diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8412f16..724647f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -92,6 +92,12 @@ npm exec -- zenodraft metadata validate .zenodo.json
 
 During export, OpenCite validates generated `.zenodo.json` metadata. ZIP exports include `METADATA_VALIDATION.txt` for downstream provenance checks.
 
+Some browsers or operating systems may save the standalone Zenodo download as
+`zenodo.json` even though OpenCite requests `.zenodo.json`. Rename that file to
+`.zenodo.json` before adding it to a repository, or use **Download ZIP (Both
+Files)**: the archive contains `CITATION.cff`, `.zenodo.json`, and the validation
+report with the exact filenames. Extract the metadata files before using them.
+
 ## GitHub Import Workflow
 
 1. Paste a GitHub repository URL into the import field.
diff --git a/src/App.jsx b/src/App.jsx
index 992b93b..9f89aec 100644
--- a/src/App.jsx
+++ b/src/App.jsx
@@ -357,7 +357,7 @@ function canUseNativeFilePicker() {
   return typeof window !== 'undefined' && typeof window.showSaveFilePicker === 'function';
 }
 
-async function createMetadataZipBlob(citationPreview, zenodoPreview, validationReport) {
+export async function createMetadataZipBlob(citationPreview, zenodoPreview, validationReport) {
   const zip = new JSZip();
   zip.file(CITATION_FILENAME, citationPreview);
   zip.file(ZENODO_FILENAME, zenodoPreview);
@@ -1435,7 +1435,7 @@ export default function App() {
               </button>
             </div>
             <p className="filename-note">
-              Keep the Zenodo filename as <strong>.zenodo.json</strong> for downstream tooling compatibility. The ZIP now includes <strong>METADATA_VALIDATION.txt</strong> with export checks.
+              Some browsers save the standalone file as <strong>zenodo.json</strong>. If that happens, rename it to <strong>.zenodo.json</strong>, or use <strong>Download ZIP (Both Files)</strong> to preserve the filename inside the archive. The ZIP includes <strong>METADATA_VALIDATION.txt</strong> with export checks.
             </p>
 
             <div className="preview">
diff --git a/tests/services/metadataZip.test.js b/tests/services/metadataZip.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e47e319
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/services/metadataZip.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import JSZip from 'jszip';
+import { createServer } from 'vite';
+
+test('metadata ZIP preserves the exact dotfile name and both export contents', async () => {
+  const vite = await createServer({ server: { middlewareMode: true }, appType: 'custom' });
+  try {
+    const { createMetadataZipBlob } = await vite.ssrLoadModule('/src/App.jsx');
+    const citation = 'cff-version: 1.2.0\n';
+    const zenodo = '{"title":"OpenCite"}';
+    const report = 'Validation passed';
+    const blob = await createMetadataZipBlob(citation, zenodo, report);
+    const zip = await JSZip.loadAsync(await blob.arrayBuffer());
+
+    assert.deepEqual(Object.keys(zip.files).sort(), ['.zenodo.json', 'CITATION.cff', 'METADATA_VALIDATION.txt']);
+    assert.equal(await zip.file('.zenodo.json').async('string'), zenodo);
+    assert.equal(await zip.file('CITATION.cff').async('string'), citation);
+    assert.equal(await zip.file('METADATA_VALIDATION.txt').async('string'), report);
+  } finally {
+    await vite.close();
+  }
+});
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