diff --git a/lib/providers/download_queue_provider.dart b/lib/providers/download_queue_provider.dart
index 9695371b..e70ad0ce 100644
--- a/lib/providers/download_queue_provider.dart
+++ b/lib/providers/download_queue_provider.dart
@@ -426,8 +426,14 @@ class DownloadQueueNotifier extends Notifier<DownloadQueueState> {
     Future.microtask(() async {
       try {
         updateSettings(ref.read(settingsProvider));
-        await _initOutputDir();
+        try {
+          await _initOutputDir();
+        } catch (error, stack) {
+          _log.e('Failed to initialize download folder: $error', error, stack);
+        }
         await _loadQueueFromStorage();
+      } catch (error, stack) {
+        _log.e('Failed to initialize download queue: $error', error, stack);
       } finally {
         if (!_queueRestored.isCompleted) _queueRestored.complete();
       }
@@ -1498,6 +1504,29 @@ class DownloadQueueNotifier extends Notifier<DownloadQueueState> {
     try {
       if (state.isProcessing) return;
       await _processQueueSingleFlight();
+    } catch (error, stack) {
+      _log.e('Download queue processing failed: $error', error, stack);
+      _stopProgressPolling();
+      _metadataEmbedding.clearCoverCache();
+      _stopConnectivityMonitoring();
+      if (ref.mounted) {
+        state = state.copyWith(isProcessing: false, currentDownload: null);
+      }
+      // Setup and finalization can fail outside the per-item pipeline. The
+      // queue owner still releases the execution window before another run.
+      try {
+        if (Platform.isAndroid) {
+          await PlatformBridge.stopDownloadService();
+        } else if (Platform.isIOS) {
+          await PlatformBridge.endBackgroundDownloadTask();
+        }
+      } catch (cleanupError, cleanupStack) {
+        _log.e(
+          'Failed to release download execution window: $cleanupError',
+          cleanupError,
+          cleanupStack,
+        );
+      }
     } finally {
       if (_queueProcessingGate.leave()) {
         Future.microtask(_processQueue);
diff --git a/test/download_queue_recovery_test.dart b/test/download_queue_recovery_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5bbcca6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/download_queue_recovery_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_riverpod/flutter_riverpod.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_test/flutter_test.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/models/download_item.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/models/settings.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/models/track.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/providers/download_queue_provider.dart';
+import 'package:spotiflac_android/providers/settings_provider.dart';
+
+class _Settings extends SettingsNotifier {
+  @override
+  AppSettings build() => const AppSettings();
+}
+
+class _Queue extends DownloadQueueNotifier {
+  @override
+  DownloadQueueState build() => const DownloadQueueState().copyWith(
+    items: [
+      DownloadItem(
+        id: 'queued',
+        track: const Track(
+          id: 'example:track',
+          name: 'Song',
+          artistName: 'Artist',
+          albumName: 'Album',
+          duration: 180,
+        ),
+        service: 'example',
+        createdAt: DateTime.utc(2026),
+      ),
+    ],
+  );
+}
+
+void main() {
+  TestWidgetsFlutterBinding.ensureInitialized();
+  final messenger =
+      TestDefaultBinaryMessengerBinding.instance.defaultBinaryMessenger;
+  const paths = MethodChannel('plugins.flutter.io/path_provider');
+  const connectivity = MethodChannel(
+    'dev.fluttercommunity.plus/connectivity_status',
+  );
+
+  tearDown(() {
+    messenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(paths, null);
+    messenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(connectivity, null);
+  });
+
+  test('a failed queue setup releases processing and permits retry', () async {
+    var pathAttempts = 0;
+    messenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(paths, (_) async {
+      pathAttempts++;
+      throw PlatformException(code: 'folder_unavailable');
+    });
+    messenger.setMockMethodCallHandler(connectivity, (_) async => null);
+    final queue = _Queue();
+    final container = ProviderContainer(
+      overrides: [
+        downloadQueueProvider.overrideWith(() => queue),
+        settingsProvider.overrideWith(_Settings.new),
+      ],
+    );
+    addTearDown(container.dispose);
+    var started = false;
+    var finished = Completer<void>();
+    container.listen(downloadQueueProvider, (previous, next) {
+      if (next.isProcessing) started = true;
+      if (started && !next.isProcessing && !finished.isCompleted) {
+        finished.complete();
+      }
+    });
+
+    queue.resumePendingDownloadsOnForeground();
+    await finished.future;
+    final state = container.read(downloadQueueProvider);
+    expect(state.isProcessing, isFalse);
+    expect(state.currentDownload, isNull);
+    expect(state.items.single.status, DownloadStatus.queued);
+    expect(pathAttempts, greaterThan(0));
+
+    final firstAttempts = pathAttempts;
+    started = false;
+    finished = Completer<void>();
+    queue.resumePendingDownloadsOnForeground();
+    await finished.future;
+    expect(pathAttempts, greaterThan(firstAttempts));
+    expect(container.read(downloadQueueProvider).isProcessing, isFalse);
+  });
+}