diff --git a/routes/cookbook_helpers.py b/routes/cookbook_helpers.py
index 856c8bdb5..8c8b5caea 100644
--- a/routes/cookbook_helpers.py
+++ b/routes/cookbook_helpers.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from fastapi import HTTPException
 from pydantic import BaseModel
 
 from routes._validators import validate_remote_host, validate_ssh_port
+from routes.cookbook_output import HF_PARTIAL_BLOB_HELPER
 from core.platform_compat import _ssh_exec_argv
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -378,6 +379,7 @@ def _cached_model_scan_script(model_dirs: list[str] | None = None, add_hf_cache:
     """
     lines = [
         "import json, os, re, shutil, subprocess, urllib.request",
+        *HF_PARTIAL_BLOB_HELPER.splitlines(),
         "models = []",
         "seen = set()",
         "BLOCKED_ROOTS = ('/sys', '/proc', '/dev', '/run', '/var/run')",
@@ -436,8 +438,10 @@ def _cached_model_scan_script(model_dirs: list[str] | None = None, add_hf_cache:
         "        sz, nf, ic = 0, 0, False",
         "        if os.path.isdir(blobs):",
         "            for f in os.scandir(blobs):",
+        "                if f.name.endswith('.incomplete'):",
+        "                    if not is_partial_blob(f.path): continue",
+        "                    ic = True",
         "                if f.is_file(): nf += 1; sz += f.stat().st_size",
-        "                if f.name.endswith('.incomplete'): ic = True",
         "        snap = os.path.join(cache, d, 'snapshots')",
         "        def snapshot_size():",
         "            total, count, incomplete = 0, 0, False",
diff --git a/routes/cookbook_output.py b/routes/cookbook_output.py
index b30b18536..a8e8ed528 100644
--- a/routes/cookbook_output.py
+++ b/routes/cookbook_output.py
@@ -8,6 +8,20 @@ import re
 
 _FETCHING_ZERO_FILES_RE = re.compile(r"Fetching\s+0\s+files", re.IGNORECASE)
 
+# Shared source embedded in local/remote inventory and status probes. A blank
+# retry marker beside its completed, nonempty content-addressed blob is stale;
+# a blank marker alone may be a download that has not received its first byte.
+HF_PARTIAL_BLOB_HELPER = """def is_partial_blob(path):
+    if not path.endswith('.incomplete'):
+        return False
+    try:
+        completed = path[:-len('.incomplete')]
+        return (os.path.getsize(path) != 0 or not os.path.isfile(completed)
+                or os.path.getsize(completed) == 0)
+    except OSError:
+        return True
+"""
+
 # Probe scripts for the dead-session download check, run as
 # `python3 -c <PROBE> <repo_id> <cache_root>` (locally or over SSH).
 # cache_root is the task's custom download dir, '' for the default HF cache.
@@ -15,7 +29,7 @@ _FETCHING_ZERO_FILES_RE = re.compile(r"Fetching\s+0\s+files", re.IGNORECASE)
 # HF_HOME=<local_dir>, so that task's cache lives under <local_dir>/hub, and
 # the probe process's own environment knows nothing about it.
 HF_CACHE_COMPLETE_PROBE = (
-    "import os,sys;"
+    "import os,sys\n" + HF_PARTIAL_BLOB_HELPER +
     "repo=sys.argv[1];"
     "root=os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[2]) if len(sys.argv)>2 and sys.argv[2] else '';"
     "base=os.path.join(root,'hub') if root else (os.environ.get('HUGGINGFACE_HUB_CACHE') or os.path.join(os.environ.get('HF_HOME', os.path.expanduser('~/.cache/huggingface')), 'hub'));"
@@ -24,18 +38,18 @@ HF_CACHE_COMPLETE_PROBE = (
     "ok=os.path.isdir(snap) and any(os.path.isdir(os.path.join(snap,x)) and os.listdir(os.path.join(snap,x)) for x in os.listdir(snap));"
     "inc=False;"
     "blobs=os.path.join(d,'blobs');"
-    "inc=os.path.isdir(blobs) and any(x.endswith('.incomplete') for x in os.listdir(blobs));"
+    "inc=os.path.isdir(blobs) and any(is_partial_blob(os.path.join(blobs,x)) for x in os.listdir(blobs));"
     "sys.exit(0 if ok and not inc else 1)"
 )
 
 HF_CACHE_INCOMPLETE_PROBE = (
-    "import os,sys;"
+    "import os,sys\n" + HF_PARTIAL_BLOB_HELPER +
     "repo=sys.argv[1];"
     "root=os.path.expanduser(sys.argv[2]) if len(sys.argv)>2 and sys.argv[2] else '';"
     "base=os.path.join(root,'hub') if root else (os.environ.get('HUGGINGFACE_HUB_CACHE') or os.path.join(os.environ.get('HF_HOME', os.path.expanduser('~/.cache/huggingface')), 'hub'));"
     "d=os.path.join(base,'models--'+repo.replace('/','--'));"
     "blobs=os.path.join(d,'blobs');"
-    "inc=os.path.isdir(blobs) and any(x.endswith('.incomplete') for x in os.listdir(blobs));"
+    "inc=os.path.isdir(blobs) and any(is_partial_blob(os.path.join(blobs,x)) for x in os.listdir(blobs));"
     "sys.exit(0 if inc else 1)"
 )
 
diff --git a/routes/cookbook_routes.py b/routes/cookbook_routes.py
index 02b419894..a8e61e080 100644
--- a/routes/cookbook_routes.py
+++ b/routes/cookbook_routes.py
@@ -4343,7 +4343,7 @@ def setup_cookbook_routes() -> APIRouter:
             tmux output can stop at a stale progress line if the pane/session
             disappears before Cookbook captures the final DOWNLOAD_OK marker.
             In that case, trust the cache shape: a snapshot directory with files
-            and no *.incomplete blobs means HuggingFace finished materializing the
+            and no unfinished blobs means HuggingFace finished materializing the
             model. cache_root is the task's custom download dir — the runner
             pointed HF_HOME there, so the cache lives under <cache_root>/hub,
             not wherever this probe's environment says.
@@ -4368,7 +4368,8 @@ def setup_cookbook_routes() -> APIRouter:
             """Best-effort check for resumable HF partial blobs.
 
             A lost SSH/tmux session can leave a real download still incomplete.
-            Treat any *.incomplete blob as stronger evidence than stale
+            Treat unfinished blobs (excluding empty markers paired with a
+            completed blob) as stronger evidence than stale
             "100%" lines in the captured pane output.
             """
             if not repo_id or "/" not in repo_id:
diff --git a/tests/test_cookbook_stale_cache_markers.py b/tests/test_cookbook_stale_cache_markers.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6439ce963
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_cookbook_stale_cache_markers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+"""A completed blob's empty retry marker must not keep its model stalled."""
+import json
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+
+import pytest
+
+from routes.cookbook_helpers import _cached_model_scan_script
+from routes.cookbook_output import HF_CACHE_COMPLETE_PROBE, HF_CACHE_INCOMPLETE_PROBE
+
+_REPO = "fixture/stale-marker"
+_STATES = ["complete", "stale", "empty-unpaired", "partial", "partial-paired", "empty-paired-empty"]
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(params=["custom", "hf-home", "hub-env"])
+def cache(request, tmp_path):
+    root = tmp_path / "cache with spaces"
+    model = root / "hub" / ("models--" + _REPO.replace("/", "--"))
+    blobs = model / "blobs"
+    blobs.mkdir(parents=True)
+    snapshot = model / "snapshots" / "revision"
+    snapshot.mkdir(parents=True)
+    (snapshot / "config.json").write_text("{}")
+    env = {key: value for key, value in os.environ.items()
+           if key not in {"HF_HOME", "HUGGINGFACE_HUB_CACHE", "HF_HUB_CACHE"}}
+    if request.param == "custom":
+        argument = str(root)
+        scan = _cached_model_scan_script(add_hf_cache=str(root / "hub"))
+    else:
+        argument = ""
+        env["HF_HOME" if request.param == "hf-home" else "HUGGINGFACE_HUB_CACHE"] = str(
+            root if request.param == "hf-home" else root / "hub"
+        )
+        scan = _cached_model_scan_script()
+    return blobs, argument, env, scan
+
+
+def _seed(blobs, state):
+    if state in {"complete", "stale", "partial-paired"}:
+        (blobs / "sha").write_bytes(b"completed model data")
+    elif state == "empty-paired-empty":
+        (blobs / "sha").touch()
+    if state != "complete":
+        (blobs / "sha.incomplete").write_bytes(b"partial" if state.startswith("partial") else b"")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("state", _STATES)
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("probe", [HF_CACHE_COMPLETE_PROBE, HF_CACHE_INCOMPLETE_PROBE], ids=["complete", "incomplete"])
+def test_cache_status_probes_distinguish_stale_and_partial(cache, state, probe):
+    blobs, argument, env, _ = cache
+    _seed(blobs, state)
+    before = {path.name: path.read_bytes() for path in blobs.iterdir()}
+    result = subprocess.run([sys.executable, "-c", probe, _REPO, argument],
+                            env=env, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15)
+    complete = state in {"complete", "stale"}
+    expected = complete if probe == HF_CACHE_COMPLETE_PROBE else not complete
+    assert result.returncode == (0 if expected else 1), result.stderr
+    assert {path.name: path.read_bytes() for path in blobs.iterdir()} == before
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("state", _STATES)
+def test_generated_inventory_agrees_without_mutating_cache(cache, state):
+    blobs, _, env, scan = cache
+    _seed(blobs, state)
+    before = {path.name: path.read_bytes() for path in blobs.iterdir()}
+    # Inventory's unrelated Ollama discovery stays off the network. Execute
+    # the actual generated scanner, including its cache-root resolution.
+    harness = (
+        "import urllib.request,shutil\n"
+        "def offline(*args,**kwargs): raise OSError('Ollama outside this fixture')\n"
+        "urllib.request.urlopen=offline\nshutil.which=lambda name: None\n"
+        + scan
+    )
+    result = subprocess.run([sys.executable, "-c", harness], env=env,
+                            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15)
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    row = next(item for item in json.loads(result.stdout) if item["repo_id"] == _REPO)
+    assert row["has_incomplete"] == (state not in {"complete", "stale"})
+    if state in {"complete", "stale"}:
+        assert row["nb_files"] == 1
+        assert row["size_bytes"] == len(b"completed model data")
+    assert {path.name: path.read_bytes() for path in blobs.iterdir()} == before