diff --git a/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.dom.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1fcd3a56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.dom.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+// @vitest-environment jsdom
+//
+// E32 S2: the admin's download-quota editor rendered NOTHING while its quota loaded and nothing when
+// the load failed, so the click looked dead. It now opens at once and says which it is. The save
+// turns the GB field back into bytes; the reset drops the override.
+import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { cleanup, fireEvent, render, screen, waitFor } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { QueryClient, QueryClientProvider } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
+import { api } from "../lib/api";
+import { QuotaModal } from "./downloadAdmin";
+
+vi.mock("react-i18next", async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("react-i18next")>();
+  return {
+    ...actual,
+    useTranslation: () => ({ t: (key: string) => key, i18n: { language: "en" } }),
+  };
+});
+
+const GiB = 1024 ** 3;
+const QUOTA = { max_bytes: 5 * GiB, max_jobs: 10, max_concurrent: 2, unlimited: false };
+let qc: QueryClient;
+const wrap = (ui: ReactNode) => <QueryClientProvider client={qc}>{ui}</QueryClientProvider>;
+const open = (onClose = () => {}) =>
+  render(wrap(<QuotaModal userId={4} email="a@b.c" onClose={onClose} />));
+
+beforeEach(() => {
+  qc = new QueryClient({ defaultOptions: { queries: { retry: false } } });
+});
+afterEach(() => {
+  cleanup();
+  vi.restoreAllMocks();
+});
+
+describe("the download-quota editor", () => {
+  it("opens at once and says it is loading", () => {
+    vi.spyOn(api, "adminGetDownloadQuota").mockReturnValue(new Promise(() => {}) as never);
+    open();
+    expect(screen.getByText("downloads.admin.quotaTitle")).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.getAllByRole("status").length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it("says a failed load failed, and retries it", async () => {
+    const get = vi
+      .spyOn(api, "adminGetDownloadQuota")
+      .mockRejectedValueOnce(new Error("down"))
+      .mockResolvedValueOnce(QUOTA as never);
+    open();
+    expect((await screen.findByRole("alert")).textContent).toContain("common.loadError");
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("common.retry"));
+    await screen.findByDisplayValue("5");
+    expect(get).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  it("saves the GB field as bytes, and the reset drops the override", async () => {
+    vi.spyOn(api, "adminGetDownloadQuota").mockResolvedValue(QUOTA as never);
+    const set = vi.spyOn(api, "adminSetDownloadQuota").mockResolvedValue(QUOTA as never);
+    const reset = vi.spyOn(api, "adminResetDownloadQuota").mockResolvedValue(QUOTA as never);
+    const onClose = vi.fn();
+    open(onClose);
+    fireEvent.change(await screen.findByDisplayValue("5"), { target: { value: "1.5" } });
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("downloads.admin.save"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(onClose).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1));
+    expect(set).toHaveBeenCalledWith(4, {
+      max_bytes: Math.round(1.5 * GiB),
+      max_jobs: 10,
+      max_concurrent: 2,
+      unlimited: false,
+    });
+
+    fireEvent.click(screen.getByText("downloads.admin.reset"));
+    await waitFor(() => expect(reset).toHaveBeenCalledWith(4));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.tsx b/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.tsx
index 4ed7ecc9..30af39a8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/downloadAdmin.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { jobTitle } from "./downloadTitle";
 import { IconButton } from "./ui/IconButton";
 import { Input } from "./ui/Input";
 import { CheckRow } from "./ui/NativeControls";
+import { LoadingState, StateMessage } from "./ui/QueryState";
 import { SURFACE } from "./ui/surfaces";
 import UserPicker from "./UserPicker";
 
@@ -21,7 +22,8 @@ import UserPicker from "./UserPicker";
 
 const GiB = 1024 ** 3;
 
-function QuotaModal({
+/** @internal exported for downloadAdmin.dom.test.tsx */
+export function QuotaModal({
   userId,
   email,
   onClose,
@@ -74,66 +76,80 @@ function QuotaModal({
     onSuccess: done,
     meta: { failTitle: "errors.writeFailed.downloadQuotaReset" },
   });
-  if (!state) return null;
-  const upd = (p: Partial<typeof state>) => setForm({ ...state, ...p });
+  const upd = (p: Partial<NonNullable<typeof state>>) => {
+    if (state) setForm({ ...state, ...p });
+  };
   return (
     <Modal
       initialFocus="field"
       title={t("downloads.admin.quotaTitle", { email })}
       onClose={onClose}
     >
-      <div className="space-y-3">
-        <div className="grid grid-cols-3 gap-3">
-          <label className="text-sm">
-            {t("downloads.admin.maxBytes")}
-            <Input
-              className="w-full"
-              type="number"
-              value={state.gb}
-              onChange={(e) => upd({ gb: Number(e.target.value) })}
-              disabled={state.unlimited}
-            />
-          </label>
-          <label className="text-sm">
-            {t("downloads.admin.maxJobs")}
-            <Input
-              className="w-full"
-              type="number"
-              value={state.jobs}
-              onChange={(e) => upd({ jobs: Number(e.target.value) })}
-            />
-          </label>
-          <label className="text-sm">
-            {t("downloads.admin.maxConcurrent")}
-            <Input
-              className="w-full"
-              type="number"
-              value={state.conc}
-              onChange={(e) => upd({ conc: Number(e.target.value) })}
-            />
-          </label>
-        </div>
-        <CheckRow
-          checked={state.unlimited}
-          onChange={(checked) => upd({ unlimited: checked })}
-          className="text-sm"
-        >
-          {t("downloads.admin.unlimited")}
-        </CheckRow>
-        <ModalFooter className="flex justify-between gap-2">
-          <Button variant="ghost" size="sm" onClick={() => reset.mutate()}>
-            {t("downloads.admin.reset")}
-          </Button>
-          <Button
-            variant="primary"
-            size="sm"
-            onClick={() => save.mutate()}
-            disabled={save.isPending}
+      {/* The modal opens at once: while the quota loads it says so, and a failed load says THAT,
+          with a retry — it used to render nothing at all, so the click looked dead (E32 S2). The
+          first field still takes focus when the form arrives (Modal's initialFocus="field"). */}
+      {!state ? (
+        q.isError ? (
+          <StateMessage tone="error" onRetry={() => void q.refetch()}>
+            {t("common.loadError")}
+          </StateMessage>
+        ) : (
+          <LoadingState />
+        )
+      ) : (
+        <div className="space-y-3">
+          <div className="grid grid-cols-3 gap-3">
+            <label className="text-sm">
+              {t("downloads.admin.maxBytes")}
+              <Input
+                className="w-full"
+                type="number"
+                value={state.gb}
+                onChange={(e) => upd({ gb: Number(e.target.value) })}
+                disabled={state.unlimited}
+              />
+            </label>
+            <label className="text-sm">
+              {t("downloads.admin.maxJobs")}
+              <Input
+                className="w-full"
+                type="number"
+                value={state.jobs}
+                onChange={(e) => upd({ jobs: Number(e.target.value) })}
+              />
+            </label>
+            <label className="text-sm">
+              {t("downloads.admin.maxConcurrent")}
+              <Input
+                className="w-full"
+                type="number"
+                value={state.conc}
+                onChange={(e) => upd({ conc: Number(e.target.value) })}
+              />
+            </label>
+          </div>
+          <CheckRow
+            checked={state.unlimited}
+            onChange={(checked) => upd({ unlimited: checked })}
+            className="text-sm"
           >
-            {t("downloads.admin.save")}
-          </Button>
-        </ModalFooter>
-      </div>
+            {t("downloads.admin.unlimited")}
+          </CheckRow>
+          <ModalFooter className="flex justify-between gap-2">
+            <Button variant="ghost" size="sm" onClick={() => reset.mutate()}>
+              {t("downloads.admin.reset")}
+            </Button>
+            <Button
+              variant="primary"
+              size="sm"
+              onClick={() => save.mutate()}
+              disabled={save.isPending}
+            >
+              {t("downloads.admin.save")}
+            </Button>
+          </ModalFooter>
+        </div>
+      )}
     </Modal>
   );
 }