diff --git a/esphome/espidf/framework.py b/esphome/espidf/framework.py
index 30cc64a7a6..e045601178 100644
--- a/esphome/espidf/framework.py
+++ b/esphome/espidf/framework.py
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from esphome.framework_helpers import (
     failure_reason,
     get_python_env_executable_path,
     get_system_python_path,
+    is_expected_fetch_error,
     resume_fetch_job,
     rmdir,
     run_batch_downloads,
@@ -297,8 +298,9 @@ def _run_idf_tools_script(
 ) -> tuple[bool, str | None, str | None]:
     """Run one of the sibling idf_tools-backed helper scripts.
 
-    The script is executed with the framework's ``tools`` directory on
-    PYTHONPATH so it imports the framework's own ``idf_tools`` module.
+    PYTHONPATH carries this directory (sibling imports like
+    ``_tool_resolution``), the esphome package root (``esphome.helpers``),
+    and the framework's ``tools`` dir (its own ``idf_tools`` module).
     """
     cmd = [
         get_system_python_path(),
@@ -829,7 +831,12 @@ def _preinstall_idf_tool_archives(
             # surviving torn dir prints its own guidance there
             _LOGGER.warning("ESP-IDF tool pre-extraction failed; see above")
     except Exception as e:  # noqa: BLE001  # pylint: disable=broad-exception-caught
-        _LOGGER.warning("ESP-IDF tool pre-extraction failed: %s", failure_reason(e))
+        # A programming error keeps its traceback at WARNING
+        _LOGGER.warning(
+            "ESP-IDF tool pre-extraction failed: %s",
+            failure_reason(e),
+            exc_info=None if is_expected_fetch_error(e) else e,
+        )
         _LOGGER.debug("Pre-extraction failure detail", exc_info=True)
 
 
diff --git a/esphome/espidf/get_tool_downloads.py b/esphome/espidf/get_tool_downloads.py
index 23b129f40f..fa8a2f3435 100644
--- a/esphome/espidf/get_tool_downloads.py
+++ b/esphome/espidf/get_tool_downloads.py
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 """Print JSON download info for the ESP-IDF tools an install would fetch.
 
 Run via ``python <this file> <idf_framework_root> <targets-csv> <tool-spec>...``.
-PYTHONPATH must include ``<idf_framework_root>/tools`` so ``idf_tools`` is
-importable, and IDF_TOOLS_PATH must be set. Prints a JSON list of
+PYTHONPATH must include this directory (for ``_tool_resolution``) and
+``<idf_framework_root>/tools`` (for ``idf_tools``), and IDF_TOOLS_PATH must
+be set. Prints a JSON list of
 ``{name, url, size, sha256, dest}`` for every tool version that is not yet
 installed, where ``dest`` is the archive filename ``idf_tools.py install``
 expects to find in ``<IDF_TOOLS_PATH>/dist``. Tools with no download for the
diff --git a/esphome/espidf/install_tool_archives.py b/esphome/espidf/install_tool_archives.py
index 6bbabc4356..2c5b4df5e7 100644
--- a/esphome/espidf/install_tool_archives.py
+++ b/esphome/espidf/install_tool_archives.py
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ def collect_pending(
     for tool, name, version, download in iter_tool_downloads(
         targets_csv, tool_specs, on_broken
     ):
-        # An archive at its final name was sha256-verified by the prefetch
+        # Trusted as-is: the prefetch verifies archives at their final name,
+        # and the installer redoes anything this pass fails on
         if (name, version) in pending or not (
             dist_path / archive_name(download)
         ).is_file():
@@ -52,8 +53,11 @@ def install_one(tool: object, name: str, version: str) -> bool | None:
         tool.install(version)
     # check_binary_valid exits via SystemExit; the installer redoes failures
     except (Exception, SystemExit) as e:  # noqa: BLE001  # pylint: disable=broad-exception-caught
+        # Name the type: idf_tools' fatal() raises SystemExit(1), which
+        # would render as a bare "1"
         print(
-            f"pre-extracting {name}@{version} failed, leaving it to the installer: {e}",
+            f"pre-extracting {name}@{version} failed, leaving it to the "
+            f"installer: {type(e).__name__}: {e}",
             file=sys.stderr,
         )
         # A torn dest dir must not look installed to the installer
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py b/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
index 1c15427712..2285a166df 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
+++ b/tests/unit_tests/test_espidf_framework.py
@@ -2086,7 +2086,8 @@ def test_preinstall_script_failure_only_warns(
 def test_preinstall_exception_only_warns(
     tmp_path: Path, caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture
 ) -> None:
-    """An unexpected error must not become a new way for the install to fail."""
+    """An unexpected error must not become a new way for the install to fail,
+    and keeps its traceback at WARNING."""
     with (
         patch(
             "esphome.espidf.framework._run_idf_tools_script",
@@ -2095,7 +2096,8 @@ def test_preinstall_exception_only_warns(
         patch("esphome.espidf.framework.get_usable_cpu_count", return_value=1),
     ):
         _preinstall_idf_tool_archives(tmp_path, "esp32", ["required"], None)
-    assert "pre-extraction failed" in caplog.text
+    record = next(r for r in caplog.records if "pre-extraction failed" in r.message)
+    assert record.exc_info is not None
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------