diff --git a/src/lib/archive.ts b/src/lib/archive.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..83e810089
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/archive.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+export const archiveUnsupportedMessage =
+  "The radicle-httpd on this node doesn't support archive downloads.";
+
+const supportedUrls = new Set<string>();
+
+export async function archiveDownloadSupported(url: string): Promise<boolean> {
+  if (supportedUrls.has(url)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+  const response = await fetch(url, { method: "HEAD" });
+  if (response.ok) {
+    supportedUrls.add(url);
+  }
+  return response.ok;
+}
diff --git a/src/views/repos/Commit.svelte b/src/views/repos/Commit.svelte
index 950f7baaf..f836b6ad2 100644
--- a/src/views/repos/Commit.svelte
+++ b/src/views/repos/Commit.svelte
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 <script lang="ts">
   import type { BaseUrl, Commit, Repo } from "@http-client";
 
+  import {
+    archiveDownloadSupported,
+    archiveUnsupportedMessage,
+  } from "@app/lib/archive";
   import { baseUrlToString, formatObjectId } from "@app/lib/utils";
   import { renderCommitDescription } from "@app/lib/commit";
 
@@ -13,6 +17,7 @@
   import JobCob from "@app/components/JobCob.svelte";
   import Layout from "./Layout.svelte";
   import Link from "@app/components/Link.svelte";
+  import Popover from "@app/components/Popover.svelte";
   import Separator from "./Separator.svelte";
 
   export let baseUrl: BaseUrl;
@@ -21,16 +26,20 @@
   export let nodeId: string;
   export let nodeAvatarUrl: string | undefined;
 
-  let enabledArchiveDownload = false;
+  let downloading = false;
 
-  void fetch(
-    `${baseUrlToString(baseUrl)}/raw/${repo.rid}/${commit.commit.id}.tar.gz`,
-    {
-      method: "HEAD",
-    },
-  ).then(response => {
-    enabledArchiveDownload = response.ok;
-  });
+  async function downloadArchive(): Promise<boolean> {
+    const url = `${baseUrlToString(baseUrl)}/raw/${repo.rid}/${commit.commit.id}.tar.gz`;
+    try {
+      if (await archiveDownloadSupported(url)) {
+        window.location.href = url;
+        return true;
+      }
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return false;
+  }
 
   $: header = commit.commit;
 </script>
@@ -59,6 +68,10 @@
     display: flex;
     gap: 0.5rem;
   }
+  .download-error {
+    font: var(--txt-body-m-regular);
+    width: 18rem;
+  }
 </style>
 
 <Layout {nodeId} {nodeAvatarUrl} {baseUrl} {repo}>
@@ -108,14 +121,30 @@
                 <Icon name="chevron-left-right" />
               </Button>
             </Link>
-            {#if enabledArchiveDownload}
-              <a
-                href={`${baseUrlToString(baseUrl)}/raw/${repo.rid}/${commit.commit.id}.tar.gz`}>
-                <Button variant="outline">
-                  <Icon name="archive" />Download
-                </Button>
-              </a>
-            {/if}
+            <Popover popoverPositionTop="2.5rem" popoverPositionRight="0">
+              <Button
+                slot="toggle"
+                let:toggle
+                let:expanded
+                on:click={async () => {
+                  if (expanded) {
+                    toggle();
+                  } else if (!downloading) {
+                    downloading = true;
+                    const ok = await downloadArchive();
+                    downloading = false;
+                    if (!ok) {
+                      toggle();
+                    }
+                  }
+                }}
+                variant="outline">
+                <Icon name="archive" />Download
+              </Button>
+              <div slot="popover" class="download-error">
+                {archiveUnsupportedMessage}
+              </div>
+            </Popover>
           </div>
         </span>
         <CommitAuthorship {header}>
diff --git a/src/views/repos/Header/CloneButton.svelte b/src/views/repos/Header/CloneButton.svelte
index d8926491a..97a3cee82 100644
--- a/src/views/repos/Header/CloneButton.svelte
+++ b/src/views/repos/Header/CloneButton.svelte
@@ -2,12 +2,17 @@
   import type { BaseUrl } from "@http-client";
 
   import config from "@app/lib/config";
+  import {
+    archiveDownloadSupported,
+    archiveUnsupportedMessage,
+  } from "@app/lib/archive";
   import { parseRepositoryId } from "@app/lib/utils";
 
   import Button from "@app/components/Button.svelte";
   import Command from "@app/components/Command.svelte";
   import ExternalLink from "@app/components/ExternalLink.svelte";
   import Icon from "@app/components/Icon.svelte";
+  import Loading from "@app/components/Loading.svelte";
   import Popover from "@app/components/Popover.svelte";
   import Radio from "@app/components/Radio.svelte";
 
@@ -18,18 +23,15 @@
   export let name: string;
   export let currentRefname: string;
 
-  let enabledArchiveDownload = false;
-
-  void fetch(
-    `${baseUrlToString(baseUrl)}/raw/${id}/archive/${currentRefname}`,
-    {
-      method: "HEAD",
-    },
-  ).then(response => {
-    enabledArchiveDownload = response.ok;
-  });
-
   let activeTab: "radicle" | "git" | "archive" = "radicle";
+  let archiveProbe: Promise<boolean> | undefined;
+
+  function showArchiveTab() {
+    activeTab = "archive";
+    archiveProbe = archiveDownloadSupported(
+      `${baseUrlToString(baseUrl)}/raw/${id}/archive/${currentRefname}`,
+    );
+  }
 
   $: radCloneUrl = `rad clone ${id}`;
   $: portFragment =
@@ -83,19 +85,15 @@
           <Icon name="git" />
           Git
         </Button>
-        {#if enabledArchiveDownload}
-          <div class="global-spacer"></div>
-          <Button
-            styleWidth="100%"
-            styleBorderRadius="0"
-            variant={activeTab === "archive" ? "selected" : "not-selected"}
-            on:click={() => {
-              activeTab = "archive";
-            }}>
-            <Icon name="archive" />
-            Download
-          </Button>
-        {/if}
+        <div class="global-spacer"></div>
+        <Button
+          styleWidth="100%"
+          styleBorderRadius="0"
+          variant={activeTab === "archive" ? "selected" : "not-selected"}
+          on:click={showArchiveTab}>
+          <Icon name="archive" />
+          Download
+        </Button>
       </Radio>
     </div>
 
@@ -119,17 +117,28 @@
         </div>
       </div>
     {:else if activeTab === "archive"}
-      <div>
-        <label for="git-clone-url">
-          If you don't have Radicle installed, you can still download an archive
-          of the repository.
-        </label>
-        <Command command={archiveUrl} />
-        <div style:margin-top="1.5rem">
-          Note that a compressed archive of the source code does not include any
-          of the social artifacts such as issues or patches nor the git history.
-        </div>
-      </div>
+      {#await archiveProbe}
+        <Loading small center />
+      {:then supported}
+        {#if supported}
+          <div>
+            <label for="git-clone-url">
+              If you don't have Radicle installed, you can still download an
+              archive of the repository.
+            </label>
+            <Command command={archiveUrl} />
+            <div style:margin-top="1.5rem">
+              Note that a compressed archive of the source code does not include
+              any of the social artifacts such as issues or patches nor the git
+              history.
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        {:else}
+          {archiveUnsupportedMessage}
+        {/if}
+      {:catch}
+        {archiveUnsupportedMessage}
+      {/await}
     {/if}
   </div>
 </Popover>