diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/package.json b/packages/paperclip-runner/package.json
index 21700f2388f..013021e7246 100644
--- a/packages/paperclip-runner/package.json
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/package.json
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
     "typecheck:browser": "tsc -p tsconfig.browser.json --noEmit",
     "test": "pnpm run test:typescript && pnpm run test:rust",
     "test:typescript": "pnpm run test:typescript:prep && vitest run",
-    "test:typescript:prep": "pnpm run ensure:eval-build-deps && pnpm run build:rust && node ../../scripts/ci-profile/node-test.mjs test/protocol-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-sidecar-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-codex-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-model-selection-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-message-boundaries-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-rich-extensions-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-pi-receipt-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-response-delivery-package-contract.test.mjs scripts/candidate-provider-pack.test.mjs scripts/cursor-provisioner-layout.test.mjs scripts/release-provider-pack.test.mjs scripts/grok-profile-identity.test.mjs scripts/provider-pack-runtime-tree.test.mjs scripts/aws-agentcore-provisioning.test.mjs scripts/build-verified-provider-entrypoints.test.mjs scripts/local-provider-smoke-environment.test.mjs scripts/materialize-opencode-binary.test.mjs scripts/installed-package-pack.test.mjs scripts/runner-runtime-dependency-roots.test.mjs scripts/runner-package-executable.test.mjs scripts/stage-runner-binary.test.mjs scripts/build-inputs.test.mjs scripts/provider-pack-executable-shims.test.mjs scripts/controlled-evals/controller.test.mjs scripts/controlled-evals/portable.test.mjs && node --test scripts/build-copilot-distribution.test.mjs scripts/copilot-inner-distribution.test.mjs scripts/copilot-smoke-resources.test.mjs scripts/discover-copilot-acp.test.mjs scripts/materialize-copilot-binary.test.mjs scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs scripts/probe-copilot-acp.test.mjs scripts/qualify-copilot-acp.test.mjs test/acpx-message-boundaries-package-contract.test.mjs",
+    "test:typescript:prep": "pnpm run ensure:eval-build-deps && pnpm run build:rust && node ../../scripts/ci-profile/node-test.mjs test/protocol-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-sidecar-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-codex-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-model-selection-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-message-boundaries-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-rich-extensions-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-pi-receipt-package-contract.test.mjs test/acpx-response-delivery-package-contract.test.mjs scripts/candidate-provider-pack.test.mjs scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.test.mjs scripts/cursor-provisioner-layout.test.mjs scripts/release-provider-pack.test.mjs scripts/grok-profile-identity.test.mjs scripts/provider-pack-runtime-tree.test.mjs scripts/aws-agentcore-provisioning.test.mjs scripts/build-verified-provider-entrypoints.test.mjs scripts/local-provider-smoke-environment.test.mjs scripts/materialize-opencode-binary.test.mjs scripts/installed-package-pack.test.mjs scripts/runner-runtime-dependency-roots.test.mjs scripts/runner-package-executable.test.mjs scripts/stage-runner-binary.test.mjs scripts/build-inputs.test.mjs scripts/provider-pack-executable-shims.test.mjs scripts/controlled-evals/controller.test.mjs scripts/controlled-evals/portable.test.mjs && node --test scripts/build-copilot-distribution.test.mjs scripts/copilot-inner-distribution.test.mjs scripts/copilot-smoke-resources.test.mjs scripts/discover-copilot-acp.test.mjs scripts/materialize-copilot-binary.test.mjs scripts/install-copilot-assets.test.mjs scripts/probe-copilot-acp.test.mjs scripts/qualify-copilot-acp.test.mjs test/acpx-message-boundaries-package-contract.test.mjs",
     "test:typescript:vitest": "node ./scripts/run-pr-vitest-lane.mjs",
     "test:rust": "cargo test --release --manifest-path runner/Cargo.toml --locked --workspace",
     "test:codex": "cargo test --manifest-path runner/Cargo.toml --locked -p paperclip-runner-core --test codex_provider",
diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.mjs b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.mjs
index 72fd11c3bd4..5ccba52a288 100644
--- a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.mjs
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.mjs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
 import { chmod, copyFile, lstat, mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, readdir, realpath, rename, rm, unlink, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { stripTypeScriptTypes } from "node:module";
 import { dirname, isAbsolute, join, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { setTimeout as sleep } from "node:timers/promises";
 import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import { PI_DISTRIBUTION_CLOSURE_SHA256 } from "../src/drivers/acpx/pi-closure-pins.ts";
@@ -132,6 +133,54 @@ export async function resolvePiBundledNpm(nodeRoot) {
   return entry;
 }
 
+class RetryablePiNodeDownloadError extends Error {}
+
+async function readPiNodeArchive(url, fetchImpl, timeoutMs) {
+  let response;
+  try { response = await fetchImpl(url, { redirect: "error", signal: AbortSignal.timeout(timeoutMs) }); }
+  catch (error) { throw error?.name === "TimeoutError" || error instanceof TypeError ? new RetryablePiNodeDownloadError(error.message, { cause: error }) : error; }
+  if (!response.ok) {
+    // Release the rejected response's connection before any retry starts.
+    await response.body?.cancel().catch(() => {});
+    const message = `Pinned Pi Node download returned HTTP ${response.status}`;
+    throw response.status >= 500 || response.status === 429 ? new RetryablePiNodeDownloadError(message) : new Error(message);
+  }
+  if (!response.body) throw new Error("Pinned Pi Node download failed");
+  const chunks = []; let length = 0;
+  try {
+    for await (const chunk of response.body) {
+      length += chunk.length; if (length > 128 * 1024 * 1024) throw new Error("Pi Node archive exceeds its bound");
+      chunks.push(Buffer.from(chunk));
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    // The timeout also bounds the body; a stalled or reset stream is transport loss.
+    throw error?.name === "TimeoutError" || error instanceof TypeError ? new RetryablePiNodeDownloadError(error.message, { cause: error }) : error;
+  }
+  return Buffer.concat(chunks);
+}
+
+/**
+ * nodejs.org transfers occasionally stall. Retry only transport failures; the
+ * release hash still gates every byte, and a mismatch or 4xx fails closed at once.
+ */
+export async function downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({ url, archiveSha256, fetchImpl = fetch, attempts = 3, timeoutMs = 60_000, retryDelayMs = 5_000, warn = (message) => console.warn(message), checkCancelled = () => {} }) {
+  for (let attempt = 1; ; attempt++) {
+    checkCancelled();
+    let bytes;
+    try { bytes = await readPiNodeArchive(url, fetchImpl, timeoutMs); }
+    catch (error) {
+      if (!(error instanceof RetryablePiNodeDownloadError)) throw error;
+      if (attempt >= attempts) throw new Error(`Pinned Pi Node download failed after ${attempt} attempts: ${error.message}`, { cause: error });
+      // Keep each transient failure in the build log even when a retry succeeds.
+      warn(`Pinned Pi Node download attempt ${attempt}/${attempts} failed: ${error.message}; retrying`);
+      await sleep(retryDelayMs * attempt);
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (hash(bytes) !== archiveSha256) throw new Error("Pi Node archive does not match its release pin");
+    return bytes;
+  }
+}
+
 /** Build on the target platform. No lifecycle scripts, model requests, or auth. */
 export async function materializePiDistribution({ outputRoot, nodeExecutable, npmExecutable = "npm", inputs, checkCancelled = () => {} }) {
   // Cancellation is observed between bounded subprocesses. A setup signal must
@@ -159,15 +208,7 @@ export async function materializePiDistribution({ outputRoot, nodeExecutable, np
     if (nodeExecutable) node = await realpath(nodeExecutable);
     else {
       const archiveName = `node-v${PI_NODE_VERSION}-${target}.tar.gz`;
-      const response = await fetch(`https://nodejs.org/dist/v${PI_NODE_VERSION}/${archiveName}`, { redirect: "error", signal: AbortSignal.timeout(60_000) });
-      if (!response.ok || !response.body) throw new Error("Pinned Pi Node download failed");
-      const chunks = []; let length = 0;
-      for await (const chunk of response.body) {
-        length += chunk.length; if (length > 128 * 1024 * 1024) throw new Error("Pi Node archive exceeds its bound");
-        chunks.push(Buffer.from(chunk));
-      }
-      const bytes = Buffer.concat(chunks);
-      if (hash(bytes) !== nodePin.archiveSha256) throw new Error("Pi Node archive does not match its release pin");
+      const bytes = await downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({ url: `https://nodejs.org/dist/v${PI_NODE_VERSION}/${archiveName}`, archiveSha256: nodePin.archiveSha256, checkCancelled });
       const archivePath = join(staging, archiveName); await writeFile(archivePath, bytes);
       const nodeRoot = join(staging, "node-extract"); await mkdir(nodeRoot);
       await runOwned("tar", ["-xzf", archivePath, "-C", nodeRoot, "--strip-components=1", `node-v${PI_NODE_VERSION}-${target}/bin/node`, `node-v${PI_NODE_VERSION}-${target}/lib/node_modules/npm`], { timeout: 30_000 });
diff --git a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.test.mjs b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.test.mjs
index 3c65cf25d99..196fe157269 100644
--- a/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/paperclip-runner/scripts/materialize-pi-distribution.test.mjs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { mkdtemp, mkdir, readFile, readdir, realpath, rm, symlink, writeFile } f
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import test from "node:test";
-import { assertPiNodeSystemDependencies, PI_BRACE_SECURITY_PATCH_SHA256, PI_DISTRIBUTION_PINS, materializePiDistribution, resolvePiBundledNpm, piDistributionInstallCommand, verifyLockedPiPackageGraph, writePiDistributionManifest } from "./materialize-pi-distribution.mjs";
+import { assertPiNodeSystemDependencies, downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive, PI_BRACE_SECURITY_PATCH_SHA256, PI_DISTRIBUTION_PINS, materializePiDistribution, resolvePiBundledNpm, piDistributionInstallCommand, verifyLockedPiPackageGraph, writePiDistributionManifest } from "./materialize-pi-distribution.mjs";
 import { verifyPiRuntimeManifest } from "../src/drivers/acpx/pi-verified-runtime.ts";
 
 async function fixture(t) {
@@ -137,3 +137,95 @@ test("setup selects the exact archive npm and rejects wrong versions or linked e
   await symlink(join(root, prefix, "package.json"), join(root, prefix, "bin/npm-cli.js"));
   await assert.rejects(resolvePiBundledNpm(root), /invalid archive entry/);
 });
+
+test("Node archive download retries transport stalls and records each failed attempt", async () => {
+  const archive = Buffer.from("pinned node archive");
+  const archiveSha256 = createHash("sha256").update(archive).digest("hex");
+  const stalledBody = new ReadableStream({ start(controller) { controller.enqueue(new Uint8Array([1])); controller.error(new DOMException("The operation was aborted due to timeout", "TimeoutError")); } });
+  const replies = [
+    () => Promise.reject(new DOMException("The operation was aborted due to timeout", "TimeoutError")),
+    () => Promise.resolve(new Response(stalledBody)),
+    () => Promise.resolve(new Response(archive)),
+  ];
+  const signals = []; const warnings = [];
+  const bytes = await downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256, retryDelayMs: 0, warn: (message) => warnings.push(message),
+    fetchImpl: (url, init) => { signals.push(init.signal); assert.equal(init.redirect, "error"); return replies.shift()(); },
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(bytes, archive);
+  assert.equal(signals.length, 3);
+  assert.equal(new Set(signals).size, 3, "each attempt needs a fresh timeout");
+  assert.equal(warnings.length, 2);
+  assert.match(warnings[0], /attempt 1\/3 failed: The operation was aborted due to timeout; retrying/);
+});
+
+test("Node archive download deadline aborts stalled headers and stalled bodies", async () => {
+  const archive = Buffer.from("pinned node archive");
+  const archiveSha256 = createHash("sha256").update(archive).digest("hex");
+  const abortWith = (signal, fail) => signal.addEventListener("abort", () => fail(signal.reason), { once: true });
+  const replies = [
+    // Headers never arrive; only the supplied deadline can end this attempt.
+    (signal) => new Promise((_, reject) => abortWith(signal, reject)),
+    // Headers arrive, then the body stalls after one chunk until the same deadline fires.
+    (signal) => Promise.resolve(new Response(new ReadableStream({ start(controller) { controller.enqueue(new Uint8Array([1])); abortWith(signal, (reason) => controller.error(reason)); } }))),
+    () => Promise.resolve(new Response(archive)),
+  ];
+  const warnings = [];
+  const bytes = await downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256, timeoutMs: 20, retryDelayMs: 0, warn: (message) => warnings.push(message),
+    fetchImpl: (url, init) => replies.shift()(init.signal),
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(bytes, archive);
+  assert.equal(warnings.length, 2);
+  for (const warning of warnings) assert.match(warning, /The operation was aborted due to timeout; retrying/);
+});
+
+test("Node archive download releases a rejected response before the next attempt", async () => {
+  const archive = Buffer.from("pinned node archive");
+  const archiveSha256 = createHash("sha256").update(archive).digest("hex");
+  const events = [];
+  const busy = () => new Response(new ReadableStream({ cancel() { events.push("cancel"); } }), { status: 503 });
+  const replies = [busy, () => new Response(archive)];
+  await downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256, retryDelayMs: 0, warn: () => {},
+    fetchImpl: () => { events.push("fetch"); return Promise.resolve(replies.shift()()); },
+  });
+  assert.deepEqual(events, ["fetch", "cancel", "fetch"]);
+  events.length = 0;
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256, retryDelayMs: 0, warn: () => assert.fail("must not retry"),
+    fetchImpl: () => { events.push("fetch"); return Promise.resolve(new Response(new ReadableStream({ cancel() { events.push("cancel"); } }), { status: 404 })); },
+  }), /returned HTTP 404/);
+  assert.deepEqual(events, ["fetch", "cancel"]);
+});
+
+test("Node archive download names the exhausted request instead of an anonymous timeout", async () => {
+  let calls = 0;
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256: "0".repeat(64), retryDelayMs: 0, warn: () => {},
+    fetchImpl: () => { calls++; return Promise.reject(new TypeError("fetch failed")); },
+  }), /^Error: Pinned Pi Node download failed after 3 attempts: fetch failed$/);
+  assert.equal(calls, 3);
+  calls = 0;
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256: "0".repeat(64), retryDelayMs: 0, warn: () => {},
+    fetchImpl: () => { calls++; return Promise.resolve(new Response("busy", { status: 503 })); },
+  }), /failed after 3 attempts: Pinned Pi Node download returned HTTP 503/);
+  assert.equal(calls, 3);
+});
+
+test("Node archive download fails closed without retrying pin, bound, client or cancellation failures", async () => {
+  const options = { url: "https://nodejs.org/dist/fixture.tar.gz", archiveSha256: "0".repeat(64), retryDelayMs: 0, warn: () => assert.fail("must not retry") };
+  let calls = 0;
+  const once = (response) => () => { calls++; return Promise.resolve(response()); };
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({ ...options, fetchImpl: once(() => new Response("tampered")) }), /does not match its release pin/);
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({ ...options, fetchImpl: once(() => new Response("missing", { status: 404 })) }), /returned HTTP 404/);
+  const oversized = new ReadableStream({ start(controller) { controller.enqueue(new Uint8Array(128 * 1024 * 1024 + 1)); controller.close(); } });
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({ ...options, fetchImpl: once(() => new Response(oversized)) }), /exceeds its bound/);
+  assert.equal(calls, 3);
+  let checks = 0;
+  await assert.rejects(downloadPinnedPiNodeArchive({
+    ...options, warn: () => {}, checkCancelled: () => { if (++checks > 1) throw new Error("cancelled"); },
+    fetchImpl: () => Promise.reject(new DOMException("The operation was aborted due to timeout", "TimeoutError")),
+  }), /cancelled/);
+});