diff --git a/packages/artifact/__tests__/download.test.ts b/packages/artifact/__tests__/download.test.ts
index 81759d46..518cfc59 100644
--- a/packages/artifact/__tests__/download.test.ts
+++ b/packages/artifact/__tests__/download.test.ts
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     )
     const targetPath = path.join(root, 'FileA.txt')
 
-    setupDownloadItemResponse(true, 200, false, fileContents)
+    setupDownloadItemResponse(true, 200, false, fileContents, false)
     const downloadHttpClient = new DownloadHttpClient()
 
     const items: DownloadItem[] = []
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     )
     const targetPath = path.join(root, 'FileB.txt')
 
-    setupDownloadItemResponse(false, 200, false, fileContents)
+    setupDownloadItemResponse(false, 200, false, fileContents, false)
     const downloadHttpClient = new DownloadHttpClient()
 
     const items: DownloadItem[] = []
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
       const fileContents = Buffer.from('try, try again\n', defaultEncoding)
       const targetPath = path.join(root, `FileC-${statusCode}.txt`)
 
-      setupDownloadItemResponse(false, statusCode, false, fileContents)
+      setupDownloadItemResponse(false, statusCode, false, fileContents, true)
       const downloadHttpClient = new DownloadHttpClient()
 
       const items: DownloadItem[] = []
@@ -195,7 +195,8 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     )
     const targetPath = path.join(root, 'FileD.txt')
 
-    setupDownloadItemResponse(true, 200, true, fileContents)
+    setupDownloadItemResponse(true, 200, true, fileContents, true)
+    setupThrowWhenReadingStream()
     const downloadHttpClient = new DownloadHttpClient()
 
     const items: DownloadItem[] = []
@@ -218,7 +219,7 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     )
     const targetPath = path.join(root, 'FileE.txt')
 
-    setupDownloadItemResponse(false, 200, true, fileContents)
+    setupDownloadItemResponse(false, 200, true, fileContents, true)
     const downloadHttpClient = new DownloadHttpClient()
 
     const items: DownloadItem[] = []
@@ -291,6 +292,18 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     })
   }
 
+  function setupThrowWhenReadingStream(): void {
+    const spyInstance = jest
+      .spyOn(DownloadHttpClient.prototype, 'pipeResponseToFile')
+      .mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
+        return new Promise<void>(resolve => {
+          throw new Error(
+            'simulate GZip reading truncated buffer and throw Z_BUF_ERROR'
+          )
+        })
+      })
+  }
+
   /**
    * Setups up HTTP GET response for downloading items
    * @param isGzip is the downloaded item gzip encoded
@@ -300,7 +313,8 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
     isGzip: boolean,
     firstHttpResponseCode: number,
     truncateFirstResponse: boolean,
-    fileContents: Buffer
+    fileContents: Buffer,
+    retryExpected: boolean
   ): void {
     const spyInstance = jest
       .spyOn(HttpClient.prototype, 'get')
@@ -334,7 +348,7 @@ describe('Download Tests', () => {
       })
 
     // set up a second mock only if we expect a retry. Otherwise this mock will affect other tests.
-    if (firstHttpResponseCode !== 200) {
+    if (retryExpected) {
       spyInstance.mockImplementationOnce(async () => {
         // chained response, if the HTTP GET function gets called again, return a successful response
         const fullResponse = await constructResponse(isGzip, fileContents)
diff --git a/packages/artifact/src/internal/download-http-client.ts b/packages/artifact/src/internal/download-http-client.ts
index 64631c5c..2110b6a6 100644
--- a/packages/artifact/src/internal/download-http-client.ts
+++ b/packages/artifact/src/internal/download-http-client.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ import {
   isThrottledStatusCode,
   getExponentialRetryTimeInMilliseconds,
   tryGetRetryAfterValueTimeInMilliseconds,
-  displayHttpDiagnostics
+  displayHttpDiagnostics,
+  getFileSize,
+  rmFile
 } from './utils'
 import {URL} from 'url'
 import {StatusReporter} from './status-reporter'
@@ -151,7 +153,7 @@ export class DownloadHttpClient {
   ): Promise<void> {
     let retryCount = 0
     const retryLimit = getRetryLimit()
-    const destinationStream = fs.createWriteStream(downloadPath)
+    let destinationStream = fs.createWriteStream(downloadPath)
     const headers = getDownloadHeaders('application/json', true, true)
 
     // a single GET request is used to download a file
@@ -201,6 +203,27 @@ export class DownloadHttpClient {
       }
     }
 
+    const isAllBytesReceived = (
+      expected?: string,
+      received?: number
+    ): boolean => {
+      // be lenient, if any input is missing, assume success, i.e. not truncated
+      if (
+        !expected ||
+        !received ||
+        process.env['ACTIONS_ARTIFACT_SKIP_DOWNLOAD_VALIDATION']
+      ) {
+        return true
+      }
+
+      return parseInt(expected) === received
+    }
+
+    const resetDestinationStream = async (downloadPath: string) => {
+      await rmFile(downloadPath)
+      destinationStream = fs.createWriteStream(downloadPath)
+    }
+
     // keep trying to download a file until a retry limit has been reached
     while (retryCount <= retryLimit) {
       let response: IHttpClientResponse
@@ -217,19 +240,37 @@ export class DownloadHttpClient {
         continue
       }
 
+      let forceRetry = false
       if (isSuccessStatusCode(response.message.statusCode)) {
         // The body contains the contents of the file however calling response.readBody() causes all the content to be converted to a string
         // which can cause some gzip encoded data to be lost
         // Instead of using response.readBody(), response.message is a readableStream that can be directly used to get the raw body contents
-        return this.pipeResponseToFile(
-          response,
-          destinationStream,
-          isGzip(response.message.headers)
-        )
-      } else if (isRetryableStatusCode(response.message.statusCode)) {
+        try {
+          const isGzipped = isGzip(response.message.headers)
+          await this.pipeResponseToFile(response, destinationStream, isGzipped)
+
+          if (
+            isGzipped ||
+            isAllBytesReceived(
+              response.message.headers['content-length'],
+              await getFileSize(downloadPath)
+            )
+          ) {
+            return
+          } else {
+            forceRetry = true
+          }
+        } catch (error) {
+          // retry on error, most likely streams were corrupted
+          forceRetry = true
+        }
+      }
+
+      if (forceRetry || isRetryableStatusCode(response.message.statusCode)) {
         core.info(
           `A ${response.message.statusCode} response code has been received while attempting to download an artifact`
         )
+        resetDestinationStream(downloadPath)
         // if a throttled status code is received, try to get the retryAfter header value, else differ to standard exponential backoff
         isThrottledStatusCode(response.message.statusCode)
           ? await backOff(
diff --git a/packages/artifact/src/internal/utils.ts b/packages/artifact/src/internal/utils.ts
index a9f76b24..ea203644 100644
--- a/packages/artifact/src/internal/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/artifact/src/internal/utils.ts
@@ -303,6 +303,15 @@ export async function createEmptyFilesForArtifact(
   }
 }
 
+export async function getFileSize(filePath: string): Promise<number> {
+  const stats = await fs.stat(filePath)
+  return stats.size
+}
+
+export async function rmFile(filePath: string): Promise<void> {
+  await fs.unlink(filePath)
+}
+
 export function getProperRetention(
   retentionInput: number,
   retentionSetting: string | undefined