diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d1f06c2..2448b4e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ Orchard is a centralized binary artifact storage system that provides content-ad
 | `GET` | `/api/v1/project/:project/packages/:package` | Get single package with metadata |
 | `POST` | `/api/v1/project/:project/packages` | Create a new package |
 | `POST` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/upload` | Upload an artifact |
-| `GET` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/+/:ref` | Download an artifact (supports Range header) |
+| `GET` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/+/:ref` | Download an artifact (supports Range header, mode param) |
+| `GET` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/+/:ref/url` | Get presigned URL for direct S3 download |
 | `HEAD` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/+/:ref` | Get artifact metadata without downloading |
 | `GET` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/tags` | List tags (with pagination, search, sorting, artifact metadata) |
 | `POST` | `/api/v1/project/:project/:package/tags` | Create a tag |
@@ -292,6 +293,12 @@ curl -H "Range: bytes=0-1023" http://localhost:8080/api/v1/project/my-project/re
 
 # Check file info without downloading (HEAD request)
 curl -I http://localhost:8080/api/v1/project/my-project/releases/+/v1.0.0
+
+# Download with specific mode (presigned, redirect, or proxy)
+curl "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/project/my-project/releases/+/v1.0.0?mode=proxy"
+
+# Get presigned URL for direct S3 download
+curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/project/my-project/releases/+/v1.0.0/url
 ```
 
 > **Note on curl flags:**
@@ -300,6 +307,33 @@ curl -I http://localhost:8080/api/v1/project/my-project/releases/+/v1.0.0
 > - `-OJ` combines both: download to a file using the server-provided filename
 > - `-o <filename>` saves to a specific filename you choose
 
+#### Download Modes
+
+Orchard supports three download modes, configurable via `ORCHARD_DOWNLOAD_MODE` or per-request with `?mode=`:
+
+| Mode | Description | Use Case |
+|------|-------------|----------|
+| `presigned` (default) | Returns JSON with a presigned S3 URL | Clients that handle redirects themselves, web UIs |
+| `redirect` | Returns HTTP 302 redirect to presigned S3 URL | Simple clients, browsers, wget |
+| `proxy` | Streams content through the backend | When S3 isn't directly accessible to clients |
+
+**Presigned URL Response:**
+```json
+{
+  "url": "https://minio.example.com/bucket/...",
+  "expires_at": "2025-01-01T01:00:00Z",
+  "method": "GET",
+  "artifact_id": "a3f5d8e...",
+  "size": 1048576,
+  "content_type": "application/gzip",
+  "original_name": "app-v1.0.0.tar.gz",
+  "checksum_sha256": "a3f5d8e...",
+  "checksum_md5": "d41d8cd..."
+}
+```
+
+> **Note:** For presigned URLs to work, clients must be able to reach the S3 endpoint directly. In Kubernetes, this requires exposing MinIO via ingress (see Helm configuration below).
+
 ### Create a Tag
 
 ```bash
@@ -485,6 +519,8 @@ Configuration is provided via environment variables prefixed with `ORCHARD_`:
 | `ORCHARD_S3_BUCKET` | S3 bucket name | `orchard-artifacts` |
 | `ORCHARD_S3_ACCESS_KEY_ID` | S3 access key | - |
 | `ORCHARD_S3_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY` | S3 secret key | - |
+| `ORCHARD_DOWNLOAD_MODE` | Download mode: `presigned`, `redirect`, or `proxy` | `presigned` |
+| `ORCHARD_PRESIGNED_URL_EXPIRY` | Presigned URL expiry in seconds | `3600` |
 
 ## Kubernetes Deployment
 
@@ -505,6 +541,32 @@ helm install orchard ./helm/orchard -n orchard --create-namespace
 helm install orchard ./helm/orchard -f my-values.yaml
 ```
 
+### Helm Configuration
+
+Key configuration options in `values.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+orchard:
+  # Download configuration
+  download:
+    mode: "presigned"       # presigned, redirect, or proxy
+    presignedUrlExpiry: 3600
+
+# MinIO ingress (required for presigned URL downloads)
+minio:
+  ingress:
+    enabled: true
+    className: "nginx"
+    annotations:
+      cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: "letsencrypt"
+    host: "minio.your-domain.com"
+    tls:
+      enabled: true
+      secretName: minio-tls
+```
+
+When `minio.ingress.enabled` is `true`, the S3 endpoint automatically uses the external URL (`https://minio.your-domain.com`), making presigned URLs accessible to external clients.
+
 See `helm/orchard/values.yaml` for all configuration options.
 
 ## Database Schema