diff --git a/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts b/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
index dcc26d57d..82b76f23e 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/cli/analyze.ts
@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ import { cliError } from './cli-message.js';
 import { EMBEDDING_DIMS_ERROR, normalizeEmbeddingDims } from './embedding-dims.js';
 import { formatElapsed } from './format-elapsed.js';
 import { isHfDownloadFailure } from '../core/embeddings/hf-env.js';
-import { isHttpMode, safeUrl } from '../core/embeddings/http-client.js';
+import {
+  isHttpEmbeddingDimsError,
+  isHttpEmbeddingError,
+  isHttpMode,
+  safeUrl,
+} from '../core/embeddings/http-client.js';
 import {
   isLocalEmbeddingRuntimeBlockerMessage,
   isMissingLocalEmbeddingStackMessage,
@@ -1641,10 +1646,62 @@ const analyzeCommandImpl = async (
       return;
     }
 
+    // Malformed GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS env var (#2385). readConfig() throws a
+    // plain Error (a config mistake, not an endpoint failure), surfacing here from
+    // httpEmbed()->readConfig() inside the analysis run. Show a clean config
+    // message rather than a raw stack dump. The --embedding-dims CLI flag is
+    // validated up front (EMBEDDING_DIMS_ERROR); this covers the env-var path.
+    // Checked before the endpoint/HF branches: it is a plain Error, so
+    // isHttpEmbeddingError() is false and the HF network heuristic must not claim it.
+    if (isHttpEmbeddingDimsError(msg)) {
+      cliError(`  ${msg.replace(/\n/g, '\n  ')}\n`, {
+        recoveryHint: 'embedding-dims-invalid',
+      });
+      process.exitCode = 1;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Custom HTTP embedding endpoint failure (#2385). When a `--embedding-base-url`
+    // is configured, HTTP mode never downloads a model — so a failure talking to
+    // that endpoint must NOT show the huggingface-download guidance. Keyed on the
+    // error *type* (HttpEmbeddingError), not its message text, so it stays correct
+    // regardless of locale or wording. Checked before the HF branch, whose network
+    // heuristic (`fetch failed` / `ECONNREFUSED`) would otherwise also match a
+    // wrapped endpoint-connection error. The header is deliberately neutral: this
+    // type covers both never-reached failures (connection/timeout/DNS) and
+    // reached-but-failed ones (4xx/5xx, dimension/shape mismatch), so it must not
+    // assert "unreachable". The thrown `msg` carries the specific reason (and the
+    // masked URL where one applies), so it is surfaced verbatim.
+    if (isHttpEmbeddingError(err)) {
+      cliError(
+        `  The custom embedding endpoint request failed.\n` +
+          `  ${msg.replace(/\n/g, '\n  ')}\n` +
+          `  Suggestions:\n` +
+          `    1. Verify the endpoint URL is reachable and running ` +
+          `(--embedding-base-url / GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL: host, port, /v1 path).\n` +
+          `    2. Confirm the model name and embedding dimensions match what the endpoint serves.\n` +
+          `    3. Re-run without --embeddings to index without vectors.\n`,
+        { recoveryHint: 'http-embedding-endpoint-error' },
+      );
+      process.exitCode = 1;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // isHttpMode() is a pure presence probe (URL+MODEL) that never throws — a
+    // malformed GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS is handled by the dims branch above — so
+    // no defensive try/catch is needed here (#2385).
+    const inHttpMode = isHttpMode();
+
     // HF download failure — show clean guidance without the raw stack trace.
     // Checked before writeFatalToStderr so the user sees one focused message
     // rather than a stack-trace dump followed by a second remediation block.
-    if (isHfDownloadFailure(msg) || msg.includes('Failed to download embedding model')) {
+    // Gated on !inHttpMode: with a custom endpoint configured no model download
+    // is ever attempted, so a network error there is the endpoint's, handled by
+    // the HttpEmbeddingError branch above — never HF's (#2385).
+    if (
+      (isHfDownloadFailure(msg) || msg.includes('Failed to download embedding model')) &&
+      !inHttpMode
+    ) {
       cliError(
         `  The embedding model could not be downloaded.\n` +
           `  huggingface.co may be unreachable from your network\n` +
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/cli/cli-message.ts b/gitnexus/src/cli/cli-message.ts
index cf4693b91..fb5331e45 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/cli/cli-message.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/cli/cli-message.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ export type RecoveryHint =
   | 'heap-oom-respawn'
   | 'native-worker-abort'
   | 'hf-endpoint-unreachable'
+  | 'http-embedding-endpoint-error'
+  | 'embedding-dims-invalid'
   | 'local-embedding-unsupported'
   | 'local-embedding-stack-missing'
   | 'large-repo'
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/embeddings/http-client.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/embeddings/http-client.ts
index cab2de8ce..121790251 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/embeddings/http-client.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/embeddings/http-client.ts
@@ -27,10 +27,29 @@ interface HttpConfig {
   dimensions?: number;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Stable lead of the {@link readConfig} malformed-`GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS`
+ * error. `readConfig` throws a plain `Error` (not an {@link HttpEmbeddingError})
+ * because this is a *config* mistake, not an endpoint failure — so the CLI
+ * recognizes it by this lead ({@link isHttpEmbeddingDimsError}) and prints a
+ * clean config message instead of a raw stack dump. See #2385.
+ */
+const EMBEDDING_DIMS_ENV_ERROR_LEAD = 'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS must be a positive integer';
+
+/**
+ * @internal Exported for the CLI analyze error handler. True when `message` is
+ * the {@link readConfig} malformed-DIMS config error (a plain `Error`).
+ */
+export const isHttpEmbeddingDimsError = (message: string): boolean =>
+  message.includes(EMBEDDING_DIMS_ENV_ERROR_LEAD);
+
 /**
  * Build config from the current process.env snapshot.
  * Returns null when GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL + GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL are unset.
  * Not cached — env vars are read fresh so late configuration takes effect.
+ * Validates GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS and throws on a malformed value; callers
+ * that only need to know whether HTTP mode is *configured* must use
+ * {@link isHttpMode} (a presence probe that never throws), not this.
  */
 const readConfig = (): HttpConfig | null => {
   const baseUrl = process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL;
@@ -41,11 +60,11 @@ const readConfig = (): HttpConfig | null => {
   let dimensions: number | undefined;
   if (rawDims !== undefined) {
     if (!/^\d+$/.test(rawDims)) {
-      throw new Error(`GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS must be a positive integer, got "${rawDims}"`);
+      throw new Error(`${EMBEDDING_DIMS_ENV_ERROR_LEAD}, got "${rawDims}"`);
     }
     const parsed = parseInt(rawDims, 10);
     if (parsed <= 0) {
-      throw new Error(`GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS must be a positive integer, got "${rawDims}"`);
+      throw new Error(`${EMBEDDING_DIMS_ENV_ERROR_LEAD}, got "${rawDims}"`);
     }
     dimensions = parsed;
   }
@@ -59,9 +78,16 @@ const readConfig = (): HttpConfig | null => {
 };
 
 /**
- * Check whether HTTP embedding mode is active (env vars are set).
+ * Whether HTTP embedding mode is active — i.e. both `GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL` and
+ * `GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL` are set. A pure presence probe: it deliberately does
+ * NOT call {@link readConfig}, so it never throws on a malformed
+ * `GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS`. This lets its ~13 call sites (analyze, doctor,
+ * run-analyze, embedder, mcp) probe the mode without a defensive try/catch; the
+ * DIMS value is validated where it is actually used (`readConfig` in
+ * `httpEmbed`/`httpEmbedQuery`), surfacing a recognizable config error. See #2385.
  */
-export const isHttpMode = (): boolean => readConfig() !== null;
+export const isHttpMode = (): boolean =>
+  Boolean(process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL && process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL);
 
 /**
  * Return the configured embedding dimensions for HTTP mode, or undefined
@@ -84,10 +110,74 @@ export const safeUrl = (url: string): string => {
   }
 };
 
+/**
+ * Strip credentials from an underlying transport error message before it is
+ * surfaced. A credential-bearing endpoint URL (`https://user:secret@host/v1`)
+ * makes undici throw `TypeError: Request cannot be constructed from a URL that
+ * includes credentials: <that full URL>`; interpolating `err.message` verbatim
+ * would re-leak the secret to stderr + logs even though the URL argument is
+ * already masked with {@link safeUrl}. First swap the exact configured `url` for
+ * its masked form, then strip any residual `scheme://userinfo@` the transport may
+ * have echoed in a normalized (non-exact) form. See #2385.
+ */
+const sanitizeReason = (reason: string, url: string): string =>
+  reason
+    .split(url)
+    .join(safeUrl(url))
+    .replace(/([a-z][a-z0-9+.-]*:\/\/)[^/@\s]*@/gi, '$1');
+
+/**
+ * Error thrown by this module's HTTP embedding path (`httpEmbedBatch` /
+ * `httpEmbed` / `httpEmbedQuery`) for any endpoint failure — a
+ * connection/timeout/DNS error, an open circuit, a non-OK status, an
+ * unparseable or wrong-shape response body, an empty response, or a dimension
+ * mismatch.
+ *
+ * Carrying a distinct type (rather than a plain `Error`) lets the CLI tell a
+ * *custom endpoint* failure apart from a HuggingFace *model download* failure
+ * without matching message text: the two share the same underlying network
+ * substrings (`fetch failed`, `ECONNREFUSED`, …), which is exactly why
+ * `isNetworkFetchError` in `hf-env.ts` cannot tell them apart. Keying on the
+ * type instead of the message is also locale-proof and survives message
+ * rewording. The human-readable `.message` (built with `safeUrl` and the
+ * underlying reason) is what the CLI surfaces to the user. See #2385.
+ */
+export class HttpEmbeddingError extends Error {
+  constructor(message: string, options?: { cause?: unknown }) {
+    super(message, options?.cause !== undefined ? { cause: options.cause } : undefined);
+    this.name = 'HttpEmbeddingError';
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * @internal Exported for the CLI analyze error handler and unit tests.
+ *
+ * Type-guard for {@link HttpEmbeddingError}. The `name` fallback keeps the
+ * check working across module-realm boundaries where `instanceof` can fail
+ * (two loaded copies of the class) — mirroring the codebase's existing
+ * `err.name === 'TimeoutError'` idiom. Matches on the stable class
+ * discriminator, never on the human-readable (potentially localized) message.
+ */
+export const isHttpEmbeddingError = (err: unknown): boolean =>
+  err instanceof HttpEmbeddingError || (err instanceof Error && err.name === 'HttpEmbeddingError');
+
 interface EmbeddingItem {
   embedding: number[];
 }
 
+/**
+ * Runtime guard for a single response item. The `Array.isArray(data.data)` shape
+ * check only validates the outer array — a 200 body like `{"data":[null]}` passes
+ * it, then crashes at `new Float32Array(item.embedding)` (`httpEmbed`) or
+ * `items[0].embedding` (`httpEmbedQuery`) with a raw `TypeError` that escapes the
+ * typed boundary, landing on the CLI's generic stack-dump path — the exact class
+ * #2385 closes. Validate each item so every wrong-shape body stays classifiable.
+ */
+const isEmbeddingItem = (item: unknown): item is EmbeddingItem =>
+  typeof item === 'object' &&
+  item !== null &&
+  Array.isArray((item as { embedding?: unknown }).embedding);
+
 /**
  * Send a single batch of texts to the embedding endpoint with retry.
  *
@@ -140,33 +230,56 @@ const httpEmbedBatch = async (
     );
   } catch (err) {
     if (err instanceof CircuitOpenError) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
         `Embedding endpoint circuit open (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex}): retry in ${Math.ceil(err.retryAfterMs / 1000)}s`,
+        { cause: err },
       );
     }
     if (err instanceof DOMException && err.name === 'TimeoutError') {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
         `Embedding request timed out after ${HTTP_TIMEOUT_MS}ms (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
+        { cause: err },
       );
     }
     if (err instanceof ResilientFetchExhaustedError) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
         `Embedding endpoint returned ${err.response.status} (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
+        { cause: err },
       );
     }
-    const reason = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
-    throw new Error(`Embedding request failed (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex}): ${reason}`);
+    const reason = sanitizeReason(err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err), url);
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
+      `Embedding request failed (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex}): ${reason}`,
+      { cause: err },
+    );
   }
 
   if (!resp.ok) {
     // resilientFetch already retried 5xx/429; any non-OK response here is
     // a terminal client error (4xx other than 429).
-    throw new Error(
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
       `Embedding endpoint returned ${resp.status} (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
     );
   }
 
-  const data = (await resp.json()) as { data: EmbeddingItem[] };
+  // A reachable-but-wrong endpoint (e.g. a captive portal or a non-embeddings
+  // service) can answer 200 with an HTML/truncated body. Parse inside the
+  // typed-error boundary so that lands as an endpoint failure the CLI can
+  // classify, not a raw SyntaxError/TypeError on the generic stack-dump path.
+  let data: { data: EmbeddingItem[] };
+  try {
+    data = (await resp.json()) as { data: EmbeddingItem[] };
+  } catch (err) {
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
+      `Embedding endpoint returned an unparseable response (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
+      { cause: err },
+    );
+  }
+  if (!Array.isArray(data?.data) || !data.data.every(isEmbeddingItem)) {
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
+      `Embedding endpoint returned an unexpected response shape (${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
+    );
+  }
   return data.data;
 };
 
@@ -199,7 +312,7 @@ export const httpEmbed = async (texts: string[]): Promise<Float32Array[]> => {
     );
 
     if (items.length !== batch.length) {
-      throw new Error(
+      throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
         `Embedding endpoint returned ${items.length} vectors for ${batch.length} texts ` +
           `(${safeUrl(url)}, batch ${batchIndex})`,
       );
@@ -214,7 +327,7 @@ export const httpEmbed = async (texts: string[]): Promise<Float32Array[]> => {
         const hint = config.dimensions
           ? 'Update GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS to match your model output.'
           : `Set GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS=${vec.length} to match your model output.`;
-        throw new Error(
+        throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
           `Embedding dimension mismatch: endpoint returned ${vec.length}d vector, ` +
             `but expected ${expected}d. ${hint}`,
         );
@@ -248,7 +361,7 @@ export const httpEmbedQuery = async (text: string): Promise<number[]> => {
     config.dimensions,
   );
   if (!items.length) {
-    throw new Error(`Embedding endpoint returned empty response (${safeUrl(url)})`);
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(`Embedding endpoint returned empty response (${safeUrl(url)})`);
   }
 
   const embedding = items[0].embedding;
@@ -259,7 +372,7 @@ export const httpEmbedQuery = async (text: string): Promise<number[]> => {
     const hint = config.dimensions
       ? 'Update GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS to match your model output.'
       : `Set GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS=${embedding.length} to match your model output.`;
-    throw new Error(
+    throw new HttpEmbeddingError(
       `Embedding dimension mismatch: endpoint returned ${embedding.length}d vector, ` +
         `but expected ${expected}d. ${hint}`,
     );
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-http-endpoint-error.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-http-endpoint-error.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2dcd0b3d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/analyze-http-endpoint-error.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for the custom HTTP embedding endpoint failure path in the
+ * `analyzeCommand` CLI (#2385).
+ *
+ * When a `--embedding-base-url` is configured, HTTP mode never downloads a
+ * model. A connection/timeout/DNS failure to that endpoint must surface an
+ * endpoint-specific message — NOT the huggingface.co download remediation,
+ * whose network heuristic (`fetch failed` / `ECONNREFUSED`) would otherwise
+ * also match the wrapped endpoint error. The analyze handler discriminates on
+ * the error *type* (`HttpEmbeddingError`), not its message text.
+ *
+ * Mirrors analyze-local-embedding-error.test.ts:
+ *   - vi.mock the heavy dependencies so no real DB / git is touched
+ *   - drive `analyzeCommand` with a mocked `runFullAnalysis` that rejects
+ *   - assert on process.exitCode and the captured logger records
+ */
+import { beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+
+const runFullAnalysisMock = vi.fn();
+// Controls the HF network heuristic so the gate/ordering scenarios can force it
+// to also claim a plain network error and prove the endpoint branch / mode gate
+// still win.
+const isHfDownloadFailureMock = vi.fn(() => false);
+// Controls isHttpMode so the HF-branch gate (`!isHttpMode()`) can be exercised
+// in both states without setting real env vars. The real HttpEmbeddingError /
+// isHttpEmbeddingError / safeUrl are preserved via importOriginal.
+const isHttpModeMock = vi.fn(() => true);
+
+const resolveEmbeddingRuntimeMock = vi.fn<() => { source: string } | null>(() => ({
+  source: 'package',
+}));
+const isPrefixRuntimeLoadableMock = vi.fn(() => true);
+const installEmbeddingRuntimeMock = vi.fn(async () => undefined);
+vi.mock('../../src/core/embeddings/runtime-install.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('../../src/core/embeddings/runtime-install.js')>()),
+  resolveEmbeddingRuntime: () => resolveEmbeddingRuntimeMock(),
+  isPrefixRuntimeLoadable: () => isPrefixRuntimeLoadableMock(),
+  installEmbeddingRuntime: (...args: unknown[]) => installEmbeddingRuntimeMock(...args),
+  getEmbeddingRuntimeDir: () => '/fake/embedding-runtime',
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/run-analyze.js', () => ({
+  runFullAnalysis: runFullAnalysisMock,
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/lbug/lbug-adapter.js', () => ({
+  closeLbug: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+  closeLbugBeforeExit: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+  isLbugReady: vi.fn(() => false),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/storage/repo-manager.js', () => ({
+  getStoragePaths: vi.fn(() => ({ storagePath: '.gitnexus', lbugPath: '.gitnexus/lbug' })),
+  getGlobalRegistryPath: vi.fn(() => 'registry.json'),
+  RegistryNameCollisionError: class RegistryNameCollisionError extends Error {},
+  AnalysisNotFinalizedError: class AnalysisNotFinalizedError extends Error {},
+  assertAnalysisFinalized: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/storage/git.js', () => ({
+  getGitRoot: vi.fn(() => '/repo'),
+  hasGitDir: vi.fn(() => true),
+}));
+
+vi.mock('../../src/core/ingestion/utils/max-file-size.js', () => ({
+  getMaxFileSizeBannerMessage: vi.fn(() => null),
+}));
+
+// analyze.ts imports isHfDownloadFailure from hf-env.js. Mock it to break the
+// transitive gitnexus-shared chain and to drive the HF-heuristic scenarios.
+vi.mock('../../src/core/embeddings/hf-env.js', () => ({
+  isHfDownloadFailure: isHfDownloadFailureMock,
+}));
+
+// Preserve the real HttpEmbeddingError / isHttpEmbeddingError / safeUrl; only
+// override isHttpMode so the mode gate can be flipped per test.
+vi.mock('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js', async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js')>()),
+  isHttpMode: () => isHttpModeMock(),
+}));
+
+describe('analyzeCommand custom HTTP endpoint error handling (#2385)', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockReset();
+    isHfDownloadFailureMock.mockReset().mockReturnValue(false);
+    isHttpModeMock.mockReset().mockReturnValue(true);
+    resolveEmbeddingRuntimeMock.mockReset().mockReturnValue({ source: 'package' });
+    isPrefixRuntimeLoadableMock.mockReset().mockReturnValue(true);
+    installEmbeddingRuntimeMock.mockReset().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    process.exitCode = undefined;
+    process.env.NODE_OPTIONS = `${process.env.NODE_OPTIONS ?? ''} --max-old-space-size=8192`.trim();
+  });
+
+  it('routes an endpoint connection failure to a clean endpoint message (R1)', async () => {
+    const { HttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(
+      new HttpEmbeddingError(
+        'Embedding request failed (http://127.0.0.1:1/v1/embeddings, batch 0): fetch failed',
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    const record = cap.records().find((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error');
+    expect(record).toBeDefined();
+    // The masked URL from the thrown message is surfaced verbatim.
+    expect(typeof record?.msg === 'string' && record.msg).toContain('127.0.0.1:1');
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('routes a malformed GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS to a clean config message, not endpoint/HF (R3)', async () => {
+    // readConfig() throws a plain Error on a malformed env DIMS; it surfaces from
+    // the embedding pipeline into this catch. It is a config mistake, not an
+    // endpoint failure, so it must get its own clean message — never the endpoint
+    // or HF branch. (isHttpMode() no longer throws, so the crash at analyze:1109
+    // that this used to be is gone; the error now reaches here.)
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(
+      new Error('GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS must be a positive integer, got "1024abc"'),
+    );
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    const records = cap.records();
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'embedding-dims-invalid')).toBe(true);
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error')).toBe(false);
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'hf-endpoint-unreachable')).toBe(false);
+    const record = records.find((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'embedding-dims-invalid');
+    expect(typeof record?.msg === 'string' && record.msg).toContain('GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS');
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('does not mislabel a reached-but-failed endpoint as "could not be reached"', async () => {
+    // A dimension mismatch means the endpoint WAS reached and answered — the
+    // message must not assert unreachability, and must surface the real reason
+    // (which itself carries the fix hint). Regression guard for the #2385 fix.
+    const { HttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(
+      new HttpEmbeddingError(
+        'Embedding dimension mismatch: endpoint returned 512d vector, but expected 1024d. ' +
+          'Update GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS to match your model output.',
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    const record = cap.records().find((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error');
+    expect(record).toBeDefined();
+    const text = typeof record?.msg === 'string' ? record.msg : '';
+    // Surfaces the real reason...
+    expect(text).toContain('dimension mismatch');
+    // ...without falsely claiming the endpoint was unreachable.
+    expect(text).not.toMatch(/could not be reached|unreachable/i);
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('never mentions huggingface for an endpoint failure, even if the HF heuristic matches (R2, R3)', async () => {
+    // Force the HF network heuristic to also claim this error. The typed
+    // endpoint branch is ordered first, so HF guidance must not appear.
+    isHfDownloadFailureMock.mockReturnValue(true);
+    const { HttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(
+      new HttpEmbeddingError(
+        'Embedding request failed (http://127.0.0.1:1/v1/embeddings, batch 0): fetch failed',
+      ),
+    );
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    const records = cap.records();
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error')).toBe(true);
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'hf-endpoint-unreachable')).toBe(false);
+    expect(records.every((r) => !(typeof r.msg === 'string' && /huggingface/i.test(r.msg)))).toBe(
+      true,
+    );
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('suppresses the HF branch for a raw network error while in HTTP mode (R3 gate)', async () => {
+    // A plain (untyped) network error while a custom endpoint is configured:
+    // the endpoint branch keys on the type so it does not fire, and the HF
+    // branch is gated on !isHttpMode() so it must not fire either.
+    isHttpModeMock.mockReturnValue(true);
+    isHfDownloadFailureMock.mockReturnValue(true);
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(new Error('fetch failed'));
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    const records = cap.records();
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'hf-endpoint-unreachable')).toBe(false);
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error')).toBe(false);
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('leaves the real HF-download path unchanged when HTTP mode is inactive (R4)', async () => {
+    // Local embedder (no custom endpoint): a genuine HF download network error
+    // must still show the huggingface guidance.
+    isHttpModeMock.mockReturnValue(false);
+    isHfDownloadFailureMock.mockReturnValue(true);
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(new Error('TypeError: fetch failed'));
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    const records = cap.records();
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'hf-endpoint-unreachable')).toBe(true);
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error')).toBe(false);
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+
+  it('does not capture unrelated HTTP-mode errors in the endpoint branch (R5)', async () => {
+    isHttpModeMock.mockReturnValue(true);
+    runFullAnalysisMock.mockRejectedValue(new Error('LadybugDB write failed'));
+
+    const { _captureLogger } = await import('../../src/core/logger.js');
+    const cap = _captureLogger();
+    const { analyzeCommand } = await import('../../src/cli/analyze.js');
+
+    await analyzeCommand(undefined, { embeddings: true });
+
+    expect(process.exitCode).toBe(1);
+    const records = cap.records();
+    expect(records.some((r) => r.recoveryHint === 'http-embedding-endpoint-error')).toBe(false);
+    cap.restore();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/doctor-format.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/doctor-format.test.ts
index e3b2ff219..11f3bac59 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/doctor-format.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/doctor-format.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { displayWidth, localEmbeddingDoctorStatus, padDisplayEnd } from '../../src/cli/doctor.js';
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  displayWidth,
+  doctorCommand,
+  localEmbeddingDoctorStatus,
+  padDisplayEnd,
+} from '../../src/cli/doctor.js';
 
 describe('doctor output formatting', () => {
   it('keeps ASCII padding equivalent to String.padEnd', () => {
@@ -121,3 +126,35 @@ describe('doctor embedding-runtime support status', () => {
     expect(detail).toBeNull();
   });
 });
+
+describe('doctor survives a malformed GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS (#2385)', () => {
+  const ENV_KEYS = [
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL',
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL',
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS',
+  ] as const;
+  const savedEnv = Object.fromEntries(ENV_KEYS.map((k) => [k, process.env[k]]));
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+    for (const key of ENV_KEYS) {
+      if (savedEnv[key] === undefined) {
+        delete process.env[key];
+      } else {
+        process.env[key] = savedEnv[key];
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('does not crash at the unguarded isHttpMode() call sites', async () => {
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS = '1024abc';
+    vi.spyOn(console, 'log').mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+
+    // Before the isHttpMode() root-cause fix (#2385) this threw at doctor.ts:167
+    // (isHttpMode -> readConfig -> throw on the malformed DIMS); now the presence
+    // probe never throws, so `gitnexus doctor` completes and reports the backend.
+    await expect(doctorCommand()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/http-embedder.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/http-embedder.test.ts
index c19bb4825..b99cef182 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/http-embedder.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/http-embedder.test.ts
@@ -200,7 +200,103 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: false, status: 500 }));
 
       const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
-      await expect(embedText('test')).rejects.toThrow('500');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('500');
+      // Type-completeness fence: a non-OK-status failure must stay classifiable
+      // so the CLI routes it to the endpoint branch, not the HF branch (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('classifies a terminal 4xx (404) as a typed endpoint error without retrying (#2385)', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      // The most common --embedding-base-url misconfiguration: wrong path -> 404,
+      // bad key -> 401/403. resilientFetch returns a terminal 4xx (other than 429)
+      // without retrying, so httpEmbedBatch's !resp.ok branch is the sole
+      // classifier — distinct from 500 (ResilientFetchExhaustedError) and 429/503.
+      vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: false, status: 404 }));
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('404');
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      expect(fetch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    });
+
+    it('classifies a reachable endpoint that returns a non-JSON 200 body', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      // A captive portal / wrong service answers 200 with HTML — resp.json() throws.
+      vi.stubGlobal(
+        'fetch',
+        vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+          ok: true,
+          json: async () => {
+            throw new SyntaxError('Unexpected token < in JSON at position 0');
+          },
+        }),
+      );
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('unparseable response');
+    });
+
+    it('surfaces a connection failure as a typed HttpEmbeddingError (the #2385 case)', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://127.0.0.1:1/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      // Node's undici throws `TypeError: fetch failed` on a terminal connect error.
+      vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new TypeError('fetch failed')));
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      // The endpoint failure carries the type — no message-text matching needed.
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      // The masked URL is preserved for the CLI message; no HuggingFace text.
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('127.0.0.1:1');
+      expect(String(err)).not.toMatch(/huggingface/i);
+    });
+
+    // A reachable-but-wrong endpoint can answer 200 with a well-formed outer array
+    // whose items are malformed. The outer Array.isArray(data.data) guard passes;
+    // without per-item validation these crash at new Float32Array(item.embedding)
+    // (batch) / items[0].embedding (query) with a raw TypeError that escapes the
+    // typed boundary — the exact #2385 stack-dump class. (#2385)
+    it.each([
+      { label: 'a null item', body: { data: [null] } },
+      { label: 'an item with no embedding', body: { data: [{}] } },
+      { label: 'an item whose embedding is not an array', body: { data: [{ embedding: 'nope' }] } },
+    ])('types a malformed response item ($label) on the batch path', async ({ body }) => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true, json: async () => body }));
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('unexpected response shape');
+    });
+
+    it('types a null item on the query path (httpEmbedQuery, #2385)', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      vi.stubGlobal(
+        'fetch',
+        vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ ok: true, json: async () => ({ data: [null] }) }),
+      );
+
+      const { httpEmbedQuery, isHttpEmbeddingError } =
+        await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await httpEmbedQuery('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('unexpected response shape');
     });
 
     it('excludes API key from error messages', async () => {
@@ -220,6 +316,42 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       }
     });
 
+    it('scrubs credentials embedded in the endpoint URL from the error message (#2385)', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'https://user:secret@host.example/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      // undici rejects a credential-bearing URL at Request construction, echoing
+      // the full URL (incl. user:secret) verbatim in err.message.
+      vi.stubGlobal(
+        'fetch',
+        vi
+          .fn()
+          .mockRejectedValue(
+            new TypeError(
+              'Request cannot be constructed from a URL that includes credentials: ' +
+                'https://user:secret@host.example/v1/embeddings',
+            ),
+          ),
+      );
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
+      // The secret is gone; the masked host is retained so the message stays useful.
+      expect(String(err)).not.toContain('secret');
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('host.example');
+    });
+
+    it('leaves a non-credential reason unchanged (no over-scrubbing)', async () => {
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+      process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+      vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(new TypeError('fetch failed')));
+
+      const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('fetch failed');
+    });
+
     it('includes abort signal for timeout', async () => {
       process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
       process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
@@ -333,7 +465,12 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       );
 
       const mod = await import('../../src/mcp/core/embedder.js');
-      await expect(mod.embedQuery('test')).rejects.toThrow('empty response');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await mod.embedQuery('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('empty response');
+      // Type-completeness fence: this conversion must stay typed so the CLI
+      // routes it to the endpoint branch, not the HF branch (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('throws when endpoint returns fewer embeddings than texts', async () => {
@@ -349,9 +486,11 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       );
 
       const { embedBatch } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
-      await expect(embedBatch(['text1', 'text2', 'text3'])).rejects.toThrow(
-        '1 vectors for 3 texts',
-      );
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedBatch(['text1', 'text2', 'text3']).catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('1 vectors for 3 texts');
+      // Type-completeness fence (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('throws on dimension mismatch when GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS is set', async () => {
@@ -368,7 +507,11 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       );
 
       const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
-      await expect(embedText('test')).rejects.toThrow('Embedding dimension mismatch');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('Embedding dimension mismatch');
+      // Type-completeness fence (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
     });
   });
 
@@ -397,7 +540,11 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       vi.stubGlobal('fetch', vi.fn().mockRejectedValue(timeoutErr));
 
       const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
-      await expect(embedText('test')).rejects.toThrow('timed out');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('timed out');
+      // Type-completeness fence: a timeout must stay classifiable (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
       expect(fetch).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
     });
 
@@ -433,7 +580,11 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
       );
 
       const mod = await import('../../src/mcp/core/embedder.js');
-      await expect(mod.embedQuery('test')).rejects.toThrow('dimension mismatch');
+      const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+      const err = await mod.embedQuery('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+      expect(String(err)).toContain('dimension mismatch');
+      // Type-completeness fence: the query-path conversion must stay typed (#2385).
+      expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(true);
     });
 
     it('throws with Set hint when GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS is unset', async () => {
@@ -454,3 +605,77 @@ describe('HTTP embedding backend', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+describe('HttpEmbeddingError classification', () => {
+  it('recognises an HttpEmbeddingError instance', async () => {
+    const { HttpEmbeddingError, isHttpEmbeddingError } =
+      await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(new HttpEmbeddingError('anything at all'))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('recognises a cross-realm error by name even when instanceof fails', async () => {
+    const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    // Simulates an error that crossed a module boundary and lost its prototype
+    // chain: instanceof would be false, but the stable `name` still identifies it.
+    const crossRealm = new Error('endpoint down');
+    crossRealm.name = 'HttpEmbeddingError';
+    expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(crossRealm)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    new Error('TypeError: fetch failed'),
+    new Error('Failed to download embedding model'),
+    new Error('connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:443'),
+    'not even an error',
+    undefined,
+  ])('does not claim non-endpoint value: %s', async (value) => {
+    const { isHttpEmbeddingError } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(value)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('HTTP mode config probe (#2385)', () => {
+  const ENV_KEYS = [
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL',
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL',
+    'GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS',
+  ] as const;
+  const savedEnv = Object.fromEntries(ENV_KEYS.map((k) => [k, process.env[k]]));
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.resetModules();
+    for (const key of ENV_KEYS) {
+      if (savedEnv[key] === undefined) {
+        delete process.env[key];
+      } else {
+        process.env[key] = savedEnv[key];
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('isHttpMode() is a presence probe that does NOT throw on a malformed DIMS', async () => {
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS = '1024abc';
+
+    const { isHttpMode } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    // Root-cause fix: the mode probe must not validate DIMS, so ~13 unguarded
+    // call sites (analyze:1109, doctor, run-analyze, embedder, mcp) don't crash.
+    expect(isHttpMode()).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('surfaces a malformed DIMS as a recognizable plain config error, not an endpoint error', async () => {
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_URL = 'http://test:8080/v1';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_MODEL = 'test-model';
+    process.env.GITNEXUS_EMBEDDING_DIMS = '1024abc';
+
+    const { embedText } = await import('../../src/core/embeddings/embedder.js');
+    const { isHttpEmbeddingDimsError, isHttpEmbeddingError } =
+      await import('../../src/core/embeddings/http-client.js');
+    const err = await embedText('test').catch((e: unknown) => e);
+    // Validated where it's used (readConfig in httpEmbed) and recognizable...
+    expect(isHttpEmbeddingDimsError(String(err))).toBe(true);
+    // ...as a plain config Error, NOT an HttpEmbeddingError endpoint failure.
+    expect(isHttpEmbeddingError(err)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});