diff --git a/py/routes/handlers/model_handlers.py b/py/routes/handlers/model_handlers.py
index 43d7cbc2..a2287ef7 100644
--- a/py/routes/handlers/model_handlers.py
+++ b/py/routes/handlers/model_handlers.py
@@ -1761,7 +1761,8 @@ class ModelDownloadHandler:
             payload = await request.json()
             result = await self._download_use_case.execute(payload)
             if not result.get("success", False):
-                return web.json_response(result, status=500)
+                status = 429 if result.get("reason") == "rate_limited" else 500
+                return web.json_response(result, status=status)
             return web.json_response(result)
         except DownloadModelValidationError as exc:
             return web.json_response({"success": False, "error": str(exc)}, status=400)
@@ -1819,7 +1820,8 @@ class ModelDownloadHandler:
             mock_request = type("MockRequest", (), {"json": lambda self=None: future})()
             result = await self._download_use_case.execute(data)
             if not result.get("success", False):
-                return web.json_response(result, status=500)
+                status = 429 if result.get("reason") == "rate_limited" else 500
+                return web.json_response(result, status=status)
             return web.json_response(result)
         except DownloadModelValidationError as exc:
             return web.json_response({"success": False, "error": str(exc)}, status=400)
diff --git a/py/services/download_manager.py b/py/services/download_manager.py
index 62fff77a..570f19c9 100644
--- a/py/services/download_manager.py
+++ b/py/services/download_manager.py
@@ -44,7 +44,8 @@ from .download_routing import is_diffusion_model_download, resolve_other_downloa
 from .settings_manager import get_settings_manager
 from .metadata_service import get_default_metadata_provider, get_metadata_provider
 from .downloader import get_downloader, DownloadProgress, DownloadStreamControl
-from .errors import RateLimitError
+from .errors import DownloadRateLimitError, RateLimitError
+from .rate_limit_coordinator import RateLimitCoordinator
 from .aria2_downloader import Aria2Error, get_aria2_downloader
 from .aria2_transfer_state import Aria2TransferStateStore
 from .download_queue_service import DownloadQueueService
@@ -60,6 +61,15 @@ CIVITAI_DOWNLOAD_URL_PREFIXES = (
     "https://civitai.red/api/download/",
 )
 
+# Hosts a model download may hit (metadata + file transfer). The pre-flight
+# cooldown gate consults the RateLimitCoordinator for these before a download
+# occupies a concurrency slot.
+DOWNLOAD_PREFLIGHT_HOSTS = ("civitai.com", "civitai.red", "civarchive.com")
+
+# Fallback retry_after when neither the vendor nor the coordinator can supply
+# a number (matches the Retry-After parsing default in downloader.py).
+DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT_RETRY_AFTER_SECONDS = 60
+
 
 # File types that are never the intended download target even when CivitAI
 # marks them primary — configs/archives/workflows are auxiliary artifacts.
@@ -203,11 +213,30 @@ class DownloadManager:
                 )
             except Aria2Error as exc:
                 logger.error("aria2 download failed for %s: %s", download_url, exc)
+                # Best-effort 429 detection: aria2 reports HTTP status errors
+                # via its error message (e.g. "status=429") without exposing
+                # the vendor's Retry-After. Surface the structured rate-limit
+                # error so the queue contract behaves the same as the python
+                # backend; the coordinator backoff supplies the wait time.
+                message = str(exc)
+                if "429" in message or "rate limit" in message.lower():
+                    host = self._url_host(download_url)
+                    coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+                    if coordinator.enabled:
+                        coordinator.register_rate_limit(host, None)
+                    raise DownloadRateLimitError(
+                        f"Download rate limited (429): {message}",
+                        retry_after=None,
+                        host=host,
+                    ) from exc
                 return False, str(exc)
 
         download_kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = {
             "progress_callback": progress_callback,
             "use_auth": use_auth,
+            # The model download queue contract requires structured 429
+            # propagation (reason="rate_limited"), not a plain error string.
+            "raise_on_rate_limit": True,
         }
 
         if pause_control is not None:
@@ -216,6 +245,88 @@ class DownloadManager:
         downloader = await get_downloader()
         return await downloader.download_file(download_url, save_path, **download_kwargs)
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _url_host(url: str) -> str:
+        """Extract the normalized hostname from a URL (fallback: ``unknown``)."""
+        hostname = urlparse(url).hostname
+        return hostname.lower() if hostname else "unknown"
+
+    async def _preflight_rate_limit_error(self) -> Optional[DownloadRateLimitError]:
+        """Fail fast when a download target host is in a rate-limit cooldown.
+
+        Consults the RateLimitCoordinator's per-host cooldown state for the
+        hosts a model download may hit. Runs BEFORE the concurrency semaphore
+        is acquired so queued items never occupy a slot during a 429 episode.
+        Deliberately non-blocking: the caller is expected to pace itself (the
+        companion extension auto-pauses on the structured 429 response).
+        """
+        coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+        worst_host: Optional[str] = None
+        worst_remaining = 0.0
+        for host in DOWNLOAD_PREFLIGHT_HOSTS:
+            remaining = coordinator.remaining_seconds(host)
+            if remaining > worst_remaining:
+                worst_host = host
+                worst_remaining = remaining
+        if worst_host is None or worst_remaining <= 0:
+            return None
+        retry_after = max(1, int(worst_remaining + 0.5))
+        return DownloadRateLimitError(
+            f"Download rate limited: '{worst_host}' is in cooldown, "
+            f"retry after {retry_after}s",
+            retry_after=worst_remaining,
+            host=worst_host,
+        )
+
+    async def _handle_rate_limited_download(
+        self,
+        task_id: str,
+        exc: RateLimitError,
+    ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        """Build the structured rate-limit result for a failed download.
+
+        The queue row goes back to ``queued`` (NOT history) so a later retry
+        simply starts the download again — this is what lets the companion
+        extension auto-pause the queue during a 429 episode and resume it
+        after ``retry_after`` seconds.
+        """
+        retry_after = exc.retry_after
+        host = getattr(exc, "host", None) or exc.provider
+        if retry_after is None or retry_after <= 0:
+            # The coordinator clamps/backoffs via register_rate_limit, so its
+            # remaining cooldown supplies the number when the vendor didn't.
+            coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+            remaining = coordinator.remaining_seconds(host)
+            if remaining > 0:
+                retry_after = remaining
+        if retry_after is None or retry_after <= 0:
+            retry_after = float(DEFAULT_RATE_LIMIT_RETRY_AFTER_SECONDS)
+        retry_after_seconds = max(1, int(retry_after + 0.5))
+
+        message = str(exc) or (
+            f"Download rate limited, retry after {retry_after_seconds}s"
+        )
+
+        if task_id in self._active_downloads:
+            self._active_downloads[task_id]["status"] = "queued"
+            self._active_downloads[task_id]["error"] = message
+            self._active_downloads[task_id]["bytes_per_second"] = 0.0
+
+        try:
+            queue_service = await DownloadQueueService.get_instance()
+            await queue_service.update_status(task_id, "queued", error=message)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.warning(
+                "Failed to re-queue rate-limited download %s", task_id, exc_info=True
+            )
+
+        return {
+            "success": False,
+            "reason": "rate_limited",
+            "retry_after": retry_after_seconds,
+            "error": message,
+        }
+
     async def _get_lora_scanner(self):
         """Get the lora scanner from registry"""
         return await ServiceRegistry.get_lora_scanner()
@@ -558,6 +669,15 @@ class DownloadManager:
                     original_callback, snapshot, progress_value
                 )
 
+        # Pre-flight cooldown gate: fail fast (without holding a semaphore
+        # slot) when a target host is still cooling down from an earlier 429.
+        preflight_error = await self._preflight_rate_limit_error()
+        if preflight_error is not None:
+            logger.info(
+                "Download %s skipped: %s", task_id, preflight_error
+            )
+            return await self._handle_rate_limited_download(task_id, preflight_error)
+
         # Acquire semaphore to limit concurrent downloads
         try:
             async with self._download_semaphore:
@@ -662,6 +782,12 @@ class DownloadManager:
 
                     logger.info(f"Download cancelled for task {task_id}")
                     raise
+                except RateLimitError as e:
+                    # 429 (real vendor response or cooldown gate): re-queue
+                    # instead of completing as failed so a later retry just
+                    # starts the download again.
+                    logger.info(f"Download rate limited for task {task_id}: {e}")
+                    return await self._handle_rate_limited_download(task_id, e)
                 except Exception as e:
                     # Handle other errors
                     logger.error(
@@ -2115,6 +2241,10 @@ class DownloadManager:
 
             return result
 
+        except RateLimitError:
+            # Structured 429 propagation must reach _download_with_semaphore
+            # unmodified so the queue row is re-queued instead of failed.
+            raise
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error in download_from_civitai: {e}", exc_info=True)
             # Check if this might be an early access error
@@ -2837,6 +2967,10 @@ class DownloadManager:
 
             return {"success": True}
 
+        except RateLimitError:
+            # Structured 429 propagation must reach _download_with_semaphore
+            # unmodified so the queue row is re-queued instead of failed.
+            raise
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error(f"Error in _execute_download: {e}", exc_info=True)
             cleanup_targets = {
diff --git a/py/services/downloader.py b/py/services/downloader.py
index 94be53a7..246bfc77 100644
--- a/py/services/downloader.py
+++ b/py/services/downloader.py
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ from .connectivity_guard import (
     OFFLINE_FRIENDLY_MESSAGE,
     ConnectivityGuard,
 )
-from .errors import RateLimitError
+from .errors import DownloadRateLimitError, RateLimitError
 from .rate_limit_coordinator import RateLimitCoordinator
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -434,6 +434,7 @@ class Downloader:
         custom_headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
         allow_resume: bool = True,
         pause_event: Optional[DownloadStreamControl] = None,
+        raise_on_rate_limit: bool = False,
     ) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
         """
         Download a file with resumable downloads and retry mechanism
@@ -446,6 +447,11 @@ class Downloader:
             custom_headers: Additional headers to include in request
             allow_resume: Whether to support resumable downloads
             pause_event: Optional stream control used to pause/resume and request reconnects
+            raise_on_rate_limit: When True, a 429 response raises
+                ``DownloadRateLimitError`` instead of returning a plain error
+                string, so callers (the model download manager) can build the
+                structured rate-limit result required by the download queue
+                contract. Defaults to the legacy tuple behavior.
 
         Returns:
             Tuple[bool, str]: (success, save_path or error message)
@@ -610,6 +616,12 @@ class Downloader:
                         logger.warning(
                             f"Rate limited (429) for {url}, retry_after={retry_after}"
                         )
+                        if raise_on_rate_limit:
+                            raise DownloadRateLimitError(
+                                f"Download rate limited (429), retry after {retry_after}s",
+                                retry_after=retry_after,
+                                host=self._guard_destination(url),
+                            )
                         return False, f"Download rate limited (429), retry after {retry_after}s"
                     else:
                         logger.error(
@@ -902,6 +914,11 @@ class Downloader:
                         f"Network error after {self.max_retries + 1} attempts: {str(e)}",
                     )
 
+            except DownloadRateLimitError:
+                # 429s are never retried in-band; the structured error must
+                # reach the caller (download manager) unmodified.
+                raise
+
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.error(f"Unexpected download error: {e}")
                 return False, str(e)
@@ -931,6 +948,7 @@ class Downloader:
         use_auth: bool = False,
         custom_headers: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None,
         return_headers: bool = False,
+        raise_on_rate_limit: bool = False,
     ) -> Tuple[bool, Union[bytes, str], Optional[Dict[str, Any]]]:
         """
         Download a file to memory (for small files like preview images)
@@ -940,6 +958,10 @@ class Downloader:
             use_auth: Whether to include authentication headers
             custom_headers: Additional headers to include in request
             return_headers: Whether to return response headers along with content
+            raise_on_rate_limit: When True, a 429 response raises
+                ``DownloadRateLimitError`` instead of returning a plain error
+                string (see ``download_file``). Defaults to the legacy tuple
+                behavior.
 
         Returns:
             Tuple[bool, Union[bytes, str], Optional[Dict]]: (success, content or error message, response headers if requested)
@@ -1002,11 +1024,21 @@ class Downloader:
                             "Rate limited (429) for %s, no Retry-After header; defaulting to %ss",
                             url, retry_after,
                         )
+                    if raise_on_rate_limit:
+                        raise DownloadRateLimitError(
+                            f"Rate limited (429), retry after {retry_after}s",
+                            retry_after=retry_after,
+                            host=destination,
+                        )
                     return False, f"Rate limited (429), retry after {retry_after}s", None
                 else:
                     error_msg = f"Download failed with status {response.status}"
                     return False, error_msg, None
 
+        except DownloadRateLimitError:
+            # Structured rate-limit errors must reach the caller unmodified.
+            raise
+
         except Exception as e:
             if guard.is_network_unreachable_error(e):
                 guard.register_network_failure(e, destination)
diff --git a/py/services/errors.py b/py/services/errors.py
index 930febcd..56c26ae4 100644
--- a/py/services/errors.py
+++ b/py/services/errors.py
@@ -20,6 +20,25 @@ class RateLimitError(RuntimeError):
         self.provider = provider
 
 
+class DownloadRateLimitError(RateLimitError):
+    """Raised when a file download is rejected with HTTP 429.
+
+    Carries the vendor's ``Retry-After`` hint (when present) and the target
+    host so the download manager can build the structured rate-limit result
+    the download queue contract expects.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        message: str,
+        *,
+        retry_after: Optional[float] = None,
+        host: Optional[str] = None,
+    ) -> None:
+        super().__init__(message, retry_after=retry_after)
+        self.host = host
+
+
 class ResourceNotFoundError(RuntimeError):
     """Raised when a remote resource is permanently missing."""
 
diff --git a/tests/routes/test_download_queue_handlers.py b/tests/routes/test_download_queue_handlers.py
index a838426a..8301b909 100644
--- a/tests/routes/test_download_queue_handlers.py
+++ b/tests/routes/test_download_queue_handlers.py
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ with ``success: false``, not 404. The browser extension's apiFetch treats any
 import json
 import logging
 from pathlib import Path
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 
 import pytest
 from aiohttp import web
@@ -184,3 +186,83 @@ async def test_retry_failed_history_returns_success(
     queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
     assert len(queue) == 1
     assert queue[0]["status"] == "queued"
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Structured 429 rate-limit responses (download queue contract)
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+_RATE_LIMITED_RESULT = {
+    "success": False,
+    "reason": "rate_limited",
+    "retry_after": 120,
+    "error": "Download rate limited (429), retry after 120s",
+    "download_id": "dl-1",
+}
+
+
+def _make_download_handler(result: dict) -> ModelDownloadHandler:
+    return ModelDownloadHandler(
+        ws_manager=None,  # pyright: ignore[reportArgumentType] - unused by download endpoints
+        logger=logging.getLogger("test-download-rate-limit"),
+        download_use_case=SimpleNamespace(execute=AsyncMock(return_value=result)),  # pyright: ignore[reportArgumentType]
+        download_coordinator=None,  # pyright: ignore[reportArgumentType] - unused by download endpoints
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_model_post_returns_429_when_rate_limited() -> None:
+    """POST /download-model maps reason="rate_limited" to HTTP 429."""
+    handler = _make_download_handler(dict(_RATE_LIMITED_RESULT))
+    request = SimpleNamespace(json=AsyncMock(return_value={"model_id": 1}))
+
+    response = await handler.download_model(request)
+
+    assert response.status == 429
+    payload = json.loads(response.text)
+    assert payload["success"] is False
+    assert payload["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert payload["retry_after"] == 120
+    assert payload["error"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_model_post_keeps_500_for_other_failures() -> None:
+    handler = _make_download_handler({"success": False, "error": "boom"})
+    request = SimpleNamespace(json=AsyncMock(return_value={"model_id": 1}))
+
+    response = await handler.download_model(request)
+
+    assert response.status == 500
+    payload = json.loads(response.text)
+    assert payload["success"] is False
+    assert "reason" not in payload
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_model_get_returns_429_when_rate_limited() -> None:
+    """GET /download-model-get (extension queue driver) gets the same 429."""
+    handler = _make_download_handler(dict(_RATE_LIMITED_RESULT))
+    request = _queue_request("/api/lm/download-model-get", {"model_id": "1"})
+
+    response = await handler.download_model_get(request)
+
+    assert response.status == 429
+    payload = json.loads(response.text)
+    assert payload["success"] is False
+    assert payload["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert payload["retry_after"] == 120
+    assert payload["error"]
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_model_get_keeps_500_for_other_failures() -> None:
+    handler = _make_download_handler({"success": False, "error": "boom"})
+    request = _queue_request("/api/lm/download-model-get", {"model_id": "1"})
+
+    response = await handler.download_model_get(request)
+
+    assert response.status == 500
+    payload = json.loads(response.text)
+    assert payload["success"] is False
+    assert "reason" not in payload
diff --git a/tests/services/test_download_manager_concurrent.py b/tests/services/test_download_manager_concurrent.py
index 68a42ef0..fff73887 100644
--- a/tests/services/test_download_manager_concurrent.py
+++ b/tests/services/test_download_manager_concurrent.py
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ async def test_execute_download_uses_rewritten_civitai_preview(monkeypatch, tmp_
             self.file_calls: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
             self.memory_calls = 0
 
-        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None):
+        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None, **_kwargs):
             self.file_calls.append((url, path))
             if url.endswith(".jpeg"):
                 Path(path).write_bytes(b"preview")
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ async def test_execute_download_respects_blur_setting(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
         def __init__(self):
             self.file_calls: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
 
-        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None):
+        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None, **_kwargs):
             self.file_calls.append((url, path))
             if url.endswith(".safetensors"):
                 Path(path).write_bytes(b"model")
diff --git a/tests/services/test_download_manager_error.py b/tests/services/test_download_manager_error.py
index 25872dc0..227f9dc8 100644
--- a/tests/services/test_download_manager_error.py
+++ b/tests/services/test_download_manager_error.py
@@ -12,9 +12,12 @@ from unittest.mock import AsyncMock
 import pytest
 
 from py.services.download_manager import DownloadManager
+from py.services.download_queue_service import DownloadQueueService
 from py.services.downloader import DownloadStreamControl
 from py.services import download_manager
 from py.services import aria2_transfer_state
+from py.services.errors import DownloadRateLimitError, RateLimitError
+from py.services.rate_limit_coordinator import RateLimitCoordinator
 from py.services.service_registry import ServiceRegistry
 from py.services.settings_manager import SettingsManager, get_settings_manager
 from py.utils.metadata_manager import MetadataManager
@@ -60,6 +63,25 @@ def isolate_aria2_state(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     )
 
 
+@pytest.fixture
+def queue_service(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Return a tmp-backed DownloadQueueService and stub the singleton."""
+    service = DownloadQueueService(db_path=str(tmp_path / "queue.sqlite"))
+
+    async def fake_get_instance(_cls=None):
+        return service
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(DownloadQueueService, "get_instance", fake_get_instance)
+    return service
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def reset_rate_limit_coordinator():
+    RateLimitCoordinator._instance = None
+    yield
+    RateLimitCoordinator._instance = None
+
+
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 async def test_execute_download_retries_urls(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     """Test that download retries multiple URLs on failure."""
@@ -97,7 +119,9 @@ async def test_execute_download_retries_urls(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
         def __init__(self):
             self.calls = []
 
-        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None):
+        async def download_file(
+            self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None, **_kwargs
+        ):
             self.calls.append((url, path, use_auth))
             if len(self.calls) == 1:
                 return False, "first failed"
@@ -373,7 +397,7 @@ async def test_execute_download_adjusts_checkpoint_sub_type(monkeypatch, tmp_pat
 
     class DummyDownloader:
         async def download_file(
-            self, _url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None
+            self, _url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None, **_kwargs
         ):
             Path(path).write_text("content")
             return True, "ok"
@@ -1698,7 +1722,9 @@ async def test_concurrent_downloads_with_same_target_path_do_not_destroy_each_ot
     downloader_paths = []
 
     class DummyDownloader:
-        async def download_file(self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None):
+        async def download_file(
+            self, url, path, progress_callback=None, use_auth=None, **_kwargs
+        ):
             downloader_paths.append(str(path))
             if "2665422" in url:
                 # Task A: wait until both tasks resolved the same target path,
@@ -1927,3 +1953,211 @@ async def test_restore_persisted_downloads_removes_orphaned_aria2_control_file(
 
     assert not control_path.exists()
     assert await manager._aria2_state_store.get(download_id) is None
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Structured 429 rate-limit handling (download queue contract)
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id, status="downloading"):
+    manager._active_downloads[download_id] = {
+        "transfer_backend": "python",
+        "status": status,
+        "bytes_per_second": 0.0,
+    }
+    manager._pause_events[download_id] = DownloadStreamControl()
+
+
+async def _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path):
+    return await manager._download_with_semaphore(
+        download_id,
+        1,
+        None,
+        str(tmp_path),
+        "",
+        None,
+        False,
+        None,
+        None,
+        False,
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_rate_limited_download_is_requeued_not_failed(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, queue_service, reset_rate_limit_coordinator
+):
+    """A 429 during the transfer re-queues the item with a structured result."""
+    manager = DownloadManager()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_cleanup_download_record", AsyncMock())
+
+    download_id = "dl-429"
+    await queue_service.add_to_queue(download_id=download_id, model_id=1)
+    await queue_service.update_status(download_id, "downloading")
+    _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        manager,
+        "_execute_original_download",
+        AsyncMock(
+            side_effect=DownloadRateLimitError(
+                "Download rate limited (429), retry after 120s",
+                retry_after=120,
+                host="civitai.com",
+            )
+        ),
+    )
+
+    result = await _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path)
+
+    assert result["success"] is False
+    assert result["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert result["retry_after"] == 120
+    assert "rate limited" in result["error"].lower()
+
+    # Back to "queued" — NOT moved to history as failed.
+    queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
+    assert len(queue) == 1
+    assert queue[0]["status"] == "queued"
+    history = await queue_service.get_history()
+    assert history["items"] == []
+    assert manager._active_downloads[download_id]["status"] == "queued"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_preflight_gate_blocks_when_host_in_cooldown(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, queue_service, reset_rate_limit_coordinator
+):
+    """Host in cooldown: immediate structured 429, no transfer, no slot held."""
+    manager = DownloadManager()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_cleanup_download_record", AsyncMock())
+
+    coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+    coordinator.register_rate_limit("civitai.com", 300)
+
+    download_id = "dl-cooldown"
+    await queue_service.add_to_queue(download_id=download_id, model_id=1)
+    _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id, status="waiting")
+
+    execute = AsyncMock(
+        side_effect=AssertionError("download must not start during cooldown")
+    )
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_execute_original_download", execute)
+
+    result = await _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path)
+
+    assert execute.await_count == 0
+    assert result["success"] is False
+    assert result["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert 290 <= result["retry_after"] <= 300
+
+    queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
+    assert len(queue) == 1
+    assert queue[0]["status"] == "queued"
+    history = await queue_service.get_history()
+    assert history["items"] == []
+
+    # The concurrency slot was never occupied by the gated download.
+    await asyncio.wait_for(manager._download_semaphore.acquire(), timeout=0.1)
+    manager._download_semaphore.release()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_rate_limit_retry_after_falls_back_to_coordinator_backoff(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, queue_service, reset_rate_limit_coordinator
+):
+    """When the 429 carries no Retry-After, the coordinator backoff supplies it."""
+    manager = DownloadManager()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_cleanup_download_record", AsyncMock())
+
+    # Cooldown on a mirror host that is NOT in the pre-flight host list, so
+    # the failure must come from the transfer itself.
+    coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+    backoff = coordinator.register_rate_limit("mirror.example.com", None)
+    assert backoff == 30.0
+
+    download_id = "dl-429-mirror"
+    await queue_service.add_to_queue(download_id=download_id, model_id=1)
+    _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        manager,
+        "_execute_original_download",
+        AsyncMock(
+            side_effect=DownloadRateLimitError(
+                "Download rate limited (429)",
+                retry_after=None,
+                host="mirror.example.com",
+            )
+        ),
+    )
+
+    result = await _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path)
+
+    assert result["success"] is False
+    assert result["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert 25 <= result["retry_after"] <= 30
+    queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
+    assert queue[0]["status"] == "queued"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_metadata_fetch_rate_limit_error_is_also_requeued(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, queue_service, reset_rate_limit_coordinator
+):
+    """A plain RateLimitError (metadata fetch path) gets the same treatment."""
+    manager = DownloadManager()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_cleanup_download_record", AsyncMock())
+
+    download_id = "dl-meta-429"
+    await queue_service.add_to_queue(download_id=download_id, model_id=1)
+    _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        manager,
+        "_execute_original_download",
+        AsyncMock(
+            side_effect=RateLimitError(
+                "Request rate limited", retry_after=45, provider="civitai_api"
+            )
+        ),
+    )
+
+    result = await _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path)
+
+    assert result["success"] is False
+    assert result["reason"] == "rate_limited"
+    assert result["retry_after"] == 45
+    queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
+    assert queue[0]["status"] == "queued"
+    history = await queue_service.get_history()
+    assert history["items"] == []
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_generic_failure_still_moves_to_history_as_failed(
+    monkeypatch, tmp_path, queue_service, reset_rate_limit_coordinator
+):
+    """Non-rate-limit failures keep the legacy move-to-history behavior."""
+    manager = DownloadManager()
+    monkeypatch.setattr(manager, "_cleanup_download_record", AsyncMock())
+
+    download_id = "dl-generic-fail"
+    await queue_service.add_to_queue(download_id=download_id, model_id=1)
+    _prepare_tracked_download(manager, download_id)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        manager,
+        "_execute_original_download",
+        AsyncMock(side_effect=RuntimeError("disk full")),
+    )
+
+    result = await _run_download(manager, download_id, tmp_path)
+
+    assert result == {"success": False, "error": "disk full"}
+    queue = await queue_service.get_queue()
+    assert queue == []
+    history = await queue_service.get_history()
+    assert len(history["items"]) == 1
+    assert history["items"][0]["status"] == "failed"
diff --git a/tests/services/test_downloader.py b/tests/services/test_downloader.py
index 94ee8e74..d03c2ac9 100644
--- a/tests/services/test_downloader.py
+++ b/tests/services/test_downloader.py
@@ -5,7 +5,20 @@ from typing import Sequence
 
 import pytest
 
+from py.services.connectivity_guard import ConnectivityGuard
 from py.services.downloader import Downloader
+from py.services.errors import DownloadRateLimitError
+from py.services.rate_limit_coordinator import RateLimitCoordinator
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _reset_rate_limit_singletons():
+    """429 handling mutates the global coordinator/guard; isolate per test."""
+    RateLimitCoordinator._instance = None
+    ConnectivityGuard._instance = None
+    yield
+    RateLimitCoordinator._instance = None
+    ConnectivityGuard._instance = None
 
 
 class FakeStream:
@@ -297,3 +310,105 @@ async def test_disable_netrc_auth_ignores_netrc_file(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
 
         _disable_netrc_auth(session)
         assert session._get_netrc_auth("civitai.red") is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_file_rate_limit_raises_structured_error_when_enabled(tmp_path):
+    """With raise_on_rate_limit=True a 429 raises DownloadRateLimitError."""
+    target_path = tmp_path / "model" / "file.bin"
+    target_path.parent.mkdir()
+
+    responses = [
+        lambda: FakeResponse(
+            status=429,
+            headers={"Retry-After": "120"},
+            chunks=[],
+        )
+    ]
+
+    downloader = _build_downloader(responses)
+
+    with pytest.raises(DownloadRateLimitError) as exc_info:
+        await downloader.download_file(
+            "https://example.com/file",
+            str(target_path),
+            raise_on_rate_limit=True,
+        )
+
+    assert exc_info.value.retry_after == 120.0
+    assert exc_info.value.host == "example.com"
+    # The cooldown was registered with the coordinator for the target host.
+    coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+    assert coordinator.remaining_seconds("example.com") > 0
+    # 429 is never retried in-band.
+    assert _session(downloader)._get_calls == 1
+    assert not Path(str(target_path) + ".part").exists()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_file_rate_limit_keeps_legacy_tuple_by_default(tmp_path):
+    """Default behavior (other callers) stays the plain error string."""
+    target_path = tmp_path / "model" / "file.bin"
+    target_path.parent.mkdir()
+
+    responses = [
+        lambda: FakeResponse(
+            status=429,
+            headers={"Retry-After": "120"},
+            chunks=[],
+        )
+    ]
+
+    downloader = _build_downloader(responses)
+
+    success, message = await downloader.download_file(
+        "https://example.com/file", str(target_path)
+    )
+
+    assert success is False
+    assert message == "Download rate limited (429), retry after 120.0s"
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_to_memory_rate_limit_raises_structured_error_when_enabled():
+    responses = [
+        lambda: FakeResponse(
+            status=429,
+            headers={"Retry-After": "90"},
+            chunks=[],
+        )
+    ]
+
+    downloader = _build_downloader(responses)
+
+    with pytest.raises(DownloadRateLimitError) as exc_info:
+        await downloader.download_to_memory(
+            "https://example.com/preview.png",
+            raise_on_rate_limit=True,
+        )
+
+    assert exc_info.value.retry_after == 90
+    assert exc_info.value.host == "example.com"
+    coordinator = await RateLimitCoordinator.get_instance()
+    assert coordinator.remaining_seconds("example.com") > 0
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_download_to_memory_rate_limit_keeps_legacy_tuple_by_default():
+    responses = [
+        lambda: FakeResponse(
+            status=429,
+            headers={"Retry-After": "90"},
+            chunks=[],
+        )
+    ]
+
+    downloader = _build_downloader(responses)
+
+    success, message, headers = await downloader.download_to_memory(
+        "https://example.com/preview.png"
+    )
+
+    assert success is False
+    assert message == "Rate limited (429), retry after 90s"
+    assert headers is None