diff --git a/app/helpers/ui_helper.rb b/app/helpers/ui_helper.rb
index 32325d9232..ba1c1f0832 100644
--- a/app/helpers/ui_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/ui_helper.rb
@@ -88,8 +88,13 @@ def clear_filter_button(options = {})
     cancel_button_to request.path, { size: "md", text: "Clear Filters" }.merge(options)
   end
 
+  # Pass remote: true to fetch the file in the background with the download controller. rails-ujs
+  # only re-enables a disabled link on the next page load, which a file download never triggers, so
+  # without it the button stays on "Please wait..." (#5691). The controller re-enables it once the
+  # file arrives.
   def download_button_to(link, options = {})
-    _link_to link, { icon: "download", type: "info", text: "Download", size: "md" }.merge(options)
+    properties = options[:remote] ? { data: { controller: "download", action: "download#download" } } : {}
+    _link_to link, { icon: "download", type: "info", text: "Download", size: "md" }.merge(options.except(:remote)), properties
   end
 
   def edit_button_to(link, options = {}, properties = {})
diff --git a/app/javascript/controllers/csv_download_controller.js b/app/javascript/controllers/csv_download_controller.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 5b5051f663..0000000000
--- a/app/javascript/controllers/csv_download_controller.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"
-
-// Connects to data-controller="csv-download"
-// Fetches a CSV file in the background and triggers a browser download.
-//
-// Usage:
-//   <div data-controller="csv-download" data-csv-download-url-value="/some/path.csv"></div>
-//
-export default class extends Controller {
-  static values = { url: String }
-
-  connect() {
-    fetch(this.urlValue, { headers: { "X-Requested-With": "XMLHttpRequest" } })
-      .then(response => {
-        if (!response.ok) return
-        const filename = this._extractFilename(response.headers.get("Content-Disposition"))
-        return response.blob().then(blob => ({ blob, filename }))
-      })
-      .then(({ blob, filename }) => {
-        const objectUrl = URL.createObjectURL(blob)
-        const anchor = document.createElement("a")
-        anchor.href = objectUrl
-        anchor.download = filename || "report.csv"
-        anchor.click()
-        URL.revokeObjectURL(objectUrl)
-      })
-  }
-
-  _extractFilename(disposition) {
-    if (!disposition) return null
-
-    const utf8Match = disposition.match(/filename\*=UTF-8''([^;\n]+)/i)
-    if (utf8Match) return decodeURIComponent(utf8Match[1])
-    const plainMatch = disposition.match(/filename="?([^";\n]+)"?/i)
-    return plainMatch ? plainMatch[1] : null
-  }
-}
diff --git a/app/javascript/controllers/download_controller.js b/app/javascript/controllers/download_controller.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5060f3886b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/javascript/controllers/download_controller.js
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"
+import Rails from "@rails/ujs"
+
+// Connects to data-controller="download"
+// Fetches a file in the background and hands it to the browser as a download, so a download
+// button can stay disabled until the file actually arrives (#5691). rails-ujs only re-enables
+// a disabled link on the next page load, and a file download never triggers one.
+//
+// Usage:
+//   <a href="/donations.csv" data-controller="download" data-action="download#download">
+//   <div data-controller="download" data-download-url-value="/some/path.csv"></div>  (downloads on connect)
+//
+export default class extends Controller {
+  static values = { url: String }
+
+  connect() {
+    if (this.hasUrlValue) this.fetchFile(this.urlValue)
+  }
+
+  async download(event) {
+    // Let new-tab clicks through to the browser. These are the same ones rails-ujs skips, so the
+    // link is never left disabled.
+    if (event.metaKey || event.ctrlKey || event.button !== 0) return
+    event.preventDefault()
+    if (this.busy) return
+
+    this.busy = true
+    Rails.disableElement(this.element)
+    try {
+      await this.fetchFile(this.element.href)
+    } finally {
+      Rails.enableElement(this.element)
+      this.busy = false
+    }
+  }
+
+  async fetchFile(url) {
+    try {
+      // fetch never exposes a 3xx to JS: it either follows it or, in manual mode, returns an
+      // opaque response with no Location. Following it here would also use up the flash that
+      // export redirects (handle_csv_export) rely on, so let the browser make the request instead.
+      // That means a redirecting endpoint is requested twice, so it must not do work before redirecting.
+      const response = await fetch(url, { redirect: "manual", headers: { "X-Requested-With": "XMLHttpRequest" } })
+      if (response.type === "opaqueredirect") {
+        window.location.href = url
+        return
+      }
+      // Signed out: reloading the page sends the user to the login screen.
+      if (response.status === 401) {
+        window.location.reload()
+        return
+      }
+      if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Download failed with status ${response.status}`)
+
+      const filename = this._extractFilename(response.headers.get("Content-Disposition"))
+      const objectUrl = URL.createObjectURL(await response.blob())
+      const anchor = document.createElement("a")
+      anchor.href = objectUrl
+      anchor.download = filename || new URL(url, window.location.href).pathname.split("/").pop()
+      anchor.click()
+      // Revoking in the same tick can cancel the download in Safari.
+      setTimeout(() => URL.revokeObjectURL(objectUrl), 1000)
+    } catch (error) {
+      console.error(error)
+      window.toastr.error("Sorry, the download failed. Please try again.", "", { timeOut: 5000 })
+    }
+  }
+
+  _extractFilename(disposition) {
+    if (!disposition) return null
+
+    const utf8Match = disposition.match(/filename\*=UTF-8''([^;\n]+)/i)
+    if (utf8Match) return decodeURIComponent(utf8Match[1])
+    const plainMatch = disposition.match(/filename="?([^";\n]+)"?/i)
+    return plainMatch ? plainMatch[1] : null
+  }
+}
diff --git a/app/views/reports/annual_reports/index.html.erb b/app/views/reports/annual_reports/index.html.erb
index a549b96a44..3251c38b7a 100644
--- a/app/views/reports/annual_reports/index.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/reports/annual_reports/index.html.erb
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@
           <%=
               download_button_to(
                 range_reports_annual_reports_path(year_start: @years.first, year_end: @years.last, format: :csv),
-                text: "Export Yearly Reports"
+                text: "Export Yearly Reports",
+                remote: true
               )
           %>
           This will recalculate all the reports, and may take some time.
diff --git a/app/views/reports/annual_reports/show.html.erb b/app/views/reports/annual_reports/show.html.erb
index d8e254e6f8..cf20afd240 100644
--- a/app/views/reports/annual_reports/show.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/reports/annual_reports/show.html.erb
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@
         <%=
             download_button_to(
               reports_annual_report_path(@year, format: :csv),
-              text: "Export Report"
+              text: "Export Report",
+              remote: true
             )
         %>
       </span>
diff --git a/app/views/shared/_csv_download.html.erb b/app/views/shared/_csv_download.html.erb
index ddf2cff4f7..f949f5142b 100644
--- a/app/views/shared/_csv_download.html.erb
+++ b/app/views/shared/_csv_download.html.erb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <% if flash[:trigger_csv_download] %>
   <% csv_url = "#{request.path}.csv#{"?#{request.query_string}" if request.query_string.present?}" %>
-  <div data-controller="toast csv-download"
-       data-csv-download-url-value="<%= csv_url %>"
+  <div data-controller="toast download"
+       data-download-url-value="<%= csv_url %>"
        data-toast-message-value="Your CSV export is downloading!"
        class="d-none"></div>
 <% end %>
diff --git a/spec/helpers/ui_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/ui_helper_spec.rb
index 35e1a96359..558fc072fa 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/ui_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/ui_helper_spec.rb
@@ -138,6 +138,40 @@
     end
   end
 
+  describe 'download_button_to' do
+    context 'with default options' do
+      subject { helper.download_button_to("/reports/annual_reports/2025.csv", text: "Export Report") }
+
+      it 'renders a download link' do
+        button = Nokogiri::HTML(subject).css("a").first
+        expect(button).to_not be_nil
+        expect(button.attributes["href"].value).to eq("/reports/annual_reports/2025.csv")
+        expect(button.attributes["class"].value).to include("btn btn-info")
+        expect(button.text.strip).to eq("Export Report")
+      end
+
+      it 'disables on click and leaves the link as a normal navigation' do
+        button = Nokogiri::HTML(subject).css("a").first
+        expect(button.attributes["data-disable-with"].value).to eq("Please wait...")
+        expect(button.attributes["data-controller"]).to be_nil
+      end
+    end
+
+    # Regression test for #5691: keep rails-ujs' double-click protection, and hand the link to
+    # the download controller, which re-enables it once the file arrives since no page load will.
+    context 'with remote: true' do
+      subject { helper.download_button_to("/reports/annual_reports/2025.csv", text: "Export Report", remote: true, data: {test: "test"}) }
+
+      it 'disables on click and uses the download controller' do
+        button = Nokogiri::HTML(subject).css("a").first
+        expect(button.attributes["data-disable-with"].value).to eq("Please wait...")
+        expect(button.attributes["data-controller"].value).to eq("download")
+        expect(button.attributes["data-action"].value).to eq("download#download")
+        expect(button.attributes["data-test"].value).to eq("test")
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
   describe 'modal_button_to' do
     context 'with default options' do
       subject { helper.modal_button_to("#newRequest", text: "New Quantity Request", icon: "plus", type: "success") }
diff --git a/spec/requests/distributions_requests_spec.rb b/spec/requests/distributions_requests_spec.rb
index 8a093d1636..6a41b7f7e4 100644
--- a/spec/requests/distributions_requests_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/requests/distributions_requests_spec.rb
@@ -84,11 +84,11 @@
       end
 
       context "with export_csv param" do
-        it "redirects then renders a csv-download stimulus controller to export CSV" do
+        it "redirects then renders a download stimulus controller to export CSV" do
           get distributions_path(export_csv: true, foo: "bar")
           expect(response).to redirect_to(distributions_path(foo: "bar"))
           follow_redirect!
-          expect(response.body).to include("data-controller=\"toast csv-download\"")
+          expect(response.body).to include("data-controller=\"toast download\"")
           expect(response.body).to include("distributions.csv?foo=bar")
         end
       end
diff --git a/spec/system/annual_reports_system_spec.rb b/spec/system/annual_reports_system_spec.rb
index 5b26888cb2..59099dcedf 100644
--- a/spec/system/annual_reports_system_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/system/annual_reports_system_spec.rb
@@ -33,5 +33,19 @@
       expect(page).to have_content("Year End Summary")
       expect(page).to have_content("Period Supplies")
     end
+
+    it "keeps the Export Report button label after exporting" do
+      year = 1.year.ago.year
+      click_on(year.to_s)
+      expect(page).to have_selector("h1", text: "Diapers")
+
+      click_on("Export Report")
+      wait_for_download
+
+      # The download controller re-enables the button once the file has arrived.
+      button = find("a[href='#{reports_annual_report_path(year, format: :csv)}']")
+      expect(button).to have_text("Export Report")
+      expect(button).to have_no_text("Please wait...")
+    end
   end
 end