diff --git a/backend/apps/skill_registry/skill_registry.py b/backend/apps/skill_registry/skill_registry.py
index d1731dae..5822b64b 100644
--- a/backend/apps/skill_registry/skill_registry.py
+++ b/backend/apps/skill_registry/skill_registry.py
@@ -165,21 +165,42 @@ class p_CuratedInstallRequest(BaseModel):
     folder: str
 
 
+def p_cached_curated_fallback(folder: str) -> Optional[dict]:
+    """Offline/rate-limited curated-install fallback: rebuild a single-SKILL.md install
+    payload from the warmed catalog (it already holds the SKILL.md body) so a curated
+    install still works when GitHub is unreachable, minus the folder's extra files.
+    Empty version means it's skipped by update checks until re-installed online."""
+    cached = next((s for s in p_cache.values() if s.get("folder") == folder), None)
+    if cached is None:
+        return None
+    name, description, body = cached.get("name", ""), cached.get("description", ""), cached.get("content", "")
+    return {
+        "skill_id": folder.rsplit("/", 1)[-1], "name": name, "description": description,
+        "files": {"SKILL.md": f"---\nname: {name}\ndescription: {description}\n---\n\n{body}"},
+        "scripts": [], "source": sources.REPO, "folder": folder, "version": "",
+    }
+
+
 @skill_registry.router.post("/install-curated")
 async def registry_install_curated(req: p_CuratedInstallRequest):
     """Install a curated (anthropics/skills) skill with its FULL folder, not just
     SKILL.md, so scripts/assets land too (the old path wrote only SKILL.md, which
     left multi-file skills like pdf/docx with dead script references). Curated is
     the vetted source, so this is one-click; files are still written inert, never
-    executed. Needs network at install time (the catalog only caches SKILL.md)."""
+    executed. When GitHub is unreachable (offline / rate-limited) it falls back to the
+    catalog's cached SKILL.md, so the install still works (single file, no folder
+    extras), restoring the old offline behavior."""
     try:
         resolved = await sources.resolve_curated_skill(req.folder)
-    except RegistryRateLimited:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=429, detail="GitHub rate limit hit fetching this skill; try again in a few minutes.")
     except ValueError as e:
         raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=str(e))
     except Exception as e:
-        raise HTTPException(status_code=502, detail=f"could not fetch skill: {e}")
+        resolved = p_cached_curated_fallback(req.folder)
+        if resolved is None:
+            if isinstance(e, RegistryRateLimited):
+                raise HTTPException(status_code=429, detail="GitHub rate limit hit and no cached copy of this skill; try again in a few minutes.")
+            raise HTTPException(status_code=502, detail=f"GitHub unreachable and no cached copy: {e}")
+        logger.info(f"curated install: GitHub unreachable ({type(e).__name__}); installing '{req.folder}' from cached SKILL.md (single file, no folder extras)")
 
     from backend.apps.skills.skills import write_folder_skill, unique_skill_slug
     slug = unique_skill_slug(resolved["skill_id"])
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_skill_registry_community.py b/backend/tests/test_skill_registry_community.py
index 118ace42..b52b56be 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_skill_registry_community.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_skill_registry_community.py
@@ -350,6 +350,55 @@ def test_curated_install_writes_full_folder(skills_dir, monkeypatch):
     assert slug in listed and listed[slug]["has_supporting_files"] is True
 
 
+def test_curated_install_falls_back_to_cached_skill_md_when_offline(skills_dir, monkeypatch):
+    """Regression: when GitHub is unreachable (rate-limited/offline), /install-curated
+    falls back to the catalog's cached SKILL.md so the install still works (single file,
+    no folder extras) instead of erroring, restoring the old offline behavior."""
+    import secrets as p_secrets
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+    from backend.main import app
+    import backend.auth as auth_mod
+    import backend.apps.skill_registry.skill_registry as sr_routes
+    from backend.apps.skill_registry.skill_registry_github import RegistryRateLimited
+    if not auth_mod.TOKEN:
+        auth_mod.TOKEN = p_secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
+    client = TestClient(app, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {auth_mod.TOKEN}"})
+
+    async def boom(folder):
+        raise RegistryRateLimited()
+    monkeypatch.setattr("backend.apps.skill_registry.skill_registry_sources.resolve_curated_skill", boom)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(sr_routes, "p_cache", {"PDF": {
+        "name": "PDF", "description": "work with pdfs", "content": "Do PDF things.", "folder": "skills/pdf",
+    }})
+
+    r = client.post("/api/skill-registry/install-curated", json={"folder": "skills/pdf"})
+    assert r.status_code == 200 and r.json()["installed"] is True
+    assert r.json()["files"] == ["SKILL.md"] and r.json()["scripts"] == []
+    slug = r.json()["skill"]["id"]
+    md = (skills_dir / slug / "SKILL.md").read_text()
+    assert "Do PDF things." in md and "name: PDF" in md
+
+
+def test_curated_install_no_cache_no_network_errors_honestly(skills_dir, monkeypatch):
+    """If GitHub is unreachable AND nothing's cached, surface an honest error, not a
+    silent half-install."""
+    import secrets as p_secrets
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+    from backend.main import app
+    import backend.auth as auth_mod
+    import backend.apps.skill_registry.skill_registry as sr_routes
+    if not auth_mod.TOKEN:
+        auth_mod.TOKEN = p_secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
+    client = TestClient(app, headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {auth_mod.TOKEN}"})
+
+    async def boom(folder):
+        raise RuntimeError("connection refused")
+    monkeypatch.setattr("backend.apps.skill_registry.skill_registry_sources.resolve_curated_skill", boom)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(sr_routes, "p_cache", {})
+    r = client.post("/api/skill-registry/install-curated", json={"folder": "skills/pdf"})
+    assert r.status_code == 502
+
+
 def test_manual_rm_leaves_no_ghost_blocking_slug(skills_dir):
     """A folder deleted out-of-band (manual rm) must not keep squatting its slug via
     a leftover index entry: existence is by files on disk, and a prune cleans the index."""