diff --git a/backend/app.py b/backend/app.py
index ea8411cb..c7a4029b 100644
--- a/backend/app.py
+++ b/backend/app.py
@@ -105,28 +105,18 @@ if not os.environ.get("MIOPEN_LOG_LEVEL"):
 import torch
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from fastapi.middleware.cors import CORSMiddleware
-from urllib.parse import quote
 
 from . import __version__, config, database
 from .services import tts, transcribe, llm
 from .database import get_db
 from .utils.platform_detect import get_backend_type
 from .utils.progress import get_progress_manager
+# Re-exported for backwards compatibility with callers importing it from here.
+from .utils.http import safe_content_disposition as safe_content_disposition
 from .services.task_queue import create_background_task, init_queue
 from .routes import register_routers
 
 
-def safe_content_disposition(disposition_type: str, filename: str) -> str:
-    """Build a Content-Disposition header safe for non-ASCII filenames.
-
-    Uses RFC 5987 ``filename*`` parameter so browsers can decode UTF-8
-    filenames while the ``filename`` fallback stays ASCII-only.
-    """
-    ascii_name = "".join(c for c in filename if c.isascii() and (c.isalnum() or c in " -_.")).strip() or "download"
-    utf8_name = quote(filename, safe="")
-    return f"{disposition_type}; filename=\"{ascii_name}\"; filename*=UTF-8''{utf8_name}"
-
-
 def create_app() -> FastAPI:
     """Create and configure the FastAPI application."""
     from .mcp_server.server import build_mcp_server, compose_lifespan
diff --git a/backend/routes/history.py b/backend/routes/history.py
index 694d35be..4b7e2222 100644
--- a/backend/routes/history.py
+++ b/backend/routes/history.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from .. import config, models
 from ..services import export_import, history
-from ..app import safe_content_disposition
+from ..utils.http import safe_content_disposition
 from ..database import Generation as DBGeneration, VoiceProfile as DBVoiceProfile, get_db
 
 router = APIRouter()
diff --git a/backend/routes/profiles.py b/backend/routes/profiles.py
index 68e5f2af..b5658dea 100644
--- a/backend/routes/profiles.py
+++ b/backend/routes/profiles.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ from fastapi.responses import FileResponse, StreamingResponse
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from .. import config, models
-from ..app import safe_content_disposition
+from ..utils.http import safe_content_disposition
 from ..database import VoiceProfile as DBVoiceProfile, get_db
 from ..services import channels, export_import, personality, profiles
 from ..services.profiles import _profile_to_response
diff --git a/backend/routes/stories.py b/backend/routes/stories.py
index 73757d34..0c6237a8 100644
--- a/backend/routes/stories.py
+++ b/backend/routes/stories.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
 
 from .. import database, models
 from ..services import stories
-from ..app import safe_content_disposition
+from ..utils.http import safe_content_disposition
 from ..database import get_db
 
 router = APIRouter()
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_profile_duplicate_names.py b/backend/tests/test_profile_duplicate_names.py
index 55ee8587..1a9b5672 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_profile_duplicate_names.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_profile_duplicate_names.py
@@ -12,13 +12,9 @@ from pathlib import Path
 from sqlalchemy import create_engine
 from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
 
-# Add parent directory to path to import backend modules
-import sys
-sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).parent.parent))
-
-from database import Base, VoiceProfile as DBVoiceProfile
-from models import VoiceProfileCreate
-from profiles import create_profile, update_profile
+from backend.database import Base, VoiceProfile as DBVoiceProfile
+from backend.models import VoiceProfileCreate
+from backend.services.profiles import create_profile, update_profile
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
diff --git a/backend/utils/http.py b/backend/utils/http.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d29a72bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/utils/http.py
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+"""HTTP header helpers shared by the download routes.
+
+Lives here rather than in ``app`` so route modules can use it without
+importing the application module — ``app`` builds the FastAPI instance at
+import time, which registers those same routers and closes an import cycle.
+"""
+
+from urllib.parse import quote
+
+
+def safe_content_disposition(disposition_type: str, filename: str) -> str:
+    """Build a Content-Disposition header safe for non-ASCII filenames.
+
+    Uses RFC 5987 ``filename*`` parameter so browsers can decode UTF-8
+    filenames while the ``filename`` fallback stays ASCII-only.
+    """
+    ascii_name = "".join(c for c in filename if c.isascii() and (c.isalnum() or c in " -_.")).strip() or "download"
+    utf8_name = quote(filename, safe="")
+    return f"{disposition_type}; filename=\"{ascii_name}\"; filename*=UTF-8''{utf8_name}"