diff --git a/writer/HDF5NXmx.cpp b/writer/HDF5NXmx.cpp
index d0ff03e5..8cdffec1 100644
--- a/writer/HDF5NXmx.cpp
+++ b/writer/HDF5NXmx.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 // SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2024 Filip Leonarski, Paul Scherrer Institute <filip.leonarski@psi.ch>
 // SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-only
 
+#include <algorithm>
 #include <cmath>
 
 #include "HDF5NXmx.h"
@@ -210,9 +211,15 @@ void NXmx::LinkToData_ProcessingVDS(const StartMessage &start, const EndMessage
         if (mapping.image_count == 0)
             continue;
 
-        if (mapping.virtual_first_image + mapping.image_count > total_images)
-            throw JFJochException(JFJochExceptionCategory::InputParameterInvalid,
-                                  "Processing VDS mapping exceeds output image count");
+        // The mapping is built from the number of images the run intended to process, while
+        // total_images is the number it actually finished. A cancelled run, or one that skipped an
+        // unreadable frame, legitimately ends up with fewer - so map what was written and drop the
+        // rest. Rejecting the mismatch here would take the whole output file with it.
+        if (mapping.virtual_first_image >= total_images)
+            continue;
+
+        const hsize_t image_count = std::min(static_cast<hsize_t>(mapping.image_count),
+                                             total_images - mapping.virtual_first_image);
 
         const std::string source_dataset = mapping.dataset.empty()
                                            ? "/entry/data/data"
@@ -221,14 +228,14 @@ void NXmx::LinkToData_ProcessingVDS(const StartMessage &start, const EndMessage
         HDF5DataSpace virtual_data_space({total_images, height, width});
         virtual_data_space.SelectHyperslab(
                 {static_cast<hsize_t>(mapping.virtual_first_image), 0, 0},
-                {static_cast<hsize_t>(mapping.image_count), height, width}
+                {image_count, height, width}
         );
 
-        const hsize_t source_extent_images = mapping.source_first_image + mapping.image_count;
+        const hsize_t source_extent_images = mapping.source_first_image + image_count;
         HDF5DataSpace source_data_space({source_extent_images, height, width});
         source_data_space.SelectHyperslab(
                 {static_cast<hsize_t>(mapping.source_first_image), 0, 0},
-                {static_cast<hsize_t>(mapping.image_count), height, width}
+                {image_count, height, width}
         );
 
         dcpl.SetVirtual(mapping.filename,