diff --git a/pkg/backup/download.go b/pkg/backup/download.go
index 5e68697b..fe534224 100644
--- a/pkg/backup/download.go
+++ b/pkg/backup/download.go
@@ -41,6 +41,17 @@ var (
 	ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists = errors.New("backup is already exists")
 )
 
+func (b *Backuper) resumeExistingBackup(backupName string) error {
+	_, checkDownloadErr := os.Stat(path.Join(b.DefaultDataPath, "backup", backupName, "download.state2"))
+	if errors.Is(checkDownloadErr, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		// wrap ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists so RestoreFromRemote keeps reusing an already complete local backup (issue #625),
+		// while a standalone `download --resume` surfaces the guidance below instead of a bare "backup is already exists"
+		return fmt.Errorf("%w: local backup '%s' exists but resumable state 'download.state2' is missing, so it is unknown which parts are complete and resuming on top of partial data risks silent corruption; run `clickhouse-backup delete local %s` and retry the download, or investigate why the resumable state was lost", ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists, backupName, backupName)
+	}
+	log.Warn().Msgf("%s already exists will try to resume download", backupName)
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (b *Backuper) Download(backupName string, tablePattern string, partitions []string, schemaOnly, rbacOnly, configsOnly, namedCollectionsOnly, resume bool, hardlinkExistsFiles bool, backupVersion string, commandId int) error {
 	if pidCheckErr := pidlock.CheckAndCreatePidFile(backupName, "download"); pidCheckErr != nil {
 		return errors.WithMessage(pidCheckErr, "CheckAndCreatePidFile")
@@ -88,14 +99,11 @@ func (b *Backuper) Download(backupName string, tablePattern string, partitions [
 			}
 			if !b.resume {
 				return ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists
-			} else {
-				_, checkDownloadErr := os.Stat(path.Join(b.DefaultDataPath, "backup", backupName, "download.state2"))
-				if errors.Is(checkDownloadErr, os.ErrNotExist) {
-					return ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists
-				}
-				isResumeExists = true
-				log.Warn().Msgf("%s already exists will try to resume download", backupName)
 			}
+			if resumeErr := b.resumeExistingBackup(backupName); resumeErr != nil {
+				return resumeErr
+			}
+			isResumeExists = true
 		}
 	}
 	startDownload := time.Now()
diff --git a/pkg/backup/download_test.go b/pkg/backup/download_test.go
index 27ea7434..8a669132 100644
--- a/pkg/backup/download_test.go
+++ b/pkg/backup/download_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package backup
 
 import (
+	"os"
+	"path"
 	"regexp"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/Altinity/clickhouse-backup/v2/pkg/metadata"
 	"github.com/Altinity/clickhouse-backup/v2/pkg/storage"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 var b = Backuper{
@@ -91,6 +94,25 @@ var remoteBackup = storage.Backup{
 	UploadDate: time.Now(),
 }
 
+func TestResumeExistingBackupMissingStateFileReturnsError(t *testing.T) {
+	backupName := "test_resume_crash"
+	defaultDataPath := t.TempDir()
+	backupDir := path.Join(defaultDataPath, "backup", backupName)
+	assert.NoError(t, os.MkdirAll(backupDir, 0o750))
+
+	backuper := &Backuper{DefaultDataPath: defaultDataPath}
+
+	err := backuper.resumeExistingBackup(backupName)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "download.state2")
+	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "delete local "+backupName)
+	// must keep wrapping ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists so RestoreFromRemote reuses the local backup (issue #625)
+	assert.ErrorIs(t, err, ErrBackupIsAlreadyExists)
+
+	assert.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(path.Join(backupDir, "download.state2"), []byte("state"), 0o640))
+	assert.NoError(t, backuper.resumeExistingBackup(backupName))
+}
+
 func TestReBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists_Files_NoErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	remoteBackup.DataFormat = "tar"
 	baseTable := metadata.TableMetadata{
@@ -234,7 +256,7 @@ func TestReBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists_CheckErrors(t *testing.T) {
 		tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked[i] = tableMetadataAfterDownload[i]
 	}
 	err := b.reBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists(tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked, baseDisks, invalidRemoteBackup)
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	require.Error(t, err)
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(),
 		"disk: hdd2 not found in disk_types section map[string]string{\"default\":\"local\", \"s3\":\"s3\", \"s3_disk2\":\"s3\"} in Test/metadata.json",
 	)
@@ -246,7 +268,7 @@ func TestReBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists_CheckErrors(t *testing.T) {
 		tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked[i] = tableMetadataAfterDownload[i]
 	}
 	err = b.reBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists(tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked, baseDisks, invalidRemoteBackup)
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	require.Error(t, err)
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "disk: hdd2, diskType: unknown not found in system.disks")
 
 	// invalid storage_policy
@@ -262,7 +284,7 @@ func TestReBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists_CheckErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	invalidTable.Query = "CREATE TABLE default.test3(id UInt64) ENGINE=MergeTree() ORDER BY id SETTINGS storage_policy='invalid'"
 	tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked = ListOfTables{&invalidTable}
 	err = b.reBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists(tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked, baseDisks, invalidRemoteBackup)
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	require.Error(t, err)
 	matched, matchErr := regexp.MatchString(`storagePolicy: invalid with diskType: \w+ not found in system.disks`, err.Error())
 	assert.NoError(t, matchErr)
 	assert.True(t, matched)
@@ -278,7 +300,7 @@ func TestReBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists_CheckErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked = ListOfTables{&invalidTable}
 	err = b.reBalanceTablesMetadataIfDiskNotExists(tableMetadataAfterDownloadRepacked, invalidDisks, invalidRemoteBackup)
-	assert.Error(t, err)
+	require.Error(t, err)
 	assert.Contains(t, err.Error(), "250B free space, not found in system.disks with `local` type")
 
 }