diff --git a/scripts/install-cli.sh b/scripts/install-cli.sh
index 2bbdef363d1a..494720d43e27 100755
--- a/scripts/install-cli.sh
+++ b/scripts/install-cli.sh
@@ -137,7 +137,11 @@ download_file() {
     detect_downloader
   fi
   if [[ "$DOWNLOADER" == "curl" ]]; then
-    curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused -o "$output" "$url"
+    # Bound post-connect stalls without imposing a total download duration.
+    curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 \
+      --speed-limit 1 --speed-time 30 \
+      --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused \
+      -o "$output" "$url"
     return
   fi
   wget -q --https-only --secure-protocol=TLSv1_2 --tries=3 --timeout=20 -O "$output" "$url"
diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
index 43ba90b46d49..435d3445cf05 100755
--- a/scripts/install.sh
+++ b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -114,7 +114,11 @@ download_file() {
         detect_downloader
     fi
     if [[ "$DOWNLOADER" == "curl" ]]; then
-        curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused -o "$output" "$url"
+        # Bound post-connect stalls without imposing a total download duration.
+        curl -fsSL --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 \
+            --speed-limit 1 --speed-time 30 \
+            --retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused \
+            -o "$output" "$url"
         return
     fi
     wget -q --https-only --secure-protocol=TLSv1_2 --tries=3 --timeout=20 -O "$output" "$url"
diff --git a/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts b/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
index af5ea93013d1..a84aab2782f1 100644
--- a/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/install-cli.test.ts
@@ -41,6 +41,27 @@ function linkRequiredShellTools(bin: string) {
 describe("install-cli.sh", () => {
   const script = readFileSync(SCRIPT_PATH, "utf8");
 
+  it("bounds stalled curl downloads and propagates timeout failures", () => {
+    const result = runInstallCliShell(`
+      set -euo pipefail
+      source "${SCRIPT_PATH}"
+      curl() {
+        printf 'curl=%s\n' "$*"
+        return 28
+      }
+      DOWNLOADER=curl
+      set +e
+      download_file "https://example.invalid/node.tar.gz" "/tmp/node.tar.gz"
+      printf 'status=%s\n' "$?"
+    `);
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("--speed-limit 1 --speed-time 30");
+    expect(result.stdout).not.toContain("--connect-timeout");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("--retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("status=28");
+  });
+
   it("does not clean an unrelated legacy checkout during the default npm install", () => {
     const main = script.slice(script.indexOf("\nmain() {"));
     expect(main).not.toContain("cleanup_legacy_submodules");
diff --git a/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts b/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
index 316f46bf90f6..74273564788f 100644
--- a/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
+++ b/test/scripts/install-sh.test.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,27 @@ describe("install.sh", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("bounds stalled curl downloads and propagates timeout failures", () => {
+    const result = runInstallShell(`
+      set -euo pipefail
+      source "${SCRIPT_PATH}"
+      curl() {
+        printf 'curl=%s\n' "$*"
+        return 28
+      }
+      DOWNLOADER=curl
+      set +e
+      download_file "https://example.invalid/archive.tgz" "/tmp/archive.tgz"
+      printf 'status=%s\n' "$?"
+    `);
+
+    expect(result.status).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("--speed-limit 1 --speed-time 30");
+    expect(result.stdout).not.toContain("--connect-timeout");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("--retry 3 --retry-delay 1 --retry-connrefused");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("status=28");
+  });
+
   it("runs apt-get through noninteractive wrappers", () => {
     expect(script).toContain("apt_get()");
     expect(script).toContain('DEBIAN_FRONTEND="${DEBIAN_FRONTEND:-noninteractive}"');