diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 050dde727..74e9b6dd0 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -944,11 +944,12 @@ engine` (restart required) or
   transfer with a FIFO queue. `DOWNLOADS_START` remains the sole start IPC; its
   stable `reason: 'already-in-progress'` and `reason: 'already-downloaded'`
   results are counted as skipped, and no batch IPC is introduced. The latter
-  comes from a main-process filesystem recheck before a completed-missing row
-  can be reset, so a file restored after the renderer snapshot is not orphaned
-  or downloaded again. Episode and season download actions require an
-  authoritative global list. A successful snapshot remains authoritative while
-  a later background refresh is in flight; a latest refresh failure leaves
+  comes from an asynchronous main-process filesystem recheck before a
+  completed-missing row can be reset, so a file restored after the renderer
+  snapshot is not orphaned or downloaded again. Episode and season download
+  actions require an authoritative global list. A successful snapshot remains
+  authoritative while a later background refresh is in flight; a latest
+  refresh failure leaves
   loading/empty-state resolution intact but disables starts until another
   snapshot succeeds.
 - Episode ownership uses normalized `episode.id` as the canonical `xtreamId`
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.spec.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.spec.ts
index 03f8e7ab2..b091568fd 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.spec.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.spec.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ async function setupStartMetadataRequest(
         update: jest.fn(() => ({ set })),
     };
     const enqueueDownload = jest.fn();
+    const getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync = jest.fn(async () =>
+        completedFileAvailable ? 'available' : 'missing'
+    );
+    const isAvailableDownloadFile = jest.fn(() => completedFileAvailable);
     const authorizer = {
         requireAuthorized: jest.fn(async (directory: string) => directory),
     } as unknown as DownloadDirectoryAuthorizer;
@@ -55,7 +59,8 @@ async function setupStartMetadataRequest(
         enqueueDownload,
     }));
     jest.doMock('./download-file-availability', () => ({
-        isAvailableDownloadFile: jest.fn(() => completedFileAvailable),
+        getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync,
+        isAvailableDownloadFile,
     }));
 
     const { startDownloadRequest } = await import('./download-requests');
@@ -64,7 +69,9 @@ async function setupStartMetadataRequest(
         db,
         downloadLimit,
         enqueueDownload,
+        getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync,
         insertValues,
+        isAvailableDownloadFile,
         set,
         startDownloadRequest,
     };
@@ -461,6 +468,10 @@ describe('download request identity resolution', () => {
         expect(request.db.insert).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(request.db.update).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
         expect(request.enqueueDownload).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+        expect(request.getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+            completedRow
+        );
+        expect(request.isAvailableDownloadFile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
     });
 
     it.each(['queued', 'downloading', 'paused'] as const)(
diff --git a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.ts b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.ts
index e8266c039..45cb66faf 100644
--- a/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.ts
+++ b/apps/electron-backend/src/app/events/database/download-requests.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import * as schema from '../../database/schema';
 import { assertRemoteUrlAllowed } from '../url-safety';
 import { DownloadDirectoryAuthorizer } from './download-directory-authorization';
 import { removePartialDownloadFile } from './download-file-path';
-import { isAvailableDownloadFile } from './download-file-availability';
+import { getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync } from './download-file-availability';
 import { resolveExistingDownloadIdentity } from './download-request-identity';
 import { resolveStoredDownloadHeaders } from './download-request-headers';
 import {
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ export async function startDownloadRequest(
         if (
             item.contentType === 'episode' &&
             item.status === 'completed' &&
-            isAvailableDownloadFile(item.filePath)
+            (await getDownloadFileAvailabilityAsync(item)) === 'available'
         ) {
             return {
                 error: 'Download already completed',
diff --git a/docs/architecture/download-manager.md b/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
index 110473254..a4624e88f 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/download-manager.md
@@ -93,9 +93,10 @@ variants, contextual buttons, and theme-aware styling.
   whose file is available or whose availability is still unknown. Failed,
   canceled, completed-missing, and unambiguous row-less episodes are eligible;
   a completed-missing row is restarted as a fresh download. Before resetting
-  such a completed row, `DOWNLOADS_START` rechecks its retained path in the main
-  process. A restored file returns stable `reason: 'already-downloaded'` without
-  mutation; active matches return `reason: 'already-in-progress'`. The
+  such a completed row, `DOWNLOADS_START` asynchronously rechecks its retained
+  path in the main process. A restored file returns stable
+  `reason: 'already-downloaded'` without mutation; active matches return
+  `reason: 'already-in-progress'`. The
   coordinator counts both as skipped. There is no batch IPC, parallel transfer,
   or queue reordering: destination authorization, persisted header handling,
   and the backend's one-active-transfer FIFO semantics remain unchanged.