diff --git a/tools/ui/src/app.d.ts b/tools/ui/src/app.d.ts
index 5c039063ad..c3d210c9e6 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/app.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/app.d.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import type {
 	ApiChatCompletionStreamChunk,
 	ApiChatCompletionToolCall,
 	ApiChatCompletionToolCallDelta,
+	ApiChatCompletionUsage,
 	ApiChatMessageContentPart,
 	ApiChatMessageData,
 	ApiContextSizeError,
@@ -74,6 +75,7 @@ declare global {
 		ApiChatCompletionResponse,
 		ApiChatCompletionStreamChunk,
 		ApiChatCompletionToolCall,
+		ApiChatCompletionUsage,
 		ApiChatCompletionToolCallDelta,
 		ApiChatMessageData,
 		ApiChatMessageContentPart,
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelId.svelte b/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelId.svelte
index cc9ccdcc4f..a92842dce9 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelId.svelte
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelId.svelte
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 <script lang="ts">
 	import ModelCapabilityIcons from './ModelCapabilityIcons.svelte';
+	import type { ModelDraft } from './ModelsManager/utils';
 	import { Database, ScrollText } from '@lucide/svelte';
 	import { TruncatedText } from '$lib/components/app';
 	import * as Tooltip from '$lib/components/ui/tooltip';
@@ -37,6 +38,8 @@
 		/** Min/max GGUF file size (main + draft) across quants; renders a range when set. */
 		sizeRange?: { min: number; max: number } | null;
 		draftSidecars?: ModelSidecar[];
+		/** Drafts a load would use, rendered as `+ [KIND] [QUANT]` next to the id. */
+		drafts?: ModelDraft[];
 		/** Allow badges to wrap onto new lines instead of truncating. */
 		wrap?: boolean;
 		class?: string;
@@ -46,6 +49,7 @@
 		aliases,
 		class: className = '',
 		contextLength,
+		drafts = [],
 		draftSidecars = [],
 		hideCapabilities = false,
 		hideModalities = false,
@@ -88,6 +92,7 @@
 	let uniqueAliases = $derived([...new Set(aliases ?? [])]);
 	let uniqueTags = $derived([...new Set([...(parsed.tags ?? []), ...(tags ?? [])])]);
 	let uniqueDraftSidecars = $derived([...new Set(draftSidecars)].filter((s) => !isAuxSidecar(s)));
+	let activeDrafts = $derived(drafts.filter((draft) => draft.active && draft.kind));
 
 	let primaryAlias = $derived(uniqueAliases.length === 1 ? uniqueAliases[0] : null);
 	let displayName = $derived(primaryAlias ?? parsed.modelName ?? modelId);
@@ -137,6 +142,18 @@
 					</span>
 				{/if}
 
+				{#each activeDrafts as draft (draft.kind ?? 'draft')}
+					<span class="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-1">
+						<span class="text-[10px] text-muted-foreground">+</span>
+
+						<span class={variantBadgeClass} title="Speculative draft in use">{draft.kind}</span>
+
+						{#if draft.quant}
+							<span class={badgeClass}>{draft.quant}</span>
+						{/if}
+					</span>
+				{/each}
+
 				{#each uniqueDraftSidecars as sidecar (sidecar)}
 					<span class={variantBadgeClass} title={`${sidecar.toUpperCase()} draft model available`}>
 						{sidecar}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelsManager/utils.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelsManager/utils.ts
index d6f787f7c0..cd4dcf313d 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelsManager/utils.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/components/app/models/ModelsManager/utils.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,25 @@
-import { MODEL_OVERRIDES_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY, SETTINGS_KEYS } from '$lib/constants';
+import {
+	LOCAL_BACKEND_ID,
+	MODEL_ID,
+	MODEL_OVERRIDES_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY,
+	type ModelSidecar,
+	SETTINGS_KEYS,
+	SPEC_TYPE
+} from '$lib/constants';
 import { ModelCapability } from '$lib/enums';
 import { HuggingFaceService, ModelsService } from '$lib/services';
-import { settingsStore } from '$lib/stores';
-import type { ModelLoadProgress, ModelModalities, ModelOption } from '$lib/types/models';
+import { backendsModelsStore, modelsStore, settingsStore } from '$lib/stores';
+import type {
+	ModelLoadProgress,
+	ModelModalities,
+	ModelOption,
+	ModelSidecarFile
+} from '$lib/types/models';
 import { detectThinkingSupport, detectToolUseSupport } from '$lib/utils';
+import { getBackend } from '$lib/utils/api-base';
+import { getBackendCapabilities } from '$lib/utils/backend';
 import { formatFileSize, formatParameters } from '$lib/utils/formatters';
+import { rawModelId } from '$lib/utils/model-option-id';
 import { SvelteMap } from 'svelte/reactivity';
 
 /** Load parameters a model can override before it is loaded. */
@@ -113,6 +128,149 @@ export function saveOverrides(overrides: ModelOverrideMap): void {
 	}
 }
 
+/** Backend a model is served by, the local server reads as "This server". */
+/** A draft a model can speculate with, and whether a load would use it. */
+export interface ModelDraft {
+	/** The draft a load would use, from the server's own arguments or from the settings. */
+	active: boolean;
+	kind: ModelSidecar | null;
+	/** Repo the draft comes from; null when the file sits in the model's own repo. */
+	model: string | null;
+	params: string | null;
+	quant: string | null;
+}
+
+/** Repo an id belongs to: the id without its quant tag. */
+function repoOf(modelId: string): string | null {
+	const raw = rawModelId(modelId).split(MODEL_ID.QUANTIZATION_SEPARATOR)[0] ?? '';
+
+	return raw || null;
+}
+
+/** Sidecar a `--spec-type` value names, e.g. `draft-mtp` -> mtp. */
+function sidecarFromSpecType(specType: string | null | undefined): ModelSidecar | null {
+	if (!specType) return null;
+
+	const entry = Object.entries(SPEC_TYPE).find(([, value]) => value === specType);
+
+	return (entry?.[0] as ModelSidecar | undefined) ?? null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Repo a draft path names. A Hub cache path carries it (`models--org--name`), a plain
+ * file next to the model does not, so that falls back to the file name.
+ */
+function repoFromDraftPath(path: string): string {
+	const cached = /models--([^/]+)[/]/.exec(path);
+
+	if (cached) {
+		const [org, ...rest] = cached[1].split('--');
+
+		if (rest.length > 0) return `${org}/${rest.join('--')}`;
+	}
+
+	return path.split(/[/]/).pop() ?? path;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Draft the server's own launch arguments point at. The router reports the arguments a
+ * model loads with, so this is what a load would really speculate with.
+ */
+export function draftFromArgs(args: string[] | undefined, option: ModelOption): ModelDraft | null {
+	const flag = args?.indexOf('--model-draft') ?? -1;
+	const path = flag === -1 ? null : (args?.[flag + 1] ?? null);
+
+	if (!path) return null;
+
+	const parsed = ModelsService.parseModelId(path.split(/[/\\]/).pop() ?? path);
+	const repo = repoFromDraftPath(path);
+
+	return {
+		active: true,
+		kind: sidecarFromSpecType(args?.[(args?.indexOf('--spec-type') ?? -1) + 1]) ?? parsed.sidecar,
+		model: repo === repoOf(option.model) ? null : repo,
+		params: parsed.params
+			? `${parsed.params}${parsed.activatedParams ? `-${parsed.activatedParams}` : ''}`
+			: null,
+		quant: parsed.quantization
+	};
+}
+
+/** Draft the load settings name, resolved against the model's own repo. */
+export function draftFromSetting(option: ModelOption, value?: string | null): ModelDraft | null {
+	const id = value?.trim();
+
+	if (!id || id === 'off') return null;
+
+	const parsed = ModelsService.parseModelId(id);
+
+	return {
+		active: true,
+		kind: parsed.sidecar,
+		model: repoOf(id) === repoOf(option.model) ? null : id,
+		params: parsed.params
+			? `${parsed.params}${parsed.activatedParams ? `-${parsed.activatedParams}` : ''}`
+			: null,
+		quant: parsed.quantization
+	};
+}
+
+/**
+ * Drafts of a model, in the order they matter: what the server loads with, else what the
+ * settings name, then any other sidecar the model's own repo ships.
+ */
+export function modelDraftsFor(option: ModelOption, settingValue?: string | null): ModelDraft[] {
+	// speculative decoding is a llama.cpp feature
+	if (!getBackendCapabilities(getBackend(option.backendId)).loadUnload) return [];
+
+	const args = modelsStore.routerModels.find((model) => model.id === option.model)?.status?.args;
+	const configured = draftFromArgs(args, option) ?? draftFromSetting(option, settingValue);
+
+	return modelDrafts(option, sidecarFilesFor(option), configured);
+}
+
+/** Draft sidecars a listing reported for the model's repo. */
+export function sidecarFilesFor(option: ModelOption): ModelSidecarFile[] {
+	const repo = option.model.split(':')[0] ?? '';
+	const state = backendsModelsStore.get(option.backendId ?? LOCAL_BACKEND_ID);
+
+	return state.drafts?.[repo] ?? [];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Drafts to show for a model: the one the load settings name, plus any draft sidecar
+ * the model's own repo ships. The configured one is the active draft; a sidecar that
+ * is merely on disk stays visible but idle.
+ */
+export function modelDrafts(
+	option: ModelOption,
+	available: ModelSidecarFile[] = [],
+	configured?: ModelDraft | null
+): ModelDraft[] {
+	const drafts: ModelDraft[] = [];
+
+	if (configured) drafts.push(configured);
+
+	for (const file of available) {
+		// a sidecar a load already points at is the active draft, not a second entry
+		if (drafts.some((draft) => draft.kind === file.kind)) continue;
+
+		drafts.push({
+			active: false,
+			kind: file.kind,
+			model: null,
+			params: file.params,
+			quant: file.quant
+		});
+	}
+
+	return drafts;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether a model has a capability. A listing that declares nothing is not a listing
+ * that lacks it: the chat template the Hub carries says whether tools or reasoning work.
+ */
 export function modelSupports(option: ModelOption, capability: ModelCapability): boolean {
 	if (option.capabilities.includes(capability)) return true;
 
@@ -123,6 +281,14 @@ export function modelSupports(option: ModelOption, capability: ModelCapability):
 		: detectThinkingSupport(template);
 }
 
+export function servedByLabel(option: ModelOption): string {
+	const backend = getBackend(option.backendId);
+
+	if (!backend || backend.id === LOCAL_BACKEND_ID) return 'This server';
+
+	return backend.name;
+}
+
 /** Modalities a model can accept, as the manager filter offers them. */
 export type ModalityKey = keyof ModelModalities;
 
@@ -138,6 +304,10 @@ export function modelContextLength(option: ModelOption): number {
 	);
 }
 
+export function isLocalOption(option: ModelOption): boolean {
+	return (option.backendId ?? LOCAL_BACKEND_ID) === LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+}
+
 /** File size of a local GGUF, when the router reported one. */
 export function modelSizeLabel(option: ModelOption): string | null {
 	const bytes = option.meta?.size;
@@ -170,7 +340,7 @@ export async function resolveModelSize(option: ModelOption): Promise<string | nu
 	if (reported) return reported;
 
 	// the repo tree lookup only happens for installs that opted into the Hub
-	if (!settingsStore.config[SETTINGS_KEYS.ENABLE_DISCOVER_MODELS]) {
+	if (!isLocalOption(option) || !settingsStore.config[SETTINGS_KEYS.ENABLE_DISCOVER_MODELS]) {
 		return null;
 	}
 
@@ -198,12 +368,15 @@ export function modelRepoKey(model: string): string {
 }
 
 /** Fold the quants of one repo into a single entry, so the table shows one row per model. */
-export function groupModelQuants(models: ModelOption[]): ModelQuantGroup[] {
+export function groupModelQuants(models: ModelOption[], mergeProviders = false): ModelQuantGroup[] {
 	const groups = new SvelteMap<string, ModelQuantGroup>();
 
 	for (const option of models) {
 		const repo = modelRepoKey(option.model);
-		const key = repo;
+		// groups stay within one backend, so the same repo served by two providers
+		// is not read as two quants of one model. The OAI-compat block asks for the
+		// opposite: one repo, one row per provider that serves it.
+		const key = mergeProviders ? repo : `${option.backendId ?? ''}::${repo}`;
 		const group = groups.get(key);
 
 		if (group) {
@@ -219,7 +392,8 @@ export function groupModelQuants(models: ModelOption[]): ModelQuantGroup[] {
 		const kind = groupKind(group.quants);
 		const modelIds = group.quants.map((option) => option.model);
 
-		// the very same id twice is not a quant set; keep those rows apart
+		// the very same id twice is not a quant set; keep those rows apart, unless
+		// the group exists to list the providers that serve it
 		if (
 			kind !== 'providers' &&
 			modelIds.length > 1 &&
@@ -238,8 +412,12 @@ export function groupModelQuants(models: ModelOption[]): ModelQuantGroup[] {
 	});
 }
 
-/** What a group folds: quants or variants of one repo. */
+/** What a group folds: providers, quants, or variants of one repo. */
 function groupKind(quants: ModelOption[]): ModelGroupKind {
+	const backends = new Set(quants.map((option) => option.backendId ?? ''));
+
+	if (backends.size > 1) return 'providers';
+
 	const isQuant = quants.every(
 		(option) => (option.parsedId ?? ModelsService.parseModelId(option.model)).quantization
 	);
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/backend.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/backend.constants.ts
index 57f5c42132..1f3ab2e394 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/backend.constants.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/backend.constants.ts
@@ -1,2 +1,66 @@
-/** Marks the built-in local llama.cpp backend. */
+import type { BackendCapabilities, BackendCompat, BackendProtocol } from '$lib/types';
+
+/** Prefix for generated ids of user-added backends. */
+export const BACKEND_ID_PREFIX = 'backend';
+
+/** Protocols a configured backend can speak, in display order. */
+export const BACKEND_PROTOCOLS: readonly BackendProtocol[] = ['llama.cpp', 'openai'];
+
+/** Chat completions path used when a backend does not override it. */
+export const DEFAULT_BACKEND_CHAT_PATH = '/v1/chat/completions';
+
+/** Models listing path used when a backend does not override it. */
+export const DEFAULT_BACKEND_MODELS_PATH = '/v1/models';
+
+/** Id of the built-in backend that points at the server serving this UI. */
 export const LOCAL_BACKEND_ID = 'local';
+
+/** Capabilities of a full llama.cpp server. */
+const LLAMA_CPP_CAPABILITIES: BackendCapabilities = {
+	corsProxy: true,
+	loadUnload: true,
+	props: true,
+	resumableStreams: true,
+	router: true,
+	slots: true,
+	statusFeed: true,
+	tools: true
+};
+/** Capabilities of a plain OpenAI-compatible endpoint. */
+const COMPATIBLE_CAPABILITIES: BackendCapabilities = {
+	corsProxy: false,
+	loadUnload: false,
+	props: false,
+	resumableStreams: false,
+	router: false,
+	slots: false,
+	statusFeed: false,
+	tools: false
+};
+
+/** Capabilities per backend protocol. */
+export const BACKEND_CAPABILITIES: Record<BackendProtocol, BackendCapabilities> = {
+	'llama.cpp': LLAMA_CPP_CAPABILITIES,
+	openai: COMPATIBLE_CAPABILITIES
+};
+
+/** Default wire quirks per protocol. */
+export const BACKEND_COMPAT: Record<BackendProtocol, BackendCompat> = {
+	// llama-server reports its own timings, so it needs no usage chunk
+	'llama.cpp': { maxTokensField: 'max_tokens', supportsUsageInStreaming: false },
+	openai: { maxTokensField: 'max_tokens', supportsUsageInStreaming: true }
+};
+
+/**
+ * Fields that may carry a model's context size in an OpenAI-compatible model
+ * listing. Providers pick their own name, and most report nothing at all.
+ */
+export const MODEL_CONTEXT_LENGTH_FIELDS = [
+	'context_length',
+	'context_window',
+	'max_context_length',
+	'max_position_embeddings'
+] as const;
+
+/** Favicon extract keyed by domain, for backends with no bundled mark. */
+export const FAVICON_SERVICE_URL = 'https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=';
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts
index 84f21a9428..7727370bde 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_KEYS = {
 	API_KEY: 'apiKey',
 	AUTO_MIC_ON_EMPTY: 'autoMicOnEmpty',
 	BACKEND_SAMPLING: 'backend_sampling',
+	BACKENDS: 'backends',
 	CONVERSATION_TABS: 'conversationTabs',
 	COPY_TEXT_ATTACHMENTS_AS_PLAIN_TEXT: 'copyTextAttachmentsAsPlainText',
 	CUSTOM_CSS: 'customCss',
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ export const SETTINGS_KEYS = {
 	FULL_HEIGHT_CODE_BLOCKS: 'fullHeightCodeBlocks',
 	GROUP_MODELS_BY_FAMILY: 'groupModelsByFamily',
 	JS_SANDBOX_ENABLED: 'jsSandboxEnabled',
+	LOCAL_BACKEND_ENABLED: 'localBackendEnabled',
 	MAX_IMAGE_RESOLUTION: 'maxImageMPixels',
 	MAX_TOKENS: 'max_tokens',
 	MCP_REQUEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: 'mcpRequestTimeoutSeconds',
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/storage.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/storage.constants.ts
index 0c37b78401..f66a0a0112 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/storage.constants.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/storage.constants.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ export const DB_APP_NAME_DEPRECATED = 'LlamacppWebui';
 
 export const ALWAYS_ALLOWED_TOOLS_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.alwaysAllowedTools`;
 
+/** Id of the backend the selector and new requests target, restored on page load. */
+export const ACTIVE_BACKEND_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.activeBackend`;
+
 /** Paused model download ids (`<repo>:<tag>`), restored on the next page load. */
 export const PAUSED_MODEL_DOWNLOADS_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.pausedModelDownloads`;
 export const CONFIG_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.config`;
@@ -34,6 +37,9 @@ export const MODEL_GROUP_OPEN_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.modelGroup
 /** Per-model load and inference overrides, keyed by backend-qualified model id. */
 export const MODEL_OVERRIDES_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.modelOverrides`;
 
+/** Model the user picked last, kept across reloads. Stores `{ id, model }`. */
+export const SELECTED_MODEL_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.selectedModel`;
+
 /** Recently used model ids, most recent first, backend-qualified. */
 export const RECENT_MODELS_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY = `${STORAGE_APP_NAME}.recentModels`;
 
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/stream.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/stream.constants.ts
index 64f67243c2..d68ffbe4bf 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/stream.constants.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/stream.constants.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 // while the tab was hidden. covers brief background pauses without thrashing live streams
 export const STREAM_VISIBILITY_KICK_MS = 3000;
 
+// minimum gap between synthesized live timing updates for backends that do not
+// stream their own, keeps the per-chunk state updates cheap
+export const STREAM_LIVE_TIMINGS_INTERVAL_MS = 500;
+
 // separator joining a conversation id and its per-model stream identity
 // suffix (conv::model) used by the server side replay buffer
 export const CONVERSATION_ID_SEPARATOR = '::';
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/services/backends.service.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/services/backends.service.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5d660f600f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/services/backends.service.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,188 @@
+/**
+ * BackendsService - Stateless backend connectivity checks and model listing
+ *
+ * Probes a backend's models endpoint to validate its URL and credentials, and
+ * normalizes the response into the UI model shape. No reactive state;
+ * consumed by the backends settings UI and the per-backend model cache.
+ */
+
+import { API_MODELS, LOCAL_BACKEND_ID } from '$lib/constants';
+import { ModelsService } from '$lib/services/models.service';
+import type { ApiModelsListResponse, Backend, BackendProtocol, ModelOption } from '$lib/types';
+import { isAbortError } from '$lib/utils/abort';
+import { apiUrl } from '$lib/utils/api-base';
+import { getAuthHeadersForBackend } from '$lib/utils/api-headers';
+import { backendModelsUrl, readModelContextLength } from '$lib/utils/backend';
+
+/** Models returned by a backend, plus the failure detail when the call fails. */
+export interface BackendModelsResult {
+	error?: string;
+	models: ModelOption[];
+	ok: boolean;
+	status: number | null;
+	/** Untouched list payload of the local backend, kept so the router rows and their load statuses can be rebuilt without asking again. */
+	raw?: ApiModelsListResponse;
+}
+
+/** What probing a backend's endpoint said about it. */
+export interface BackendProbe {
+	/** The endpoint refused the request for want of a key, so it wants one. */
+	authRequired: boolean;
+	protocol: BackendProtocol;
+}
+
+/** Outcome of a backend connectivity check. */
+export interface BackendTestResult {
+	error?: string;
+	modelCount?: number;
+	ok: boolean;
+	status: number | null;
+}
+
+export class BackendsService {
+	/**
+	 * List the models a backend exposes on its models endpoint.
+	 *
+	 * @param backend - Backend to query. Does not need to be registered yet.
+	 * @param signal - Optional abort signal for a cancelled request.
+	 */
+	static async detectProtocol(backend: Backend): Promise<BackendProbe> {
+		const base = backend.baseUrl.trim().replace(/\/+$/, '');
+
+		if (!base) return { authRequired: false, protocol: 'openai' };
+
+		try {
+			// llama-server answers /props with its build and generation defaults; a
+			// plain OpenAI-compatible endpoint answers 404 there, or not at all
+			const response = await fetch(`${base}/props`, {
+				headers: getAuthHeadersForBackend(backend),
+				signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000)
+			});
+
+			// a llama-server behind a key refuses before it says anything else, while
+			// an OpenAI-compatible endpoint has no /props to guard in the first place
+			if (response.status === 401) {
+				return { authRequired: true, protocol: 'llama.cpp' };
+			}
+
+			if (!response.ok) return { authRequired: false, protocol: 'openai' };
+
+			const body = (await response.json()) as Record<string, unknown>;
+			const isLlamaCpp =
+				'default_generation_settings' in body || 'build_info' in body || body.role === 'router';
+
+			return {
+				authRequired: false,
+				protocol: isLlamaCpp ? 'llama.cpp' : 'openai'
+			};
+		} catch {
+			return { authRequired: false, protocol: 'openai' };
+		}
+	}
+
+	static async listModels(backend: Backend, signal?: AbortSignal): Promise<BackendModelsResult> {
+		// the local backend has no base URL; its models endpoint is base relative
+		const url = backend.baseUrl.trim()
+			? backendModelsUrl(backend)
+			: apiUrl(API_MODELS.LIST, LOCAL_BACKEND_ID);
+
+		if (!backend.baseUrl.trim() && backend.id !== LOCAL_BACKEND_ID) {
+			return { error: 'Backend URL is required', models: [], ok: false, status: null };
+		}
+
+		try {
+			const response = await fetch(url, {
+				headers: getAuthHeadersForBackend(backend),
+				signal
+			});
+
+			if (!response.ok) {
+				return {
+					error: await describeFailure(response),
+					models: [],
+					ok: false,
+					status: response.status
+				};
+			}
+
+			const body = (await response.json()) as { data?: unknown };
+			const entries = Array.isArray(body?.data) ? body.data : [];
+			const models = entries.flatMap((entry) => normalizeBackendModel(entry));
+			// the local rows carry load status, external ones carry the context size
+			const raw = body as ApiModelsListResponse;
+
+			return { models, ok: true, raw, status: response.status };
+		} catch (error) {
+			if (isAbortError(error)) {
+				return { models: [], ok: false, status: null };
+			}
+
+			return {
+				error: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+				models: [],
+				ok: false,
+				status: null
+			};
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Check that a backend answers on its models endpoint.
+	 *
+	 * @param backend - Backend to probe. Does not need to be registered yet.
+	 * @param signal - Optional abort signal for a cancelled test.
+	 */
+	static async test(backend: Backend, signal?: AbortSignal): Promise<BackendTestResult> {
+		const result = await BackendsService.listModels(backend, signal);
+
+		return {
+			error: result.error,
+			modelCount: result.models.length,
+			ok: result.ok,
+			status: result.status
+		};
+	}
+}
+
+/** Build a human-readable message from a non-OK response. */
+async function describeFailure(response: Response): Promise<string> {
+	const status = `${response.status} ${response.statusText}`.trim();
+
+	try {
+		const body = (await response.json()) as { error?: { message?: string }; message?: string };
+		const message = body?.error?.message ?? body?.message;
+
+		if (message) return `${status}: ${message}`;
+	} catch {
+		// non-JSON error body, fall back to the status line
+	}
+
+	return status;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Normalize one entry of an OpenAI-compatible `/v1/models` response. External
+ * backends only guarantee an id, so that doubles as the display name.
+ */
+function normalizeBackendModel(entry: unknown): ModelOption[] {
+	if (!entry || typeof entry !== 'object') return [];
+
+	const raw = entry as Record<string, unknown>;
+	const id = typeof raw.id === 'string' ? raw.id.trim() : '';
+
+	if (!id) return [];
+
+	// a llama-compat server lists its projector and draft sidecars as models too
+	if (ModelsService.isSidecarEntry(id)) return [];
+
+	return [
+		{
+			capabilities: [],
+			contextLength: readModelContextLength(raw),
+			id,
+			model: id,
+			name: id,
+			status: raw.status as ApiModelDataEntry['status']
+		}
+	];
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/services/index.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/services/index.ts
index a8072e55bc..6a7009ebaf 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/services/index.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/services/index.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,14 @@
  *
  */
 
+/**
+ * **BackendsService** - Backend connectivity checks
+ *
+ * Probes an external backend's models endpoint to validate its URL and
+ * credentials before it is saved. Stateless.
+ */
+export { BackendsService } from './backends.service';
+
 /**
  * **ChatService** - Chat Completions API communication layer
  *
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backends.svelte.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backends.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7b9d9b0962
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backends.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+/**
+ * backendsStore - API endpoints the UI can talk to.
+ *
+ * The built-in local backend is the llama-server serving this UI. External
+ * backends are user-configured endpoints persisted in settings. The store
+ * registers the resolved list with the api-base registry, which services use
+ * to build request URLs.
+ */
+
+import { browser } from '$app/environment';
+import { ACTIVE_BACKEND_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY, LOCAL_BACKEND_ID, SETTINGS_KEYS } from '$lib/constants';
+import { serverStore } from '$lib/stores/server.svelte';
+import { settingsStore } from '$lib/stores/settings/index.svelte';
+import type { Backend } from '$lib/types';
+import { setBackendsResolver } from '$lib/utils/api-base';
+import { createLocalBackend, parseBackendsSettings } from '$lib/utils/backend';
+
+function loadActiveBackendId(): string {
+	if (!browser) return LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+
+	try {
+		return localStorage.getItem(ACTIVE_BACKEND_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY) ?? LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+	} catch {
+		return LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+	}
+}
+
+function persistActiveBackendId(backendId: string): void {
+	if (!browser) return;
+
+	try {
+		localStorage.setItem(ACTIVE_BACKEND_LOCALSTORAGE_KEY, backendId);
+	} catch {
+		/* ignore */
+	}
+}
+
+class BackendsStore {
+	activeId = $state<string>(loadActiveBackendId());
+
+	get active(): Backend {
+		const active = this.enabled.find((backend) => backend.id === this.activeId);
+
+		return active ?? this.enabled[0] ?? this.local;
+	}
+
+	get enabled(): Backend[] {
+		return this.list.filter((backend) => backend.enabled && !this.isMissingLocal(backend));
+	}
+
+	get external(): Backend[] {
+		return parseBackendsSettings(settingsStore.config[SETTINGS_KEYS.BACKENDS]);
+	}
+
+	get list(): Backend[] {
+		return [this.local, ...this.external];
+	}
+
+	get local(): Backend {
+		return createLocalBackend(
+			settingsStore.config.apiKey?.toString().trim() || undefined,
+			settingsStore.config[SETTINGS_KEYS.LOCAL_BACKEND_ENABLED] !== false
+		);
+	}
+
+	addBackend(backend: Backend): void {
+		this.saveExternal([...this.external, backend]);
+	}
+
+	initialize(): void {
+		if (!browser) return;
+
+		setBackendsResolver(() => ({ activeId: this.active.id, backends: this.list }));
+	}
+
+	removeBackend(backendId: string): void {
+		this.saveExternal(this.external.filter((backend) => backend.id !== backendId));
+
+		if (this.activeId === backendId) {
+			this.setActive(LOCAL_BACKEND_ID);
+		}
+	}
+
+	setActive(backendId: string): void {
+		const id = this.list.some((backend) => backend.id === backendId) ? backendId : LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+
+		this.activeId = id;
+		persistActiveBackendId(id);
+	}
+
+	setLocalEnabled(enabled: boolean): void {
+		settingsStore.updateConfig(SETTINGS_KEYS.LOCAL_BACKEND_ENABLED, enabled);
+	}
+
+	updateBackend(backendId: string, updates: Partial<Backend>): void {
+		this.saveExternal(
+			this.external.map((backend) =>
+				backend.id === backendId ? { ...backend, ...updates } : backend
+			)
+		);
+	}
+
+	/** The built-in backend counts only when a local server answered this session. */
+	private isMissingLocal(backend: Backend): boolean {
+		return backend.id === LOCAL_BACKEND_ID && serverStore.localServerMissing;
+	}
+
+	private saveExternal(backends: Backend[]): void {
+		settingsStore.updateConfig(SETTINGS_KEYS.BACKENDS, JSON.stringify(backends));
+	}
+}
+
+export const backendsStore = new BackendsStore();
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backendsModels.svelte.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backendsModels.svelte.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3b4ef86d01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backendsModels.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+/**
+ * backendsModelsStore - Per-backend model catalog cache.
+ *
+ * Prefetches every enabled backend's model list, so switching backends is
+ * instant and the switcher can show load state. The active backend's list
+ * still lives in modelsStore, which owns selection and chat wiring; this
+ * cache is the prefetch layer the switches start from.
+ */
+
+import { BackendsService } from '$lib/services/backends.service';
+import { ModelsService } from '$lib/services/models.service';
+import { backendsStore } from '$lib/stores/backends.svelte';
+import type { Backend } from '$lib/types';
+import type { ApiModelsListResponse } from '$lib/types';
+import type { ModelSidecarFile } from '$lib/types/models';
+import type { ModelOption } from '$lib/types/models';
+
+export interface BackendModelsState {
+	/** Draft sidecars the listing carries, keyed by the repo they belong to. */
+	drafts?: Record<string, ModelSidecarFile[]>;
+	error: string | null;
+	loaded: boolean;
+	loading: boolean;
+	models: ModelOption[];
+	/** Untouched list payload, kept for the local backend so its router rows survive a tab switch. */
+	raw?: ApiModelsListResponse;
+}
+
+const EMPTY_STATE: BackendModelsState = {
+	error: null,
+	loaded: false,
+	loading: false,
+	models: []
+};
+
+class BackendsModelsStore {
+	private states = $state<Record<string, BackendModelsState>>({});
+
+	clear(backendId: string): void {
+		delete this.states[backendId];
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Load a backend's models once.
+	 */
+	async ensureLoaded(backendId: string): Promise<void> {
+		const backend = backendsStore.enabled.find((candidate) => candidate.id === backendId);
+
+		if (!backend) return;
+
+		const state = this.states[backendId];
+
+		if (state?.loaded || state?.loading) return;
+
+		this.states[backendId] = { error: null, loaded: false, loading: true, models: [] };
+		await this.fetch(backend);
+	}
+
+	get(backendId: string): BackendModelsState {
+		return this.states[backendId] ?? EMPTY_STATE;
+	}
+
+	/** Prefetch every enabled backend's model list. */
+	async loadAll(): Promise<void> {
+		const enabled = backendsStore.enabled;
+		const ids = new Set(enabled.map((backend) => backend.id));
+
+		for (const id of Object.keys(this.states)) {
+			if (!ids.has(id)) {
+				delete this.states[id];
+			}
+		}
+
+		await Promise.all(enabled.map((backend) => this.ensureLoaded(backend.id)));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Ask a backend for its list again, keeping what is already known. Used while
+	 * a remote load settles, since its status never reaches the local feed.
+	 */
+	async refresh(backendId: string): Promise<void> {
+		const backend = backendsStore.enabled.find((candidate) => candidate.id === backendId);
+
+		if (!backend) return;
+
+		await this.fetch(backend);
+	}
+
+	private async fetch(backend: Backend): Promise<void> {
+		const result = await BackendsService.listModels(backend);
+
+		this.states[backend.id] = {
+			drafts: result.raw ? ModelsService.draftSidecarsByRepo(result.raw) : undefined,
+			error: result.error ?? null,
+			loaded: result.ok,
+			loading: false,
+			models: result.models,
+			raw: result.raw
+		};
+	}
+}
+
+export const backendsModelsStore = new BackendsModelsStore();
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/api.d.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/api.d.ts
index b52485ade8..ca724ee389 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/api.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/api.d.ts
@@ -358,7 +358,9 @@ export interface ApiChatCompletionStreamChunk {
 		metadata?: { model?: string };
 		delta: {
 			content?: string;
+			reasoning?: string;
 			reasoning_content?: string;
+			reasoning_text?: string;
 			model?: string;
 			tool_calls?: ApiChatCompletionToolCallDelta[];
 		};
@@ -372,6 +374,17 @@ export interface ApiChatCompletionStreamChunk {
 		cache_n?: number;
 	};
 	prompt_progress?: ChatMessagePromptProgress;
+	/** Token counts, sent by OpenAI-compatible servers on the final chunk. */
+	usage?: ApiChatCompletionUsage;
+}
+
+export interface ApiChatCompletionUsage {
+	cached_tokens?: number;
+	completion_tokens?: number;
+	prompt_cache_hit_tokens?: number;
+	prompt_tokens?: number;
+	prompt_tokens_details?: { cached_tokens?: number; cache_write_tokens?: number };
+	total_tokens?: number;
 }
 
 export interface ApiChatCompletionResponse {
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/backend.d.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/backend.d.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..019fce3610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/backend.d.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+/**
+ * Backend types.
+ *
+ * A backend is one API endpoint the UI can talk to. The built-in `local`
+ * backend is the llama-server serving the UI. External backends are
+ * user-configured endpoints that speak an OpenAI-compatible
+ * protocol.
+ */
+
+/** Request/response shape a backend speaks. */
+export type BackendProtocol = 'llama.cpp' | 'openai';
+
+/**
+ * Wire-level quirks of a backend's protocol. Capabilities gate llama.cpp
+ * features; compat describes how the request and stream payloads differ.
+ */
+export interface BackendCompat {
+	/** Field carrying the output token cap. */
+	maxTokensField: 'max_completion_tokens' | 'max_tokens';
+	/** Whether the endpoint accepts stream_options.include_usage. */
+	supportsUsageInStreaming: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Features a backend supports. A llama.cpp server exposes extra endpoints on
+ * top of the OpenAI-compatible API; plain OpenAI-compatible
+ * endpoints only provide chat and model listing.
+ */
+export interface BackendCapabilities {
+	/** llama-server's /cors-proxy endpoint for cross-origin MCP requests. */
+	corsProxy: boolean;
+	/** Router-mode model load/unload. */
+	loadUnload: boolean;
+	/** The /props endpoint with server role and generation defaults. */
+	props: boolean;
+	/** Resumable stream sessions (/v1/stream, /v1/streams/lookup). */
+	resumableStreams: boolean;
+	/** Multi-model router mode. */
+	router: boolean;
+	/** The /slots introspection endpoint. */
+	slots: boolean;
+	/** The /models/sse load and download progress feed. */
+	statusFeed: boolean;
+	/** The /tools listing and execution endpoint. */
+	tools: boolean;
+}
+
+/**
+ * One configured API endpoint.
+ *
+ * TODO: a backend paired by QR code is reached over WebRTC instead of plain
+ * HTTP, so it needs a transport discriminator and its peer description here.
+ */
+export interface Backend {
+	/** Bearer token / API key used for this backend. */
+	apiKey?: string;
+	/**
+	 * API root the endpoint paths are appended to, e.g. https://api.example.com.
+	 * Empty for the local backend, which resolves against the UI origin instead.
+	 */
+	baseUrl: string;
+	/** Chat completions path override, e.g. /v1/messages. */
+	chatPath?: string;
+	/** Wire quirks overriding the protocol defaults. */
+	compat?: Partial<BackendCompat>;
+	/** Disabled backends stay configured but are not queried. */
+	enabled: boolean;
+	/** Extra headers merged into every request to this backend. */
+	headers?: Record<string, string>;
+	/** Stable identity. The local backend id is reserved. */
+	id: string;
+	/** Models listing path override, e.g. /models. */
+	modelsPath?: string;
+	name: string;
+	protocol: BackendProtocol;
+}
+
+/** A ready-made backend configuration offered when adding a backend. */
+export interface BackendPreset {
+	/** Optional help text shown under the API key field. */
+	apiKeyHelp?: string;
+	baseUrl: string;
+	/** One line describing the endpoint, shown on the preset card. */
+	description?: string;
+	chatPath?: string;
+	/** Brand mark used in both themes, for logos that carry their own background. */
+	iconUrl?: string;
+	/** Brand mark for the dark theme. Preferred over `iconUrl` when paired with `iconUrlLight`. */
+	iconUrlDark?: string;
+	/** Brand mark for the light theme. Preferred over `iconUrl` when paired with `iconUrlDark`. */
+	iconUrlLight?: string;
+	/** Wire quirks this preset needs on top of the protocol defaults. */
+	compat?: Partial<BackendCompat>;
+	id: string;
+	modelsPath?: string;
+	name: string;
+	protocol: BackendProtocol;
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/chat.d.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/chat.d.ts
index 86a868c33a..835f2081d2 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/chat.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/chat.d.ts
@@ -334,6 +334,6 @@ export interface ChatFormActionsContext {
 	readonly hasVideoModality: boolean;
 	readonly hasVisionModality: boolean;
 	onFileUpload?: () => void;
-	onSystemPromptClick?: () => void;
 	onMcpSettingsClick?: () => void;
+	onSystemPromptClick?: () => void;
 }
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/index.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/index.ts
index 7f35a13633..3723e8d5f9 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/index.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/index.ts
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export type {
 	ApiChatCompletionToolCallDelta,
 	ApiChatCompletionToolCall,
 	ApiChatCompletionStreamChunk,
+	ApiChatCompletionUsage,
 	ApiChatCompletionResponse,
 	ApiSlotData,
 	ApiProcessingState,
@@ -35,6 +36,15 @@ export type {
 	ApiStreamSession
 } from './api';
 
+// Backend types
+export type {
+	Backend,
+	BackendCapabilities,
+	BackendCompat,
+	BackendPreset,
+	BackendProtocol
+} from './backend';
+
 // HuggingFace types
 export type {
 	HfCatalogBuild,
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/models.d.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/models.d.ts
index d25392b202..37173bbe23 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/types/models.d.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/types/models.d.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ export interface ModelOption {
 	id: string;
 	name: string;
 	model: string;
+	/** Backend that serves this model; set on the aggregated option list. */
+	backendId?: string;
 	description?: string;
 	capabilities: string[];
 	/** Context size reported by the provider's model listing, when it reports one. */
@@ -23,6 +25,8 @@ export interface ModelOption {
 	modalities?: ModelModalities;
 	details?: ApiModelDetails['details'];
 	meta?: ApiModelDataEntry['meta'];
+	/** Load state the provider's own listing reports, when it reports one. */
+	status?: ApiModelDataEntry['status'];
 	parsedId?: ParsedModelId;
 	aliases?: string[];
 	tags?: string[];
@@ -49,6 +53,21 @@ export interface ModelDownloadProgress {
 	files: Record<string, ModelDownloadFileProgress>;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A draft sidecar file a model listing reports as its own entry. The router lists a
+ * downloaded sidecar as a model, so this is what pairs it back with its model.
+ */
+export interface ModelSidecarFile {
+	id: string;
+	kind: ModelSidecar;
+	/** Repo the sidecar belongs to, e.g. `ggml-org/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF`. */
+	model: string;
+	/** Parameter count the sidecar reports, e.g. `35B-A3B`. */
+	params: string | null;
+	/** Quantization of the sidecar file, e.g. `Q4_0`. */
+	quant: string | null;
+}
+
 export interface ParsedModelId {
 	raw: string;
 	orgName: string | null;
@@ -66,18 +85,3 @@ export interface ModalityCapabilities {
 	hasAudio: boolean;
 	hasVideo: boolean;
 }
-
-/**
- * A draft sidecar file a model listing reports as its own entry. The router lists a
- * downloaded sidecar as a model, so this is what pairs it back with its model.
- */
-export interface ModelSidecarFile {
-	id: string;
-	kind: ModelSidecar;
-	/** Repo the sidecar belongs to, e.g. `ggml-org/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF`. */
-	model: string;
-	/** Parameter count the sidecar reports, e.g. `35B-A3B`. */
-	params: string | null;
-	/** Quantization of the sidecar file, e.g. `Q4_0`. */
-	quant: string | null;
-}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-base.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-base.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d88d536531
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-base.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+/**
+ * API base resolution for backends.
+ *
+ * The UI can talk to more than one backend endpoint. Services build request
+ * URLs through {@link apiUrl} so a request always targets the right backend.
+ * The backends store registers a resolver here; this module never imports the
+ * store, which keeps URL resolution free of store dependencies.
+ */
+
+import { backendChatUrl, backendModelsUrl } from './backend';
+import { base } from '$app/paths';
+import { API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS, API_CHAT, API_MODELS } from '$lib/constants';
+import type { Backend } from '$lib/types';
+
+/** Backend list and active selection as exposed to URL resolution. */
+export interface BackendsSnapshot {
+	activeId: string;
+	backends: Backend[];
+}
+
+type BackendsResolver = () => BackendsSnapshot;
+
+let resolveBackends: BackendsResolver | null = null;
+
+/** Registered once by the backends store. */
+export function setBackendsResolver(resolver: BackendsResolver | null): void {
+	resolveBackends = resolver;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Look up a backend by id, defaulting to the active one.
+ */
+export function getBackend(backendId?: string): Backend | undefined {
+	const snapshot = resolveBackends?.();
+
+	if (!snapshot) return undefined;
+
+	const id = backendId ?? snapshot.activeId;
+
+	return snapshot.backends.find((backend) => backend.id === id);
+}
+
+/** API root for a backend, or an empty string for the local backend. */
+export function getBackendBaseUrl(backendId?: string): string {
+	return getBackend(backendId)?.baseUrl.trim() ?? '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Request target for a backend's chat completions endpoint. Returns a relative
+ * path for the local backend and an absolute URL for external ones, so callers
+ * can pass the result straight to `fetch` (or `apiFetch`, which resolves
+ * relative paths against the base).
+ */
+export function apiChatUrl(backendId?: string): string {
+	const backend = getBackend(backendId);
+
+	if (backend?.baseUrl.trim()) {
+		return backendChatUrl(backend);
+	}
+
+	return apiUrl(API_CHAT.COMPLETIONS, backendId);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Request target for a backend's models listing. Returns a plain path for the
+ * local backend (so `apiFetch` applies the base) and an absolute URL otherwise.
+ */
+export function apiModelsUrl(backendId?: string): string {
+	const backend = getBackend(backendId);
+
+	if (backend?.baseUrl.trim()) {
+		return backendModelsUrl(backend);
+	}
+
+	return API_MODELS.LIST;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Absolute URL for an API path on a backend.
+ *
+ * Absolute URLs pass through untouched. Paths on the local backend keep the
+ * existing base-path-relative form, so serving under a subpath still works.
+ * Paths on external backends resolve against the backend's API root.
+ */
+export function apiUrl(path: string, backendId?: string): string {
+	if (API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS.some((protocol) => path.startsWith(protocol))) {
+		return path;
+	}
+
+	const baseUrl = getBackendBaseUrl(backendId);
+
+	if (!baseUrl) {
+		return `${base}${path}`;
+	}
+
+	const root = baseUrl.endsWith('/') ? baseUrl : `${baseUrl}/`;
+
+	return new URL(path.replace(/^\.?\//, ''), root).toString();
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-fetch.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-fetch.ts
index fefea2fe1f..d5fce0fd49 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-fetch.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-fetch.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
+import { apiUrl } from './api-base';
 import { getAuthHeaders, getJsonHeaders } from './api-headers';
-import { base } from '$app/paths';
-import { API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS, ERROR_MESSAGES, HTTP_CODE_TO_STRING } from '$lib/constants';
+import { ERROR_MESSAGES, HTTP_CODE_TO_STRING } from '$lib/constants';
 
 /**
  * API Fetch Utilities
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ export interface ApiFetchOptions extends Omit<RequestInit, 'headers'> {
 	 * Default: false (uses JSON headers with Content-Type: application/json)
 	 */
 	authOnly?: boolean;
+	/** Backend to target; defaults to the active one. */
+	backendId?: string;
 	/**
 	 * Additional headers to merge with default headers.
 	 */
@@ -59,11 +61,10 @@ export interface ApiFetchOptions extends Omit<RequestInit, 'headers'> {
  * ```
  */
 export async function apiFetch<T>(path: string, options: ApiFetchOptions = {}): Promise<T> {
-	const { authOnly = false, headers: customHeaders, ...fetchOptions } = options;
-	const baseHeaders = authOnly ? getAuthHeaders() : getJsonHeaders();
+	const { authOnly = false, backendId, headers: customHeaders, ...fetchOptions } = options;
+	const baseHeaders = authOnly ? getAuthHeaders(backendId) : getJsonHeaders(backendId);
 	const headers = { ...baseHeaders, ...customHeaders };
-	// absolute URLs with an allowed protocol pass through untouched; relative paths get the base prefix
-	const url = API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS.some((p) => path.startsWith(p)) ? path : `${base}${path}`;
+	const url = apiUrl(path, backendId);
 
 	let response;
 
@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ export async function apiFetchWithParams<T>(
 	params: Record<string, string>,
 	options: ApiFetchOptions = {}
 ): Promise<T> {
-	const url = new URL(basePath, window.location.href);
+	const url = new URL(apiUrl(basePath, options.backendId), window.location.href);
 
 	for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(params)) {
 		if (value !== undefined && value !== null) {
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-headers.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-headers.ts
index 49d56d0619..4938e01aad 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-headers.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-headers.ts
@@ -1,26 +1,42 @@
+import { getBackend } from './api-base';
 import { redactValue } from './redact';
 import { CORS_PROXY, HEADERS } from '$lib/constants';
 import { MimeTypeApplication } from '$lib/enums';
+import { getProtocolAdapter } from '$lib/services/protocols';
 import { settingsStore } from '$lib/stores/settings/index.svelte';
+import type { Backend } from '$lib/types';
 
 /**
- * Get authorization headers for API requests
- * Includes Bearer token if API key is configured
+ * Get authorization headers for API requests to a backend.
  */
-export function getAuthHeaders(): Record<string, string> {
-	const currentConfig = settingsStore.config;
-	const apiKey = currentConfig.apiKey?.toString().trim();
+export function getAuthHeaders(backendId?: string): Record<string, string> {
+	const backend = getBackend(backendId);
+
+	if (backend) return getAuthHeadersForBackend(backend);
+
+	// no backends resolver yet (early startup, or a non-browser call): keep the
+	// pre-backends behaviour and authenticate against the serving origin
+	const apiKey = settingsStore.config.apiKey?.toString().trim();
 
 	return apiKey ? { [HEADERS.AUTHORIZATION]: `${HEADERS.BEARER}${apiKey}` } : {};
 }
 
+/**
+ * Get authorization headers for a backend object, including one that is not
+ * registered yet (used by the connection test on the add-backend form).
+ * The protocol adapter owns the credential scheme and any required headers.
+ */
+export function getAuthHeadersForBackend(backend: Backend): Record<string, string> {
+	return getProtocolAdapter(backend).authHeaders(backend);
+}
+
 /**
  * Get standard JSON headers with optional authorization
  */
-export function getJsonHeaders(): Record<string, string> {
+export function getJsonHeaders(backendId?: string): Record<string, string> {
 	return {
 		[HEADERS.CONTENT_TYPE]: MimeTypeApplication.JSON,
-		...getAuthHeaders()
+		...getAuthHeaders(backendId)
 	};
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-key-validation.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-key-validation.ts
index 187199afc2..22f84c604c 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-key-validation.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-key-validation.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import { error } from '@sveltejs/kit';
 import { browser } from '$app/environment';
-import { base } from '$app/paths';
 import { HEADERS } from '$lib/constants';
 import { MimeTypeApplication } from '$lib/enums';
 import { settingsStore } from '$lib/stores/settings/index.svelte';
+import { apiUrl, getBackend } from '$lib/utils/api-base';
+import { getBackendCapabilities } from '$lib/utils/backend';
 
 /**
  * Validates API key by making a request to the server props endpoint
@@ -14,6 +15,13 @@ export async function validateApiKey(fetch: typeof globalThis.fetch): Promise<vo
 		return;
 	}
 
+	// /props only exists on llama.cpp servers; external backends carry their own key
+	const backend = getBackend();
+
+	if (backend && !getBackendCapabilities(backend).props) {
+		return;
+	}
+
 	const apiKey = settingsStore.config.apiKey;
 
 	try {
@@ -28,7 +36,7 @@ export async function validateApiKey(fetch: typeof globalThis.fetch): Promise<vo
 			headers[HEADERS.AUTHORIZATION] = `${HEADERS.BEARER}${apiKey}`;
 		}
 
-		const response = await fetch(`${base}/props`, { headers });
+		const response = await fetch(apiUrl('/props'), { headers });
 
 		if (!response.ok) {
 			if (response.status === 401 || response.status === 403) {
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..55b671bbfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,243 @@
+/**
+ * Backend list parsing, defaults and endpoint URLs.
+ *
+ * External backends are persisted in settings as a JSON list. Malformed
+ * entries are dropped instead of throwing so a corrupted settings value can
+ * never break URL resolution.
+ */
+
+import {
+	BACKEND_CAPABILITIES,
+	BACKEND_COMPAT,
+	BACKEND_ID_PREFIX,
+	BACKEND_PROTOCOLS,
+	DEFAULT_BACKEND_CHAT_PATH,
+	DEFAULT_BACKEND_MODELS_PATH,
+	FAVICON_SERVICE_URL,
+	LOCAL_BACKEND_ID,
+	MODEL_CONTEXT_LENGTH_FIELDS
+} from '$lib/constants';
+import type { Backend, BackendCapabilities, BackendCompat, BackendProtocol } from '$lib/types';
+
+/** Absolute chat completions URL for a backend. */
+export function backendChatUrl(backend: Backend): string {
+	return joinBackendUrl(backend.baseUrl, backend.chatPath ?? DEFAULT_BACKEND_CHAT_PATH);
+}
+
+/** Absolute models listing URL for a backend. */
+export function backendModelsUrl(backend: Backend): string {
+	return joinBackendUrl(backend.baseUrl, backend.modelsPath ?? DEFAULT_BACKEND_MODELS_PATH);
+}
+
+/** Icon size requested from the favicon service, shown at 16px. */
+const FAVICON_SIZE = 64;
+
+/**
+ * Favicon of a backend's root domain, used when no bundled mark matches. API
+ * hosts rarely serve a favicon themselves, so the subdomain is dropped
+ * (`api.z.ai` -> `z.ai`) and the icon is requested through a favicon service.
+ * Returns null when the URL carries no usable host.
+ */
+export function backendFaviconUrl(baseUrl: string): string | null {
+	try {
+		const labels = new URL(baseUrl).hostname.split('.');
+		const root = labels.length > 2 ? labels.slice(-2).join('.') : labels.join('.');
+
+		return root ? `${FAVICON_SERVICE_URL}${root}&sz=${FAVICON_SIZE}` : null;
+	} catch {
+		return null;
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Features a backend supports, derived from its protocol. A missing backend
+ * (unknown model, early startup) gets the plain compatible defaults.
+ */
+export function getBackendCapabilities(backend?: Backend): BackendCapabilities {
+	return BACKEND_CAPABILITIES[backend?.protocol ?? 'openai'] ?? BACKEND_CAPABILITIES.openai;
+}
+
+/** Wire quirks for a backend: protocol defaults overridden by the backend. */
+export function getBackendCompat(backend: Backend): BackendCompat {
+	return { ...(BACKEND_COMPAT[backend.protocol] ?? BACKEND_COMPAT.openai), ...backend.compat };
+}
+
+/** The built-in backend pointing at the server that serves this UI. */
+export function createLocalBackend(apiKey?: string, enabled = true): Backend {
+	return {
+		apiKey,
+		baseUrl: '',
+		enabled,
+		id: LOCAL_BACKEND_ID,
+		name: 'Local',
+		protocol: 'llama.cpp'
+	};
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse the persisted backends JSON into backend entries.
+ */
+export function parseBackendsSettings(rawBackends: unknown): Backend[] {
+	if (!rawBackends) return [];
+
+	let parsed: unknown;
+
+	if (typeof rawBackends === 'string') {
+		const trimmed = rawBackends.trim();
+
+		if (!trimmed) return [];
+
+		try {
+			parsed = JSON.parse(trimmed);
+		} catch (error) {
+			console.warn('[backends] Failed to parse backends JSON, ignoring value:', error);
+
+			return [];
+		}
+	} else {
+		parsed = rawBackends;
+	}
+
+	if (!Array.isArray(parsed)) return [];
+
+	return parsed.flatMap((entry, index) => {
+		const backend = parseBackendEntry(entry, index);
+
+		return backend ? [backend] : [];
+	});
+}
+
+function joinBackendUrl(baseUrl: string, path: string): string {
+	const base = baseUrl.replace(/\/+$/, '');
+	const suffix = path.startsWith('/') ? path : `/${path}`;
+
+	return `${base}${suffix}`;
+}
+
+function parseBackendEntry(entry: unknown, index: number): Backend | null {
+	if (!entry || typeof entry !== 'object') return null;
+
+	const raw = entry as Record<string, unknown>;
+	const baseUrl = typeof raw.baseUrl === 'string' ? raw.baseUrl.trim() : '';
+
+	// the local backend is built in and never persisted
+	if (!baseUrl || raw.id === LOCAL_BACKEND_ID) return null;
+
+	const protocol = BACKEND_PROTOCOLS.includes(raw.protocol as BackendProtocol)
+		? (raw.protocol as BackendProtocol)
+		: 'openai';
+	const id =
+		typeof raw.id === 'string' && raw.id.trim()
+			? raw.id.trim()
+			: `${BACKEND_ID_PREFIX}-${index + 1}`;
+	const name = typeof raw.name === 'string' && raw.name.trim() ? raw.name.trim() : baseUrl;
+	const apiKey =
+		typeof raw.apiKey === 'string' && raw.apiKey.trim() ? raw.apiKey.trim() : undefined;
+
+	return {
+		apiKey,
+		baseUrl,
+		chatPath: parseOptionalPath(raw.chatPath),
+		compat: parseBackendCompat(raw.compat, protocol),
+		enabled: raw.enabled !== false,
+		headers: parseBackendHeaders(raw.headers),
+		id,
+		modelsPath: parseOptionalPath(raw.modelsPath),
+		name,
+		protocol
+	};
+}
+
+// only keep the override keys the protocol understands, so a stale persisted
+// value can never inject an unknown field into a request
+function parseBackendCompat(
+	raw: unknown,
+	protocol: BackendProtocol
+): Partial<BackendCompat> | undefined {
+	if (!raw || typeof raw !== 'object' || Array.isArray(raw)) return undefined;
+
+	const entry = raw as Record<string, unknown>;
+	const defaults = BACKEND_COMPAT[protocol] ?? BACKEND_COMPAT.openai;
+	const overrides: Partial<BackendCompat> = {};
+
+	if (entry.maxTokensField === 'max_tokens' || entry.maxTokensField === 'max_completion_tokens') {
+		overrides.maxTokensField = entry.maxTokensField;
+	}
+
+	if (typeof entry.supportsUsageInStreaming === 'boolean') {
+		overrides.supportsUsageInStreaming = entry.supportsUsageInStreaming;
+	}
+
+	// drop a no-op override so an unmodified backend stays undefined
+	const isDefault =
+		(overrides.maxTokensField === undefined ||
+			overrides.maxTokensField === defaults.maxTokensField) &&
+		(overrides.supportsUsageInStreaming === undefined ||
+			overrides.supportsUsageInStreaming === defaults.supportsUsageInStreaming);
+
+	return isDefault ? undefined : overrides;
+}
+
+function parseBackendHeaders(raw: unknown): Record<string, string> | undefined {
+	if (!raw || typeof raw !== 'object' || Array.isArray(raw)) return undefined;
+
+	const entries = Object.entries(raw as Record<string, unknown>)
+		.filter(([, value]) => typeof value === 'string' && value.trim() !== '')
+		.map(([key, value]) => [key.trim(), (value as string).trim()] as const);
+
+	return entries.length > 0 ? Object.fromEntries(entries) : undefined;
+}
+
+function parseOptionalPath(raw: unknown): string | undefined {
+	return typeof raw === 'string' && raw.trim() ? raw.trim() : undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Read a model's context size out of one `/v1/models` entry. Providers use
+ * different field names, and OpenRouter nests the authoritative value under
+ * `top_provider`, so try the flat fields first and the nested one after.
+ */
+export function readModelContextLength(value: unknown): number | undefined {
+	if (!value || typeof value !== 'object') return undefined;
+
+	const entry = value as Record<string, unknown>;
+	const flat = readContextField(entry);
+
+	if (flat !== undefined) return flat;
+
+	const topProvider = entry.top_provider;
+
+	if (topProvider && typeof topProvider === 'object') {
+		const nested = readContextField(topProvider as Record<string, unknown>);
+
+		if (nested !== undefined) return nested;
+	}
+
+	// Hugging Face lists one entry per inference provider, and they disagree on
+	// the budget; take the largest so the gauge does not undersell the model.
+	const providers = entry.providers;
+
+	if (Array.isArray(providers)) {
+		const sizes = providers
+			.map((provider) =>
+				provider && typeof provider === 'object'
+					? readContextField(provider as Record<string, unknown>)
+					: undefined
+			)
+			.filter((size): size is number => size !== undefined);
+
+		if (sizes.length > 0) return Math.max(...sizes);
+	}
+
+	return undefined;
+}
+
+function readContextField(entry: Record<string, unknown>): number | undefined {
+	for (const field of MODEL_CONTEXT_LENGTH_FIELDS) {
+		const value = entry[field];
+
+		if (typeof value === 'number' && value > 0) return value;
+	}
+
+	return undefined;
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/cors-proxy.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/cors-proxy.ts
index 58423b7e7d..147b6126f2 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/cors-proxy.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/cors-proxy.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * CORS Proxy utility for routing requests through llama-server's CORS proxy.
  */
 
-import { base } from '$app/paths';
+import { apiUrl } from './api-base';
 import { CORS_PROXY, CORS_PROXY_ENDPOINT } from '$lib/constants';
 
 /**
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { CORS_PROXY, CORS_PROXY_ENDPOINT } from '$lib/constants';
  * @returns URL pointing to the CORS proxy with target encoded
  */
 export function buildProxiedUrl(targetUrl: string): URL {
-	const proxyPath = `${base}${CORS_PROXY_ENDPOINT}`;
+	const proxyPath = apiUrl(CORS_PROXY_ENDPOINT);
 	const proxyUrl = new URL(proxyPath, window.location.origin);
 
 	proxyUrl.searchParams.set(CORS_PROXY.URL_PARAM, targetUrl);
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
index 2833356130..c9dd1c69b4 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
@@ -8,9 +8,30 @@
  */
 
 // API utilities
-export { getAuthHeaders, getJsonHeaders, sanitizeHeaders } from './api-headers';
+export {
+	apiChatUrl,
+	apiModelsUrl,
+	apiUrl,
+	getBackend,
+	getBackendBaseUrl,
+	type BackendsSnapshot
+} from './api-base';
+export {
+	getAuthHeaders,
+	getAuthHeadersForBackend,
+	getJsonHeaders,
+	sanitizeHeaders
+} from './api-headers';
 export { ApiError, apiDelete, apiFetch, apiFetchWithParams, apiPost } from './api-fetch';
 export { validateApiKey } from './api-key-validation';
+export {
+	backendChatUrl,
+	backendFaviconUrl,
+	backendModelsUrl,
+	createLocalBackend,
+	getBackendCapabilities,
+	parseBackendsSettings
+} from './backend';
 
 // Attachment utilities
 export { getAttachmentDisplayItems, isMcpPrompt, isMcpResource } from './attachment-display';
@@ -107,6 +128,10 @@ export {
 // Model name utilities
 export { isValidModelName, normalizeModelName, orgOf } from './model-names';
 
+// Backend-qualified model option ids
+export { backendIdFromModelId, qualifyModelId, rawModelId } from './model-option-id';
+export { groupModelFamilies, modelFamilyKey, type ModelFamilyGroup } from './model-families';
+
 // Sidecar token utilities
 export { isAuxSidecar, isDraftSidecar, sidecarFromFileToken, sidecarFromTag } from './sidecars';
 
@@ -138,6 +163,8 @@ export { extractSseDataPayload, parseSseJsonStream, splitSseRecords } from './ss
 // Stream session identity (conversation-id based)
 export { streamIdentity } from './stream-identity';
 
+export { buildTimingsFromUsage, usageTokenCounts } from './timings';
+
 // MCP utilities
 export {
 	detectMcpTransportFromUrl,
@@ -360,4 +387,3 @@ export { remToPx } from './css';
 
 // Audio format helper (used by agentic store and chat service)
 export { getAudioInputFormat } from './audio-format';
-export { groupModelFamilies, modelFamilyKey, type ModelFamilyGroup } from './model-families';
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/model-option-id.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/model-option-id.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b856cb39dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/model-option-id.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+/**
+ * Backend-qualified model option ids.
+ *
+ * The selector lists models from every enabled backend, so a bare model id can
+ * collide. Option ids are qualified as `<backendId>::<rawModelId>`; selection
+ * strips the prefix to find the row in the active backend's list.
+ */
+
+const MODEL_OPTION_ID_SEPARATOR = '::';
+
+/** Prefix a raw model id with the backend that serves it. */
+export function qualifyModelId(backendId: string, modelId: string): string {
+	return `${backendId}${MODEL_OPTION_ID_SEPARATOR}${modelId}`;
+}
+
+/** Backend id of a qualified model option id, or null when unqualified. */
+export function backendIdFromModelId(qualifiedId: string): string | null {
+	const index = qualifiedId.indexOf(MODEL_OPTION_ID_SEPARATOR);
+
+	return index === -1 ? null : qualifiedId.slice(0, index);
+}
+
+/** Strip the backend prefix from a qualified model option id. */
+export function rawModelId(qualifiedId: string): string {
+	const index = qualifiedId.indexOf(MODEL_OPTION_ID_SEPARATOR);
+
+	return index === -1 ? qualifiedId : qualifiedId.slice(index + MODEL_OPTION_ID_SEPARATOR.length);
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/timings.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/timings.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a6478e8441
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/timings.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+/**
+ * Client side timing fallback for backends that do not report their own.
+ *
+ * llama.cpp streams per-token timings; OpenAI-compatible servers
+ * do not. Token counts come from the usage block of the final chunk (or the
+ * count of streamed deltas as a fallback), times are measured locally: the wait
+ * for the first token is attributed to prompt processing, the rest to
+ * generation. Wall clock, so network and queueing are part of the numbers.
+ */
+
+import type { ApiChatCompletionUsage } from '$lib/types/api';
+import type { ChatMessageTimings } from '$lib/types/chat';
+
+export interface StreamClock {
+	startedAt: number;
+	firstTokenAt: number | null;
+	lastTokenAt: number | null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Prompt/output/cache token counts. `promptTokens` excludes the cache read
+ * tokens, which are returned separately as `cacheTokens`, so the two always
+ * add up to the prompt size.
+ */
+export function usageTokenCounts(usage: ApiChatCompletionUsage | undefined): {
+	cacheTokens: number;
+	completionTokens: number;
+	promptTokens: number;
+} {
+	// a total that includes the cache reads, which are reported separately
+	const cacheTokens =
+		usage?.prompt_tokens_details?.cached_tokens ??
+		usage?.prompt_cache_hit_tokens ??
+		usage?.cached_tokens ??
+		0;
+	const promptTotal = usage?.prompt_tokens ?? 0;
+
+	return {
+		cacheTokens,
+		completionTokens: usage?.completion_tokens ?? 0,
+		promptTokens: Math.max(0, promptTotal - cacheTokens)
+	};
+}
+
+export function buildTimingsFromUsage(
+	usage: ApiChatCompletionUsage | undefined,
+	clock: StreamClock,
+	fallbackTokens = 0
+): ChatMessageTimings | null {
+	const { cacheTokens, completionTokens, promptTokens } = usageTokenCounts(usage);
+	const predictedN = completionTokens || fallbackTokens;
+
+	if (promptTokens === 0 && predictedN === 0) return null;
+
+	const { firstTokenAt, startedAt } = clock;
+	const lastTokenAt = clock.lastTokenAt ?? firstTokenAt;
+
+	return {
+		cache_n: cacheTokens,
+		// clamp so a one-token reply still reports a positive duration
+		predicted_ms: firstTokenAt && lastTokenAt ? Math.max(1, lastTokenAt - firstTokenAt) : undefined,
+		predicted_n: predictedN,
+		prompt_ms: firstTokenAt ? Math.max(1, firstTokenAt - startedAt) : undefined,
+		prompt_n: promptTokens
+	};
+}