diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml b/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
index 35effefc0..e8c9f96a9 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ../surfsense_backend/app:/app/app
       - shared_temp:/shared_tmp
+      - object_store:/app/.local_object_store
     env_file:
       - ../surfsense_backend/.env
     extra_hosts:
@@ -119,6 +120,7 @@ services:
       - PYTHONPATH=/app
       - UVICORN_LOOP=asyncio
       - UNSTRUCTURED_HAS_PATCHED_LOOP=1
+      - FILE_STORAGE_LOCAL_PATH=/app/.local_object_store
       - LANGCHAIN_TRACING_V2=false
       - LANGSMITH_TRACING=false
       - AUTH_TYPE=${AUTH_TYPE:-LOCAL}
@@ -171,6 +173,7 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ../surfsense_backend/app:/app/app
       - shared_temp:/shared_tmp
+      - object_store:/app/.local_object_store
     env_file:
       - ../surfsense_backend/.env
     extra_hosts:
@@ -182,6 +185,7 @@ services:
       - REDIS_APP_URL=${REDIS_URL:-redis://redis:6379/0}
       - CELERY_TASK_DEFAULT_QUEUE=surfsense
       - PYTHONPATH=/app
+      - FILE_STORAGE_LOCAL_PATH=/app/.local_object_store
       - SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST=${SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST:-http://searxng:8080}
       - SERVICE_ROLE=worker
     depends_on:
@@ -278,6 +282,8 @@ volumes:
     name: surfsense-dev-redis
   shared_temp:
     name: surfsense-dev-shared-temp
+  object_store:
+    name: surfsense-dev-object-store
   zero_cache_data:
     name: surfsense-dev-zero-cache
   whatsapp_sessions:
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.yml b/docker/docker-compose.yml
index 9bbf28ffd..dc0d8b3ae 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ services:
       - "${BACKEND_PORT:-8929}:8000"
     volumes:
       - shared_temp:/shared_tmp
+      - object_store:/app/.local_object_store
     env_file:
       - .env
     extra_hosts:
@@ -113,6 +114,7 @@ services:
       PYTHONPATH: /app
       UVICORN_LOOP: asyncio
       UNSTRUCTURED_HAS_PATCHED_LOOP: "1"
+      FILE_STORAGE_LOCAL_PATH: /app/.local_object_store
       NEXT_FRONTEND_URL: ${NEXT_FRONTEND_URL:-http://localhost:${FRONTEND_PORT:-3929}}
       SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST: ${SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST:-http://searxng:8080}
       WHATSAPP_BRIDGE_URL: ${WHATSAPP_BRIDGE_URL:-http://whatsapp-bridge:9929}
@@ -165,6 +167,7 @@ services:
     image: ghcr.io/modsetter/surfsense-backend:${SURFSENSE_VERSION:-latest}${SURFSENSE_VARIANT:+-${SURFSENSE_VARIANT}}
     volumes:
       - shared_temp:/shared_tmp
+      - object_store:/app/.local_object_store
     env_file:
       - .env
     extra_hosts:
@@ -176,6 +179,7 @@ services:
       REDIS_APP_URL: ${REDIS_URL:-redis://redis:6379/0}
       CELERY_TASK_DEFAULT_QUEUE: surfsense
       PYTHONPATH: /app
+      FILE_STORAGE_LOCAL_PATH: /app/.local_object_store
       SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST: ${SEARXNG_DEFAULT_HOST:-http://searxng:8080}
       SERVICE_ROLE: worker
     depends_on:
@@ -278,6 +282,8 @@ volumes:
     name: surfsense-redis
   shared_temp:
     name: surfsense-shared-temp
+  object_store:
+    name: surfsense-object-store
   zero_cache_data:
     name: surfsense-zero-cache
   whatsapp_sessions:
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/api/routes.py b/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/api/routes.py
index 80e5e1c64..f55febcbd 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/api/routes.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/api/routes.py
@@ -27,14 +27,14 @@ from app.db import (
     get_async_session,
 )
 from app.podcasts.generation.brief import propose_brief
-from app.podcasts.persistence import Podcast, PodcastRepository
+from app.podcasts.persistence import Podcast, PodcastRepository, PodcastStatus
 from app.podcasts.service import (
     InvalidTransitionError,
     PodcastService,
     PreconditionFailedError,
     SpecConflictError,
 )
-from app.podcasts.storage import open_audio_stream, purge_audio
+from app.podcasts.storage import audio_exists, open_audio_stream, purge_audio
 from app.podcasts.tasks import draft_transcript_task
 from app.podcasts.tts import get_text_to_speech
 from app.podcasts.voices import (
@@ -272,6 +272,11 @@ async def stream_podcast(
     podcast = await _load(session, user, podcast_id, Permission.PODCASTS_READ)
 
     if podcast.storage_key:
+        # Verify first so a missing object is a 404, not a mid-stream crash.
+        if not await audio_exists(podcast):
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=404, detail="Podcast audio is no longer available"
+            )
         return StreamingResponse(
             open_audio_stream(podcast),
             media_type="audio/mpeg",
@@ -295,7 +300,10 @@ async def stream_podcast(
             },
         )
 
-    raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Podcast audio not found")
+    # No audio: terminal states never will have any, otherwise it's in flight.
+    if PodcastStatus(podcast.status).is_terminal:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Podcast audio not found")
+    raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail="Podcast audio is not ready yet")
 
 
 async def _require(
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/storage.py b/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/storage.py
index f02429dff..c3326460d 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/storage.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/podcasts/storage.py
@@ -42,6 +42,13 @@ def open_audio_stream(podcast: Podcast) -> AsyncIterator[bytes]:
     return get_storage_backend().open_stream(podcast.storage_key)
 
 
+async def audio_exists(podcast: Podcast) -> bool:
+    """Whether the podcast's stored audio object is actually present."""
+    return bool(podcast.storage_key) and await get_storage_backend().exists(
+        podcast.storage_key
+    )
+
+
 async def purge_audio(podcast: Podcast) -> None:
     """Delete a podcast's stored audio if present; a missing object is fine."""
     await purge_audio_object(podcast.storage_key)
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/public_chat_routes.py b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/public_chat_routes.py
index 53f4c2651..516e976e6 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/app/routes/public_chat_routes.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/routes/public_chat_routes.py
@@ -103,8 +103,14 @@ async def stream_public_podcast(
     if storage_key:
         from app.file_storage.factory import get_storage_backend
 
+        backend = get_storage_backend()
+        # Verify first so a missing object is a 404, not a mid-stream crash.
+        if not await backend.exists(storage_key):
+            raise HTTPException(
+                status_code=404, detail="Podcast audio is no longer available"
+            )
         return StreamingResponse(
-            get_storage_backend().open_stream(storage_key),
+            backend.open_stream(storage_key),
             media_type="audio/mpeg",
             headers={"Accept-Ranges": "bytes"},
         )
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/conftest.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/conftest.py
index f244c17d2..240f57f96 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/conftest.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/conftest.py
@@ -120,6 +120,9 @@ class FakeStorageBackend:
     async def open_stream(self, key: str) -> AsyncIterator[bytes]:
         yield self.objects.get(key, b"audio-bytes")
 
+    async def exists(self, key: str) -> bool:
+        return key in self.objects
+
     async def delete(self, key: str) -> None:
         self.deleted.append(key)
 
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_public_stream.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_public_stream.py
index d2ba1d1b9..63f634234 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_public_stream.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_public_stream.py
@@ -48,6 +48,22 @@ async def test_public_stream_serves_audio_via_storage_key(
     assert resp.content == b"public-audio"
 
 
+async def test_public_stream_404_when_object_missing(
+    client, db_session, db_search_space, db_user, fake_storage
+):
+    await _snapshot(
+        db_session,
+        search_space_id=db_search_space.id,
+        user=db_user,
+        token="tok-gone",
+        podcasts=[{"original_id": 556, "storage_key": "podcasts/gone.mp3"}],
+    )
+
+    resp = await client.get("/api/v1/public/tok-gone/podcasts/556/stream")
+
+    assert resp.status_code == 404
+
+
 async def test_public_stream_404_when_podcast_absent_from_snapshot(
     client, db_session, db_search_space, db_user
 ):
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_streaming.py b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_streaming.py
index 82456bac9..b924e2971 100644
--- a/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_streaming.py
+++ b/surfsense_backend/tests/integration/podcasts/test_streaming.py
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 """Streaming a podcast's rendered audio over HTTP.
 
-A ready podcast streams its bytes from the storage backend; a podcast with no
-stored audio returns 404. Storage is an in-memory backend (the object store is a
-system boundary).
+A ready podcast streams its bytes; an in-flight one is 409, a stored-but-missing
+object is 404. Storage is an in-memory backend (the object store is a boundary).
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -31,11 +30,23 @@ async def test_stream_serves_stored_audio(
     assert resp.content == b"the-audio"
 
 
-async def test_stream_404_when_no_audio(client, db_search_space, make_podcast):
+async def test_stream_409_while_in_flight(client, db_search_space, make_podcast):
     podcast = await make_podcast(
         search_space_id=db_search_space.id, status=PodcastStatus.DRAFTING
     )
 
     resp = await client.get(f"{BASE}/{podcast.id}/stream")
 
+    assert resp.status_code == 409
+
+
+async def test_stream_404_when_object_missing(
+    client, db_search_space, make_podcast, fake_storage
+):
+    podcast = await make_podcast(
+        search_space_id=db_search_space.id, status=PodcastStatus.READY
+    )
+
+    resp = await client.get(f"{BASE}/{podcast.id}/stream")
+
     assert resp.status_code == 404