diff --git a/src/servers/api/file-browser/router.ts b/src/servers/api/file-browser/router.ts
index 591a7cd0..1e937c2a 100644
--- a/src/servers/api/file-browser/router.ts
+++ b/src/servers/api/file-browser/router.ts
@@ -1105,7 +1105,87 @@ router.post('/move', async (ctx) => {
   return ctx.json({ ok: true, results });
 });
 
-// Download video via yt-dlp
+// Download video by delegating to the ReClip service (its own yt-dlp). It runs as a background job so a
+// large download never holds one long HTTP request open (a reverse proxy would 504 on that). POST
+// returns a jobId immediately; the client polls GET /download-video/:jobId until done/error.
+const RECLIP_BASE = process.env.RECLIP_URL ?? 'http://localhost:8899';
+
+type DownloadJob = {
+  status: 'downloading' | 'transferring' | 'done' | 'error';
+  error?: string;
+  filename?: string;
+  at: number;
+};
+const downloadJobs = new Map<string, DownloadJob>();
+
+async function runReclipDownload(jobId: string, url: string, absPath: string, audioOnly: boolean) {
+  const set = (patch: Partial<DownloadJob>) =>
+    downloadJobs.set(jobId, { ...downloadJobs.get(jobId)!, ...patch, at: Date.now() });
+  try {
+    // Best-effort metadata for a nice title-based filename (ReClip names by job id otherwise).
+    let title = '';
+    try {
+      const infoRes = await fetch(`${RECLIP_BASE}/api/info`, {
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+        body: JSON.stringify({ url }),
+        signal: AbortSignal.timeout(60_000),
+      });
+      if (infoRes.ok) title = ((await infoRes.json()) as { title?: string }).title ?? '';
+    } catch {
+      /* metadata is optional */
+    }
+
+    const dlRes = await fetch(`${RECLIP_BASE}/api/download`, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify({ url, format: audioOnly ? 'audio' : 'video', title }),
+      signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30_000),
+    }).catch(() => {
+      throw new Error(`Could not reach ReClip at ${RECLIP_BASE}`);
+    });
+    if (!dlRes.ok) throw new Error('ReClip rejected the download request');
+    const reclipJob = ((await dlRes.json()) as { job_id?: string }).job_id;
+    if (!reclipJob) throw new Error('ReClip did not return a job id');
+
+    // Poll ReClip until done/error (generous deadline; ReClip enforces its own per-download cap).
+    const deadline = Date.now() + 60 * 60_000;
+    let filename = '';
+    for (;;) {
+      if (Date.now() > deadline) throw new Error('Download timed out');
+      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2000));
+      const stRes = await fetch(`${RECLIP_BASE}/api/status/${reclipJob}`, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(15_000) }).catch(() => null);
+      if (!stRes?.ok) continue;
+      const st = (await stRes.json()) as { status: string; error?: string | null; filename?: string | null };
+      if (st.status === 'error') throw new Error(st.error || 'ReClip download failed');
+      if (st.status === 'done') {
+        filename = st.filename || `${reclipJob}.${audioOnly ? 'mp3' : 'mp4'}`;
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+
+    set({ status: 'transferring', filename });
+
+    // Stream the finished file into the user's folder (filename is title-sanitized, no path parts).
+    const fileRes = await fetch(`${RECLIP_BASE}/api/file/${reclipJob}`, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(600_000) });
+    const body = fileRes.body;
+    if (!fileRes.ok || !body) throw new Error('Failed to fetch the downloaded file from ReClip');
+    // Pump the reader manually — Bun.write(path, Response) can deadlock on a streaming fetch body.
+    const sink = Bun.file(join(absPath, filename)).writer();
+    const reader = body.getReader();
+    for (;;) {
+      const { done, value } = await reader.read();
+      if (done) break;
+      sink.write(value);
+    }
+    await sink.end();
+
+    set({ status: 'done', filename });
+  } catch (err) {
+    set({ status: 'error', error: err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err) });
+  }
+}
+
 router.post('/download-video', async (ctx) => {
   const user = ctx.get('user');
   const rootDir = getRootDir(user, ctx.req.query('root') ?? undefined);
@@ -1115,30 +1195,22 @@ router.post('/download-video', async (ctx) => {
 
   const absPath = resolveUserPath(rootDir, path);
   await mkdir(absPath, { recursive: true });
-  const ytdlp = Bun.which('yt-dlp') ?? `${process.env.HOME}/.local/bin/yt-dlp`;
-  const args = [
-    ytdlp,
-    '--remote-components',
-    'ejs:github',
-    '--js-runtimes',
-    'node',
-    '--cookies-from-browser',
-    'brave',
-    '-o',
-    '%(title)s.%(ext)s',
-  ];
-  if (audioOnly) args.push('-x', '--audio-format', 'mp3');
-  args.push(url);
 
-  const proc = Bun.spawn(args, { cwd: absPath, stdout: 'ignore', stderr: 'pipe' });
-  const stderrText = await new Response(proc.stderr).text();
-  const exitCode = await proc.exited;
+  // Evict finished jobs older than an hour so the map doesn't grow unbounded.
+  const cutoff = Date.now() - 60 * 60_000;
+  for (const [id, job] of downloadJobs) if (job.at < cutoff) downloadJobs.delete(id);
 
-  if (exitCode !== 0) {
-    throw errors.BAD_REQUEST(stderrText.trim() || 'yt-dlp download failed');
-  }
+  const jobId = crypto.randomUUID();
+  downloadJobs.set(jobId, { status: 'downloading', at: Date.now() });
+  void runReclipDownload(jobId, url, absPath, !!audioOnly);
 
-  return ctx.json({ ok: true });
+  return ctx.json({ jobId });
+});
+
+router.get('/download-video/:jobId', (ctx) => {
+  const job = downloadJobs.get(ctx.req.param('jobId'));
+  if (!job) return ctx.json({ status: 'error', error: 'unknown or expired job' });
+  return ctx.json({ status: job.status, error: job.error, filename: job.filename });
 });
 
 // Git clone a repository into a directory
diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/FileBrowser/FileBrowserApp/useFileBrowserApp.ts b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/FileBrowser/FileBrowserApp/useFileBrowserApp.ts
index 0dd1493d..3923788b 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/FileBrowser/FileBrowserApp/useFileBrowserApp.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/apps/FileBrowser/FileBrowserApp/useFileBrowserApp.ts
@@ -516,16 +516,41 @@ export const useFileBrowserApp = (
   const handleVideoDownload = async () => {
     const url = videoUrl.trim();
     if (!url) return;
-    const toastId = toast.loading(audioOnly ? 'Extracting audio...' : 'Downloading video...');
+    const wasAudio = audioOnly;
+    const dir = currentPath;
+    // Close the dialog right away — the download runs as a background job and is tracked via a toast,
+    // so a large video no longer holds the request open (which was 504-ing behind the reverse proxy).
+    setShowVideoDownload(false);
+    setVideoUrl('');
+    setAudioOnly(false);
+
+    const toastId = toast.loading(wasAudio ? 'Extracting audio…' : 'Downloading video…');
     try {
-      await files.downloadVideo(url, currentPath, audioOnly);
-      toast.success('Download complete', { id: toastId });
-      setShowVideoDownload(false);
-      setVideoUrl('');
-      setAudioOnly(false);
-      await refresh();
+      const { jobId } = await files.downloadVideo(url, dir, wasAudio);
+      const deadline = Date.now() + 60 * 60 * 1000;
+      for (;;) {
+        if (Date.now() > deadline) {
+          toast.error('Download timed out', { id: toastId });
+          return;
+        }
+        await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 2000));
+        const st = await files.downloadVideoStatus(jobId).catch(() => null);
+        if (!st) continue;
+        if (st.status === 'error') {
+          toast.error(st.error || 'Download failed', { id: toastId });
+          return;
+        }
+        if (st.status === 'transferring') {
+          toast.loading('Saving to folder…', { id: toastId });
+        }
+        if (st.status === 'done') {
+          toast.success(st.filename ? `Downloaded ${st.filename}` : 'Download complete', { id: toastId });
+          await refresh();
+          return;
+        }
+      }
     } catch {
-      toast.error('Download failed', { id: toastId });
+      toast.error('Could not start the download', { id: toastId });
     }
   };
 
diff --git a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/hooks/useFilesAPI.ts b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/hooks/useFilesAPI.ts
index e6ebb711..70f9af89 100644
--- a/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/hooks/useFilesAPI.ts
+++ b/src/workspaces/officerdev/src/hooks/useFilesAPI.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@ export const useFilesAPI = (root: string = 'home') => {
     gitClone: (url: string, path: string) => client.post(withRoot('/file-browser/git-clone'), { url, path }),
 
     downloadVideo: (url: string, path: string, audioOnly: boolean) =>
-      client.post(withRoot('/file-browser/download-video'), { url, path, audioOnly }),
+      client.post<{ jobId: string }>(withRoot('/file-browser/download-video'), { url, path, audioOnly }),
+
+    downloadVideoStatus: (jobId: string) =>
+      client.get<DownloadVideoStatus>(withRoot(`/file-browser/download-video/${jobId}`)),
 
     tts: (path: string, opts?: { saveNextTo?: boolean }) =>
       client.post<{ audioPath: string; audioRoot: string }>('/file-browser/tts', { path, root, ...opts }),
@@ -139,6 +142,12 @@ export type UseFilesAPIType = ReturnType<typeof useFilesAPI>;
 
 // ── Types ──
 
+export type DownloadVideoStatus = {
+  status: 'downloading' | 'transferring' | 'done' | 'error';
+  error?: string;
+  filename?: string;
+};
+
 export type AudioTrack = { id: number; codec: string; channels: number; lang: string; title: string };
 export type SubtitleTrack = { id: number; codec: string; lang: string; title: string };