diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings-keys.constants.ts
index 8ba25485b0..4e547f3744 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',
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings.constants.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings.constants.ts
index d39230e9ad..29f83abd50 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings.constants.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/constants/settings.constants.ts
@@ -188,6 +188,14 @@ export const SETTINGS_REGISTRY: SettingsSectionEntry[] = [
 				key: SETTINGS_KEYS.MAX_IMAGE_RESOLUTION,
 				label: 'Maximum image resolution (megapixels)',
 				type: SettingsFieldType.INPUT
+			},
+			{
+				defaultValue: '[]',
+				help: 'Configure external API backends as a JSON list. The local backend is always available.',
+				key: SETTINGS_KEYS.BACKENDS,
+				label: 'Backends',
+				standaloneField: false,
+				type: SettingsFieldType.INPUT
 			}
 		],
 		slug: SETTINGS_SECTION_SLUGS.GENERAL,
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..989bc8e609
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/backends.svelte.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+/**
+ * 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 read from settings. The store
+ * registers the resolved list with the api-base registry, which services use
+ * to build request URLs.
+ */
+
+import { browser } from '$app/environment';
+import { LOCAL_BACKEND_ID, SETTINGS_KEYS } from '$lib/constants';
+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';
+
+class BackendsStore {
+	activeId = $state<string>(LOCAL_BACKEND_ID);
+
+	get active(): Backend {
+		return this.list.find((backend) => backend.id === this.activeId) ?? this.local;
+	}
+
+	get enabled(): Backend[] {
+		return this.list.filter((backend) => backend.enabled);
+	}
+
+	get external(): Backend[] {
+		return parseBackendsSettings(settingsStore.config[SETTINGS_KEYS.BACKENDS]);
+	}
+
+	get list(): Backend[] {
+		return [this.local, ...this.external];
+	}
+
+	get local(): Backend {
+		return createLocalBackend();
+	}
+
+	initialize(): void {
+		if (!browser) return;
+
+		setBackendsResolver(() => ({ activeId: this.activeId, backends: this.list }));
+	}
+
+	setActive(backendId: string): void {
+		this.activeId = this.list.some((backend) => backend.id === backendId)
+			? backendId
+			: LOCAL_BACKEND_ID;
+	}
+}
+
+export const backendsStore = new BackendsStore();
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/index.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/index.ts
index fcab8a8064..8dc70da24d 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/index.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/index.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ export { conversationsStore } from './conversations/index.svelte';
 // MCP
 export { mcpStore } from './mcp/index.svelte';
 
+// BACKENDS
+export { backendsStore } from './backends.svelte';
+
 // MODELS
 export { modelsStore } from './models/index.svelte';
 
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/init.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/init.ts
index 37ea87b17c..af2c70dfc9 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/init.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/stores/init.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 // direct imports, not via the barrel, to avoid circular deps
+import { backendsStore } from './backends.svelte';
 import { conversationsStore } from './conversations/index.svelte';
 import { permissionsStore } from './permissions.svelte';
 import { settingsStore } from './settings/index.svelte';
@@ -17,6 +18,7 @@ export function initStores(): Promise<void> {
 		await MigrationService.runAllMigrations();
 
 		settingsStore.initialize();
+		backendsStore.initialize();
 		permissionsStore.initialize();
 		toolsStore.initialize();
 		void versionStore.initialize();
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..07e8517200
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/api-base.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+/**
+ * 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 { base } from '$app/paths';
+import { API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS } from '$lib/constants';
+import type { Backend } from '$lib/types';
+
+/** Backend list and active selection as exposed to URL resolution. */
+export interface BackendsSnapshot {
+	activeId: string;
+	backends: Backend[];
+}
+
+type BackendsResolver = () => BackendsSnapshot;
+
+let resolveBackends: BackendsResolver | null = null;
+
+/** Registered once by the backends store. */
+export function setBackendsResolver(resolver: BackendsResolver | null): void {
+	resolveBackends = resolver;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Look up a backend by id, defaulting to the active one.
+ */
+export function getBackend(backendId?: string): Backend | undefined {
+	const snapshot = resolveBackends?.();
+
+	if (!snapshot) return undefined;
+
+	const id = backendId ?? snapshot.activeId;
+
+	return snapshot.backends.find((backend) => backend.id === id);
+}
+
+/** API root for a backend, or an empty string for the local backend. */
+export function getBackendBaseUrl(backendId?: string): string {
+	return getBackend(backendId)?.baseUrl.trim() ?? '';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Absolute URL for an API path on a backend.
+ *
+ * Absolute URLs pass through untouched. Paths on the local backend keep the
+ * existing base-path-relative form, so serving under a subpath still works.
+ * Paths on external backends resolve against the backend's API root.
+ */
+export function apiUrl(path: string, backendId?: string): string {
+	if (API_ABSOLUTE_URL_PROTOCOLS.some((protocol) => path.startsWith(protocol))) {
+		return path;
+	}
+
+	const baseUrl = getBackendBaseUrl(backendId);
+
+	if (!baseUrl) {
+		return `${base}${path}`;
+	}
+
+	const root = baseUrl.endsWith('/') ? baseUrl : `${baseUrl}/`;
+
+	return new URL(path.replace(/^\.?\//, ''), root).toString();
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4771e59875
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/backend.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/**
+ * Backend list parsing and defaults.
+ *
+ * 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_ID_PREFIX, BACKEND_PROTOCOLS, LOCAL_BACKEND_ID } from '$lib/constants';
+import type { Backend, BackendProtocol } from '$lib/types';
+
+/** The built-in backend pointing at the server that serves this UI. */
+export function createLocalBackend(): Backend {
+	return {
+		baseUrl: '',
+		enabled: true,
+		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 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,
+		enabled: raw.enabled !== false,
+		headers: parseBackendHeaders(raw.headers),
+		id,
+		name,
+		protocol
+	};
+}
+
+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;
+}
diff --git a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
index f518cc9890..210a3460a0 100644
--- a/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
+++ b/tools/ui/src/lib/utils/index.ts
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@
  */
 
 // API utilities
+export { apiUrl, getBackend, getBackendBaseUrl, type BackendsSnapshot } from './api-base';
 export { getAuthHeaders, getJsonHeaders, sanitizeHeaders } from './api-headers';
 export { ApiError, apiDelete, apiFetch, apiFetchWithParams, apiPost } from './api-fetch';
 export { validateApiKey } from './api-key-validation';
+export { createLocalBackend, parseBackendsSettings } from './backend';
 
 // Attachment utilities
 export { getAttachmentDisplayItems, isMcpPrompt, isMcpResource } from './attachment-display';