diff --git a/common/CMakeLists.txt b/common/CMakeLists.txt
index 377b26846b6..0182767c2b3 100644
--- a/common/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/common/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -73,6 +73,8 @@ add_library(${TARGET} STATIC
     ngram-cache.h
     peg-parser.cpp
     peg-parser.h
+    preset.cpp
+    preset.h
     regex-partial.cpp
     regex-partial.h
     sampling.cpp
diff --git a/common/arg.cpp b/common/arg.cpp
index 210ef8d6214..b333f45c96a 100644
--- a/common/arg.cpp
+++ b/common/arg.cpp
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
 #define LLAMA_MAX_URL_LENGTH 2084 // Maximum URL Length in Chrome: 2083
 
 using json = nlohmann::ordered_json;
+using namespace common_arg_utils;
 
 static std::initializer_list<enum llama_example> mmproj_examples = {
     LLAMA_EXAMPLE_MTMD,
@@ -64,6 +65,15 @@ static std::string read_file(const std::string & fname) {
     return content;
 }
 
+static const std::vector<common_arg> & get_common_arg_defs() {
+    static const std::vector<common_arg> options = [] {
+        common_params params;
+        auto ctx = common_params_parser_init(params, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER, nullptr);
+        return ctx.options;
+    }();
+    return options;
+}
+
 common_arg & common_arg::set_examples(std::initializer_list<enum llama_example> examples) {
     this->examples = examples;
     return *this;
@@ -134,7 +144,7 @@ static std::vector<std::string> break_str_into_lines(std::string input, size_t m
     return result;
 }
 
-std::string common_arg::to_string() {
+std::string common_arg::to_string() const {
     // params for printing to console
     const static int n_leading_spaces = 40;
     const static int n_char_per_line_help = 70; // TODO: detect this based on current console
@@ -647,6 +657,53 @@ static void add_rpc_devices(const std::string & servers) {
     }
 }
 
+bool common_params_parse(int argc, char ** argv, llama_example ex, std::map<common_arg, std::string> & out_map) {
+    common_params dummy_params;
+    common_params_context ctx_arg = common_params_parser_init(dummy_params, ex, nullptr);
+
+    std::unordered_map<std::string, common_arg *> arg_to_options;
+    for (auto & opt : ctx_arg.options) {
+        for (const auto & arg : opt.args) {
+            arg_to_options[arg] = &opt;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // TODO @ngxson : find a way to deduplicate this code
+
+    // handle command line arguments
+    auto check_arg = [&](int i) {
+        if (i+1 >= argc) {
+            throw std::invalid_argument("expected value for argument");
+        }
+    };
+
+    for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
+        const std::string arg_prefix = "--";
+
+        std::string arg = argv[i];
+        if (arg.compare(0, arg_prefix.size(), arg_prefix) == 0) {
+            std::replace(arg.begin(), arg.end(), '_', '-');
+        }
+        if (arg_to_options.find(arg) == arg_to_options.end()) {
+            throw std::invalid_argument(string_format("error: invalid argument: %s", arg.c_str()));
+        }
+        auto opt = *arg_to_options[arg];
+        std::string val;
+        if (opt.value_hint != nullptr) {
+            // arg with single value
+            check_arg(i);
+            val = argv[++i];
+        }
+        if (opt.value_hint_2 != nullptr) {
+            // TODO: support arg with 2 values
+            throw std::invalid_argument("error: argument with 2 values is not yet supported\n");
+        }
+        out_map[opt] = val;
+    }
+
+    return true;
+}
+
 bool common_params_parse(int argc, char ** argv, common_params & params, llama_example ex, void(*print_usage)(int, char **)) {
     auto ctx_arg = common_params_parser_init(params, ex, print_usage);
     const common_params params_org = ctx_arg.params; // the example can modify the default params
@@ -692,15 +749,15 @@ static std::string list_builtin_chat_templates() {
     return msg.str();
 }
 
-static bool is_truthy(const std::string & value) {
+bool common_arg_utils::is_truthy(const std::string & value) {
     return value == "on" || value == "enabled" || value == "1";
 }
 
-static bool is_falsey(const std::string & value) {
+bool common_arg_utils::is_falsey(const std::string & value) {
     return value == "off" || value == "disabled" || value == "0";
 }
 
-static bool is_autoy(const std::string & value) {
+bool common_arg_utils::is_autoy(const std::string & value) {
     return value == "auto" || value == "-1";
 }
 
@@ -2543,6 +2600,13 @@ common_params_context common_params_parser_init(common_params & params, llama_ex
             params.models_dir = value;
         }
     ).set_examples({LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER}).set_env("LLAMA_ARG_MODELS_DIR"));
+    add_opt(common_arg(
+        {"--models-preset"}, "PATH",
+        "path to INI file containing model presets for the router server (default: disabled)",
+        [](common_params & params, const std::string & value) {
+            params.models_preset = value;
+        }
+    ).set_examples({LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER}).set_env("LLAMA_ARG_MODELS_PRESET"));
     add_opt(common_arg(
         {"--models-max"}, "N",
         string_format("for router server, maximum number of models to load simultaneously (default: %d, 0 = unlimited)", params.models_max),
diff --git a/common/arg.h b/common/arg.h
index 7ab7e2cea43..219c115e635 100644
--- a/common/arg.h
+++ b/common/arg.h
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 #include "common.h"
 
 #include <set>
+#include <map>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
+#include <cstring>
 
 //
 // CLI argument parsing
@@ -24,6 +26,8 @@ struct common_arg {
     void (*handler_str_str)(common_params & params, const std::string &, const std::string &) = nullptr;
     void (*handler_int)    (common_params & params, int) = nullptr;
 
+    common_arg() = default;
+
     common_arg(
         const std::initializer_list<const char *> & args,
         const char * value_hint,
@@ -61,9 +65,29 @@ struct common_arg {
     bool is_exclude(enum llama_example ex);
     bool get_value_from_env(std::string & output) const;
     bool has_value_from_env() const;
-    std::string to_string();
+    std::string to_string() const;
+
+    // for using as key in std::map
+    bool operator<(const common_arg& other) const {
+        if (args.empty() || other.args.empty()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return strcmp(args[0], other.args[0]) < 0;
+    }
+    bool operator==(const common_arg& other) const {
+        if (args.empty() || other.args.empty()) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return strcmp(args[0], other.args[0]) == 0;
+    }
 };
 
+namespace common_arg_utils {
+    bool is_truthy(const std::string & value);
+    bool is_falsey(const std::string & value);
+    bool is_autoy(const std::string & value);
+}
+
 struct common_params_context {
     enum llama_example ex = LLAMA_EXAMPLE_COMMON;
     common_params & params;
@@ -76,7 +100,11 @@ struct common_params_context {
 // if one argument has invalid value, it will automatically display usage of the specific argument (and not the full usage message)
 bool common_params_parse(int argc, char ** argv, common_params & params, llama_example ex, void(*print_usage)(int, char **) = nullptr);
 
-// function to be used by test-arg-parser
+// parse input arguments from CLI into a map
+// TODO: support repeated args in the future
+bool common_params_parse(int argc, char ** argv, llama_example ex, std::map<common_arg, std::string> & out_map);
+
+// initialize argument parser context - used by test-arg-parser and preset
 common_params_context common_params_parser_init(common_params & params, llama_example ex, void(*print_usage)(int, char **) = nullptr);
 
 struct common_remote_params {
diff --git a/common/common.h b/common/common.h
index ad79f5b425c..6119adcc0f8 100644
--- a/common/common.h
+++ b/common/common.h
@@ -484,9 +484,10 @@ struct common_params {
     bool endpoint_metrics = false;
 
     // router server configs
-    std::string models_dir = ""; // directory containing models for the router server
-    int models_max = 4;          // maximum number of models to load simultaneously
-    bool models_autoload = true; // automatically load models when requested via the router server
+    std::string models_dir    = ""; // directory containing models for the router server
+    std::string models_preset = ""; // directory containing model presets for the router server
+    int models_max = 4;             // maximum number of models to load simultaneously
+    bool models_autoload = true;    // automatically load models when requested via the router server
 
     bool log_json = false;
 
diff --git a/common/preset.cpp b/common/preset.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..09ac171b720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/preset.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+#include "arg.h"
+#include "preset.h"
+#include "peg-parser.h"
+#include "log.h"
+
+#include <fstream>
+#include <sstream>
+#include <filesystem>
+
+static std::string rm_leading_dashes(const std::string & str) {
+    size_t pos = 0;
+    while (pos < str.size() && str[pos] == '-') {
+        ++pos;
+    }
+    return str.substr(pos);
+}
+
+std::vector<std::string> common_preset::to_args() const {
+    std::vector<std::string> args;
+
+    for (const auto & [opt, value] : options) {
+        args.push_back(opt.args.back()); // use the last arg as the main arg
+        if (opt.value_hint == nullptr && opt.value_hint_2 == nullptr) {
+            // flag option, no value
+            if (common_arg_utils::is_falsey(value)) {
+                // skip the flag
+                args.pop_back();
+            }
+        }
+        if (opt.value_hint != nullptr) {
+            // single value
+            args.push_back(value);
+        }
+        if (opt.value_hint != nullptr && opt.value_hint_2 != nullptr) {
+            throw std::runtime_error(string_format(
+                "common_preset::to_args(): option '%s' has two values, which is not supported yet",
+                opt.args.back()
+            ));
+        }
+    }
+
+    return args;
+}
+
+std::string common_preset::to_ini() const {
+    std::ostringstream ss;
+
+    ss << "[" << name << "]\n";
+    for (const auto & [opt, value] : options) {
+        auto espaced_value = value;
+        string_replace_all(espaced_value, "\n", "\\\n");
+        ss << rm_leading_dashes(opt.args.back()) << " = ";
+        ss << espaced_value << "\n";
+    }
+    ss << "\n";
+
+    return ss.str();
+}
+
+static std::map<std::string, std::map<std::string, std::string>> parse_ini_from_file(const std::string & path) {
+    std::map<std::string, std::map<std::string, std::string>> parsed;
+
+    if (!std::filesystem::exists(path)) {
+        throw std::runtime_error("preset file does not exist: " + path);
+    }
+
+    std::ifstream file(path);
+    if (!file.good()) {
+        throw std::runtime_error("failed to open server preset file: " + path);
+    }
+
+    std::string contents((std::istreambuf_iterator<char>(file)), std::istreambuf_iterator<char>());
+
+    static const auto parser = build_peg_parser([](auto & p) {
+        // newline ::= "\r\n" / "\n" / "\r"
+        auto newline = p.rule("newline", p.literal("\r\n") | p.literal("\n") | p.literal("\r"));
+
+        // ws ::= [ \t]*
+        auto ws = p.rule("ws", p.chars("[ \t]", 0, -1));
+
+        // comment ::= [;#] (!newline .)*
+        auto comment = p.rule("comment", p.chars("[;#]", 1, 1) + p.zero_or_more(p.negate(newline) + p.any()));
+
+        // eol ::= ws comment? (newline / EOF)
+        auto eol = p.rule("eol", ws + p.optional(comment) + (newline | p.end()));
+
+        // ident ::= [a-zA-Z_] [a-zA-Z0-9_.-]*
+        auto ident = p.rule("ident", p.chars("[a-zA-Z_]", 1, 1) + p.chars("[a-zA-Z0-9_.-]", 0, -1));
+
+        // value ::= (!eol-start .)*
+        auto eol_start = p.rule("eol-start", ws + (p.chars("[;#]", 1, 1) | newline | p.end()));
+        auto value = p.rule("value", p.zero_or_more(p.negate(eol_start) + p.any()));
+
+        // header-line ::= "[" ws ident ws "]" eol
+        auto header_line = p.rule("header-line", "[" + ws + p.tag("section-name", p.chars("[^]]")) + ws + "]" + eol);
+
+        // kv-line ::= ident ws "=" ws value eol
+        auto kv_line = p.rule("kv-line", p.tag("key", ident) + ws + "=" + ws + p.tag("value", value) + eol);
+
+        // comment-line ::= ws comment (newline / EOF)
+        auto comment_line = p.rule("comment-line", ws + comment + (newline | p.end()));
+
+        // blank-line ::= ws (newline / EOF)
+        auto blank_line = p.rule("blank-line", ws + (newline | p.end()));
+
+        // line ::= header-line / kv-line / comment-line / blank-line
+        auto line = p.rule("line", header_line | kv_line | comment_line | blank_line);
+
+        // ini ::= line* EOF
+        auto ini = p.rule("ini", p.zero_or_more(line) + p.end());
+
+        return ini;
+    });
+
+    common_peg_parse_context ctx(contents);
+    const auto result = parser.parse(ctx);
+    if (!result.success()) {
+        throw std::runtime_error("failed to parse server config file: " + path);
+    }
+
+    std::string current_section = COMMON_PRESET_DEFAULT_NAME;
+    std::string current_key;
+
+    ctx.ast.visit(result, [&](const auto & node) {
+        if (node.tag == "section-name") {
+            const std::string section = std::string(node.text);
+            current_section = section;
+            parsed[current_section] = {};
+        } else if (node.tag == "key") {
+            const std::string key = std::string(node.text);
+            current_key = key;
+        } else if (node.tag == "value" && !current_key.empty() && !current_section.empty()) {
+            parsed[current_section][current_key] = std::string(node.text);
+            current_key.clear();
+        }
+    });
+
+    return parsed;
+}
+
+static std::map<std::string, common_arg> get_map_key_opt(common_params_context & ctx_params) {
+    std::map<std::string, common_arg> mapping;
+    for (const auto & opt : ctx_params.options) {
+        if (opt.env != nullptr) {
+            mapping[opt.env] = opt;
+        }
+        for (const auto & arg : opt.args) {
+            mapping[rm_leading_dashes(arg)] = opt;
+        }
+    }
+    return mapping;
+}
+
+common_presets common_presets_load(const std::string & path, common_params_context & ctx_params) {
+    common_presets out;
+    auto key_to_opt = get_map_key_opt(ctx_params);
+    auto ini_data = parse_ini_from_file(path);
+
+    for (auto section : ini_data) {
+        common_preset preset;
+        if (section.first.empty()) {
+            preset.name = COMMON_PRESET_DEFAULT_NAME;
+        } else {
+            preset.name = section.first;
+        }
+        LOG_DBG("loading preset: %s\n", preset.name.c_str());
+        for (const auto & [key, value] : section.second) {
+            LOG_DBG("option: %s = %s\n", key.c_str(), value.c_str());
+            if (key_to_opt.find(key) != key_to_opt.end()) {
+                preset.options[key_to_opt[key]] = value;
+                LOG_DBG("accepted option: %s = %s\n", key.c_str(), value.c_str());
+            } else {
+                // TODO: maybe warn about unknown key?
+            }
+        }
+        out[preset.name] = preset;
+    }
+
+    return out;
+}
diff --git a/common/preset.h b/common/preset.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..dceb849eb81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/preset.h
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include "common.h"
+#include "arg.h"
+
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+#include <map>
+
+//
+// INI preset parser and writer
+//
+
+constexpr const char * COMMON_PRESET_DEFAULT_NAME = "default";
+
+struct common_preset {
+    std::string name;
+    // TODO: support repeated args in the future
+    std::map<common_arg, std::string> options;
+
+    // convert preset to CLI argument list
+    std::vector<std::string> to_args() const;
+
+    // convert preset to INI format string
+    std::string to_ini() const;
+
+    // TODO: maybe implement to_env() if needed
+};
+
+// interface for multiple presets in one file
+using common_presets = std::map<std::string, common_preset>;
+common_presets common_presets_load(const std::string & path, common_params_context & ctx_params);
diff --git a/tools/server/CMakeLists.txt b/tools/server/CMakeLists.txt
index a39b4c5b35f..ae1a497be6d 100644
--- a/tools/server/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tools/server/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ set(TARGET_SRCS
     server-http.h
     server-models.cpp
     server-models.h
+    server-task.cpp
+    server-task.h
+    server-queue.cpp
+    server-queue.h
+    server-common.cpp
+    server-common.h
+    server-context.cpp
+    server-context.h
 )
 set(PUBLIC_ASSETS
     index.html.gz
diff --git a/tools/server/README.md b/tools/server/README.md
index f98fb44c7bc..d6b9b87dcf7 100644
--- a/tools/server/README.md
+++ b/tools/server/README.md
@@ -1369,6 +1369,11 @@ llama-server
 
 ### Model sources
 
+There are 3 possible sources for model files:
+1. Cached models (controlled by the `LLAMA_CACHE` environment variable)
+2. Custom model directory (set via the `--models-dir` argument)
+3. Custom preset (set via the `--models-preset` argument)
+
 By default, the router looks for models in the cache. You can add Hugging Face models to the cache with:
 
 ```sh
@@ -1413,6 +1418,51 @@ llama-server -ctx 8192 -n 1024 -np 2
 
 Note: model instances inherit both command line arguments and environment variables from the router server.
 
+Alternatively, you can also add GGUF based preset (see next section)
+
+### Model presets
+
+Model presets allow advanced users to define custom configurations using an `.ini` file:
+
+```sh
+llama-server --models-preset ./my-models.ini
+```
+
+Each section in the file defines a new preset. Keys within a section correspond to command-line arguments (without leading dashes). For example, the argument `--n-gpu-layer 123` is written as `n-gpu-layer = 123`.
+
+Short argument forms (e.g., `c`, `ngl`) and environment variable names (e.g., `LLAMA_ARG_N_GPU_LAYERS`) are also supported as keys.
+
+Example:
+
+```ini
+version = 1
+
+; If the key corresponds to an existing model on the server,
+; this will be used as the default config for that model
+[ggml-org/MY-MODEL-GGUF:Q8_0]
+; string value
+chat-template = chatml
+; numeric value
+n-gpu-layer = 123
+; flag value (for certain flags, you need to use the "no-" prefix for negation)
+jinja = true
+; shorthand argument (for example, context size)
+c = 4096
+; environment variable name
+LLAMA_ARG_CACHE_RAM = 0
+; file paths are relative to server's CWD
+model-draft = ./my-models/draft.gguf
+; but it's RECOMMENDED to use absolute path
+model-draft = /Users/abc/my-models/draft.gguf
+
+; If the key does NOT correspond to an existing model,
+; you need to specify at least the model path
+[custom_model]
+model = /Users/abc/my-awesome-model-Q4_K_M.gguf
+```
+
+Note: some arguments are controlled by router (e.g., host, port, API key, HF repo, model alias). They will be removed or overwritten upload loading.
+
 ### Routing requests
 
 Requests are routed according to the requested model name.
diff --git a/tools/server/server-models.cpp b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
index 6f88e93c4bb..6c618a673c9 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-models.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #include "server-common.h"
 #include "server-models.h"
 
+#include "preset.h"
 #include "download.h"
 
 #include <cpp-httplib/httplib.h> // TODO: remove this once we use HTTP client from download.h
@@ -33,6 +34,10 @@
 
 #define CMD_EXIT "exit"
 
+// address for child process, this is needed because router may run on 0.0.0.0
+// ref: https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp/issues/17862
+#define CHILD_ADDR "127.0.0.1"
+
 static std::filesystem::path get_server_exec_path() {
 #if defined(_WIN32)
     wchar_t buf[32768] = { 0 };  // Large buffer to handle long paths
@@ -132,6 +137,93 @@ static std::vector<local_model> list_local_models(const std::string & dir) {
     return models;
 }
 
+//
+// server_presets
+//
+
+
+server_presets::server_presets(int argc, char ** argv, common_params & base_params, const std::string & presets_path)
+        : ctx_params(common_params_parser_init(base_params, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER)) {
+    if (!presets_path.empty()) {
+        presets = common_presets_load(presets_path, ctx_params);
+        SRV_INF("Loaded %zu presets from %s\n", presets.size(), presets_path.c_str());
+    }
+
+    // populate reserved args (will be appended by the router)
+    for (auto & opt : ctx_params.options) {
+        if (opt.env == nullptr) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        std::string env = opt.env;
+        if (env == "LLAMA_ARG_PORT" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_HOST" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_ALIAS" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_API_KEY" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_MODELS_DIR" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_MODELS_MAX" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_MODELS_PRESET" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_MODEL" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_MMPROJ" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_HF_REPO" ||
+            env == "LLAMA_ARG_NO_MODELS_AUTOLOAD") {
+            control_args[env] = opt;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // read base args from router's argv
+    common_params_parse(argc, argv, LLAMA_EXAMPLE_SERVER, base_args);
+
+    // remove any router-controlled args from base_args
+    for (const auto & cargs : control_args) {
+        auto it = base_args.find(cargs.second);
+        if (it != base_args.end()) {
+            base_args.erase(it);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+common_preset server_presets::get_preset(const std::string & name) {
+    auto it = presets.find(name);
+    if (it != presets.end()) {
+        return it->second;
+    }
+    return common_preset();
+}
+
+void server_presets::render_args(server_model_meta & meta) {
+    common_preset preset = meta.preset; // copy
+    // merging 3 kinds of args:
+    // 1. model-specific args (from preset)
+    // force removing control args if any
+    for (auto & cargs : control_args) {
+        if (preset.options.find(cargs.second) != preset.options.end()) {
+            SRV_WRN("Preset '%s' contains reserved arg '%s', removing it\n", preset.name.c_str(), cargs.second.args[0]);
+            preset.options.erase(cargs.second);
+        }
+    }
+    // 2. base args (from router)
+    // inherit from base args
+    for (const auto & [arg, value] : base_args) {
+        preset.options[arg] = value;
+    }
+    // 3. control args (from router)
+    // set control values
+    preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_HOST"]] = CHILD_ADDR;
+    preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_PORT"]] = std::to_string(meta.port);
+    preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_ALIAS"]] = meta.name;
+    if (meta.in_cache) {
+        preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_HF_REPO"]] = meta.name;
+    } else {
+        preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_MODEL"]] = meta.path;
+        if (!meta.path_mmproj.empty()) {
+            preset.options[control_args["LLAMA_ARG_MMPROJ"]] = meta.path_mmproj;
+        }
+    }
+    meta.args = preset.to_args();
+    // add back the binary path at the front
+    meta.args.insert(meta.args.begin(), get_server_exec_path().string());
+}
+
 //
 // server_models
 //
@@ -140,7 +232,7 @@ server_models::server_models(
         const common_params & params,
         int argc,
         char ** argv,
-        char ** envp) : base_params(params) {
+        char ** envp) : base_params(params), presets(argc, argv, base_params, params.models_preset) {
     for (int i = 0; i < argc; i++) {
         base_args.push_back(std::string(argv[i]));
     }
@@ -155,11 +247,58 @@ server_models::server_models(
         LOG_WRN("failed to get server executable path: %s\n", e.what());
         LOG_WRN("using original argv[0] as fallback: %s\n", base_args[0].c_str());
     }
-    // TODO: allow refreshing cached model list
-    // add cached models
+    load_models();
+}
+
+void server_models::add_model(server_model_meta && meta) {
+    if (mapping.find(meta.name) != mapping.end()) {
+        throw std::runtime_error(string_format("model '%s' appears multiple times", meta.name.c_str()));
+    }
+    presets.render_args(meta); // populate meta.args
+    std::string name = meta.name;
+    mapping[name] = instance_t{
+        /* subproc */ std::make_shared<subprocess_s>(),
+        /* th      */ std::thread(),
+        /* meta    */ std::move(meta)
+    };
+}
+
+static std::vector<local_model> list_custom_path_models(server_presets & presets) {
+    // detect any custom-path models in presets
+    std::vector<local_model> custom_models;
+    for (auto & [model_name, preset] : presets.presets) {
+        local_model model;
+        model.name = model_name;
+        std::vector<common_arg> to_erase;
+        for (auto & [arg, value] : preset.options) {
+            std::string env(arg.env ? arg.env : "");
+            if (env == "LLAMA_ARG_MODEL") {
+                model.path = value;
+                to_erase.push_back(arg);
+            }
+            if (env == "LLAMA_ARG_MMPROJ") {
+                model.path_mmproj = value;
+                to_erase.push_back(arg);
+            }
+        }
+        for (auto & arg : to_erase) {
+            preset.options.erase(arg);
+        }
+        if (!model.name.empty() && !model.path.empty()) {
+            custom_models.push_back(model);
+        }
+    }
+    return custom_models;
+}
+
+// TODO: allow refreshing cached model list
+void server_models::load_models() {
+    // loading models from 3 sources:
+    // 1. cached models
     auto cached_models = common_list_cached_models();
     for (const auto & model : cached_models) {
         server_model_meta meta{
+            /* preset      */ presets.get_preset(model.to_string()),
             /* name        */ model.to_string(),
             /* path        */ model.manifest_path,
             /* path_mmproj */ "", // auto-detected when loading
@@ -170,21 +309,18 @@ server_models::server_models(
             /* args        */ std::vector<std::string>(),
             /* exit_code   */ 0
         };
-        mapping[meta.name] = instance_t{
-            /* subproc */ std::make_shared<subprocess_s>(),
-            /* th      */ std::thread(),
-            /* meta    */ meta
-        };
+        add_model(std::move(meta));
     }
-    // add local models specificed via --models-dir
-    if (!params.models_dir.empty()) {
-        auto local_models = list_local_models(params.models_dir);
+    // 2. local models specificed via --models-dir
+    if (!base_params.models_dir.empty()) {
+        auto local_models = list_local_models(base_params.models_dir);
         for (const auto & model : local_models) {
             if (mapping.find(model.name) != mapping.end()) {
                 // already exists in cached models, skip
                 continue;
             }
             server_model_meta meta{
+                /* preset      */ presets.get_preset(model.name),
                 /* name        */ model.name,
                 /* path        */ model.path,
                 /* path_mmproj */ model.path_mmproj,
@@ -195,13 +331,31 @@ server_models::server_models(
                 /* args        */ std::vector<std::string>(),
                 /* exit_code   */ 0
             };
-            mapping[meta.name] = instance_t{
-                /* subproc */ std::make_shared<subprocess_s>(),
-                /* th      */ std::thread(),
-                /* meta    */ meta
-            };
+            add_model(std::move(meta));
         }
     }
+    // 3. custom-path models specified in presets
+    auto custom_models = list_custom_path_models(presets);
+    for (const auto & model : custom_models) {
+        server_model_meta meta{
+            /* preset      */ presets.get_preset(model.name),
+            /* name        */ model.name,
+            /* path        */ model.path,
+            /* path_mmproj */ model.path_mmproj,
+            /* in_cache    */ false,
+            /* port        */ 0,
+            /* status      */ SERVER_MODEL_STATUS_UNLOADED,
+            /* last_used   */ 0,
+            /* args        */ std::vector<std::string>(),
+            /* exit_code   */ 0
+        };
+        add_model(std::move(meta));
+    }
+    // log available models
+    SRV_INF("Available models (%zu) (*: custom preset)\n", mapping.size());
+    for (const auto & [name, inst] : mapping) {
+        SRV_INF("  %c %s\n", inst.meta.preset.name.empty() ? ' ' : '*', name.c_str());
+    }
 }
 
 void server_models::update_meta(const std::string & name, const server_model_meta & meta) {
@@ -335,19 +489,7 @@ void server_models::unload_lru() {
     }
 }
 
-static void add_or_replace_arg(std::vector<std::string> & args, const std::string & key, const std::string & value) {
-    for (size_t i = 0; i < args.size(); i++) {
-        if (args[i] == key && i + 1 < args.size()) {
-            args[i + 1] = value;
-            return;
-        }
-    }
-    // not found, append
-    args.push_back(key);
-    args.push_back(value);
-}
-
-void server_models::load(const std::string & name, bool auto_load) {
+void server_models::load(const std::string & name) {
     if (!has_model(name)) {
         throw std::runtime_error("model name=" + name + " is not found");
     }
@@ -376,26 +518,10 @@ void server_models::load(const std::string & name, bool auto_load) {
     {
         SRV_INF("spawning server instance with name=%s on port %d\n", inst.meta.name.c_str(), inst.meta.port);
 
-        std::vector<std::string> child_args;
-        if (auto_load && !meta.args.empty()) {
-            child_args = meta.args; // copy previous args
-        } else {
-            child_args = base_args; // copy
-            if (inst.meta.in_cache) {
-                add_or_replace_arg(child_args, "-hf", inst.meta.name);
-            } else {
-                add_or_replace_arg(child_args, "-m", inst.meta.path);
-                if (!inst.meta.path_mmproj.empty()) {
-                    add_or_replace_arg(child_args, "--mmproj", inst.meta.path_mmproj);
-                }
-            }
-        }
-
-        // set model args
-        add_or_replace_arg(child_args, "--port", std::to_string(inst.meta.port));
-        add_or_replace_arg(child_args, "--alias", inst.meta.name);
+        presets.render_args(inst.meta); // update meta.args
 
-        std::vector<std::string> child_env = base_env; // copy
+        std::vector<std::string> child_args = inst.meta.args; // copy
+        std::vector<std::string> child_env  = base_env; // copy
         child_env.push_back("LLAMA_SERVER_ROUTER_PORT=" + std::to_string(base_params.port));
 
         SRV_INF("%s", "spawning server instance with args:\n");
@@ -541,7 +667,7 @@ bool server_models::ensure_model_loaded(const std::string & name) {
     }
     if (meta->status == SERVER_MODEL_STATUS_UNLOADED) {
         SRV_INF("model name=%s is not loaded, loading...\n", name.c_str());
-        load(name, true);
+        load(name);
     }
 
     SRV_INF("waiting until model name=%s is fully loaded...\n", name.c_str());
@@ -571,7 +697,7 @@ server_http_res_ptr server_models::proxy_request(const server_http_req & req, co
     SRV_INF("proxying request to model %s on port %d\n", name.c_str(), meta->port);
     auto proxy = std::make_unique<server_http_proxy>(
             method,
-            base_params.hostname,
+            CHILD_ADDR,
             meta->port,
             req.path,
             req.headers,
@@ -724,38 +850,6 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
         return models.proxy_request(req, method, name, true); // update last usage for POST request only
     };
 
-    this->get_router_models = [this](const server_http_req &) {
-        auto res = std::make_unique<server_http_res>();
-        json models_json = json::array();
-        auto all_models = models.get_all_meta();
-        std::time_t t = std::time(0);
-        for (const auto & meta : all_models) {
-            json status {
-                {"value", server_model_status_to_string(meta.status)},
-                {"args",  meta.args},
-            };
-            if (meta.is_failed()) {
-                status["exit_code"] = meta.exit_code;
-                status["failed"]    = true;
-            }
-            models_json.push_back(json {
-                {"id",       meta.name},
-                {"object",   "model"},    // for OAI-compat
-                {"owned_by", "llamacpp"}, // for OAI-compat
-                {"created",  t},          // for OAI-compat
-                {"in_cache", meta.in_cache},
-                {"path",     meta.path},
-                {"status",   status},
-                // TODO: add other fields, may require reading GGUF metadata
-            });
-        }
-        res_ok(res, {
-            {"data", models_json},
-            {"object", "list"},
-        });
-        return res;
-    };
-
     this->post_router_models_load = [this](const server_http_req & req) {
         auto res = std::make_unique<server_http_res>();
         json body = json::parse(req.body);
@@ -769,7 +863,7 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
             res_err(res, format_error_response("model is already loaded", ERROR_TYPE_INVALID_REQUEST));
             return res;
         }
-        models.load(name, false);
+        models.load(name);
         res_ok(res, {{"success", true}});
         return res;
     };
@@ -793,9 +887,12 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
         std::time_t t = std::time(0);
         for (const auto & meta : all_models) {
             json status {
-                {"value", server_model_status_to_string(meta.status)},
-                {"args",  meta.args},
+                {"value",  server_model_status_to_string(meta.status)},
+                {"args",   meta.args},
             };
+            if (!meta.preset.name.empty()) {
+                status["preset"] = meta.preset.to_ini();
+            }
             if (meta.is_failed()) {
                 status["exit_code"] = meta.exit_code;
                 status["failed"]    = true;
diff --git a/tools/server/server-models.h b/tools/server/server-models.h
index 526e7488dc9..9cdbbad9b6a 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-models.h
+++ b/tools/server/server-models.h
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include "common.h"
+#include "preset.h"
 #include "server-http.h"
 
 #include <mutex>
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ static std::string server_model_status_to_string(server_model_status status) {
 }
 
 struct server_model_meta {
+    common_preset preset;
     std::string name;
     std::string path;
     std::string path_mmproj; // only available if in_cache=false
@@ -54,7 +56,7 @@ struct server_model_meta {
     int port = 0;
     server_model_status status = SERVER_MODEL_STATUS_UNLOADED;
     int64_t last_used = 0; // for LRU unloading
-    std::vector<std::string> args; // additional args passed to the model instance (used for debugging)
+    std::vector<std::string> args; // args passed to the model instance, will be populated by render_args()
     int exit_code = 0; // exit code of the model instance process (only valid if status == FAILED)
 
     bool is_active() const {
@@ -66,6 +68,19 @@ struct server_model_meta {
     }
 };
 
+// the server_presets struct holds the presets read from presets.ini
+// as well as base args from the router server
+struct server_presets {
+    common_presets presets;
+    common_params_context ctx_params;
+    std::map<common_arg, std::string> base_args;
+    std::map<std::string, common_arg> control_args; // args reserved for server control
+
+    server_presets(int argc, char ** argv, common_params & base_params, const std::string & models_dir);
+    common_preset get_preset(const std::string & name);
+    void render_args(server_model_meta & meta);
+};
+
 struct subprocess_s;
 
 struct server_models {
@@ -85,14 +100,21 @@ struct server_models {
     std::vector<std::string> base_args;
     std::vector<std::string> base_env;
 
+    server_presets presets;
+
     void update_meta(const std::string & name, const server_model_meta & meta);
 
     // unload least recently used models if the limit is reached
     void unload_lru();
 
+    // not thread-safe, caller must hold mutex
+    void add_model(server_model_meta && meta);
+
 public:
     server_models(const common_params & params, int argc, char ** argv, char ** envp);
 
+    void load_models();
+
     // check if a model instance exists
     bool has_model(const std::string & name);
 
@@ -102,8 +124,7 @@ struct server_models {
     // return a copy of all model metadata
     std::vector<server_model_meta> get_all_meta();
 
-    // if auto_load is true, load the model with previous args if any
-    void load(const std::string & name, bool auto_load);
+    void load(const std::string & name);
     void unload(const std::string & name);
     void unload_all();