diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/helper/DownloadHelper.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/helper/DownloadHelper.kt
index be720efa1..663d640e4 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/helper/DownloadHelper.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/helper/DownloadHelper.kt
@@ -81,7 +81,11 @@ class DownloadHelper @Inject constructor(
     private fun observeDownloads() {
         downloadDao.downloads().onEach { list ->
             try {
-                if (list.none { it.status == DownloadStatus.DOWNLOADING }) {
+                // Serialize downloads: only start the next queued item once nothing else is
+                // actively purchasing/downloading/verifying. Previously this only checked for
+                // DOWNLOADING, so a worker in PURCHASING/VERIFYING didn't count and a second
+                // download could start concurrently and clobber the shared notification.
+                if (list.none { it.status in DownloadStatus.processing }) {
                     list.find { it.status == DownloadStatus.QUEUED }
                         ?.let { queuedDownload ->
                             Log.i(TAG, "Enqueued download worker for ${queuedDownload.packageName}")
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/model/DownloadStatus.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/model/DownloadStatus.kt
index da3dada10..36b34c089 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/model/DownloadStatus.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/model/DownloadStatus.kt
@@ -16,5 +16,13 @@ enum class DownloadStatus(@StringRes val localized: Int) {
     companion object {
         val finished = listOf(FAILED, CANCELLED, COMPLETED)
         val running = listOf(QUEUED, PURCHASING, DOWNLOADING)
+
+        /**
+         * States in which a download worker is actively occupying the (single) download
+         * slot — purchasing, transferring bytes or verifying. Used to serialize downloads:
+         * the next [QUEUED] item is only started once none of these are in progress, so
+         * concurrent workers can't clobber the shared foreground/progress notification.
+         */
+        val processing = setOf(PURCHASING, DOWNLOADING, VERIFYING)
     }
 }
diff --git a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/work/CacheWorker.kt b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/work/CacheWorker.kt
index 076f0db54..5e6fcb60c 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/work/CacheWorker.kt
+++ b/app/src/main/java/com/aurora/store/data/work/CacheWorker.kt
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ import androidx.work.ExistingPeriodicWorkPolicy.KEEP
 import androidx.work.PeriodicWorkRequestBuilder
 import androidx.work.WorkManager
 import androidx.work.WorkerParameters
+import com.aurora.store.data.model.DownloadStatus
+import com.aurora.store.data.room.download.DownloadDao
 import com.aurora.store.util.PathUtil
 import dagger.assisted.Assisted
 import dagger.assisted.AssistedInject
@@ -17,12 +19,14 @@ import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.HOURS
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit.MINUTES
 import kotlin.time.DurationUnit
 import kotlin.time.toDuration
+import kotlinx.coroutines.flow.first
 
 /**
  * A periodic worker to automatically clear the old downloads cache periodically.
  */
 @HiltWorker
 class CacheWorker @AssistedInject constructor(
+    private val downloadDao: DownloadDao,
     @Assisted private val context: Context,
     @Assisted workerParams: WorkerParameters
 ) : CoroutineWorker(context, workerParams) {
@@ -58,6 +62,17 @@ class CacheWorker @AssistedInject constructor(
     override suspend fun doWork(): Result {
         Log.i(TAG, "Cleaning cache")
 
+        // Files for downloads that are still in-flight or downloaded & awaiting install
+        // must be protected from the age-based purge, otherwise a download the user hasn't
+        // installed yet (e.g. they missed the system prompt) would lose its files and have
+        // to be re-downloaded. Keyed by packageName -> versionCode.
+        val protectedVersions = runCatching {
+            downloadDao.downloads().first()
+                .filter { it.isActive || it.status == DownloadStatus.COMPLETED }
+                .map { it.packageName to it.versionCode }
+                .toSet()
+        }.getOrDefault(emptySet())
+
         PathUtil.getOldDownloadDirectories(context).filter { it.exists() }.forEach { dir ->
             // Downloads
             Log.i(TAG, "Deleting old unused download directory: $dir")
@@ -75,10 +90,14 @@ class CacheWorker @AssistedInject constructor(
 
             download.listFiles()!!.forEach { versionCode ->
                 // 20240325
+                val isProtected = (download.name to versionCode.name.toLongOrNull()) in
+                    protectedVersions
                 if (versionCode.listFiles().isNullOrEmpty()) {
                     // Purge empty non-accessible directory
                     Log.i(TAG, "Removing empty directory for ${download.name}, ${versionCode.name}")
                     versionCode.deleteRecursively()
+                } else if (isProtected) {
+                    Log.i(TAG, "Keeping ${download.name} (${versionCode.name}); install pending")
                 } else {
                     versionCode.deleteIfOld()
                 }