diff --git a/l4d2web/services/job_worker.py b/l4d2web/services/job_worker.py
index 3e49662..17ae41e 100644
--- a/l4d2web/services/job_worker.py
+++ b/l4d2web/services/job_worker.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from l4d2web.models import (
     Server,
     WorkshopItem,
 )
-from l4d2web.services.host_commands import CommandCancelledError
+from l4d2web.services.host_commands import CommandCancelledError, HostCommandError
 from l4d2web.services.server_identity import server_unit_name
 
 
@@ -344,7 +344,17 @@ def run_job(job_id: int) -> None:
             refresh_server_actual_state_after_job(job_id, server_id)
         exit_code = exc.returncode if exc.returncode is not None else 1
         finish_job(job_id, "cancelled", exit_code, error=error)
+    except HostCommandError as exc:
+        # stderr was already pumped line-by-line into JobLog by
+        # host_commands.run_command before it raised; don't re-append exc.stderr
+        # (would duplicate the entire traceback as one 4KB-truncated row).
+        error = exc.stderr or str(exc)
+        if server_id is not None:
+            refresh_server_actual_state_after_job(job_id, server_id)
+        finish_job(job_id, "failed", exc.returncode, error=error)
     except subprocess.CalledProcessError as exc:
+        # Raw CalledProcessError raised outside host_commands (no streaming
+        # pump ran); its stderr hasn't been logged yet.
         error = exc.stderr or str(exc)
         if exc.stderr:
             append_job_log_line(job_id, "stderr", str(exc.stderr), max_chars=max_chars)
diff --git a/l4d2web/tests/test_job_worker.py b/l4d2web/tests/test_job_worker.py
index c799eba..736c797 100644
--- a/l4d2web/tests/test_job_worker.py
+++ b/l4d2web/tests/test_job_worker.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from l4d2web.models import (
     WorkshopItem,
 )
 from l4d2web.services import l4d2_facade
-from l4d2web.services.host_commands import CommandCancelledError
+from l4d2web.services.host_commands import CommandCancelledError, HostCommandError
 from l4d2web.services.job_worker import (
     SchedulerState,
     build_scheduler_state,
@@ -219,6 +219,40 @@ def test_called_process_error_fails_job_and_sets_server_error(seeded_worker, mon
     assert "stop failed" in lines
 
 
+def test_host_command_error_does_not_duplicate_stderr_in_log(seeded_worker, monkeypatch) -> None:
+    """HostCommandError means host_commands.run_command's pump already
+    streamed stderr to JobLog line-by-line; the worker must not also append
+    exc.stderr as a single row (would duplicate the entire traceback)."""
+    app, ids = seeded_worker
+    job_id = add_job(ids.user, "stop", server_id=ids.server_one)
+
+    multiline_stderr = "line1\nline2\nline3"
+
+    def fail_stop(server_id, **kwargs):
+        raise HostCommandError(returncode=7, cmd=["stop"], output="", stderr=multiline_stderr)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(l4d2_facade, "stop_server", fail_stop)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(l4d2_facade, "server_status", lambda name: SimpleNamespace(state="stopped"))
+
+    with app.app_context():
+        assert run_worker_once() is True
+
+    with session_scope() as session:
+        job = session.scalar(select(Job).where(Job.id == job_id))
+        server = session.scalar(select(Server).where(Server.id == ids.server_one))
+        lines = [row.line for row in job_logs_for(session, job_id)]
+
+    assert job is not None
+    assert job.state == "failed"
+    assert job.exit_code == 7
+    assert server is not None
+    assert server.last_error == multiline_stderr
+    # The pump didn't run in this test (mocked facade), so individual stderr
+    # lines aren't expected. What matters is the multi-line blob is NOT
+    # appended as a single JobLog row.
+    assert multiline_stderr not in lines
+
+
 def test_refresh_failure_does_not_hide_operation_failure(seeded_worker, monkeypatch) -> None:
     app, ids = seeded_worker
     job_id = add_job(ids.user, "stop", server_id=ids.server_one)