diff --git a/.server-changes/transcript-download-empty-reason-404.md b/.server-changes/transcript-download-empty-reason-404.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..967242c8689
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.server-changes/transcript-download-empty-reason-404.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+area: webapp
+type: fix
+---
+
+Return a not-found response when a missing transcript receives an object-store 404 without a reason phrase
diff --git a/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.test.ts b/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.test.ts
index 6768b6eb0f1..91c7fb32794 100644
--- a/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.test.ts
+++ b/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { createServer, type Server } from "node:http";
 import { once } from "node:events";
+import { createServer as createTcpServer } from "node:net";
 import express from "express";
 import { sendRemixResponse } from "@remix-run/express/dist/server";
 import { expect, test } from "vitest";
@@ -116,6 +117,34 @@ test("does not treat permission or service failures as an absent transcript", ()
   expect(isTranscriptNotFound({ name: "NoSuchKey" })).toBe(true);
 });
 
+test("recognizes a missing transcript when the object store omits the reason phrase", async () => {
+  const server = createTcpServer((socket) => {
+    socket.once("data", () => {
+      socket.end("HTTP/1.1 404 \r\nContent-Length: 0\r\nConnection: close\r\n\r\n");
+    });
+  });
+  server.listen(0, "127.0.0.1");
+  await once(server, "listening");
+  const address = server.address();
+  if (!address || typeof address === "string") throw new Error("Expected TCP listener");
+
+  try {
+    const client = ObjectStoreClient.create({
+      baseUrl: `http://127.0.0.1:${address.port}`,
+      accessKeyId: "test-access-key",
+      secretAccessKey: "test-secret-key",
+      service: "s3",
+    });
+
+    // @crumbs Exercise the adapter with a valid 404 response whose statusText is empty.
+    await expect(client.getObjectResponse(key)).rejects.toSatisfy(isTranscriptNotFound);
+  } finally {
+    await new Promise<void>((resolve, reject) =>
+      server.close((error) => (error ? reject(error) : resolve()))
+    );
+  }
+});
+
 minioTest(
   "HEAD distinguishes permission failures from missing objects",
   async ({ minioConfig }) => {
diff --git a/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.ts b/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.ts
index da477a9ca5a..3faec71fb17 100644
--- a/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.ts
+++ b/apps/webapp/app/services/realtime/transcriptDownload.server.ts
@@ -45,8 +45,20 @@ export function downloadTranscript(
 
 export function isTranscriptNotFound(error: unknown): boolean {
   if (!error || typeof error !== "object") return false;
-  const { name, $metadata } = error as { name?: string; $metadata?: { httpStatusCode?: number } };
-  if (name === "NoSuchKey" || name === "NotFound" || $metadata?.httpStatusCode === 404) return true;
+  const { name, status, $metadata } = error as {
+    name?: string;
+    status?: number;
+    $metadata?: { httpStatusCode?: number };
+  };
+  // @crumbs Prefer status codes because HTTP reason phrases are optional.
+  if (
+    name === "NoSuchKey" ||
+    name === "NotFound" ||
+    status === 404 ||
+    $metadata?.httpStatusCode === 404
+  ) {
+    return true;
+  }
   // The aws4fetch adapter currently reports the HTTP status text in its error.
   return (
     error instanceof Error &&
diff --git a/apps/webapp/app/v3/objectStoreClient.server.ts b/apps/webapp/app/v3/objectStoreClient.server.ts
index f7b921be0a5..fd8868dca1b 100644
--- a/apps/webapp/app/v3/objectStoreClient.server.ts
+++ b/apps/webapp/app/v3/objectStoreClient.server.ts
@@ -135,7 +135,11 @@ class Aws4FetchClient implements IObjectStoreClient {
   async getObjectResponse(key: string): Promise<Response> {
     const response = await this.awsClient.fetch(this.buildUrl(key));
     if (!response.ok) {
-      throw new Error(`Failed to download from object store: ${response.statusText}`);
+      // @crumbs Preserve the numeric status because statusText may be empty for valid responses.
+      throw Object.assign(
+        new Error(`Failed to download from object store: ${response.statusText}`),
+        { status: response.status }
+      );
     }
     return response;
   }