diff --git a/src/client/api.ts b/src/client/api.ts
index 5e86834..c169168 100644
--- a/src/client/api.ts
+++ b/src/client/api.ts
@@ -17,12 +17,21 @@ export interface Episode {
   title: string
   torrent_id: string
   torrent_url: string
-  status: 'pending' | 'downloaded_auto' | 'downloaded_manual'
+  status: 'pending' | 'downloaded_auto' | 'downloaded_manual' | 'failed'
+  download_error: string | null
+  file_path: string | null
   downloaded_at: string | null
   created_at: string
   updated_at: string
 }
 
+export interface HealthStatus {
+  status: 'ok' | 'degraded'
+  torrent_dir: string
+  torrent_dir_writable: boolean
+  torrent_dir_error: string | null
+}
+
 export interface NyaaItem {
   torrent_id: string
   title: string
@@ -87,4 +96,8 @@ export const api = {
     update: (data: Partial<Omit<Settings, 'torrent_output_dir'>>) =>
       request<Settings>('/api/settings', { method: 'PATCH', body: JSON.stringify(data) }),
   },
+  health: {
+    get: () => request<HealthStatus>('/api/health'),
+    poll: () => request<{ status: string }>('/api/poll', { method: 'POST' }),
+  },
 }
diff --git a/src/client/index.css b/src/client/index.css
index bb939bd..8d1ac2d 100644
--- a/src/client/index.css
+++ b/src/client/index.css
@@ -73,6 +73,18 @@ tr:hover td { background: var(--surface2); }
 .badge.pending { background: #2a2a1a; color: var(--yellow); }
 .badge.downloaded_auto { background: #1a2a1a; color: var(--green); }
 .badge.downloaded_manual { background: #1a2533; color: #4da6ff; }
+.badge.failed { background: #2a1a1a; color: var(--red); }
+
+.error-tooltip { position: relative; display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 4px; cursor: help; }
+.error-tooltip .tooltip-text {
+  visibility: hidden; opacity: 0; transition: opacity 0.15s;
+  position: absolute; z-index: 10; bottom: 125%; left: 0;
+  background: #1a0a0a; color: var(--red); border: 1px solid var(--red);
+  border-radius: var(--radius); padding: 6px 10px; font-size: 11px;
+  white-space: pre-wrap; max-width: 360px; min-width: 180px; word-break: break-word;
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+.error-tooltip:hover .tooltip-text { visibility: visible; opacity: 1; }
 
 .layout { display: flex; height: 100vh; }
 .sidebar { width: 200px; flex-shrink: 0; background: var(--surface); border-right: 1px solid var(--border); display: flex; flex-direction: column; padding: 16px 0; }
diff --git a/src/client/pages/ShowDetailPage.tsx b/src/client/pages/ShowDetailPage.tsx
index 3d8fa9c..c7ebfd6 100644
--- a/src/client/pages/ShowDetailPage.tsx
+++ b/src/client/pages/ShowDetailPage.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react'
-import { api, type Show, type Episode } from '../api'
+import { api, type Show, type Episode, type HealthStatus } from '../api'
 
 interface Props {
   showId: number
@@ -9,19 +9,21 @@ interface Props {
 export default function ShowDetailPage({ showId, onBack }: Props) {
   const [show, setShow] = useState<Show | null>(null)
   const [episodes, setEpisodes] = useState<Episode[]>([])
+  const [health, setHealth] = useState<HealthStatus | null>(null)
   const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true)
   const [bulkCode, setBulkCode] = useState('')
   const [bulking, setBulking] = useState(false)
+  const [polling, setPolling] = useState(false)
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    Promise.all([api.shows.get(showId), api.episodes.list(showId)])
-      .then(([s, eps]) => { setShow(s); setEpisodes(eps) })
+    Promise.all([api.shows.get(showId), api.episodes.list(showId), api.health.get()])
+      .then(([s, eps, h]) => { setShow(s); setEpisodes(eps); setHealth(h) })
       .finally(() => setLoading(false))
   }, [showId])
 
   const handleStatusChange = async (ep: Episode, status: Episode['status']) => {
     const updated = await api.episodes.update(showId, ep.id, status)
-    setEpisodes((prev) => prev.map((e) => (e.id === updated.id ? updated : e)))
+    setEpisodes((prev) => prev.map((e) => (e.id === updated.id ? (updated as Episode) : e)))
   }
 
   const handleBulkMark = async (e: React.FormEvent) => {
@@ -44,14 +46,27 @@ export default function ShowDetailPage({ showId, onBack }: Props) {
     setShow(updated)
   }
 
+  const handlePollNow = async () => {
+    setPolling(true)
+    try {
+      await api.health.poll()
+      const eps = await api.episodes.list(showId)
+      setEpisodes(eps)
+    } finally {
+      setPolling(false)
+    }
+  }
+
   if (loading) return <div className="empty-state"><div className="spinner" /></div>
   if (!show) return <div className="empty-state">Show not found.</div>
 
+  const failed = episodes.filter((e) => e.status === 'failed')
   const stats = {
     total: episodes.length,
     pending: episodes.filter((e) => e.status === 'pending').length,
     auto: episodes.filter((e) => e.status === 'downloaded_auto').length,
     manual: episodes.filter((e) => e.status === 'downloaded_manual').length,
+    failed: failed.length,
   }
 
   return (
@@ -60,6 +75,19 @@ export default function ShowDetailPage({ showId, onBack }: Props) {
         ← Shows
       </a>
 
+      {/* Health warning banner */}
+      {health && !health.torrent_dir_writable && (
+        <div className="card" style={{ marginBottom: 16, borderColor: 'var(--red)', background: '#1a0a0a' }}>
+          <div style={{ color: 'var(--red)', fontWeight: 600, marginBottom: 4 }}>⚠ Torrent directory is not writable</div>
+          <div style={{ fontSize: 12, color: 'var(--text-muted)' }}>
+            Path: <code>{health.torrent_dir}</code>
+          </div>
+          {health.torrent_dir_error && (
+            <div style={{ fontSize: 11, color: 'var(--red)', marginTop: 4 }}>{health.torrent_dir_error}</div>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       <div className="page-header">
         <div>
           <h1>{show.name}</h1>
@@ -71,28 +99,51 @@ export default function ShowDetailPage({ showId, onBack }: Props) {
             </span>
           </div>
         </div>
-        <button className="ghost" onClick={handleToggleActive}>
-          {show.is_active ? 'Pause Polling' : 'Resume Polling'}
-        </button>
+        <div className="flex" style={{ gap: 8 }}>
+          <button className="ghost" onClick={handlePollNow} disabled={polling}>
+            {polling ? <span className="spinner" /> : '↻ Poll Now'}
+          </button>
+          <button className="ghost" onClick={handleToggleActive}>
+            {show.is_active ? 'Pause Polling' : 'Resume Polling'}
+          </button>
+        </div>
       </div>
 
       {/* Stats */}
       <div className="flex" style={{ gap: 12, marginBottom: 20, flexWrap: 'wrap' }}>
         {[
-          { label: 'Total', value: stats.total },
-          { label: 'Pending', value: stats.pending },
-          { label: 'Auto DL', value: stats.auto },
-          { label: 'Manual', value: stats.manual },
-        ].map(({ label, value }) => (
+          { label: 'Total', value: stats.total, color: undefined },
+          { label: 'Pending', value: stats.pending, color: undefined },
+          { label: 'Auto DL', value: stats.auto, color: undefined },
+          { label: 'Manual', value: stats.manual, color: undefined },
+          { label: 'Failed', value: stats.failed, color: stats.failed > 0 ? 'var(--red)' : undefined },
+        ].map(({ label, value, color }) => (
           <div key={label} className="card" style={{ minWidth: 100, textAlign: 'center' }}>
-            <div style={{ fontSize: 22, fontWeight: 700 }}>{value}</div>
+            <div style={{ fontSize: 22, fontWeight: 700, color }}>{value}</div>
             <div className="text-muted text-sm">{label}</div>
           </div>
         ))}
       </div>
 
+      {/* Failed downloads summary */}
+      {failed.length > 0 && (
+        <div className="card" style={{ marginBottom: 16, borderColor: 'var(--red)' }}>
+          <div style={{ fontWeight: 600, marginBottom: 8, color: 'var(--red)' }}>
+            {failed.length} failed download{failed.length > 1 ? 's' : ''} — will retry on next poll (or click ↻ Poll Now)
+          </div>
+          {failed.slice(0, 3).map((ep) => (
+            <div key={ep.id} style={{ fontSize: 12, color: 'var(--text-muted)', marginBottom: 4 }}>
+              <strong>Ep {ep.episode_code}</strong>: {ep.download_error ?? 'Unknown error'}
+            </div>
+          ))}
+          {failed.length > 3 && (
+            <div style={{ fontSize: 12, color: 'var(--text-muted)' }}>…and {failed.length - 3} more</div>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
       {/* Bulk mark */}
-      <form onSubmit={handleBulkMark} className="card mb-4" style={{ marginBottom: 16 }}>
+      <form onSubmit={handleBulkMark} className="card" style={{ marginBottom: 16 }}>
         <div style={{ marginBottom: 8, fontWeight: 600 }}>Bulk Mark as Downloaded</div>
         <div className="flex" style={{ gap: 8 }}>
           <input
@@ -136,7 +187,16 @@ export default function ShowDetailPage({ showId, onBack }: Props) {
                     </a>
                   </td>
                   <td className="text-muted">{ep.torrent_id}</td>
-                  <td><span className={`badge ${ep.status}`}>{ep.status.replace('_', ' ')}</span></td>
+                  <td>
+                    {ep.status === 'failed' && ep.download_error ? (
+                      <span className="error-tooltip">
+                        <span className="badge failed">failed</span>
+                        <span className="tooltip-text">{ep.download_error}</span>
+                      </span>
+                    ) : (
+                      <span className={`badge ${ep.status}`}>{ep.status.replace(/_/g, ' ')}</span>
+                    )}
+                  </td>
                   <td className="text-muted text-sm">
                     {ep.downloaded_at ? new Date(ep.downloaded_at).toLocaleDateString() : '—'}
                   </td>
@@ -169,7 +229,7 @@ function EpisodeActions({
 
   if (busy) return <span className="spinner" />
 
-  if (ep.status === 'pending') {
+  if (ep.status === 'pending' || ep.status === 'failed') {
     return (
       <button style={{ fontSize: 12 }} onClick={() => handle('downloaded_manual')}>
         Mark Downloaded
diff --git a/src/server/db/index.ts b/src/server/db/index.ts
index c742b91..9d76366 100644
--- a/src/server/db/index.ts
+++ b/src/server/db/index.ts
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ db.exec("PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL")
 db.exec("PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON")
 
 export function runMigrations() {
+  // Base schema
   db.exec(`
     CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS shows (
       id          INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
@@ -38,7 +39,7 @@ export function runMigrations() {
       torrent_id    TEXT    NOT NULL,
       torrent_url   TEXT    NOT NULL,
       status        TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending'
-                            CHECK(status IN ('pending','downloaded_auto','downloaded_manual')),
+                            CHECK(status IN ('pending','downloaded_auto','downloaded_manual','failed')),
       downloaded_at TEXT,
       created_at    TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now')),
       updated_at    TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now')),
@@ -55,5 +56,67 @@ export function runMigrations() {
       ('default_quality', '1080p'),
       ('default_sub_group', '');
   `)
+
+  // Incremental migrations — safe to re-run (errors are swallowed for "already exists")
+  runAlterIfMissing("ALTER TABLE episodes ADD COLUMN download_error TEXT")
+  runAlterIfMissing("ALTER TABLE episodes ADD COLUMN file_path TEXT")
+
+  // Widen the status CHECK constraint to include 'failed' for existing DBs.
+  // SQLite doesn't support ALTER COLUMN, so we recreate the table if the old
+  // constraint is still in place (detected by absence of 'failed' in the schema).
+  widenEpisodesStatusConstraint()
+
   console.log('[db] Migrations applied.')
 }
+
+function runAlterIfMissing(sql: string) {
+  try {
+    db.exec(sql)
+  } catch {
+    // Column already exists — ignore
+  }
+}
+
+function widenEpisodesStatusConstraint() {
+  const schema = db
+    .prepare("SELECT sql FROM sqlite_master WHERE type='table' AND name='episodes'")
+    .get() as { sql: string } | undefined
+
+  if (!schema) return
+  if (schema.sql.includes("'failed'")) return // already widened
+
+  // Recreate episodes table with the updated CHECK constraint
+  db.exec(`
+    PRAGMA foreign_keys = OFF;
+
+    CREATE TABLE episodes_new (
+      id            INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+      show_id       INTEGER NOT NULL REFERENCES shows(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+      episode_code  TEXT    NOT NULL,
+      title         TEXT    NOT NULL,
+      torrent_id    TEXT    NOT NULL,
+      torrent_url   TEXT    NOT NULL,
+      status        TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending'
+                            CHECK(status IN ('pending','downloaded_auto','downloaded_manual','failed')),
+      download_error TEXT,
+      file_path     TEXT,
+      downloaded_at TEXT,
+      created_at    TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now')),
+      updated_at    TEXT    NOT NULL DEFAULT (datetime('now')),
+      UNIQUE(show_id, torrent_id)
+    );
+
+    INSERT INTO episodes_new
+      (id, show_id, episode_code, title, torrent_id, torrent_url, status,
+       download_error, file_path, downloaded_at, created_at, updated_at)
+    SELECT
+      id, show_id, episode_code, title, torrent_id, torrent_url, status,
+      NULL, NULL, downloaded_at, created_at, updated_at
+    FROM episodes;
+
+    DROP TABLE episodes;
+    ALTER TABLE episodes_new RENAME TO episodes;
+
+    PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON;
+  `)
+}
diff --git a/src/server/index.ts b/src/server/index.ts
index 13cf34c..d8489b4 100644
--- a/src/server/index.ts
+++ b/src/server/index.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 import express from 'express'
 import path from 'path'
 import { runMigrations } from './db/index.js'
-import { startScheduler } from './services/scheduler.js'
+import { startScheduler, pollAllShows } from './services/scheduler.js'
+import { getTorrentDir, isTorrentDirWritable } from './services/downloader.js'
 import showsRouter from './routes/shows.js'
 import episodesRouter from './routes/episodes.js'
 import nyaaRouter from './routes/nyaa.js'
@@ -18,8 +19,24 @@ app.use('/api/shows/:showId/episodes', episodesRouter)
 app.use('/api/nyaa', nyaaRouter)
 app.use('/api/settings', settingsRouter)
 
-// Health check
-app.get('/api/health', (_req, res) => res.json({ status: 'ok' }))
+// Health check — includes torrent dir write test
+app.get('/api/health', (_req, res) => {
+  const torrentDir = getTorrentDir()
+  const writeTest = isTorrentDirWritable()
+  res.json({
+    status: writeTest.ok ? 'ok' : 'degraded',
+    torrent_dir: torrentDir,
+    torrent_dir_writable: writeTest.ok,
+    torrent_dir_error: writeTest.error ?? null,
+  })
+})
+
+// Trigger an immediate poll of all active shows
+app.post('/api/poll', (_req, res) => {
+  pollAllShows()
+    .then(() => res.json({ status: 'ok' }))
+    .catch((err: unknown) => res.status(500).json({ error: String(err) }))
+})
 
 // Serve static client build in production
 const clientDist = path.join(__dirname, '../client')
diff --git a/src/server/routes/episodes.ts b/src/server/routes/episodes.ts
index 184bb1e..aff17e1 100644
--- a/src/server/routes/episodes.ts
+++ b/src/server/routes/episodes.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ router.patch('/:id', (req: Request<EpParams>, res) => {
   if (!ep) return res.status(404).json({ error: 'Episode not found' })
 
   const { status } = req.body as { status?: string }
-  const allowed = ['pending', 'downloaded_auto', 'downloaded_manual']
+  const allowed = ['pending', 'downloaded_auto', 'downloaded_manual', 'failed']
   if (!status || !allowed.includes(status)) {
     return res.status(400).json({ error: `status must be one of: ${allowed.join(', ')}` })
   }
diff --git a/src/server/services/downloader.ts b/src/server/services/downloader.ts
index e360159..7add2c5 100644
--- a/src/server/services/downloader.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/downloader.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,21 @@ export function getTorrentDir(): string {
   return TORRENT_DIR
 }
 
+/** Returns true if the torrent output directory exists and is writable. */
+export function isTorrentDirWritable(): { ok: boolean; error?: string } {
+  try {
+    if (!fs.existsSync(TORRENT_DIR)) {
+      fs.mkdirSync(TORRENT_DIR, { recursive: true })
+    }
+    const testFile = path.join(TORRENT_DIR, '.write-test')
+    fs.writeFileSync(testFile, 'ok')
+    fs.unlinkSync(testFile)
+    return { ok: true }
+  } catch (err) {
+    return { ok: false, error: String(err) }
+  }
+}
+
 function ensureTorrentDir() {
   if (!fs.existsSync(TORRENT_DIR)) {
     fs.mkdirSync(TORRENT_DIR, { recursive: true })
@@ -32,9 +47,29 @@ export async function downloadTorrent(
   const timeout = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), 30_000)
 
   try {
-    const res = await fetch(torrentUrl, { signal: controller.signal })
-    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Failed to download torrent: ${res.status} ${res.statusText}`)
+    const res = await fetch(torrentUrl, {
+      signal: controller.signal,
+      headers: {
+        // Nyaa blocks requests without a browser-like User-Agent
+        'User-Agent': 'Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/124.0.0.0 Safari/537.36',
+        'Accept': 'application/x-bittorrent, application/octet-stream, */*',
+        'Referer': 'https://nyaa.si/',
+      },
+      redirect: 'follow',
+    })
+
+    if (!res.ok) {
+      throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status} ${res.statusText} — URL: ${torrentUrl}`)
+    }
+
+    // Sanity check: torrent files start with 'd' (bencoded dict)
     const buf = await res.arrayBuffer()
+    const bytes = new Uint8Array(buf)
+    if (bytes.length < 10 || bytes[0] !== 0x64 /* 'd' */) {
+      const preview = Buffer.from(buf).toString('utf8', 0, 120).replace(/\n/g, ' ')
+      throw new Error(`Response does not look like a torrent file (got: ${preview}…)`)
+    }
+
     fs.writeFileSync(filePath, Buffer.from(buf))
   } finally {
     clearTimeout(timeout)
diff --git a/src/server/services/scheduler.ts b/src/server/services/scheduler.ts
index 6269619..002dd32 100644
--- a/src/server/services/scheduler.ts
+++ b/src/server/services/scheduler.ts
@@ -69,20 +69,30 @@ async function pollShow(show: Show) {
     return
   }
 
-  // Filter out batches and already-tracked items, sort oldest→newest
+  // Separate brand-new items from previously-failed/pending ones that need a retry
+  const retryableEpisodes = db
+    .prepare(`SELECT * FROM episodes WHERE show_id = ? AND status IN ('pending', 'failed')`)
+    .all(show.id) as unknown as Episode[]
+
+  const retryIds = new Set(retryableEpisodes.map((e) => e.torrent_id))
+
   const newItems = items
     .filter((item) => {
       if (isBatchRelease(item.title)) return false
       const existing = db
-        .prepare('SELECT id FROM episodes WHERE show_id = ? AND torrent_id = ?')
-        .get(show.id, item.torrent_id) as Episode | undefined
-      return !existing
+        .prepare('SELECT id, status FROM episodes WHERE show_id = ? AND torrent_id = ?')
+        .get(show.id, item.torrent_id) as { id: number; status: string } | undefined
+      // Include if: never seen, or previously failed/pending
+      return !existing || existing.status === 'pending' || existing.status === 'failed'
     })
     .sort((a, b) => episodeNum(parseEpisodeCode(a.title)) - episodeNum(parseEpisodeCode(b.title)))
 
-  if (newItems.length === 0) return
+  if (newItems.length === 0 && retryIds.size === 0) return
+
+  if (newItems.length > 0) {
+    console.log(`[scheduler] Found ${newItems.length} new/retryable episode(s) for "${show.name}"`)
+  }
 
-  console.log(`[scheduler] Found ${newItems.length} new episode(s) for "${show.name}"`)
   await downloadItems(show, newItems)
 }
 
@@ -96,31 +106,51 @@ export async function downloadItems(show: Show, items: NyaaItem[]) {
   for (const item of items) {
     const episodeCode = parseEpisodeCode(item.title)
 
-    // Insert as pending (idempotent)
-    const insertResult = db
+    // Upsert: insert new as pending, or reset a failed/pending row so we can retry it
+    db
       .prepare(`
-        INSERT OR IGNORE INTO episodes
+        INSERT INTO episodes
           (show_id, episode_code, title, torrent_id, torrent_url, status, created_at, updated_at)
         VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, 'pending', datetime('now'), datetime('now'))
+        ON CONFLICT(show_id, torrent_id) DO UPDATE
+          SET status = 'pending',
+              download_error = NULL,
+              updated_at = datetime('now')
+          WHERE status IN ('failed', 'pending')
       `)
       .run(show.id, episodeCode, item.title, item.torrent_id, item.torrent_url)
 
-    if (insertResult.changes === 0) continue
+    // Fetch the episode id (whether just inserted or updated)
+    const ep = db
+      .prepare(`SELECT id FROM episodes WHERE show_id = ? AND torrent_id = ? AND status = 'pending'`)
+      .get(show.id, item.torrent_id) as { id: number } | undefined
 
-    const epId = insertResult.lastInsertRowid
+    if (!ep) continue // already downloaded_auto or downloaded_manual — skip
 
     // Download the .torrent file
     try {
       console.log(`[scheduler] Downloading torrent for "${item.title}"`)
-      await downloadTorrent(item.torrent_url, slug, episodeCode, item.torrent_id)
+      const filePath = await downloadTorrent(item.torrent_url, slug, episodeCode, item.torrent_id)
       db.prepare(`
         UPDATE episodes
-        SET status = 'downloaded_auto', downloaded_at = datetime('now'), updated_at = datetime('now')
+        SET status = 'downloaded_auto',
+            file_path = ?,
+            downloaded_at = datetime('now'),
+            download_error = NULL,
+            updated_at = datetime('now')
         WHERE id = ?
-      `).run(epId)
+      `).run(filePath, ep.id)
       console.log(`[scheduler] Downloaded: ${item.title}`)
     } catch (err) {
-      console.error(`[scheduler] Download failed for "${item.title}":`, err)
+      const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err)
+      console.error(`[scheduler] Download failed for "${item.title}": ${msg}`)
+      db.prepare(`
+        UPDATE episodes
+        SET status = 'failed',
+            download_error = ?,
+            updated_at = datetime('now')
+        WHERE id = ?
+      `).run(msg, ep.id)
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/server/types.ts b/src/server/types.ts
index e24bb05..ad612a6 100644
--- a/src/server/types.ts
+++ b/src/server/types.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ export interface Episode {
   title: string
   torrent_id: string
   torrent_url: string
-  status: 'pending' | 'downloaded_auto' | 'downloaded_manual'
+  status: 'pending' | 'downloaded_auto' | 'downloaded_manual' | 'failed'
+  download_error: string | null
+  file_path: string | null
   downloaded_at: string | null
   created_at: string
   updated_at: string