diff --git a/zulip/tests/test_fetch_upload.py b/zulip/tests/test_fetch_upload.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..156d1aba5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zulip/tests/test_fetch_upload.py
@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+"""Tests for Client.fetch_upload().
+
+These tests verify that fetch_upload():
+  1. Makes a GET request to the correct URL — WITHOUT the /api/v1/ prefix.
+  2. Sends the request with the bot's HTTP Basic Auth credentials.
+  3. Returns a raw requests.Response object (not JSON).
+  4. Handles both relative paths and full URLs correctly.
+"""
+
+from typing import Any
+from unittest import TestCase
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+
+def _make_client(site: str = "https://chat.example.com") -> Any:
+    """Return a zulip.Client with its __init__ network calls mocked out."""
+    import zulip
+
+    # We patch both the network call inside __init__ (get_server_settings)
+    # and ensure_session so we can inspect the session.session.get() call.
+    with patch.object(
+        zulip.Client,
+        "get_server_settings",
+        return_value={"zulip_version": "7.0.0", "zulip_feature_level": 100},
+    ):
+        client = zulip.Client(
+            email="bot@example.com",
+            api_key="deadbeef",
+            site=site,
+        )
+    return client
+
+
+class TestFetchUploadURLBuilding(TestCase):
+    """Verify that the correct URL is constructed before making the request."""
+
+    def _make_request(self, site: str, path: str) -> str:
+        """Helper: return the URL that fetch_upload() would pass to session.get()."""
+        client = _make_client(site=site)
+
+        mock_response = MagicMock()
+        mock_response.status_code = 200
+
+        mock_session = MagicMock()
+        mock_session.get.return_value = mock_response
+
+        client.session = mock_session
+
+        client.fetch_upload(path)
+
+        # Extract the URL that session.get() was called with.
+        args, kwargs = mock_session.get.call_args
+        return args[0]
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Relative path tests
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_relative_path_builds_correct_url(self) -> None:
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://chat.example.com",
+            path="/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(url, "https://chat.example.com/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+    def test_relative_path_does_not_contain_api_v1(self) -> None:
+        """The whole point of fetch_upload: /api/v1/ must NOT be prepended."""
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://chat.example.com",
+            path="/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png",
+        )
+        self.assertNotIn("/api/v1/", url)
+
+    def test_temporary_access_url(self) -> None:
+        """Temporary access URLs (/user_uploads/temporary/...) also work."""
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://chat.example.com",
+            path="/user_uploads/temporary/tok3n/cat.png",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(url, "https://chat.example.com/user_uploads/temporary/tok3n/cat.png")
+
+    def test_path_without_leading_slash(self) -> None:
+        """A path without a leading slash should still work."""
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://chat.example.com",
+            path="user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png",
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(url, "https://chat.example.com/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Absolute URL tests (the caller already has a full URL)
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_absolute_https_url_is_used_as_is(self) -> None:
+        """If the caller passes a full https:// URL, it must not be modified."""
+        full_url = "https://chat.example.com/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png"
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://chat.example.com",
+            path=full_url,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(url, full_url)
+
+    def test_absolute_http_url_is_used_as_is(self) -> None:
+        """Same check for http:// (useful in dev/test environments)."""
+        full_url = "http://localhost:9991/user_uploads/1/ab/test.txt"
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="http://localhost:9991",
+            path=full_url,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(url, full_url)
+
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Site URL normalisation
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_site_with_custom_subdirectory(self) -> None:
+        """Server hosted under a subpath is handled correctly."""
+        url = self._make_request(
+            site="https://example.com/zulip",
+            path="/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png",
+        )
+        # The base_url becomes 'https://example.com/zulip/api/', so the server
+        # root should be 'https://example.com/zulip'.
+        self.assertEqual(url, "https://example.com/zulip/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+
+class TestFetchUploadAuthentication(TestCase):
+    """Verify that the request is authenticated via the existing session."""
+
+    def test_uses_authenticated_session(self) -> None:
+        """fetch_upload() must use self.session (which carries auth headers),
+        not a bare requests.get() call."""
+        client = _make_client()
+
+        mock_response = MagicMock()
+        mock_response.status_code = 200
+
+        mock_session = MagicMock()
+        mock_session.get.return_value = mock_response
+
+        client.session = mock_session
+
+        client.fetch_upload("/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+        # Session.get must have been called exactly once.
+        mock_session.get.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_ensure_session_is_called(self) -> None:
+        """If there is no session yet, ensure_session() must be called."""
+        client = _make_client()
+
+        # Simulate a client with no session (as if network hadn't been used yet).
+        client.session = None
+
+        mock_response = MagicMock()
+        mock_response.status_code = 200
+
+        with patch.object(client, "ensure_session") as mock_ensure_session:
+            # After ensure_session is called, the session attribute needs to
+            # exist; patch it in as a side effect.
+            def _fake_ensure_session() -> None:
+                mock_session = MagicMock()
+                mock_session.get.return_value = mock_response
+                client.session = mock_session
+
+            mock_ensure_session.side_effect = _fake_ensure_session
+            client.fetch_upload("/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+        mock_ensure_session.assert_called_once()
+
+
+class TestFetchUploadReturnValue(TestCase):
+    """Verify that the raw requests.Response object is returned."""
+
+    def test_returns_response_object(self) -> None:
+        """fetch_upload must return the raw Response — not JSON."""
+        import requests
+
+        client = _make_client()
+
+        fake_response = requests.Response()
+        fake_response.status_code = 200
+        fake_response._content = b"\x89PNG\r\n"  # noqa: SLF001  # first bytes of a PNG header
+
+        mock_session = MagicMock()
+        mock_session.get.return_value = fake_response
+        client.session = mock_session
+
+        result = client.fetch_upload("/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+        self.assertIsInstance(result, requests.Response)
+        self.assertEqual(result.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertEqual(result.content, b"\x89PNG\r\n")
+
+    def test_timeout_is_passed_to_session_get(self) -> None:
+        """fetch_upload must set a timeout on the underlying HTTP call."""
+        client = _make_client()
+
+        mock_response = MagicMock()
+        mock_response.status_code = 200
+
+        mock_session = MagicMock()
+        mock_session.get.return_value = mock_response
+        client.session = mock_session
+
+        client.fetch_upload("/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png")
+
+        _, kwargs = mock_session.get.call_args
+        self.assertIn("timeout", kwargs, "A timeout must be passed to session.get()")
+        self.assertIsInstance(kwargs["timeout"], (int, float))
diff --git a/zulip/zulip/__init__.py b/zulip/zulip/__init__.py
index 6d725a10b..851a7cf47 100644
--- a/zulip/zulip/__init__.py
+++ b/zulip/zulip/__init__.py
@@ -733,6 +733,59 @@ def call_endpoint(
             timeout=timeout,
         )
 
+    def fetch_upload(self, path: str) -> requests.Response:
+        """Download an uploaded file using the bot's authentication credentials.
+
+        Unlike `call_endpoint`, this method does NOT prepend ``/api/v1/`` to
+        the path.  Use it to fetch content from endpoints such as::
+
+            /user_uploads/<realm_id>/<filename>          (direct download)
+            /user_uploads/temporary/<token>/<filename>  (temporary access URL)
+
+        Both URL forms are produced by the Zulip server when a file is attached
+        to a message.  The path can be obtained directly from the markdown link
+        in a message, e.g.::
+
+            path = re.fullmatch(
+                r'\\s*\\[([^\\[\\]]*)\\]\\((/user_uploads/[^\\(\\)]*)\\)\\s*',
+                message['content'],
+            ).group(2)
+            response = client.fetch_upload(path)
+            file_bytes = response.content
+
+        :param path: A relative path starting with ``/`` (e.g.
+            ``/user_uploads/1/ab/filename.png``) *or* a fully-qualified URL
+            on the same Zulip server.
+        :returns: A :class:`requests.Response` object.  The caller should
+            inspect ``response.status_code`` before reading ``response.content``.
+        :raises requests.exceptions.RequestException: On network errors.
+        """
+        # Build the server root URL by stripping the '/api/' suffix that
+        # __init__ appends to self.base_url.  For example:
+        #   self.base_url == 'https://chat.example.com/api/'
+        #   server_root  == 'https://chat.example.com'
+        server_root = self.base_url
+        if server_root.endswith("/api/"):
+            server_root = server_root[: -len("/api/")]
+        else:
+            # Defensive fallback: strip any trailing slashes.
+            server_root = server_root.rstrip("/")
+
+        # Accept both a relative path ('/user_uploads/...') and a full URL on
+        # the same server.  If the caller already has an absolute URL we use it
+        # directly so we don't accidentally mangle it.
+        if path.startswith(("http://", "https://")):
+            target_url = path
+        else:
+            # Ensure exactly one slash between the root and the path.
+            target_url = server_root + "/" + path.lstrip("/")
+
+        self.ensure_session()
+        assert self.session is not None
+
+        response = self.session.get(target_url, timeout=15.0)
+        return response
+
     def call_on_each_event(
         self,
         callback: Callable[[Dict[str, Any]], None],
diff --git a/zulip/zulip/examples/download-file b/zulip/zulip/examples/download-file
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..97258a4ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/zulip/zulip/examples/download-file
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""download-file -- Download a Zulip uploaded file using bot credentials.
+
+Usage:
+    download-file --path /user_uploads/2/ab/somefilename.png --output ./downloaded.png
+
+The --path argument accepts the relative URL that appears inside Zulip message
+markdown links, e.g.:
+
+    [cat.png](/user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png)
+
+Specify your Zulip API credentials and server in a ~/.zuliprc file or using
+the standard --site / --api-key options.
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import sys
+
+import zulip
+
+usage = """download-file [options] --path /user_uploads/...
+
+Download a file that was uploaded to Zulip, authenticating as a bot.
+
+Example:
+    download-file --path /user_uploads/2/ab/cat.png --output ./cat.png
+
+Specify your Zulip API credentials and server in a ~/.zuliprc file or using the options.
+"""
+
+parser = zulip.add_default_arguments(argparse.ArgumentParser(usage=usage))
+parser.add_argument(
+    "--path",
+    required=True,
+    help=(
+        "Relative path of the uploaded file, as it appears in message markdown "
+        "(e.g. /user_uploads/2/ab/filename.png)."
+    ),
+)
+parser.add_argument(
+    "--output",
+    required=False,
+    default=None,
+    help=(
+        "Local path where the downloaded file should be saved.  "
+        "Defaults to the basename of --path in the current directory."
+    ),
+)
+
+options = parser.parse_args()
+client = zulip.init_from_options(options)
+
+print(f"Downloading: {options.path}")
+response = client.fetch_upload(options.path)
+
+if response.status_code != 200:
+    print(
+        f"Error: server returned HTTP {response.status_code}",
+        file=sys.stderr,
+    )
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+# Determine the output filename.
+output_path = options.output or options.path.rstrip("/").rsplit("/", 1)[-1]
+
+with open(output_path, "wb") as f:
+    f.write(response.content)
+
+print(f"Saved {len(response.content)} bytes to: {output_path}")