diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 50e4d24..5f2edc5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
 	"name": "@ztimson/zim-utils",
-	"version": "0.3.4",
+	"version": "0.3.5",
 	"description": "Native, dependency-light ZIM archive reader/searcher and Kiwix catalog downloader for Node.js",
 	"author": "Zak Timson",
 	"license": "MIT",
diff --git a/src/manager.js b/src/manager.js
index 39a3ab6..988dff5 100644
--- a/src/manager.js
+++ b/src/manager.js
@@ -90,9 +90,9 @@ export class ZimManager {
 
 	/** Downloads/updates a single ZIM by direct href, matching against any existing local copy by name. */
 	async download(href, {force = false} = {}) {
-		await fs.promises.mkdir(this.#dir, {recursive: true});
 		const {url: finalUrl} = await this.#resolveUrl(href);
 		const filename = path.basename(new URL(finalUrl).pathname).replace(/\.meta4$/i, '');
+		await fs.promises.mkdir(this.#dir, {recursive: true});
 		const name = filename.replace(/\.zim$/i, '').replace(/_\d{4}-\d{2}(?:_\d+)?$/, '');
 
 		const local = await this.list();
diff --git a/src/server.js b/src/server.js
index 38565bb..e46283c 100644
--- a/src/server.js
+++ b/src/server.js
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ function findFreePort() {
 
 /** Owns a kiwix-serve process's full lifecycle: library.xml, start/stop/reload, content + search access. */
 export class KiwixServer {
+	static #empty = '<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>\n<library version="20110515"></library>\n';
+
 	#dir;
 	#host;
 	#port;
@@ -49,6 +51,12 @@ export class KiwixServer {
 		this.#binDir = binDir;
 		this.#libraryPath = path.join(dir, 'library.xml');
 		this.#remote = url ? url.replace(/\/$/, '') : null;
+		if (!this.#remote) this.#ensureLocalStore();
+	}
+
+	#ensureLocalStore() {
+		fs.mkdirSync(this.#dir, {recursive: true});
+		if (!fs.existsSync(this.#libraryPath)) fs.writeFileSync(this.#libraryPath, KiwixServer.#empty);
 	}
 
 	#assertRunning() {
@@ -61,15 +69,22 @@ export class KiwixServer {
 
 	/** Reads library.xml from disk if we own the server, or over HTTP if attached to a remote one. */
 	async #fetchLibraryXml() {
-		if (this.#remote) return (await fetch(`${this.#remote}/library.xml`).catch(() => null))?.text?.() ?? '';
-		return fs.promises.readFile(this.#libraryPath, 'utf8').catch(() => '');
+		if (!this.#remote) return fs.promises.readFile(this.#libraryPath, 'utf8').catch(() => '');
+		try {
+			const res = await fetch(`${this.#remote}/library.xml`);
+			return res.ok ? await res.text() : '';
+		} catch {
+			return '';
+		}
 	}
 
 	/** Rebuilds library.xml from scratch by scanning `dir` for .zim files - no-op if attached to a remote server. */
 	async #rebuildLibrary() {
 		if (this.#remote) return;
 		await fs.promises.rm(this.#libraryPath, {force: true});
-		for (const f of await this.#zimFiles()) await execFileAsync(this.#bin('kiwix-manage'), [this.#libraryPath, 'add', path.join(this.#dir, f)]);
+		const files = await this.#zimFiles();
+		if (!files.length) return fs.promises.writeFile(this.#libraryPath, KiwixServer.#empty);
+		for (const f of files) await execFileAsync(this.#bin('kiwix-manage'), [this.#libraryPath, 'add', path.join(this.#dir, f)]);
 	}
 
 	async #waitUntilReady() {
@@ -133,6 +148,7 @@ export class KiwixServer {
 	async list() {
 		this.#assertRunning();
 		const xml = await this.#fetchLibraryXml();
+		if (!xml) return [];
 		const entries = fromXml(xml);
 		return (entries?.library?.book || []).map(e => {
 			const tags = e.tags.split(';');