diff --git a/internal/api/handlers.go b/internal/api/handlers.go
index bdcceb6..4f8dfa4 100644
--- a/internal/api/handlers.go
+++ b/internal/api/handlers.go
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"net/http"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
@@ -19,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/config"
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/db"
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/jobdef"
+	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/kc"
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/modules"
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/partnum"
 	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/schema"
@@ -1662,6 +1664,7 @@ func (s *Server) HandleUploadFile(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 }
 
 // HandleDownloadFile downloads the file for a specific revision.
+// For .kc files, silo/ entries are repacked with current DB state.
 func (s *Server) HandleDownloadFile(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	ctx := r.Context()
 	partNumber := chi.URLParam(r, "partNumber")
@@ -1716,18 +1719,23 @@ func (s *Server) HandleDownloadFile(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 		return
 	}
 
-	// Get file from storage
-	var reader interface {
-		Read(p []byte) (n int, err error)
-		Close() error
+	// ETag: computed from revision + metadata freshness.
+	meta, _ := s.metadata.Get(ctx, item.ID) // nil is ok (plain .fcstd)
+	etag := computeETag(revision, meta)
+
+	if match := r.Header.Get("If-None-Match"); match == etag {
+		w.Header().Set("ETag", etag)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotModified)
+		return
 	}
 
+	// Get file from storage
+	var reader io.ReadCloser
 	if revision.FileVersion != nil && *revision.FileVersion != "" {
 		reader, err = s.storage.GetVersion(ctx, *revision.FileKey, *revision.FileVersion)
 	} else {
 		reader, err = s.storage.Get(ctx, *revision.FileKey)
 	}
-
 	if err != nil {
 		s.logger.Error().Err(err).Str("key", *revision.FileKey).Msg("failed to get file")
 		writeError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "download_failed", err.Error())
@@ -1735,28 +1743,37 @@ func (s *Server) HandleDownloadFile(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	}
 	defer reader.Close()
 
+	// Read entire file for potential .kc repacking.
+	data, err := io.ReadAll(reader)
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.Error().Err(err).Msg("failed to read file")
+		writeError(w, http.StatusInternalServerError, "download_failed", "Failed to read file")
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Repack silo/ entries for .kc files with indexed metadata.
+	output := data
+	if meta != nil {
+		if hasSilo, chkErr := kc.HasSiloDir(data); chkErr == nil && hasSilo {
+			if !canSkipRepack(revision, meta) {
+				if packed, packErr := s.packKCFile(ctx, data, item, revision, meta); packErr != nil {
+					s.logger.Warn().Err(packErr).Str("part_number", partNumber).Msg("kc: packing failed, serving original")
+				} else {
+					output = packed
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Set response headers
 	filename := partNumber + "_rev" + strconv.Itoa(revNum) + ".FCStd"
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/octet-stream")
 	w.Header().Set("Content-Disposition", "attachment; filename=\""+filename+"\"")
-	if revision.FileSize != nil {
-		w.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.FormatInt(*revision.FileSize, 10))
-	}
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Length", strconv.Itoa(len(output)))
+	w.Header().Set("ETag", etag)
+	w.Header().Set("Cache-Control", "private, must-revalidate")
 
-	// Stream file to response
-	buf := make([]byte, 32*1024)
-	for {
-		n, readErr := reader.Read(buf)
-		if n > 0 {
-			if _, writeErr := w.Write(buf[:n]); writeErr != nil {
-				s.logger.Error().Err(writeErr).Msg("failed to write response")
-				return
-			}
-		}
-		if readErr != nil {
-			break
-		}
-	}
+	w.Write(output)
 }
 
 // HandleDownloadLatestFile downloads the file for the latest revision.
diff --git a/internal/api/pack_handlers.go b/internal/api/pack_handlers.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b5c694c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/api/pack_handlers.go
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+package api
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/db"
+	"github.com/kindredsystems/silo/internal/kc"
+)
+
+// packKCFile gathers DB state and repacks silo/ entries in a .kc file.
+func (s *Server) packKCFile(ctx context.Context, data []byte, item *db.Item, rev *db.Revision, meta *db.ItemMetadata) ([]byte, error) {
+	manifest := &kc.Manifest{
+		UUID:         item.ID,
+		KCVersion:    derefStr(meta.KCVersion, "1.0"),
+		RevisionHash: derefStr(meta.RevisionHash, ""),
+		SiloInstance: derefStr(meta.SiloInstance, ""),
+	}
+
+	metadata := &kc.Metadata{
+		SchemaName:     derefStr(meta.SchemaName, ""),
+		Tags:           meta.Tags,
+		LifecycleState: meta.LifecycleState,
+		Fields:         meta.Fields,
+	}
+
+	// Build history from last 20 revisions.
+	revisions, err := s.items.GetRevisions(ctx, item.ID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("getting revisions: %w", err)
+	}
+	limit := 20
+	if len(revisions) < limit {
+		limit = len(revisions)
+	}
+	history := make([]kc.HistoryEntry, limit)
+	for i, r := range revisions[:limit] {
+		labels := r.Labels
+		if labels == nil {
+			labels = []string{}
+		}
+		history[i] = kc.HistoryEntry{
+			RevisionNumber: r.RevisionNumber,
+			CreatedAt:      r.CreatedAt.UTC().Format(time.RFC3339),
+			CreatedBy:      r.CreatedBy,
+			Comment:        r.Comment,
+			Status:         r.Status,
+			Labels:         labels,
+		}
+	}
+
+	input := &kc.PackInput{
+		Manifest:     manifest,
+		Metadata:     metadata,
+		History:      history,
+		Dependencies: []any{}, // empty for Phase 2
+	}
+
+	return kc.Pack(data, input)
+}
+
+// computeETag generates a quoted ETag from the revision number and metadata freshness.
+func computeETag(rev *db.Revision, meta *db.ItemMetadata) string {
+	var ts int64
+	if meta != nil {
+		ts = meta.UpdatedAt.UnixNano()
+	} else {
+		ts = rev.CreatedAt.UnixNano()
+	}
+	raw := fmt.Sprintf("%d:%d", rev.RevisionNumber, ts)
+	h := sha256.Sum256([]byte(raw))
+	return `"` + hex.EncodeToString(h[:8]) + `"`
+}
+
+// canSkipRepack returns true if the stored blob already has up-to-date silo/ data.
+func canSkipRepack(rev *db.Revision, meta *db.ItemMetadata) bool {
+	if meta == nil {
+		return true // no metadata row = plain .fcstd
+	}
+	if meta.RevisionHash != nil && rev.FileChecksum != nil &&
+		*meta.RevisionHash == *rev.FileChecksum &&
+		meta.UpdatedAt.Before(rev.CreatedAt) {
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// derefStr returns the value of a *string pointer, or fallback if nil.
+func derefStr(p *string, fallback string) string {
+	if p != nil {
+		return *p
+	}
+	return fallback
+}
diff --git a/internal/kc/kc.go b/internal/kc/kc.go
index f1d02ec..feef87f 100644
--- a/internal/kc/kc.go
+++ b/internal/kc/kc.go
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 // Package kc extracts and parses the silo/ metadata directory from .kc files.
 //
 // A .kc file is a ZIP archive (superset of .fcstd) that contains a silo/
-// directory with JSON metadata entries. This package handles extraction only —
-// no database or HTTP dependencies.
+// directory with JSON metadata entries. This package handles extraction and
+// packing — no database or HTTP dependencies.
 package kc
 
 import (
@@ -36,6 +36,25 @@ type ExtractResult struct {
 	Metadata *Metadata
 }
 
+// HistoryEntry represents one entry in silo/history.json.
+type HistoryEntry struct {
+	RevisionNumber int      `json:"revision_number"`
+	CreatedAt      string   `json:"created_at"`
+	CreatedBy      *string  `json:"created_by,omitempty"`
+	Comment        *string  `json:"comment,omitempty"`
+	Status         string   `json:"status"`
+	Labels         []string `json:"labels"`
+}
+
+// PackInput holds all the data needed to repack silo/ entries in a .kc file.
+// Each field is optional — nil/empty means the entry is omitted from the ZIP.
+type PackInput struct {
+	Manifest     *Manifest
+	Metadata     *Metadata
+	History      []HistoryEntry
+	Dependencies []any // empty [] for Phase 2; structured types in Phase 3+
+}
+
 // Extract opens a ZIP archive from data and parses the silo/ directory.
 // Returns nil, nil if no silo/ directory is found (plain .fcstd file).
 // Returns nil, error if silo/ entries exist but fail to parse.
diff --git a/internal/kc/pack.go b/internal/kc/pack.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33c2ae0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/kc/pack.go
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+package kc
+
+import (
+	"archive/zip"
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// HasSiloDir opens a ZIP archive and returns true if any entry starts with "silo/".
+// This is a lightweight check used to short-circuit before gathering DB data.
+func HasSiloDir(data []byte) (bool, error) {
+	r, err := zip.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(data), int64(len(data)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, fmt.Errorf("kc: open zip: %w", err)
+	}
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "silo/" || strings.HasPrefix(f.Name, "silo/") {
+			return true, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return false, nil
+}
+
+// Pack takes original ZIP file bytes and a PackInput, and returns new ZIP bytes
+// with all silo/ entries replaced by the data from input. Non-silo entries
+// (FreeCAD Document.xml, thumbnails, etc.) are copied verbatim with their
+// original compression method and timestamps preserved.
+//
+// If the original ZIP contains no silo/ directory, the original bytes are
+// returned unchanged (plain .fcstd pass-through).
+func Pack(original []byte, input *PackInput) ([]byte, error) {
+	r, err := zip.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(original), int64(len(original)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: open zip: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Partition entries into silo/ vs non-silo.
+	hasSilo := false
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "silo/" || strings.HasPrefix(f.Name, "silo/") {
+			hasSilo = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !hasSilo {
+		return original, nil // plain .fcstd, no repacking needed
+	}
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	zw := zip.NewWriter(&buf)
+
+	// Copy all non-silo entries verbatim.
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "silo/" || strings.HasPrefix(f.Name, "silo/") {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := copyZipEntry(zw, f); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: copying entry %s: %w", f.Name, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Write new silo/ entries from PackInput.
+	if input.Manifest != nil {
+		if err := writeJSONEntry(zw, "silo/manifest.json", input.Manifest); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: writing manifest.json: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+	if input.Metadata != nil {
+		if err := writeJSONEntry(zw, "silo/metadata.json", input.Metadata); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: writing metadata.json: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+	if input.History != nil {
+		if err := writeJSONEntry(zw, "silo/history.json", input.History); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: writing history.json: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+	if input.Dependencies != nil {
+		if err := writeJSONEntry(zw, "silo/dependencies.json", input.Dependencies); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: writing dependencies.json: %w", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if err := zw.Close(); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("kc: closing zip writer: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return buf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+// copyZipEntry copies a single entry from the original ZIP to the new writer,
+// preserving the file header (compression method, timestamps, etc.).
+func copyZipEntry(zw *zip.Writer, f *zip.File) error {
+	header := f.FileHeader
+	w, err := zw.CreateHeader(&header)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	rc, err := f.Open()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer rc.Close()
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(w, rc)
+	return err
+}
+
+// writeJSONEntry writes a new silo/ entry as JSON with Deflate compression.
+func writeJSONEntry(zw *zip.Writer, name string, v any) error {
+	data, err := json.MarshalIndent(v, "", "  ")
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	header := &zip.FileHeader{
+		Name:   name,
+		Method: zip.Deflate,
+	}
+	w, err := zw.CreateHeader(header)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	_, err = w.Write(data)
+	return err
+}
diff --git a/internal/kc/pack_test.go b/internal/kc/pack_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eb1f523
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/kc/pack_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,229 @@
+package kc
+
+import (
+	"archive/zip"
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestHasSiloDir_PlainFCStd(t *testing.T) {
+	data := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"Document.xml": []byte("<xml/>"),
+	})
+	has, err := HasSiloDir(data)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if has {
+		t.Fatal("expected false for plain .fcstd")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHasSiloDir_KC(t *testing.T) {
+	data := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"Document.xml":       []byte("<xml/>"),
+		"silo/manifest.json": []byte("{}"),
+	})
+	has, err := HasSiloDir(data)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !has {
+		t.Fatal("expected true for .kc with silo/ dir")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHasSiloDir_NotAZip(t *testing.T) {
+	_, err := HasSiloDir([]byte("not a zip"))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for non-ZIP data")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPack_PlainFCStd_Passthrough(t *testing.T) {
+	original := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"Document.xml":     []byte("<xml/>"),
+		"thumbnails/a.png": []byte("png-data"),
+	})
+
+	result, err := Pack(original, &PackInput{
+		Manifest: &Manifest{UUID: "test"},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(result, original) {
+		t.Fatal("expected original bytes returned unchanged for plain .fcstd")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPack_RoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	// Build a .kc with old silo/ data
+	oldManifest := Manifest{UUID: "old-uuid", KCVersion: "0.9", RevisionHash: "old-hash"}
+	oldMetadata := Metadata{SchemaName: "old-schema", Tags: []string{"old"}, LifecycleState: "draft"}
+
+	original := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"Document.xml":       []byte("<freecad/>"),
+		"thumbnails/t.png":   []byte("thumb-data"),
+		"silo/manifest.json": mustJSON(t, oldManifest),
+		"silo/metadata.json": mustJSON(t, oldMetadata),
+	})
+
+	// Pack with new data
+	newManifest := &Manifest{UUID: "new-uuid", KCVersion: "1.0", RevisionHash: "new-hash", SiloInstance: "https://silo.test"}
+	newMetadata := &Metadata{SchemaName: "mechanical-part-v2", Tags: []string{"aluminum", "structural"}, LifecycleState: "review", Fields: map[string]any{"material": "7075-T6"}}
+	comment := "initial commit"
+	history := []HistoryEntry{
+		{RevisionNumber: 1, CreatedAt: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z", Comment: &comment, Status: "draft", Labels: []string{}},
+	}
+
+	packed, err := Pack(original, &PackInput{
+		Manifest:     newManifest,
+		Metadata:     newMetadata,
+		History:      history,
+		Dependencies: []any{},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Pack error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Extract and verify new silo/ data
+	result, err := Extract(packed)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Extract error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if result == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil extract result")
+	}
+	if result.Manifest.UUID != "new-uuid" {
+		t.Errorf("manifest UUID = %q, want %q", result.Manifest.UUID, "new-uuid")
+	}
+	if result.Manifest.KCVersion != "1.0" {
+		t.Errorf("manifest KCVersion = %q, want %q", result.Manifest.KCVersion, "1.0")
+	}
+	if result.Manifest.SiloInstance != "https://silo.test" {
+		t.Errorf("manifest SiloInstance = %q, want %q", result.Manifest.SiloInstance, "https://silo.test")
+	}
+	if result.Metadata.SchemaName != "mechanical-part-v2" {
+		t.Errorf("metadata SchemaName = %q, want %q", result.Metadata.SchemaName, "mechanical-part-v2")
+	}
+	if result.Metadata.LifecycleState != "review" {
+		t.Errorf("metadata LifecycleState = %q, want %q", result.Metadata.LifecycleState, "review")
+	}
+	if len(result.Metadata.Tags) != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("metadata Tags len = %d, want 2", len(result.Metadata.Tags))
+	}
+	if result.Metadata.Fields["material"] != "7075-T6" {
+		t.Errorf("metadata Fields[material] = %v, want 7075-T6", result.Metadata.Fields["material"])
+	}
+
+	// Verify non-silo entries are preserved
+	r, err := zip.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(packed), int64(len(packed)))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("opening packed ZIP: %v", err)
+	}
+	entryMap := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		entryMap[f.Name] = true
+	}
+	if !entryMap["Document.xml"] {
+		t.Error("Document.xml missing from packed ZIP")
+	}
+	if !entryMap["thumbnails/t.png"] {
+		t.Error("thumbnails/t.png missing from packed ZIP")
+	}
+
+	// Verify non-silo content is byte-identical
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "Document.xml" {
+			content := readZipEntry(t, f)
+			if string(content) != "<freecad/>" {
+				t.Errorf("Document.xml content = %q, want %q", content, "<freecad/>")
+			}
+		}
+		if f.Name == "thumbnails/t.png" {
+			content := readZipEntry(t, f)
+			if string(content) != "thumb-data" {
+				t.Errorf("thumbnails/t.png content = %q, want %q", content, "thumb-data")
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPack_NilFields(t *testing.T) {
+	original := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"Document.xml":       []byte("<xml/>"),
+		"silo/manifest.json": []byte(`{"uuid":"x"}`),
+	})
+
+	// Pack with only manifest, nil metadata/history/deps
+	packed, err := Pack(original, &PackInput{
+		Manifest: &Manifest{UUID: "updated"},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Pack error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Extract — should have manifest but no metadata
+	result, err := Extract(packed)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Extract error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if result.Manifest == nil || result.Manifest.UUID != "updated" {
+		t.Errorf("manifest UUID = %v, want updated", result.Manifest)
+	}
+	if result.Metadata != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected nil metadata, got %+v", result.Metadata)
+	}
+
+	// Verify no old silo/ entries leaked through
+	r, _ := zip.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(packed), int64(len(packed)))
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "silo/metadata.json" {
+			t.Error("old silo/metadata.json should have been removed")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPack_EmptyDependencies(t *testing.T) {
+	original := buildZip(t, map[string][]byte{
+		"silo/manifest.json": []byte(`{"uuid":"x"}`),
+	})
+
+	packed, err := Pack(original, &PackInput{
+		Manifest:     &Manifest{UUID: "x"},
+		Dependencies: []any{},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Pack error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Verify dependencies.json exists and is []
+	r, _ := zip.NewReader(bytes.NewReader(packed), int64(len(packed)))
+	for _, f := range r.File {
+		if f.Name == "silo/dependencies.json" {
+			content := readZipEntry(t, f)
+			if string(content) != "[]" {
+				t.Errorf("dependencies.json = %q, want %q", content, "[]")
+			}
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	t.Error("silo/dependencies.json not found in packed ZIP")
+}
+
+// readZipEntry reads the full contents of a zip.File.
+func readZipEntry(t *testing.T, f *zip.File) []byte {
+	t.Helper()
+	rc, err := f.Open()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("opening zip entry %s: %v", f.Name, err)
+	}
+	defer rc.Close()
+	data, err := io.ReadAll(rc)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("reading zip entry %s: %v", f.Name, err)
+	}
+	return data
+}