diff --git a/lib/storage.ts b/lib/storage.ts
index d40ce61..afe6826 100644
--- a/lib/storage.ts
+++ b/lib/storage.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 /* eslint-disable ts/method-signature-style */
 import type { ContainerClient } from '@azure/storage-blob'
 import type { Kysely } from 'kysely'
+import type { Writable } from 'node:stream'
 import type { Database, StorageLocation } from './db'
 import type { Reservation } from './helpers'
 import type { Env } from './schemas'
 import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
-import { once } from 'node:events'
 import { createReadStream, createWriteStream } from 'node:fs'
 import fs from 'node:fs/promises'
 import { Agent } from 'node:https'
@@ -66,6 +66,23 @@ function escapeLikePattern(value: string) {
     .replaceAll('_', String.raw`\_`)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Resolves once `stream` wants more data or is closed. A destroyed stream emits
+ * no 'drain', and no 'error' when destroyed without one, so waiting on 'drain'
+ * alone hangs forever once its reader is gone.
+ */
+function drainOrClose(stream: Writable) {
+  const { promise, resolve } = Promise.withResolvers<void>()
+  const done = () => {
+    stream.off('drain', done)
+    stream.off('close', done)
+    resolve()
+  }
+  stream.on('drain', done)
+  stream.on('close', done)
+  return promise
+}
+
 export class ObjectNotFoundError extends Error {
   constructor(objectName: string) {
     super(`Object not found in storage: ${objectName}`)
@@ -198,16 +215,25 @@ export class Storage {
   ) {
     if (location.partsDeletedAt) throw new Error('No parts to feed')
 
+    // Either sink can be destroyed mid-download: the route destroys the response
+    // when the client hangs up, and a failed merge upload destroys the merger.
+    // Waiting on a destroyed sink's 'drain' would park the pump forever, pinning
+    // the current part's backend read and renewing the merge lease. Keep feeding
+    // whichever sink is still open, and stop reading once both are gone.
+    const sinks = [responseStream, mergerStream]
     for await (const chunk of this.streamParts(location)) {
-      // attach both drain listeners simultaneously to prevent a race condition where the second stream being faster hangs forever
+      // attach every drain wait before awaiting any, so a faster sink's 'drain' is never missed
       const drains = []
-      if (!responseStream.write(chunk)) drains.push(once(responseStream, 'drain'))
-      if (!mergerStream.write(chunk)) drains.push(once(mergerStream, 'drain'))
+      for (const sink of sinks) {
+        if (sink.destroyed) continue
+        if (!sink.write(chunk) && !sink.destroyed) drains.push(drainOrClose(sink))
+      }
       await Promise.all(drains)
+      // Leaving the loop makes `streamParts` destroy the current part stream.
+      if (sinks.every((sink) => sink.destroyed)) return
     }
 
-    responseStream.end()
-    mergerStream.end()
+    for (const sink of sinks) if (!sink.destroyed) sink.end()
 
     await globalThis.gc?.()
   }
diff --git a/tests/download-merge-sink-gone.test.ts b/tests/download-merge-sink-gone.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..151fbd7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/download-merge-sink-gone.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+import { Buffer } from 'node:buffer'
+import { randomUUID } from 'node:crypto'
+import { once } from 'node:events'
+import { Readable } from 'node:stream'
+import { setTimeout as sleep } from 'node:timers/promises'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { getDatabase } from '~/lib/db'
+import { getStorage } from '~/lib/storage'
+
+const PART_COUNT = 3
+const PART_BYTES = 1024 * 1024
+
+async function createUnmergedEntry() {
+  const storage = await getStorage()
+  const db = await getDatabase()
+  const key = `merge-sink-gone-${randomUUID()}`
+  const entry = { key, version: 'v1', scope: 'refs/heads/main', repoId: '123' }
+  const upload = await storage.createUpload(entry)
+  if (!upload) throw new Error('createUpload returned nothing')
+  for (let i = 0; i < PART_COUNT; i++)
+    await storage.uploadPart(upload.id, i, Readable.from([Buffer.alloc(PART_BYTES, i)]))
+  await storage.completeUpload(entry)
+  return db
+    .selectFrom('cache_entries')
+    .where('key', '=', key)
+    .select('locationId')
+    .executeTakeFirstOrThrow()
+}
+
+/** Records every part stream the download opens, so the test can see each one released. */
+async function trackPartStreams() {
+  const storage = await getStorage()
+  const original = storage.adapter.createDownloadStream.bind(storage.adapter)
+  const parts: Readable[] = []
+  vi.spyOn(storage.adapter, 'createDownloadStream').mockImplementation(async (name, range) => {
+    const download = await original(name, range)
+    if (name.includes('/parts/')) parts.push(download.stream)
+    return download
+  })
+  return parts
+}
+
+/** Fails the background merge upload without reading it, as a broken S3 upload would. */
+async function failMergeUpload() {
+  const storage = await getStorage()
+  vi.spyOn(storage.adapter, 'uploadStream').mockRejectedValue(new Error('merge upload failed'))
+}
+
+/** Reads one chunk, then hangs up the way the route does when the client leaves. */
+async function leaveAfterFirstChunk(stream: Readable) {
+  await once(stream, 'readable')
+  expect(stream.read()).not.toBeNull()
+  stream.destroy()
+}
+
+async function settles(promise: Promise<unknown>, timeoutMs = 5000) {
+  return Promise.race([promise.then(() => 'settled'), sleep(timeoutMs, 'still pending')])
+}
+
+async function locationState(locationId: string) {
+  const db = await getDatabase()
+  const { mergedAt } = await db
+    .selectFrom('storage_locations')
+    .where('id', '=', locationId)
+    .select('mergedAt')
+    .executeTakeFirstOrThrow()
+  const mergeLeases = await db
+    .selectFrom('merge_leases')
+    .where('storageLocationId', '=', locationId)
+    .select('token')
+    .execute()
+  return { mergedAt, mergeLeases }
+}
+
+afterEach(() => {
+  vi.restoreAllMocks()
+})
+
+/**
+ * The first download of an unmerged entry tees its parts into the client
+ * response and the background merge upload. When one of them is destroyed
+ * (client hung up, merge upload failed), a pump waiting for 'drain' parks
+ * forever: a destroyed stream emits neither 'drain' nor 'error'. That holds the
+ * part's backend read (an S3 socket), starves the merge, and keeps renewing
+ * the merge lease for the life of the process.
+ */
+describe('first download of an unmerged entry', () => {
+  test('client leaving mid-stream still completes the merge and releases the parts', async () => {
+    const storage = await getStorage()
+    const { locationId } = await createUnmergedEntry()
+    const parts = await trackPartStreams()
+
+    const download = await storage.download(locationId)
+    if (!download) throw new Error('download returned nothing')
+    const { stream } = download
+    await leaveAfterFirstChunk(stream)
+
+    expect(await settles(storage.waitForOngoingMerges()), 'merge settled').toBe('settled')
+    const { mergedAt, mergeLeases } = await locationState(locationId)
+    expect(mergedAt, 'merge completed').not.toBeNull()
+    expect(mergeLeases, 'merge lease released').toHaveLength(0)
+    expect(parts).toHaveLength(PART_COUNT)
+    expect(
+      parts.filter((part) => !part.destroyed),
+      'part streams left open',
+    ).toHaveLength(0)
+  }, 20_000)
+
+  test('a failed merge upload still serves the whole entry to the client', async () => {
+    const storage = await getStorage()
+    const { locationId } = await createUnmergedEntry()
+    await failMergeUpload()
+
+    const download = await storage.download(locationId)
+    if (!download) throw new Error('download returned nothing')
+    const { stream } = download
+    let received = 0
+    const consumed = (async () => {
+      for await (const chunk of stream) received += (chunk as Buffer).length
+    })()
+
+    expect(await settles(consumed), 'client download finished').toBe('settled')
+    expect(received).toBe(PART_COUNT * PART_BYTES)
+    expect(await settles(storage.waitForOngoingMerges()), 'merge settled').toBe('settled')
+    const { mergedAt, mergeLeases } = await locationState(locationId)
+    expect(mergedAt, 'failed merge not marked complete').toBeNull()
+    expect(mergeLeases, 'merge lease released').toHaveLength(0)
+  }, 20_000)
+
+  test('client and merge both gone stops reading and destroys the part stream', async () => {
+    const storage = await getStorage()
+    const { locationId } = await createUnmergedEntry()
+    await failMergeUpload()
+    // An unending part: only being destroyed lets it go, as with a GetObject body.
+    const part = Readable.from(
+      (async function* () {
+        for (;;) {
+          await sleep(1)
+          yield Buffer.alloc(64 * 1024)
+        }
+      })(),
+    )
+    vi.spyOn(storage.adapter, 'createDownloadStream').mockResolvedValue({ stream: part })
+
+    const download = await storage.download(locationId)
+    if (!download) throw new Error('download returned nothing')
+    const { stream } = download
+    await leaveAfterFirstChunk(stream)
+
+    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(part.destroyed, 'part stream destroyed').toBe(true), {
+      timeout: 5000,
+      interval: 25,
+    })
+    expect(await settles(storage.waitForOngoingMerges()), 'merge settled').toBe('settled')
+    const { mergeLeases } = await locationState(locationId)
+    expect(mergeLeases, 'merge lease released').toHaveLength(0)
+  }, 20_000)
+})