diff --git a/py/services/civarchive_client.py b/py/services/civarchive_client.py
index cda488f9..954633a2 100644
--- a/py/services/civarchive_client.py
+++ b/py/services/civarchive_client.py
@@ -304,6 +304,20 @@ class CivArchiveClient:
             version_id = file_data.get("model_version_id") or file_data.get("modelVersionId")
             if model_id is None or version_id is None:
                 continue
+            # CivitAI / CivArchive model IDs are small integers (typically ≤ 7
+            # digits).  Reject suspiciously large values that indicate the API
+            # returned a malformed payload (e.g. a hash reinterpreted as an ID)
+            # to avoid pointless HTTP 500 errors from CivArchive.
+            _MAX_VALID_CIVITAI_ID = 100_000_000
+            try:
+                if int(model_id) >= _MAX_VALID_CIVITAI_ID or int(version_id) >= _MAX_VALID_CIVITAI_ID:
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "Skipping implausible CivArchive model_id=%s / version_id=%s",
+                        model_id, version_id,
+                    )
+                    continue
+            except (TypeError, ValueError):
+                continue
             resolved = await self.get_model_version(model_id, version_id)
             if resolved:
                 return resolved
diff --git a/py/services/metadata_sync_service.py b/py/services/metadata_sync_service.py
index 4438fcbf..37c547ef 100644
--- a/py/services/metadata_sync_service.py
+++ b/py/services/metadata_sync_service.py
@@ -209,7 +209,21 @@ class MetadataSyncService:
                         error_msg = "CivitAI model is deleted and no archive provider is available"
                     return False, error_msg
             else:
-                provider_attempts.append((None, await self._get_default_provider()))
+                is_hf_source = bool(model_data.get("hf_url"))
+                if is_hf_source:
+                    # HF-sourced model: only check CivitAI API directly.
+                    # CivArchive is almost guaranteed to have no record, and
+                    # hitting it wastes rate-limit budget.
+                    # Use a distinct provider name ("civitai_api" not None) so
+                    # downstream code does NOT interpret a "Model not found"
+                    # response as civitai_api_not_found — which would mark the
+                    # model civitai_deleted=True when it was never on CivitAI.
+                    try:
+                        provider_attempts.append(("civitai_api", await self._get_provider("civitai_api")))
+                    except Exception as exc:  # pragma: no cover - provider resolution fault
+                        logger.debug("Unable to resolve civitai_api provider: %s", exc)
+                if not provider_attempts:
+                    provider_attempts.append((None, await self._get_default_provider()))
 
             civitai_metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None
             metadata_provider: Optional[MetadataProviderProtocol] = None
diff --git a/py/services/use_cases/bulk_metadata_refresh_use_case.py b/py/services/use_cases/bulk_metadata_refresh_use_case.py
index 2947750c..b037fde0 100644
--- a/py/services/use_cases/bulk_metadata_refresh_use_case.py
+++ b/py/services/use_cases/bulk_metadata_refresh_use_case.py
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ class BulkMetadataRefreshUseCase:
             if not model.get("skip_metadata_refresh", False)
             and not self._is_in_skip_path(model.get("folder", ""), skip_paths)
             and (not model.get("civitai") or not model["civitai"].get("id"))
+            # Skip models downloaded from Hugging Face — they are not on
+            # CivitAI / CivArchive.  Users can still refresh them individually
+            # via the right-click context menu.
+            and not model.get("hf_url", "")
             and not (
                 # Skip models confirmed not on CivitAI when no need to retry
                 model.get("from_civitai") is False