diff --git a/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.test.mjs b/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.test.mjs
index 13c4851b..a8921dbd 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.test.mjs
@@ -53,6 +53,42 @@ describe("GitHub plugin release asset proxy", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  test("falls back to the GitHub API asset endpoint when the public download URL fails", async () => {
+    const calls = [];
+    const buffer = await downloadGithubReleaseAssetByTag({
+      owner: "example",
+      repository: "edgeever-plugin",
+      releaseTag: "v1.2.3",
+      assetName: "main.js",
+      request: async (input) => {
+        const url = String(input);
+        calls.push(url);
+        if (url.includes("/releases/download/")) throw new TypeError("Failed to fetch");
+        if (url.includes("/releases/tags/")) {
+          return Response.json({
+            tag_name: "v1.2.3",
+            draft: false,
+            assets: [{
+              id: 42,
+              name: "main.js",
+              size: 18,
+              url: "https://api.github.com/repos/example/edgeever-plugin/releases/assets/42",
+              browser_download_url: "https://github.com/example/edgeever-plugin/releases/download/v1.2.3/main.js",
+            }],
+          });
+        }
+        if (url.endsWith("/releases/assets/42")) {
+          return new Response("export default {};", { headers: { "content-length": "18" } });
+        }
+        throw new Error(url);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(new TextDecoder().decode(buffer)).toBe("export default {};");
+    expect(calls[0]).toBe("https://github.com/example/edgeever-plugin/releases/download/v1.2.3/main.js");
+    expect(calls).toContain("https://api.github.com/repos/example/edgeever-plugin/releases/assets/42");
+  });
+
   test("rejects release coordinates that could escape the GitHub download path", async () => {
     await expect(downloadGithubReleaseAssetByTag({
       owner: "example",
diff --git a/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.ts b/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.ts
index 5d591eba..da5c9719 100644
--- a/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.ts
+++ b/apps/api/src/plugin-distribution-routes.ts
@@ -170,12 +170,29 @@ export const downloadGithubReleaseAssetByTag = async ({
   if (!hasValidRepositoryCoordinates(owner, repository) || !RELEASE_TAG_PATTERN.test(releaseTag)) {
     throw new Error("Invalid GitHub release coordinates.");
   }
-  const url = `https://github.com/${encodeURIComponent(owner)}/${encodeURIComponent(repository)}/releases/download/${encodeURIComponent(releaseTag)}/${encodeURIComponent(assetName)}`;
-  const response = await request(url, {
-    redirect: "follow",
-    headers: { "User-Agent": "EdgeEver" },
-  });
-  return readBoundedAsset(response, assetName);
+  const url = `https://github.com/${owner}/${repository}/releases/download/${releaseTag}/${assetName}`;
+  try {
+    const response = await request(url, {
+      redirect: "follow",
+      headers: { "User-Agent": "EdgeEver" },
+    });
+    return await readBoundedAsset(response, assetName);
+  } catch (error) {
+    const release = await readGithubReleaseByTag({ owner, repository, releaseTag, request });
+    const asset = release.assets.find((candidate) => candidate.name === assetName);
+    if (!asset) {
+      const missing = new GithubUpstreamError(`GitHub Release ${releaseTag} is missing ${assetName}.`, 404);
+      missing.cause = error;
+      throw missing;
+    }
+    return downloadGithubReleaseAsset({
+      owner,
+      repository,
+      assetId: String(asset.id),
+      assetName,
+      request,
+    });
+  }
 };
 
 export const registerPluginDistributionRoutes = (app: Hono<AppEnv>) => {
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/github-plugin-distribution.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/github-plugin-distribution.ts
index 0b76e2d5..0e2668d9 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/github-plugin-distribution.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/github-plugin-distribution.ts
@@ -163,16 +163,32 @@ export type GithubAssetDownloader = (
 ) => Promise<ArrayBuffer>;
 
 const downloadGithubAssetThroughApi: GithubAssetDownloader = async (coordinates, releaseTag, asset) => {
-  try {
+  const assetName = asset.name as "manifest.json" | "main.js" | "styles.css";
+  const download = async () => {
+    if (asset.id > 0) {
+      try {
+        return await api.downloadGithubPluginAssetById(
+          coordinates.owner,
+          coordinates.repository,
+          String(asset.id),
+          assetName,
+        );
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (!isGithubUnreachableError(error) && !(error instanceof ApiRequestError)) throw error;
+      }
+    }
     return await api.downloadGithubPluginAsset(
       coordinates.owner,
       coordinates.repository,
       releaseTag,
-      asset.name as "manifest.json" | "main.js" | "styles.css",
+      assetName,
     );
+  };
+  try {
+    return await download();
   } catch (error) {
     if (isGithubUnreachableError(error)) {
-      throw new Error("Could not download the plugin package from your EdgeEver instance.");
+      throw new Error(`Could not download ${assetName} from your EdgeEver instance.`);
     }
     throw error;
   }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.test.mjs b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.test.mjs
index c2163405..25832076 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.test.mjs
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.test.mjs
@@ -118,6 +118,50 @@ describe("bundled plugin marketplace", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  test("does not download official plugin packages when the live version already matches", async () => {
+    const checksums = { manifestJson: "a".repeat(64), mainJs: "b".repeat(64) };
+    const registry = parseMarketplaceRegistry({
+      registryVersion: "1",
+      updatedAt: "2026-09-08T00:00:00.000Z",
+      entries: [{
+        id: "org.edgeever.plugins.ai-rss",
+        name: "EdgeEver AI RSS",
+        description: "RSS",
+        author: "EdgeEver",
+        publisher: "edgeever",
+        category: "News & AI",
+        repositoryUrl: "https://github.com/tianma-if/edgeever-ai-rss",
+        distribution: { type: "github", repositoryUrl: "https://github.com/tianma-if/edgeever-ai-rss" },
+        verification: { version: "0.5.5", checksums },
+      }],
+    });
+    const calls = [];
+    const request = async (input) => {
+      calls.push(String(input));
+      if (String(input).includes("/contents/manifest.json")) {
+        return new Response(JSON.stringify({
+          type: "plugin",
+          id: "org.edgeever.plugins.ai-rss",
+          name: "EdgeEver AI RSS",
+          version: "0.5.5",
+          apiVersion: "2",
+          settingsUi: "host",
+          entry: "./main.js",
+          permissions: ["ui:notices"],
+        }));
+      }
+      throw new Error(`Unexpected request: ${input}`);
+    };
+
+    const resolved = await resolveOfficialPluginMarketplace(registry, request, async () => {
+      throw new Error("should not download plugin assets");
+    });
+
+    expect(resolved.resolutionErrors).toEqual({});
+    expect(resolved.entries[0].verification).toEqual({ version: "0.5.5", checksums });
+    expect(calls).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
   test("keeps the pinned release and reports an error when live resolution fails", async () => {
     const registry = parseMarketplaceRegistry({
       registryVersion: "1",
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.ts
index e12c3dc1..a9b2ba11 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/plugins/plugin-marketplace.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { parseMarketplaceRegistry, type MarketplaceEntry, type MarketplaceRegistry } from "@edgeever/plugin-api";
 import {
   downloadGithubExtension,
+  loadGithubRepositoryManifest,
   type GithubAssetDownloader,
 } from "@/lib/plugins/github-plugin-distribution";
 import { isVersionOutdated } from "@/lib/version-check";
@@ -30,6 +31,16 @@ const resolveOfficialGithubEntry = async (
   downloadAssetBytes?: GithubAssetDownloader,
 ): Promise<MarketplaceEntry> => {
   if (entry.publisher !== "edgeever" || entry.distribution.type !== "github") return entry;
+  const live = await loadGithubRepositoryManifest(entry.distribution.repositoryUrl, request);
+  if (live.manifest.id !== entry.id) {
+    throw new Error("Official repository manifest id does not match the marketplace entry.");
+  }
+  if (isVersionOutdated(live.manifest.version, entry.verification.version)) {
+    throw new Error("Official repository version is older than the marketplace verified version.");
+  }
+  if (live.manifest.version === entry.verification.version && entry.verification.checksums?.manifestJson) {
+    return entry;
+  }
   const downloaded = await downloadGithubExtension(entry.distribution.repositoryUrl, request, downloadAssetBytes);
   if (downloaded.manifest.id !== entry.id) {
     throw new Error("Official repository manifest id does not match the marketplace entry.");
diff --git a/packages/client/src/index.test.mjs b/packages/client/src/index.test.mjs
index 3ed19d66..51c6791b 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/index.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/client/src/index.test.mjs
@@ -171,6 +171,28 @@ describe("EdgeEver client HTTP contract", () => {
     expect(Array.from(new Uint8Array(buffer))).toEqual([1, 2, 3]);
   });
 
+  test("downloads GitHub plugin assets through the release-asset id route", async () => {
+    let requestUrl;
+    const client = createEdgeEverClient({
+      fetch: async (input) => {
+        requestUrl = String(input);
+        return new Response(new Uint8Array([4, 5]));
+      },
+    });
+
+    const buffer = await client.downloadGithubPluginAssetById(
+      "example-owner",
+      "example-plugin",
+      "42",
+      "styles.css",
+    );
+
+    expect(requestUrl).toBe(
+      "/api/v1/plugins/github/example-owner/example-plugin/assets/42/styles.css",
+    );
+    expect(Array.from(new Uint8Array(buffer))).toEqual([4, 5]);
+  });
+
   test("reads GitHub plugin metadata through the instance proxy", async () => {
     const calls = [];
     const client = createEdgeEverClient({
diff --git a/packages/client/src/index.ts b/packages/client/src/index.ts
index c257158e..01a66673 100644
--- a/packages/client/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/client/src/index.ts
@@ -1238,6 +1238,15 @@ export const createEdgeEverClient = (options: EdgeEverClientOptions = {}) => {
       `/api/v1/plugins/github/${encodeURIComponent(owner)}/${encodeURIComponent(repository)}/releases/${encodeURIComponent(releaseTag)}/assets/${encodeURIComponent(assetName)}`,
     ),
 
+    downloadGithubPluginAssetById: (
+      owner: string,
+      repository: string,
+      assetId: string,
+      assetName: "manifest.json" | "main.js" | "styles.css",
+    ) => requestArrayBuffer(
+      `/api/v1/plugins/github/${encodeURIComponent(owner)}/${encodeURIComponent(repository)}/assets/${encodeURIComponent(assetId)}/${encodeURIComponent(assetName)}`,
+    ),
+
     getGithubPluginRepositoryManifest: async (owner: string, repository: string) => {
       const path = `/api/v1/plugins/github/${encodeURIComponent(owner)}/${encodeURIComponent(repository)}/manifest`;
       const { context, response } = await send(path, undefined, { setJsonContentType: false });