diff --git a/examples/express-basic.ts b/examples/express-basic.ts
index 7c7247b..78c8cb0 100644
--- a/examples/express-basic.ts
+++ b/examples/express-basic.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
   Author: George Moon <george.moon@gmail.com>
 */
 
+import { pipeline } from 'node:stream';
 import { XmlNode, XmlText } from '@aws-sdk/xml-builder';
 import bodyParser from 'body-parser';
 import express, { type Request, type Response } from 'express';
@@ -108,7 +109,11 @@ app
     try {
       const { stream, status, headers } = await proxy.fetch(req as unknown as HttpRequest);
       res.writeHead(status, headers);
-      stream.on('error', (err: ErrorWithDetails) => handleError(req, res, err)).pipe(res);
+      // pipeline (not .pipe) destroys the S3 source stream on client disconnect
+      // or write error, so the underlying S3 socket isn't leaked.
+      pipeline(stream, res, (err) => {
+        if (err) handleError(req, res, err as ErrorWithDetails);
+      });
     } catch (error) {
       handleError(req, res, error as ErrorWithDetails);
     }
diff --git a/examples/fastify-basic.ts b/examples/fastify-basic.ts
index 5548c34..a8ad0bc 100644
--- a/examples/fastify-basic.ts
+++ b/examples/fastify-basic.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
  * v4 proxy.fetch() API: pure data fetch, frameworks own the response.
  */
 
+import { pipeline } from 'node:stream';
 import { XmlNode, XmlText } from '@aws-sdk/xml-builder';
 import Fastify from 'fastify';
 import { S3Proxy } from '../src/index.js';
@@ -60,18 +61,12 @@ fastify.head('/*', async (request, reply) => {
 fastify.get('/*', async (request, reply) => {
   const { stream, status, headers } = await proxy.fetch(request.raw as unknown as HttpRequest);
   reply.raw.writeHead(status, headers);
-  stream.on('error', (err: S3Error) => {
-    const errorXml = createErrorXml(err, request.url);
-    if (!reply.raw.headersSent) {
-      reply
-        .status(err.statusCode || 500)
-        .type('application/xml')
-        .send(errorXml);
-    } else {
-      reply.raw.end();
-    }
+  // pipeline (not .pipe) destroys the S3 source stream if the client disconnects
+  // mid-transfer, so the underlying S3 socket isn't leaked. Headers are already
+  // sent by writeHead above, so on a stream error we can only end the response.
+  pipeline(stream, reply.raw, (err) => {
+    if (err && !reply.raw.writableEnded) reply.raw.end();
   });
-  stream.pipe(reply.raw);
   return reply.hijack();
 });
 
diff --git a/examples/http.ts b/examples/http.ts
index c58f748..d6a5c2b 100644
--- a/examples/http.ts
+++ b/examples/http.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { createServer } from 'node:http';
+import { pipeline } from 'node:stream';
 import { S3Proxy } from '../src/index.js';
 import type { HttpRequest } from '../src/types.js';
 
@@ -18,7 +19,11 @@ const server = createServer(async (req, res) => {
   try {
     const { stream, status, headers } = await proxy.fetch(req as unknown as HttpRequest);
     res.writeHead(status, headers);
-    stream.on('error', () => res.end()).pipe(res);
+    // pipeline (not .pipe) destroys the S3 source stream if the client
+    // disconnects mid-transfer, so the underlying S3 socket isn't leaked.
+    pipeline(stream, res, (err) => {
+      if (err && !res.writableEnded) res.end();
+    });
   } catch (error) {
     const statusCode =
       typeof error === 'object' &&
diff --git a/src/s3-gateway.ts b/src/s3-gateway.ts
index 972b481..5e3f46a 100644
--- a/src/s3-gateway.ts
+++ b/src/s3-gateway.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {
   S3Client,
   S3ServiceException,
 } from '@aws-sdk/client-s3';
-import { S3Forbidden, S3InvalidRange, S3NotFound, type S3ProxyError } from './errors.js';
+import { S3Forbidden, S3InvalidRange, S3NotFound, S3ProxyError } from './errors.js';
 import type { S3FetchResponse, S3ProxyOptions } from './types.js';
 import { UserException } from './UserException.js';
 
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ function outputToHeaders(output: SupportedOutput): Record<string, string> {
   return h;
 }
 
-function mapError(e: unknown, target: string): S3ProxyError | never {
+function mapError(e: unknown, target: string): S3ProxyError {
   if (e instanceof NoSuchKey || e instanceof NoSuchBucket) {
     return new S3NotFound(target, { cause: e });
   }
@@ -63,7 +63,13 @@ function mapError(e: unknown, target: string): S3ProxyError | never {
     if (e.name === 'AccessDenied') return new S3Forbidden(target, { cause: e });
     if (e.name === 'InvalidRange') return new S3InvalidRange(target, { cause: e });
   }
-  throw e;
+  // Anything else — an unmapped S3ServiceException (e.g. PermanentRedirect,
+  // SlowDown, InternalError), a network error, or an unexpected throw — is
+  // wrapped in a generic 500. Raw AWS details (bucket region/endpoint,
+  // requestId, internal messages) must never reach the client; the original
+  // is preserved on `cause` for server-side logging only. Consumers that log
+  // errors should log `err.cause`, never surface it in a response body.
+  return new S3ProxyError(`S3 request failed: ${target}`, 500, { cause: e });
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/test/fetch.test.ts b/test/fetch.test.ts
index cfe1253..8ecdb58 100644
--- a/test/fetch.test.ts
+++ b/test/fetch.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { GetObjectCommand, S3ServiceException } from '@aws-sdk/client-s3';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { S3Forbidden, S3InvalidRange, S3NotFound, S3Proxy } from '../src/index.js';
+import { S3Forbidden, S3InvalidRange, S3NotFound, S3Proxy, S3ProxyError } from '../src/index.js';
 import { s3Mock, setupS3Mocks, teardownS3Mocks } from './helpers/aws-mock.js';
 import { catchError, makeReq, readAll } from './helpers/http-mocks.js';
 
@@ -75,20 +75,29 @@ describe('proxy.fetch', () => {
     expect((err as S3InvalidRange).cause).toBe(invalidRange);
   });
 
-  it('rethrows non-AWS errors unchanged', async () => {
+  it('wraps non-AWS errors in a sanitized 500 (original preserved on cause)', async () => {
+    // Unmapped errors (network failures, unexpected AWS exceptions like
+    // PermanentRedirect/SlowDown) must not leak their raw message to the client.
     const networkError = new Error('Network error');
     s3Mock.on(GetObjectCommand, { Bucket: '.test-bucket', Key: 'flaky.txt' }).rejects(networkError);
-    await expect(proxy.fetch(makeReq('/flaky.txt'))).rejects.toThrow('Network error');
+    const err = await catchError(proxy.fetch(makeReq('/flaky.txt')));
+    expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(S3ProxyError);
+    expect((err as S3ProxyError).statusCode).toBe(500);
+    expect((err as Error).message).not.toContain('Network error');
+    expect((err as S3ProxyError).cause).toBe(networkError);
   });
 
-  it('throws for unrecognized body type', async () => {
+  it('wraps an unrecognized body type in a sanitized 500 (original on cause)', async () => {
     s3Mock.on(GetObjectCommand, { Bucket: '.test-bucket', Key: 'weird.txt' }).resolves({
       Body: { invalid: 'body' } as never,
       ContentLength: 100,
       ContentType: 'text/plain',
       $metadata: { httpStatusCode: 200, requestId: 'mock' },
     });
-    await expect(proxy.fetch(makeReq('/weird.txt'))).rejects.toThrow('unrecognized type');
+    const err = await catchError(proxy.fetch(makeReq('/weird.txt')));
+    expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(S3ProxyError);
+    expect((err as S3ProxyError).statusCode).toBe(500);
+    expect(((err as S3ProxyError).cause as Error).message).toBe('unrecognized type');
   });
 
   it('does not write to a response (pure)', async () => {
diff --git a/test/s3proxy.test.ts b/test/s3proxy.test.ts
index 1ddedb8..4769843 100644
--- a/test/s3proxy.test.ts
+++ b/test/s3proxy.test.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 import { HeadBucketCommand } from '@aws-sdk/client-s3';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { S3NotFound, S3Proxy, UserException } from '../src/index.js';
+import { S3NotFound, S3Proxy, S3ProxyError, UserException } from '../src/index.js';
 import type { S3ProxyConfig } from '../src/types.js';
 import { s3Mock, setupS3Mocks, teardownS3Mocks } from './helpers/aws-mock.js';
+import { catchError } from './helpers/http-mocks.js';
 
 describe('S3Proxy', () => {
   beforeEach(() => {
@@ -72,8 +73,14 @@ describe('S3Proxy', () => {
       const errorSpy = vi.fn();
       proxy.on('error', errorSpy);
 
-      await expect(proxy.init()).rejects.toThrow('Init failed');
-      expect(errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(initError);
+      // init() rejects with a sanitized S3ProxyError (raw message not exposed);
+      // the original is preserved on `cause` and the same error is emitted.
+      const err = await catchError(proxy.init());
+      expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(S3ProxyError);
+      expect((err as S3ProxyError).statusCode).toBe(500);
+      expect((err as Error).message).not.toContain('Init failed');
+      expect((err as S3ProxyError).cause).toBe(initError);
+      expect(errorSpy).toHaveBeenCalledWith(err);
     });
   });
 
@@ -99,10 +106,14 @@ describe('S3Proxy', () => {
   });
 
   describe('verifyOnInit', () => {
-    it('defaults to true: rejects when the bucket is unreachable', async () => {
+    it('defaults to true: rejects with a sanitized error when the bucket is unreachable', async () => {
       const proxy = new S3Proxy({ bucket: '.test-bucket' });
-      s3Mock.on(HeadBucketCommand).rejectsOnce(new Error('unreachable'));
-      await expect(proxy.init()).rejects.toThrow('unreachable');
+      const cause = new Error('unreachable');
+      s3Mock.on(HeadBucketCommand).rejectsOnce(cause);
+      const err = await catchError(proxy.init());
+      expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(S3ProxyError);
+      expect((err as Error).message).not.toContain('unreachable');
+      expect((err as S3ProxyError).cause).toBe(cause);
     });
 
     it('false: init() resolves without sending a HeadBucket', async () => {