(method, url, requestBody, config, retries - 1)
+        return this.request(method, url, requestBody, config, retries - 1, false)
       }
 
       throw err
@@ -60,7 +64,7 @@ export class BaseService {
   }
 
   protected encodeRequestBody(requestBody: object): object {
-    if (this.isGenerateRequest(requestBody)) {
+    if (this.isGenerateRequest(requestBody) && requestBody.page) {
       if (requestBody.page.html) {
         requestBody.page.html = this.baseEncodeContent(requestBody.page.html)
       }
@@ -70,7 +74,7 @@ export class BaseService {
       }
     }
 
-    if (this.isPdfRequest(requestBody)) {
+    if (this.isPdfRequest(requestBody) && requestBody.pdf) {
       if (requestBody.pdf?.headerHtml) {
         requestBody.pdf.headerHtml = this.baseEncodeContent(requestBody.pdf.headerHtml)
       }