diff --git a/docs/admin-api.openapi.json b/docs/admin-api.openapi.json
index d791221..3b255bb 100644
--- a/docs/admin-api.openapi.json
+++ b/docs/admin-api.openapi.json
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@
     {
       "name": "facility"
     },
+    {
+      "name": "federation"
+    },
     {
       "name": "guard"
     },
@@ -591,6 +594,157 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "/api/v1/federation": {
+      "get": {
+        "operationId": "getFederation",
+        "summary": "This cluster's id, and its federation peers with their health and models",
+        "tags": [
+          "federation"
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "OK",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/FederationView"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "401": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
+          },
+          "default": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Error"
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "post": {
+        "operationId": "postFederation",
+        "summary": "Add another llmgw cluster as a peer, or change one",
+        "description": "The peer is checked first: its /ready, timed, and its /v1/models with the key. Its models join the catalog as PEER/MODEL.",
+        "tags": [
+          "federation"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "#/components/parameters/Actor"
+          }
+        ],
+        "requestBody": {
+          "required": true,
+          "content": {
+            "application/json": {
+              "schema": {
+                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/federation.AddRequest"
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        "responses": {
+          "201": {
+            "description": "OK",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/federation.Status"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "401": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
+          },
+          "default": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Error"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "/api/v1/federation/{peer}": {
+      "delete": {
+        "operationId": "deleteFederationPeer",
+        "summary": "Remove a federation peer and its models",
+        "description": "Refused while a model here falls back to one of the peer's.",
+        "tags": [
+          "federation"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "peer",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "description": "The federation peer's name, as `llmgw ctl federation list` lists it.",
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "$ref": "#/components/parameters/Actor"
+          }
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "OK",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/Removed"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "401": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
+          },
+          "default": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Error"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "/api/v1/federation/{peer}/sync": {
+      "post": {
+        "operationId": "postFederationPeerSync",
+        "summary": "Check a peer now, rather than at the next interval",
+        "tags": [
+          "federation"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "peer",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "description": "The federation peer's name, as `llmgw ctl federation list` lists it.",
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "$ref": "#/components/parameters/Actor"
+          }
+        ],
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "OK",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/federation.Status"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "401": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
+          },
+          "default": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Error"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "/api/v1/guard": {
       "get": {
         "operationId": "getGuard",
@@ -1439,6 +1593,58 @@
         }
       }
     },
+    "/api/v1/models/{name}/fallbacks": {
+      "put": {
+        "operationId": "putModelsNameFallbacks",
+        "summary": "Replace the models a model falls back to when it has no capacity",
+        "description": "A model added at runtime only. A federation peer's model, PEER/MODEL, sends the overflow to the other cluster.",
+        "tags": [
+          "models"
+        ],
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "name",
+            "in": "path",
+            "required": true,
+            "description": "The model's name in the catalog.",
+            "schema": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "$ref": "#/components/parameters/Actor"
+          }
+        ],
+        "requestBody": {
+          "required": true,
+          "content": {
+            "application/json": {
+              "schema": {
+                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/FallbacksRequest"
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        "responses": {
+          "200": {
+            "description": "OK",
+            "content": {
+              "application/json": {
+                "schema": {
+                  "$ref": "#/components/schemas/FallbacksView"
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          "401": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Unauthorized"
+          },
+          "default": {
+            "$ref": "#/components/responses/Error"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "/api/v1/models/{name}/headroom": {
       "get": {
         "operationId": "getModelsNameHeadroom",
@@ -3445,6 +3651,49 @@
           }
         }
       },
+      "FallbacksRequest": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "FallbacksRequest replaces a model's fallbacks; empty takes them all away.",
+        "properties": {
+          "fallbacks": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "FallbacksView": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "FallbacksView is a model's fallbacks, as they are now.",
+        "properties": {
+          "model": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "fallbacks": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "FederationView": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "FederationView is this cluster's id and its peers.",
+        "properties": {
+          "cluster": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "Cluster is this cluster's own id, which its peers see in the hop header."
+          },
+          "peers": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "$ref": "#/components/schemas/federation.Status"
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      },
       "FetchView": {
         "type": "object",
         "description": "FetchView is a download in flight.",
@@ -5363,6 +5612,10 @@
           "api_key_file": {
             "type": "string",
             "description": "APIKeyFile holds the provider's key, on the control plane. A file rather than the key itself, so the key is in neither the catalog, the store nor the audit log; empty for a provider that asks for none."
+          },
+          "peer": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "Peer names the federated llmgw cluster this model is offered by, for a model that federation added (`llmgw ctl federation add`) rather than one written by hand. Such a model is named PEER/MODEL, comes and goes with the peer's own list, and is sent only while the peer is up."
           }
         }
       },
@@ -6027,6 +6280,104 @@
           }
         }
       },
+      "federation.AddRequest": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "AddRequest adds a peer.",
+        "properties": {
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "Name is what this cluster calls the peer, and the prefix of its models: NAME/MODEL."
+          },
+          "url": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "URL is the peer gateway's client address, without /v1."
+          },
+          "key_file": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "KeyFile is a file on the control plane holding a key the peer issued to this cluster (or env:NAME, vault:PATH#FIELD)."
+          },
+          "send_tags": {
+            "type": "boolean",
+            "description": "SendTags makes requests sent to the peer carry x-llmgw-tags naming this cluster and the sending project. Off unless asked: the peer learns who in this cluster is asking."
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "federation.ModelStatus": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "ModelStatus is one of a peer's models: its name here, the peer's own, and whether the peer has stopped offering it.",
+        "properties": {
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "upstream": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "withdrawn": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "federation.Status": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "description": "Status is a peer as `llmgw ctl federation list` shows it.",
+        "properties": {
+          "name": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "url": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "key_file": {
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          "send_tags": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "cluster": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "Cluster is the peer's own cluster id."
+          },
+          "up": {
+            "type": "boolean"
+          },
+          "checked": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "format": "date-time",
+            "description": "Checked is when; zero before the first check."
+          },
+          "latency_ns": {
+            "type": "integer",
+            "format": "int64",
+            "description": "Latency is how long the peer took to answer /ready: the network to the other site and the peer's front, not a model's speed.\n\nA duration, in nanoseconds."
+          },
+          "error": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": "Error is why the peer is down, empty while it is up."
+          },
+          "latency_ms": {
+            "type": "number",
+            "description": "LatencyMs is Latency in milliseconds, for reading."
+          },
+          "synced_at": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "format": "date-time",
+            "description": "SyncedAt is when its models last changed here."
+          },
+          "models": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "$ref": "#/components/schemas/federation.ModelStatus"
+            }
+          },
+          "created_at": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "format": "date-time"
+          },
+          "created_by": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        }
+      },
       "guard.Attachment": {
         "type": "object",
         "description": "Attachment ties a policy to a part of the tenancy tree: scope is org, team, project, user or key, and ScopeID which one.",
diff --git a/docs/install.md b/docs/install.md
index e38a0d1..668ec5b 100644
--- a/docs/install.md
+++ b/docs/install.md
@@ -1196,6 +1196,63 @@ prices and budgets, rate limits, usage records, and key allowlists.
 whose allowlist leaves the external model out cannot reach it, as a fallback or
 by name. The cluster page and `ctl models` mark it `external`.
 
+### Federating clusters
+
+Another llmgw cluster — another site, another team's GPUs — can be a provider
+of this one, and llmgw knows it is one. Ask the other cluster's operator for a
+key in one of their projects (`llmgw keys create`), put it in a file on this
+control plane (on every control plane, with HA), and add the peer:
+
+```
+llmgw ctl federation add east --url https://llm.east.example --key-file /etc/llmgw/secrets/east.key
+llmgw ctl federation list
+llmgw ctl model fallbacks qwen-7b east/qwen-7b   # overflow goes to east
+```
+
+- **Its models, named PEER/MODEL.** What the peer's `/v1/models` offers that
+  key is offered here as `east/qwen-7b` and so on, always with the prefix —
+  never under the peer's own name, even when nothing here uses it, so
+  whether a request leaves the cluster never depends on what else is in the
+  catalog, and every usage record and `x-llmgw-served-model` header says which
+  site answered. A model here called `east/...` wins over the peer's of the
+  same name. The peer's aliases, and models the peer has from peers of its
+  own, are not taken: federation is one hop.
+- **Kept in step.** Each peer is checked every `federation.interval` (10s):
+  its `/ready`, timed — the latency `ctl federation list` shows — and its
+  `/v1/models`. A model it adds appears here; one it drops goes, unless a
+  model here still falls back to it, when it is kept *withdrawn* (in the
+  catalog, sent nothing) until the fallback is changed. `ctl federation sync
+  east` checks now.
+- **Taken out when down.** A peer whose `/ready` fails, which refuses the key,
+  or which does not answer is sent nothing until it answers again; its models
+  stay in the catalog. A peer's `/ready` counts only what it serves itself, so
+  two clusters federating each other are not each ready because of the other.
+- **Overflow.** Named in a model's fallbacks (`ctl model fallbacks`, for
+  models added at runtime), a peer's model is used only when the model has
+  no capacity here — as for any external model.
+- **What stays here, stays here.** A peer's model is an external model: a
+  project with `keys residency --in-cluster`, or under a guardrails policy with
+  `no_store`, is refused it by name and never sent to it as a fallback.
+- **One key, and who is asking.** The peer sees this cluster's key, so its
+  usage, limits and budgets are one tenant's. The request's `X-Request-Id`
+  goes with it, so one id finds the request on both sides. With
+  `--send-tags` the request also carries `x-llmgw-tags:
+  federated_from=<federation.name>,org=…,team=…,project=…` (ids), for the
+  peer's usage records to attribute it; off unless given, because it tells
+  the other site who here is asking.
+- **No loops.** Each cluster has an id (`ctl federation list` shows it), and a
+  request sent to a peer carries `x-llmgw-hop` with the ids it has passed
+  through. A cluster refuses a request that has already passed through it
+  (508, `federation_loop`), and does not send one to a peer it came from —
+  so two clusters falling back to each other try each once.
+- `llmgw_federation_peer_up`, `_latency_seconds` and `_models` are on
+  `/metrics`; the console has a Federation view. `ctl federation remove east`
+  takes the peer and its models away, refused while a fallback names one.
+
+Not yet: models declared in server.yaml cannot name a peer's model as a
+fallback (the catalog in the file is checked before the peers are read), and
+a peer behind a private CA needs that CA in the system's trust store.
+
 ### Trying new weights on some of the traffic first
 
 When a model's repository publishes new weights, `llmgw ctl model update`
diff --git a/docs/reference.md b/docs/reference.md
index 8d44428..d1e9e58 100644
--- a/docs/reference.md
+++ b/docs/reference.md
@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ rather than repeated.
 | `url` | `string` | [External](#external) |
 | `model` | `string` | [External](#external) |
 | `api_key_file` | `string` | [External](#external) |
+| `peer` | `string` | [External](#external) |
 | `budgets` | `[]FacilityBudget` | [Facility](#facility) |
 | `margin` | `float64` | [Facility](#facility) |
 | `gpu_watts` | `float64` | [Facility](#facility) |
@@ -95,6 +96,8 @@ rather than repeated.
 | `domain` | `string` | [FacilityBudget](#facilitybudget) |
 | `cap_watts` | `float64` | [FacilityBudget](#facilitybudget) |
 | `other_watts` | `float64` | [FacilityBudget](#facilitybudget) |
+| `name` | `string` | [Federation](#federation) |
+| `interval` | `time.Duration` | [Federation](#federation) |
 | `format` | `string` | [GuardModel](#guardmodel) |
 | `categories` | `[]string` | [GuardModel](#guardmodel) |
 | `model` | `string` | [JudgePolicy](#judgepolicy) |
@@ -293,6 +296,7 @@ rather than repeated.
 | `control` | `Control` | [Server](#server) |
 | `models` | `[]catalog.Model` | [Server](#server) |
 | `facility` | `Facility` | [Server](#server) |
+| `federation` | `Federation` | [Server](#server) |
 | `endpoints` | `[]Endpoint` | [Server](#server) |
 | `bin` | `string` | [SimConfig](#simconfig) |
 | `python` | `string` | [TRTLLMConfig](#trtllmconfig) |
@@ -863,6 +867,15 @@ APIKeyFile holds the provider's key, on the control plane. A file
 rather than the key itself, so the key is in neither the catalog, the
 store nor the audit log; empty for a provider that asks for none.
 
+### `peer`
+
+`string`
+
+Peer names the federated llmgw cluster this model is offered by, for
+a model that federation added (`llmgw ctl federation add`) rather
+than one written by hand. Such a model is named PEER/MODEL, comes and
+goes with the peer's own list, and is sent only while the peer is up.
+
 ## Facility
 
 ### `budgets`
@@ -932,6 +945,24 @@ one feed carries alone, derated as the facility derates it (usually
 OtherWatts is drawn in the domain by what llmgw does not place on:
 switches, storage, machines outside the cluster.
 
+## Federation
+
+### `name`
+
+`string`
+
+Name is this cluster as a peer reads it, in the federated_from tag
+sent with a request to a peer set to receive tags (`ctl federation add
+--send-tags`). Empty is this machine's host name.
+
+### `interval`
+
+`time.Duration`
+
+Interval is how often each peer is asked whether it is ready, timed,
+and what it offers. A peer that does not answer is taken out of
+routing until it does. Zero is 10s.
+
 ## GuardModel
 
 ### `format`
@@ -2482,6 +2513,16 @@ maintenance is `llmgw ctl facility hold`, not configuration.
 
 Takes a [Facility](#facility) block.
 
+### `federation`
+
+`Federation`
+
+Federation is how this cluster takes part in federation with other
+llmgw clusters. The peers themselves are added at runtime, with
+`llmgw ctl federation add`, and kept in the store.
+
+Takes a [Federation](#federation) block.
+
 ### `endpoints`
 
 `[]Endpoint`
diff --git a/internal/cli/ctl.go b/internal/cli/ctl.go
index f829f17..ebe72cf 100644
--- a/internal/cli/ctl.go
+++ b/internal/cli/ctl.go
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ func newCtlCmd() *cobra.Command {
 		newAuditCmd(client, &asJSON),
 		newNotifyCmd(client, &asJSON),
 		newUsageCmd(client, &asJSON),
+		newFederationCmd(client, &asJSON),
 		newCertCmd(),
 	)
 	return cmd
diff --git a/internal/cli/federation.go b/internal/cli/federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3368219
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+	"text/tabwriter"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/adminapi"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
+)
+
+func newFederationCmd(client func() *ctlClient, asJSON *bool) *cobra.Command {
+	c := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "federation",
+		Short: "Offer another llmgw cluster's models here, as PEER/MODEL",
+		Long: "A peer is another llmgw gateway, reached with a key it issued to this\n" +
+			"cluster. Its models join this catalog as PEER/MODEL and follow its own\n" +
+			"list; each is sent requests only while the peer's /ready answers, which\n" +
+			"is checked every federation.interval (10s) and timed. Name one as a\n" +
+			"local model's fallback to send overflow to the other site:\n" +
+			"  llmgw ctl model fallbacks qwen-7b east/qwen-7b\n\n" +
+			"A project whose requests stay in the cluster (keys residency\n" +
+			"--in-cluster), or a policy that keeps nothing, is never sent to a peer.\n" +
+			"Requests carry x-llmgw-hop, so two clusters federating each other do\n" +
+			"not send one back and forth.",
+	}
+	c.AddCommand(newFederationAddCmd(client), newFederationListCmd(client, asJSON),
+		newFederationRemoveCmd(client), newFederationSyncCmd(client, asJSON))
+	return c
+}
+
+func newFederationAddCmd(client func() *ctlClient) *cobra.Command {
+	var req federation.AddRequest
+	c := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "add NAME --url URL --key-file FILE",
+		Short: "Add another llmgw cluster as a peer, or change one",
+		Long: "The peer is checked first — its /ready, and its /v1/models with the\n" +
+			"key — and refused if either fails. The key file is read on the control\n" +
+			"plane (or env:NAME, vault:PATH#FIELD), at every check, so a rotated\n" +
+			"key is used without a change here; every control plane needs it.\n\n" +
+			"--send-tags makes each request sent to the peer carry x-llmgw-tags\n" +
+			"federated_from=<this cluster>,org=,team=,project=<ids>, so the peer's\n" +
+			"usage can say who here asked. Off unless given: the peer otherwise sees\n" +
+			"one key, this cluster's, and nothing about who is behind it.",
+		Example: "  llmgw ctl federation add east --url https://llm.east.example --key-file /etc/llmgw/east.key\n" +
+			"  llmgw ctl federation add east --url https://llm.east.example --key-file /etc/llmgw/east.key --send-tags",
+		Args: cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			req.Name = args[0]
+			body, _ := json.Marshal(req)
+			var st federation.Status
+			if err := client().post(cmd.Context(), "/api/v1/federation", body, &st); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "%s added: %d models, %s\n", st.Name, len(st.Models), healthText(st))
+			for _, m := range st.Models {
+				fmt.Fprintln(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "  "+m.Name)
+			}
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+	f := c.Flags()
+	f.StringVar(&req.URL, "url", "", "the peer gateway's client address, without /v1")
+	f.StringVar(&req.KeyFile, "key-file", "", "file on the control plane holding the key the peer issued to this cluster")
+	f.BoolVar(&req.SendTags, "send-tags", false, "tell the peer which cluster and project each request is from")
+	_ = c.MarkFlagRequired("url")
+	_ = c.MarkFlagRequired("key-file")
+	return c
+}
+
+func newFederationListCmd(client func() *ctlClient, asJSON *bool) *cobra.Command {
+	return &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "list",
+		Short: "Peers, whether each is up, how far away, and the models it offers",
+		Args:  cobra.NoArgs,
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
+			var v adminapi.FederationView
+			if err := client().get(cmd.Context(), "/api/v1/federation", &v); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if *asJSON {
+				return emitJSON(v)
+			}
+			out := cmd.OutOrStdout()
+			fmt.Fprintf(out, "this cluster: %s\n", v.Cluster)
+			if len(v.Peers) == 0 {
+				fmt.Fprintln(out, "no peers: llmgw ctl federation add NAME --url URL --key-file FILE")
+				return nil
+			}
+			w := tabwriter.NewWriter(out, 0, 0, 2, ' ', 0)
+			fmt.Fprintln(w, "PEER\tURL\tHEALTH\tLATENCY\tTAGS\tMODELS")
+			for _, p := range v.Peers {
+				tags := "off"
+				if p.SendTags {
+					tags = "on"
+				}
+				lat := "-"
+				if p.Latency > 0 {
+					lat = fmt.Sprintf("%.1fms", p.LatencyMs)
+				}
+				fmt.Fprintf(w, "%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\t%s\n", p.Name, p.URL, healthText(p), lat, tags, modelList(p))
+			}
+			return w.Flush()
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func newFederationRemoveCmd(client func() *ctlClient) *cobra.Command {
+	return &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "remove NAME",
+		Short: "Remove a peer and its models",
+		Long: "Refused while a model here falls back to one of the peer's: change its\n" +
+			"fallbacks first (llmgw ctl model fallbacks).",
+		Args: cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			var out adminapi.Removed
+			if err := client().delete(cmd.Context(), "/api/v1/federation/"+url.PathEscape(args[0]), &out); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "%s removed\n", out.Removed)
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func newFederationSyncCmd(client func() *ctlClient, asJSON *bool) *cobra.Command {
+	return &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "sync NAME",
+		Short: "Check a peer now and take its current models, rather than at the next interval",
+		Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			var st federation.Status
+			if err := client().post(cmd.Context(), "/api/v1/federation/"+url.PathEscape(args[0])+"/sync", nil, &st); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if *asJSON {
+				return emitJSON(st)
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "%s: %s, %s\n", st.Name, healthText(st), modelList(st))
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+// healthText is "up" or "down: why", with how long ago it was checked.
+func healthText(st federation.Status) string {
+	ago := ""
+	if !st.Checked.IsZero() {
+		ago = fmt.Sprintf(" (%s ago)", time.Since(st.Checked).Round(time.Second))
+	}
+	if st.Up {
+		return "up" + ago
+	}
+	return "down" + ago + ": " + st.Error
+}
+
+// modelList is the peer's models by their names here, a withdrawn one
+// marked as such.
+func modelList(st federation.Status) string {
+	if len(st.Models) == 0 {
+		return "-"
+	}
+	names := make([]string, 0, len(st.Models))
+	for _, m := range st.Models {
+		n := m.Name
+		if m.Withdrawn {
+			n += " (withdrawn)"
+		}
+		names = append(names, n)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(names, ", ")
+}
+
+func newModelFallbacksCmd(client func() *ctlClient) *cobra.Command {
+	var clear bool
+	c := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "fallbacks MODEL [FALLBACK...]",
+		Short: "Set the models a model falls back to when it has no capacity",
+		Long: "Replaces the model's fallbacks, tried in order when nothing serving it\n" +
+			"has room. A federation peer's model, PEER/MODEL, sends the overflow to\n" +
+			"the other cluster. A model added at runtime only; one declared in\n" +
+			"server.yaml has its fallbacks there. --clear takes them all away.",
+		Example: "  llmgw ctl model fallbacks qwen-7b east/qwen-7b\n" +
+			"  llmgw ctl model fallbacks qwen-7b qwen-3b east/qwen-7b\n" +
+			"  llmgw ctl model fallbacks qwen-7b --clear",
+		Args: cobra.MinimumNArgs(1),
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if len(args) == 1 && !clear {
+				return fmt.Errorf("name the fallbacks, or give --clear to take them away")
+			}
+			body, _ := json.Marshal(adminapi.FallbacksRequest{Fallbacks: args[1:]})
+			var v adminapi.FallbacksView
+			if err := client().put(cmd.Context(), "/api/v1/models/"+args[0]+"/fallbacks", body, &v); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if len(v.Fallbacks) == 0 {
+				fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "%s has no fallbacks\n", v.Model)
+				return nil
+			}
+			fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "%s falls back to %s\n", v.Model, strings.Join(v.Fallbacks, ", then "))
+			return nil
+		},
+	}
+	c.Flags().BoolVar(&clear, "clear", false, "take every fallback away")
+	return c
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/model.go b/internal/cli/model.go
index e80be9b..29ad603 100644
--- a/internal/cli/model.go
+++ b/internal/cli/model.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func newModelCmd(client func() *ctlClient, asJSON *bool) *cobra.Command {
 		newModelServeCmd(client), newModelUpdatesCmd(client, asJSON), newModelUpdateCmd(client),
 		newModelRollbackCmd(client), newModelOriginCmd(client),
 		newModelCanaryCmd(client), newModelPromoteCmd(client), newModelCanariesCmd(client, asJSON),
-		newModelGateCmd(client))
+		newModelGateCmd(client), newModelFallbacksCmd(client))
 	return c
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/cli/server.go b/internal/cli/server.go
index 7fd6475..821e5f8 100644
--- a/internal/cli/server.go
+++ b/internal/cli/server.go
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package cli
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto/rand"
 	"crypto/tls"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"log/slog"
@@ -41,6 +43,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/agentsvc"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/fabrictest"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/fleetmetrics"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/modelsvc"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/reconciler"
@@ -176,6 +179,21 @@ func newServerCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			rt.Start(ctx)
 			defer rt.Stop()
 
+			// Which cluster this is, to federated peers: the id in the hop
+			// header that stops a request going round two clusters that
+			// federate each other, and the name in the tags a peer may be
+			// sent. The id is the store's, so every control plane of one
+			// cluster says the same.
+			clusterID, err := federationID(ctx, rt.Store())
+			if err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			clusterName := cfg.Federation.Name
+			if clusterName == "" {
+				clusterName = host
+			}
+			rt.SetFederationIdentity(clusterID, clusterName)
+
 			// Webhooks for what needs a person, when server.yaml names any.
 			notifier, err := notify.New(ctx, cfg.Notify, log)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -333,6 +351,21 @@ func newServerCmd() *cobra.Command {
 				if st := rt.Store(); st != nil {
 					svc := modelsvc.New(cfg.Models, st, admin, log)
 					svc.SetCheck(servableCheck(cfg.WantedEngines()["llamacpp"]))
+					// Other llmgw clusters' models, offered as PEER/MODEL:
+					// read before the catalog is built, so a model that falls
+					// back to one is whole at startup.
+					fed := federation.New(federation.Config{Self: clusterID, Interval: cfg.Federation.Interval},
+						st, svc, admin.Catalog, log)
+					if err := fed.Load(ctx); err != nil {
+						log.Warn("could not read the federation peers; continuing without them", "err", err)
+					}
+					svc.SetFederated(fed.Models)
+					admin.SetPeers(fed)
+					api.SetFederation(fed)
+					if err := rt.RegisterMetrics(fed); err != nil {
+						return err
+					}
+					go fed.Run(ctx)
 					// Rebuild the catalog from configuration plus what was
 					// stored, and put that in force — otherwise models added
 					// before the last restart would be silently absent until
@@ -965,3 +998,25 @@ func withLimits(s *http.Server) *http.Server {
 	s.MaxHeaderBytes = 1 << 20
 	return s
 }
+
+// federationID is this cluster's id among federated peers: kept in the store,
+// so every control plane of the cluster and every restart says the same. A
+// gateway with no store makes one for its lifetime, which is all a router
+// with no peers of its own needs to refuse a request that comes back to it.
+func federationID(ctx context.Context, st *storepkg.DB) (string, error) {
+	if st == nil {
+		b := make([]byte, 8)
+		if _, err := rand.Read(b); err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		return hex.EncodeToString(b), nil
+	}
+	secret, err := st.ClusterSecret(ctx, "cluster-id")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("this cluster's id for federation: %w", err)
+	}
+	// A prefix is plenty to tell clusters apart, and the id is sent to
+	// peers: nothing is derived from it, but there is no reason to send
+	// more of a secret than needed.
+	return secret[:16], nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/tui_console.go b/internal/cli/tui_console.go
index 02bd929..78c5023 100644
--- a/internal/cli/tui_console.go
+++ b/internal/cli/tui_console.go
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ const (
 	cReplicas
 	cUsage
 	cQuotas
+	cFederation
 	cMirror
 	cJobs
 	cLogs
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ const (
 	cCount
 )
 
-var consoleLabels = [cCount]string{"Overview", "Monitor", "Nodes", "GPUs", "Models", "Replicas", "Usage", "Quotas", "Mirror", "Jobs", "Logs", "Accounts", "API keys", "Organizations", "Audit", "Manual",
+var consoleLabels = [cCount]string{"Overview", "Monitor", "Nodes", "GPUs", "Models", "Replicas", "Usage", "Quotas", "Federation", "Mirror", "Jobs", "Logs", "Accounts", "API keys", "Organizations", "Audit", "Manual",
 	"server.yaml", "Add a node", "Replicate the store", "Serve a model", "Upgrade the cluster",
 	"Restart all replicas", "Back up now", "Leave"}
 
@@ -79,7 +80,10 @@ type consoleData struct {
 	replicas []adminapi.ReplicaView
 	jobs     []modelserve.Job
 	audit    []store.AuditEvent
-	err      error
+	// federation is the other llmgw clusters whose models are offered
+	// here; empty on a control plane without a store.
+	federation adminapi.FederationView
+	err        error
 }
 
 type (
@@ -238,6 +242,7 @@ func (m consoleModel) fetch() tea.Cmd {
 		_ = c.get(ctx, "/api/v1/replicas", &d.replicas)
 		_ = c.get(ctx, "/api/v1/jobs", &d.jobs)
 		_ = c.get(ctx, "/api/v1/audit?since=7d&limit=300", &d.audit)
+		_ = c.get(ctx, "/api/v1/federation", &d.federation)
 		return consoleDataMsg(d)
 	}
 }
@@ -494,6 +499,9 @@ func (m consoleModel) key(k tea.KeyMsg) (tea.Model, tea.Cmd) {
 		case cAudit:
 			m.dialog = "error"
 			m.dialogTitle, m.dialogText = auditDialog(m.data.audit[m.row])
+		case cFederation:
+			m.dialog = "error"
+			m.dialogTitle, m.dialogText = peerDialog(m.data.federation.Peers[m.row])
 		case cServe:
 			return m, m.fetchRepo(m.hf.models[m.row].ID)
 		case cAccounts:
@@ -908,6 +916,8 @@ func (m consoleModel) rowCount() int {
 		return len(m.data.jobs)
 	case cAudit:
 		return len(m.data.audit)
+	case cFederation:
+		return len(m.data.federation.Peers)
 	case cServe:
 		return len(m.hf.models)
 	case cAccounts:
@@ -1149,6 +1159,8 @@ func (m consoleModel) panel() (title, body, keys string) {
 		return m.jobsPanel(pw)
 	case cAudit:
 		return m.auditPanel(pw)
+	case cFederation:
+		return m.federationPanel(pw)
 	case cMonitor:
 		return m.monitorPanel(pw)
 	case cServe:
diff --git a/internal/cli/tui_federation.go b/internal/cli/tui_federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b38417b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/tui_federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
+)
+
+// The console's federation view: the other llmgw clusters whose models are
+// offered here, whether each is up and how far away, as `llmgw ctl
+// federation list` shows them. Peers are added and removed with ctl, which
+// needs a key file on this machine that a form here could not check.
+
+func (m consoleModel) federationPanel(pw int) (string, string, string) {
+	keys := "→ or Enter open · ↑↓ choose · Q leave"
+	if m.inPanel {
+		keys = "↑↓ peer · Enter its models · ← back · Q leave"
+	}
+	v := m.data.federation
+	head := "\n  " + sDim.Render("Other llmgw clusters whose models are offered here as PEER/MODEL.")
+	if v.Cluster != "" {
+		head += "\n  " + sDim.Render("This cluster's id: "+v.Cluster)
+	}
+	head += "\n\n"
+	if len(v.Peers) == 0 {
+		return "Federation", head + "  " + sDim.Render("No peers. Add one with: llmgw ctl federation add NAME --url URL --key-file FILE"), keys
+	}
+	var rows [][]string
+	for _, p := range v.Peers {
+		health := sOK.Render("up")
+		if !p.Up {
+			health = sBad.Render("down")
+		}
+		lat := "-"
+		if p.Latency > 0 {
+			lat = fmt.Sprintf("%.1fms", p.LatencyMs)
+		}
+		offered := 0
+		for _, md := range p.Models {
+			if !md.Withdrawn {
+				offered++
+			}
+		}
+		rows = append(rows, []string{p.Name, health, lat, fmt.Sprint(offered), p.URL})
+	}
+	return "Federation", head + table([]string{"PEER", "HEALTH", "LATENCY", "MODELS", "URL"}, rows, m.row, pw, m.inPanel), keys
+}
+
+// peerDialog is one peer whole: how it was last found, and its models.
+func peerDialog(p federation.Status) (string, string) {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s\n", p.URL)
+	if p.Up {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s, /ready in %.1fms", sOK.Render("up"), p.LatencyMs)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s: %s", sBad.Render("down"), wrap(p.Error, 80, "  "))
+	}
+	if !p.Checked.IsZero() {
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, ", checked %s ago", time.Since(p.Checked).Round(time.Second))
+	}
+	tags := "not told who asks"
+	if p.SendTags {
+		tags = "told this cluster and the project of each request (x-llmgw-tags)"
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\ncluster %s, key %s; %s\n\n", p.Cluster, p.KeyFile, tags)
+	if len(p.Models) == 0 {
+		b.WriteString(sDim.Render("offers this cluster's key no models") + "\n")
+	}
+	for _, md := range p.Models {
+		line := md.Name
+		if md.Withdrawn {
+			line += sDim.Render("  withdrawn by the peer; kept while a fallback here names it")
+		}
+		b.WriteString("  " + line + "\n")
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(&b, "\n%s", sDim.Render("llmgw ctl federation sync|remove "+p.Name+" · any key"))
+	return p.Name, b.String()
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/tui_federation_test.go b/internal/cli/tui_federation_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e09beb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/tui_federation_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	tea "github.com/charmbracelet/bubbletea"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/adminapi"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
+)
+
+func TestTheConsoleShowsEachPeerAndOpensItsModels(t *testing.T) {
+	m, _ := consoleWith(t, cFederation)
+	m.data.federation = adminapi.FederationView{Cluster: "c-west", Peers: []federation.Status{
+		{Name: "east", URL: "https://east.example", Cluster: "c-east",
+			Health:    federation.Health{Up: true, Latency: 12 * time.Millisecond, Checked: time.Now()},
+			LatencyMs: 12, Models: []federation.ModelStatus{{Name: "east/qwen", Upstream: "qwen"},
+				{Name: "east/old", Upstream: "old", Withdrawn: true}}},
+		{Name: "north", URL: "https://north.example", Health: federation.Health{Error: "the peer did not answer"}},
+	}}
+	var tm tea.Model = m
+	view := tm.View()
+	for _, want := range []string{"east", "12.0ms", "north", "down", "c-west"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(view, want) {
+			t.Errorf("the federation view has no %q:\n%s", want, view)
+		}
+	}
+	tm = press(tm, "enter")
+	view = tm.View()
+	for _, want := range []string{"east/qwen", "east/old", "withdrawn", "c-east"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(view, want) {
+			t.Errorf("the peer's dialog has no %q:\n%s", want, view)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index d444152..7d81804 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -186,6 +186,11 @@ type Server struct {
 	// maintenance is `llmgw ctl facility hold`, not configuration.
 	Facility Facility `koanf:"facility"`
 
+	// Federation is how this cluster takes part in federation with other
+	// llmgw clusters. The peers themselves are added at runtime, with
+	// `llmgw ctl federation add`, and kept in the store.
+	Federation Federation `koanf:"federation"`
+
 	// Endpoints is the phase-1 static replica list. It is only consulted when
 	// no model declares a profile, which is what makes a router-only smoke test
 	// against sim-engines possible without a control plane.
@@ -269,6 +274,18 @@ func (f Facility) Policy() (facility.Policy, error) {
 	return p, nil
 }
 
+// Federation is this cluster's side of federation with other llmgw clusters.
+type Federation struct {
+	// Name is this cluster as a peer reads it, in the federated_from tag
+	// sent with a request to a peer set to receive tags (`ctl federation add
+	// --send-tags`). Empty is this machine's host name.
+	Name string `koanf:"name"`
+	// Interval is how often each peer is asked whether it is ready, timed,
+	// and what it offers. A peer that does not answer is taken out of
+	// routing until it does. Zero is 10s.
+	Interval time.Duration `koanf:"interval"`
+}
+
 // Monitoring points the dashboard at a Prometheus holding this cluster's
 // history.
 //
diff --git a/internal/control/adminapi/api.go b/internal/control/adminapi/api.go
index 50807b3..a328e8c 100644
--- a/internal/control/adminapi/api.go
+++ b/internal/control/adminapi/api.go
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/fabrics"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/facility"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/inventory"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/nvlink"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/reconciler"
@@ -59,6 +60,9 @@ type API struct {
 	history History
 	// audit reads the audit log.
 	audit AuditReader
+	// federation is the other llmgw clusters whose models are offered here;
+	// nil without a store.
+	federation *federation.Service
 	// guard is the guardrail policies' library and attachments.
 	guard *GuardAdmin
 	// revoke records a removed node, so its certificate is refused.
@@ -177,6 +181,7 @@ func (a *API) Register(mux Mux) {
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/v1/models/{name}/rollback", a.rollbackModel)
 	a.registerCanary(mux)
 	a.registerEval(mux)
+	a.registerFederation(mux)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/v1/models/{name}/origin", a.setOrigin)
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /api/v1/plan", a.planModel)
 	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/v1/metrics/range", a.metricsBatch)
@@ -1839,6 +1844,9 @@ func externalLabel(m catalog.Model) string {
 	if !m.IsExternal() {
 		return ""
 	}
+	if m.IsPeer() {
+		return "peer " + m.External.Peer + " · " + m.External.Model
+	}
 	host := m.External.URL
 	if u, err := url.Parse(host); err == nil && u.Host != "" {
 		host = u.Host
diff --git a/internal/control/adminapi/federation.go b/internal/control/adminapi/federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..480ea57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/control/adminapi/federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+package adminapi
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
+)
+
+// Federation: other llmgw clusters whose models this one offers, as
+// PEER/MODEL, and the fallbacks that send overflow to them.
+
+// SetFederation gives the API the peers to list and change.
+func (a *API) SetFederation(f *federation.Service) { a.federation = f }
+
+// FederationView is this cluster's id and its peers.
+type FederationView struct {
+	// Cluster is this cluster's own id, which its peers see in the hop
+	// header.
+	Cluster string              `json:"cluster"`
+	Peers   []federation.Status `json:"peers"`
+}
+
+// FallbacksRequest replaces a model's fallbacks; empty takes them all away.
+type FallbacksRequest struct {
+	Fallbacks []string `json:"fallbacks"`
+}
+
+// FallbacksView is a model's fallbacks, as they are now.
+type FallbacksView struct {
+	Model     string   `json:"model"`
+	Fallbacks []string `json:"fallbacks"`
+}
+
+type fallbackSetter interface {
+	SetFallbacks(ctx context.Context, name string, fallbacks []string, by string) (catalog.Model, error)
+}
+
+func (a *API) registerFederation(mux Mux) {
+	need := func(w http.ResponseWriter) bool {
+		if a.federation == nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusNotImplemented, "this control plane has no store to keep federation peers in")
+			return false
+		}
+		return true
+	}
+	mux.HandleFunc("GET /api/v1/federation", func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+		if !need(w) {
+			return
+		}
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, FederationView{Cluster: a.federation.Self(), Peers: a.federation.List()})
+	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/v1/federation", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if !need(w) {
+			return
+		}
+		var req federation.AddRequest
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(io.LimitReader(r.Body, 1<<14)).Decode(&req); err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "the request is not valid JSON: "+err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		st, err := a.federation.Add(r.Context(), req, actorOf(r))
+		if err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusCreated, st)
+	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("DELETE /api/v1/federation/{peer}", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if !need(w) {
+			return
+		}
+		name := r.PathValue("peer")
+		if err := a.federation.Remove(r.Context(), name); err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, Removed{Removed: name})
+	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("POST /api/v1/federation/{peer}/sync", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if !need(w) {
+			return
+		}
+		st, err := a.federation.Sync(r.Context(), r.PathValue("peer"))
+		if err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusNotFound, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, st)
+	})
+	mux.HandleFunc("PUT /api/v1/models/{name}/fallbacks", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		setter, ok := a.models.(fallbackSetter)
+		if !ok {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusNotImplemented, "this control plane has no store to keep the setting in")
+			return
+		}
+		var req FallbacksRequest
+		if err := json.NewDecoder(io.LimitReader(r.Body, 1<<14)).Decode(&req); err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, "the request is not valid JSON: "+err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		var fbs []string
+		for _, f := range req.Fallbacks {
+			if f = strings.TrimSpace(f); f != "" {
+				fbs = append(fbs, f)
+			}
+		}
+		m, err := setter.SetFallbacks(r.Context(), r.PathValue("name"), fbs, actorOf(r))
+		if err != nil {
+			writeError(w, http.StatusBadRequest, err.Error())
+			return
+		}
+		out := m.Fallbacks
+		if out == nil {
+			out = []string{}
+		}
+		writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, FallbacksView{Model: m.Name, Fallbacks: out})
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/control/adminapi/routes.go b/internal/control/adminapi/routes.go
index b199ef5..cdb9152 100644
--- a/internal/control/adminapi/routes.go
+++ b/internal/control/adminapi/routes.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/bench/eval"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/fabrics"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/modelserve"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/nvlink"
 	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/guard"
@@ -56,14 +57,15 @@ type Param struct {
 // PathParams describes the parameters in Routes' paths, by the segment
 // before them and their name.
 var PathParams = map[string]string{
-	"models/{name}":  "The model's name in the catalog.",
-	"nodes/{id}":     "The node's ID, as `llmgw ctl nodes` lists it.",
-	"jobs/{id}":      "The job's ID, as starting it answered.",
-	"runs/{id}":      "The quality run's ID, as starting it answered.",
-	"requests/{id}":  "The request's ID: the x-request-id a client was answered with.",
-	"fabrics/{id}":   "The physical fabric's ID, as GET /api/v1/fabrics lists it.",
-	"holds/{domain}": "The domain as level:name, rack:r12-07, as `llmgw ctl facility` lists it.",
-	"quotas/{scope}": "The scope: org:NAME, team:ORG/TEAM, project:ORG/TEAM/PROJECT, or their IDs after the colon.",
+	"models/{name}":     "The model's name in the catalog.",
+	"nodes/{id}":        "The node's ID, as `llmgw ctl nodes` lists it.",
+	"jobs/{id}":         "The job's ID, as starting it answered.",
+	"runs/{id}":         "The quality run's ID, as starting it answered.",
+	"requests/{id}":     "The request's ID: the x-request-id a client was answered with.",
+	"fabrics/{id}":      "The physical fabric's ID, as GET /api/v1/fabrics lists it.",
+	"quotas/{scope}":    "The scope: org:NAME, team:ORG/TEAM, project:ORG/TEAM/PROJECT, or their IDs after the colon.",
+	"federation/{peer}": "The federation peer's name, as `llmgw ctl federation list` lists it.",
+	"holds/{domain}":    "The domain as level:name, rack:r12-07, as `llmgw ctl facility` lists it.",
 }
 
 // Routes is every endpoint Register mounts.
@@ -222,6 +224,21 @@ var Routes = []Route{
 	{Method: "DELETE", Path: "/api/v1/models/{name}/eval-gate", Summary: "Stop holding a model's updates to a suite",
 		Response: EvalGateView{}},
 
+	// Federation: other llmgw clusters as providers.
+	{Method: "GET", Path: "/api/v1/federation", Summary: "This cluster's id, and its federation peers with their health and models",
+		Response: FederationView{}},
+	{Method: "POST", Path: "/api/v1/federation", Summary: "Add another llmgw cluster as a peer, or change one",
+		Description: "The peer is checked first: its /ready, timed, and its /v1/models with the key. Its models join the catalog as PEER/MODEL.",
+		Request:     federation.AddRequest{}, Response: federation.Status{}, Status: http.StatusCreated},
+	{Method: "DELETE", Path: "/api/v1/federation/{peer}", Summary: "Remove a federation peer and its models",
+		Description: "Refused while a model here falls back to one of the peer's.",
+		Response:    Removed{}},
+	{Method: "POST", Path: "/api/v1/federation/{peer}/sync", Summary: "Check a peer now, rather than at the next interval",
+		Response: federation.Status{}},
+	{Method: "PUT", Path: "/api/v1/models/{name}/fallbacks", Summary: "Replace the models a model falls back to when it has no capacity",
+		Description: "A model added at runtime only. A federation peer's model, PEER/MODEL, sends the overflow to the other cluster.",
+		Request:     FallbacksRequest{}, Response: FallbacksView{}},
+
 	// Tenancy: quotas and guardrails.
 	{Method: "GET", Path: "/api/v1/quotas", Summary: "Every capacity quota, with what its scope holds now",
 		Response: []QuotaView{}},
diff --git a/internal/control/catalog/catalog.go b/internal/control/catalog/catalog.go
index 1bc2c45..aab717c 100644
--- a/internal/control/catalog/catalog.go
+++ b/internal/control/catalog/catalog.go
@@ -1083,8 +1083,16 @@ type External struct {
 	// rather than the key itself, so the key is in neither the catalog, the
 	// store nor the audit log; empty for a provider that asks for none.
 	APIKeyFile string `json:"api_key_file,omitempty" koanf:"api_key_file"`
+	// Peer names the federated llmgw cluster this model is offered by, for
+	// a model that federation added (`llmgw ctl federation add`) rather
+	// than one written by hand. Such a model is named PEER/MODEL, comes and
+	// goes with the peer's own list, and is sent only while the peer is up.
+	Peer string `json:"peer,omitempty" koanf:"peer"`
 }
 
+// IsPeer reports whether a model is offered by a federated cluster.
+func (m Model) IsPeer() bool { return m.External != nil && m.External.Peer != "" }
+
 func (e *External) validate(model string, profiles int) error {
 	if profiles > 0 {
 		return fmt.Errorf("model %q: an external model is served elsewhere and has no profiles", model)
diff --git a/internal/control/control.go b/internal/control/control.go
index 7fcb9b9..bf13c85 100644
--- a/internal/control/control.go
+++ b/internal/control/control.go
@@ -89,6 +89,7 @@ type Controller struct {
 	disp     reconciler.Dispatcher
 	sink     EndpointSink
 	usage    UsageSource
+	peers    Peers
 
 	mu   sync.Mutex
 	last string // fingerprint of the last published list
@@ -148,6 +149,27 @@ func (c *Controller) collectUsage() {
 	}
 }
 
+// Peers says which federated clusters' models may be sent requests now.
+//
+// Federation keeps it: whether each peer answered its last check, and
+// whether it still offers the model. A peer model is in the catalog either
+// way — a local model may name it as a fallback — and is published only
+// while this says yes, which is what takes a peer that is down out of
+// routing within a publish.
+type Peers interface {
+	// PeerRoute is the peer's own cluster id and whether requests sent to
+	// it carry tags, and false when the model is not to be sent anything.
+	PeerRoute(peer, upstreamModel string) (cluster string, sendTags, ok bool)
+}
+
+// SetPeers supplies the federation's view of its peers. Without one, no
+// peer model is published.
+func (c *Controller) SetPeers(p Peers) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	c.peers = p
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+}
+
 // LoadSource reports each model's replicas' load, keyed by catalog name.
 type LoadSource interface {
 	ModelLoad() map[string]reconciler.Load
@@ -352,11 +374,25 @@ func (c *Controller) endpoints() []endpoint.Info {
 // one each, with the provider's key read from its file every time, so a key
 // rotated on disk is used from the next publish on.
 func (c *Controller) externalEndpoints() []endpoint.Info {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	peers := c.peers
+	c.mu.Unlock()
 	var out []endpoint.Info
 	for _, m := range c.cat.Load().Models() {
 		if !m.IsExternal() {
 			continue
 		}
+		var cluster string
+		var tags bool
+		if m.IsPeer() {
+			ok := false
+			if peers != nil {
+				cluster, tags, ok = peers.PeerRoute(m.External.Peer, m.External.Model)
+			}
+			if !ok {
+				continue
+			}
+		}
 		key := ""
 		if f := m.External.APIKeyFile; f != "" {
 			b, err := secrets.Read(context.Background(), f)
@@ -366,11 +402,18 @@ func (c *Controller) externalEndpoints() []endpoint.Info {
 			}
 			key = strings.TrimSpace(string(b))
 		}
+		// A peer's endpoint says so in its id, which is what usage records
+		// as the replica that answered.
+		id := "external:" + m.Name
+		if m.IsPeer() {
+			id = "peer:" + m.Name
+		}
 		out = append(out, endpoint.Info{
-			ID: "external:" + m.Name, URL: strings.TrimRight(m.External.URL, "/"),
+			ID: id, URL: strings.TrimRight(m.External.URL, "/"),
 			Models: append([]string{m.Name}, m.Aliases...), APIKey: key,
 			Engine: endpoint.EngineExternal, Pool: "external", Weight: 1,
 			UpstreamModel: m.External.Model,
+			Peer:          m.External.Peer, PeerCluster: cluster, PeerTags: tags,
 		})
 	}
 	return out
@@ -380,8 +423,8 @@ func (c *Controller) externalEndpoints() []endpoint.Info {
 func fingerprint(infos []endpoint.Info) string {
 	var b strings.Builder
 	for _, i := range infos {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s|%s|%s|%s|%v|%g|%d|%s|%x;", i.ID, i.URL, i.Engine, i.Pool, i.Models, i.Weight, i.Priority,
-			i.UpstreamModel, sha256.Sum256([]byte(i.APIKey)))
+		fmt.Fprintf(&b, "%s|%s|%s|%s|%v|%g|%d|%s|%s|%s|%t|%x;", i.ID, i.URL, i.Engine, i.Pool, i.Models, i.Weight,
+			i.Priority, i.UpstreamModel, i.Peer, i.PeerCluster, i.PeerTags, sha256.Sum256([]byte(i.APIKey)))
 	}
 	return b.String()
 }
diff --git a/internal/control/federation/federation.go b/internal/control/federation/federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..193dc13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/control/federation/federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,661 @@
+// Package federation makes other llmgw clusters providers of this one.
+//
+// A peer is another llmgw gateway, reached with a key it issued to this
+// cluster. Its models are offered here as external models named PEER/MODEL,
+// kept in step with its own /v1/models, and sent requests only while its
+// /ready answers. A local model names one as a fallback to send overflow to
+// the other site.
+//
+// Always PEER/MODEL, never the peer's own name for a model, even when nothing
+// here uses that name. A name that left the cluster or stayed depending on
+// what the catalog happened to hold would move traffic between sites when
+// somebody added an unrelated model; the prefix also says, on every usage row
+// and every x-llmgw-served-model header, which site answered.
+//
+// Everything that keeps a request inside the cluster already applies: a peer
+// model is an external model, so a project whose requests stay in the
+// cluster, or a policy that keeps nothing, is never sent to one.
+package federation
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
+	"regexp"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/secrets"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/store"
+)
+
+// ClusterHeader is the response header in which a gateway says its own
+// cluster id, on /v1/models. Federation reads a peer's from it, to know the
+// peer in a request's hop header.
+const ClusterHeader = "x-llmgw-cluster"
+
+// Store is the persistence federation needs.
+type Store interface {
+	PutFederationPeer(ctx context.Context, p store.FederationPeer) error
+	SetFederationPeerModels(ctx context.Context, name, cluster string, models json.RawMessage, at time.Time) error
+	DeleteFederationPeer(ctx context.Context, name string) error
+	FederationPeers(ctx context.Context) ([]store.FederationPeer, error)
+}
+
+// Catalog is what puts a changed peer list in force: the model service.
+type Catalog interface {
+	Refresh(ctx context.Context) error
+}
+
+// Config tunes federation.
+type Config struct {
+	// Self is this cluster's id. A peer that says the same is this cluster,
+	// reached by another address, and is refused.
+	Self string
+	// Interval is how often each peer is checked; zero is 10s.
+	Interval time.Duration
+	// Timeout bounds one check of one peer; zero is 5s.
+	Timeout time.Duration
+	// Client makes the checks; nil is a plain one.
+	Client *http.Client
+}
+
+// PeerModel is what a peer says about one model it offers.
+type PeerModel struct {
+	// ID is the peer's name for it, and what it is asked for.
+	ID            string               `json:"id"`
+	Description   string               `json:"description,omitempty"`
+	ContextLength int                  `json:"context_length,omitempty"`
+	MaxOutput     int                  `json:"max_output,omitempty"`
+	Capabilities  catalog.Capabilities `json:"capabilities,omitempty"`
+	// Withdrawn is a model the peer no longer offers, kept in the catalog
+	// because a model here still falls back to it: removing it would make
+	// that model invalid. Nothing is sent to it, and it goes when nothing
+	// names it any more.
+	Withdrawn bool `json:"withdrawn,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Service keeps the peers, their health and their models.
+type Service struct {
+	cfg     Config
+	store   Store
+	catalog Catalog
+	// current is the catalog in force, read to tell which of a peer's
+	// models a local model names.
+	current func() *catalog.Catalog
+	log     *slog.Logger
+
+	// op serialises what changes the peer set or a peer's models, so two
+	// rebuilds cannot land in the wrong order.
+	op sync.Mutex
+
+	mu    sync.Mutex
+	peers map[string]*peer
+}
+
+type peer struct {
+	rec    store.FederationPeer
+	models []PeerModel
+	health Health
+}
+
+// Health is how a peer answered its last check.
+type Health struct {
+	Up bool `json:"up"`
+	// Checked is when; zero before the first check.
+	Checked time.Time `json:"checked,omitempty"`
+	// Latency is how long the peer took to answer /ready: the network to
+	// the other site and the peer's front, not a model's speed.
+	Latency time.Duration `json:"latency_ns,omitempty"`
+	// Error is why the peer is down, empty while it is up.
+	Error string `json:"error,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// New builds the service. Load reads the peers kept in the store.
+func New(cfg Config, st Store, cat Catalog, current func() *catalog.Catalog, log *slog.Logger) *Service {
+	if cfg.Interval <= 0 {
+		cfg.Interval = 10 * time.Second
+	}
+	if cfg.Timeout <= 0 {
+		cfg.Timeout = 5 * time.Second
+	}
+	if cfg.Client == nil {
+		cfg.Client = &http.Client{}
+	}
+	if log == nil {
+		log = slog.Default()
+	}
+	return &Service{cfg: cfg, store: st, catalog: cat, current: current, log: log, peers: map[string]*peer{}}
+}
+
+// Self is this cluster's id.
+func (s *Service) Self() string { return s.cfg.Self }
+
+// Load reads the peers and the models they last offered from the store, so
+// the catalog built at startup has them before any peer is asked again.
+// Every peer reads as down until its first check.
+func (s *Service) Load(ctx context.Context) error {
+	recs, err := s.store.FederationPeers(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	for _, r := range recs {
+		var models []PeerModel
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(r.Models, &models); err != nil {
+			s.log.Warn("a federation peer's models could not be read; they come back at its next check",
+				"peer", r.Name, "err", err)
+		}
+		s.peers[r.Name] = &peer{rec: r, models: models, health: Health{Error: "not checked yet"}}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Models are the peers' models as catalog entries, withdrawn ones included:
+// what the model service adds to the catalog.
+func (s *Service) Models() []catalog.Model {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	var out []catalog.Model
+	for _, name := range s.namesLocked() {
+		p := s.peers[name]
+		for _, m := range p.models {
+			out = append(out, catalogModel(p.rec, m))
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func (s *Service) namesLocked() []string {
+	names := make([]string, 0, len(s.peers))
+	for n := range s.peers {
+		names = append(names, n)
+	}
+	slices.Sort(names)
+	return names
+}
+
+// catalogModel is a peer's model as an entry of this catalog.
+func catalogModel(rec store.FederationPeer, m PeerModel) catalog.Model {
+	desc := "on " + rec.Name
+	if m.Description != "" {
+		desc += ": " + m.Description
+	}
+	return catalog.Model{
+		Name: rec.Name + "/" + m.ID, Source: "peer:" + rec.Name, Description: desc,
+		ContextLength: m.ContextLength, MaxOutput: m.MaxOutput, Capabilities: m.Capabilities,
+		External: &catalog.External{URL: rec.URL, Model: m.ID, APIKeyFile: rec.KeyFile, Peer: rec.Name},
+	}
+}
+
+// PeerRoute says whether a peer's model may be sent requests now: the peer
+// answered its last check and still offers it. The controller publishes the
+// model's endpoint only while it does.
+func (s *Service) PeerRoute(name, model string) (cluster string, sendTags, ok bool) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	p, found := s.peers[name]
+	if !found || !p.health.Up {
+		return "", false, false
+	}
+	for _, m := range p.models {
+		if m.ID == model {
+			return p.rec.Cluster, p.rec.SendTags, !m.Withdrawn
+		}
+	}
+	return "", false, false
+}
+
+// peerName is what a peer may be called: the prefix of its models' names,
+// and a tag value, so letters, digits and a few separators, and no slash.
+var peerName = regexp.MustCompile(`^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9_.-]{0,31}$`)
+
+// AddRequest adds a peer.
+type AddRequest struct {
+	// Name is what this cluster calls the peer, and the prefix of its
+	// models: NAME/MODEL.
+	Name string `json:"name"`
+	// URL is the peer gateway's client address, without /v1.
+	URL string `json:"url"`
+	// KeyFile is a file on the control plane holding a key the peer issued
+	// to this cluster (or env:NAME, vault:PATH#FIELD).
+	KeyFile string `json:"key_file"`
+	// SendTags makes requests sent to the peer carry x-llmgw-tags naming
+	// this cluster and the sending project. Off unless asked: the peer
+	// learns who in this cluster is asking.
+	SendTags bool `json:"send_tags,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Add checks a peer and keeps it, its models joining the catalog.
+//
+// Checked before anything is kept: a mistyped address or a key the peer
+// refuses is said now, rather than found as a peer that is always down.
+func (s *Service) Add(ctx context.Context, req AddRequest, by string) (Status, error) {
+	req.Name = strings.TrimSpace(req.Name)
+	req.URL = strings.TrimRight(strings.TrimSpace(req.URL), "/")
+	req.URL = strings.TrimSuffix(req.URL, "/v1")
+	if !peerName.MatchString(req.Name) {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("peer name %q: 1 to 32 lower-case letters, digits, '_', '.' or '-', starting with a letter or digit", req.Name)
+	}
+	u, err := url.Parse(req.URL)
+	if err != nil || (u.Scheme != "https" && u.Scheme != "http") || u.Host == "" {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("peer address %q is not an http(s) address", req.URL)
+	}
+	if req.KeyFile == "" {
+		return Status{}, errors.New("give the file holding the key the peer issued to this cluster (--key-file)")
+	}
+	if cur := s.current(); cur != nil {
+		for _, m := range cur.Models() {
+			if !m.IsPeer() && strings.HasPrefix(m.Name, req.Name+"/") {
+				return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("model %q of this cluster already starts with %s/; call the peer something else",
+					m.Name, req.Name)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	s.op.Lock()
+	defer s.op.Unlock()
+
+	rec := store.FederationPeer{Name: req.Name, URL: req.URL, KeyFile: req.KeyFile, SendTags: req.SendTags,
+		CreatedAt: time.Now(), CreatedBy: by}
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	old, existed := s.peers[req.Name]
+	if existed {
+		rec.CreatedAt, rec.CreatedBy = old.rec.CreatedAt, old.rec.CreatedBy
+	}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	res := s.check(ctx, rec)
+	if res.err != nil {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("peer %s: %w", req.Name, res.err)
+	}
+	if res.cluster != "" && res.cluster == s.cfg.Self {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("%s is this cluster: its gateway answers with this cluster's own id", req.URL)
+	}
+	rec.Cluster, rec.SyncedAt = res.cluster, time.Now()
+	models := res.models
+	if existed {
+		models = s.keepReferenced(old, res.models)
+	}
+	b, _ := json.Marshal(models)
+	rec.Models = b
+	if err := s.store.PutFederationPeer(ctx, rec); err != nil {
+		return Status{}, err
+	}
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	s.peers[req.Name] = &peer{rec: rec, models: models, health: res.health}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if err := s.catalog.Refresh(ctx); err != nil {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("the peer is kept, but the catalog could not be rebuilt: %w", err)
+	}
+	s.log.Info("federation peer added", "peer", req.Name, "url", req.URL, "models", len(models), "by", by)
+	st, _ := s.Status(req.Name)
+	return st, nil
+}
+
+// Remove takes a peer and its models away.
+//
+// Refused while a model here falls back to one of them, or has one as its
+// canary, for the reason removing a model is: a fallback pointing at
+// nothing is found during the outage it was meant to cover.
+func (s *Service) Remove(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
+	s.op.Lock()
+	defer s.op.Unlock()
+
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	p, ok := s.peers[name]
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if !ok {
+		return fmt.Errorf("no federation peer called %q: `llmgw ctl federation list` lists them", name)
+	}
+	var users []string
+	if cur := s.current(); cur != nil {
+		for _, m := range cur.Models() {
+			if m.IsPeer() {
+				continue
+			}
+			for _, ref := range references(m) {
+				if strings.HasPrefix(ref, name+"/") {
+					users = append(users, m.Name+" → "+ref)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if len(users) > 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("models here still use %s's: %s; change their fallbacks first (`llmgw ctl model fallbacks`)",
+			name, strings.Join(users, ", "))
+	}
+	if err := s.store.DeleteFederationPeer(ctx, name); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, store.ErrNotFound) {
+		return err
+	}
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	delete(s.peers, name)
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if err := s.catalog.Refresh(ctx); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("the peer is removed, but the catalog could not be rebuilt: %w", err)
+	}
+	s.log.Info("federation peer removed", "peer", name, "models", len(p.models))
+	return nil
+}
+
+// references are the other models a model names: its fallbacks and its
+// canary.
+func references(m catalog.Model) []string {
+	out := slices.Clone(m.Fallbacks)
+	if m.Canary != nil {
+		out = append(out, m.Canary.Model)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// keepReferenced is what a peer offers now, plus those it offered before and
+// no longer does that a model here still names, kept withdrawn.
+func (s *Service) keepReferenced(old *peer, offered []PeerModel) []PeerModel {
+	out := slices.Clone(offered)
+	named := map[string]bool{}
+	if cur := s.current(); cur != nil {
+		for _, m := range cur.Models() {
+			if m.IsPeer() {
+				continue
+			}
+			for _, ref := range references(m) {
+				named[ref] = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	for _, m := range old.models {
+		if slices.ContainsFunc(offered, func(o PeerModel) bool { return o.ID == m.ID }) {
+			continue
+		}
+		if named[old.rec.Name+"/"+m.ID] {
+			m.Withdrawn = true
+			out = append(out, m)
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// Sync checks one peer now, rather than at the next interval.
+func (s *Service) Sync(ctx context.Context, name string) (Status, error) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	p, ok := s.peers[name]
+	var rec store.FederationPeer
+	if ok {
+		rec = p.rec
+	}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+	if !ok {
+		return Status{}, fmt.Errorf("no federation peer called %q: `llmgw ctl federation list` lists them", name)
+	}
+	res := s.check(ctx, rec)
+	s.apply(ctx, map[string]checkResult{name: res})
+	st, _ := s.Status(name)
+	return st, nil
+}
+
+// SyncAll checks every peer at once, and puts what changed in force.
+func (s *Service) SyncAll(ctx context.Context) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	recs := make([]store.FederationPeer, 0, len(s.peers))
+	for _, p := range s.peers {
+		recs = append(recs, p.rec)
+	}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	results := make(map[string]checkResult, len(recs))
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for _, rec := range recs {
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			res := s.check(ctx, rec)
+			mu.Lock()
+			results[rec.Name] = res
+			mu.Unlock()
+		})
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+	s.apply(ctx, results)
+}
+
+// apply records checks' results: each peer's health always, and its models
+// when it said them, rebuilding the catalog once if any changed.
+func (s *Service) apply(ctx context.Context, results map[string]checkResult) {
+	s.op.Lock()
+	defer s.op.Unlock()
+
+	type change struct {
+		name, cluster string
+		models        []PeerModel
+	}
+	var changes []change
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	for name, res := range results {
+		p, ok := s.peers[name]
+		if !ok {
+			continue // removed while it was being checked
+		}
+		if p.health.Up != res.health.Up {
+			if res.health.Up {
+				s.log.Info("federation peer is up", "peer", name, "latency", res.health.Latency)
+			} else {
+				s.log.Warn("federation peer is down; its models are not sent requests", "peer", name, "err", res.health.Error)
+			}
+		}
+		p.health = res.health
+		if res.err != nil {
+			continue // its list is kept as it was: down is not empty
+		}
+		next := s.keepReferenced(p, res.models)
+		if res.cluster != p.rec.Cluster || !slices.Equal(next, p.models) {
+			p.models, p.rec.Cluster, p.rec.SyncedAt = next, res.cluster, time.Now()
+			changes = append(changes, change{name, res.cluster, next})
+		}
+	}
+	s.mu.Unlock()
+
+	if len(changes) == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, c := range changes {
+		b, _ := json.Marshal(c.models)
+		if err := s.store.SetFederationPeerModels(ctx, c.name, c.cluster, b, time.Now()); err != nil {
+			s.log.Warn("could not keep a federation peer's models", "peer", c.name, "err", err)
+		}
+		s.log.Info("federation peer's models changed", "peer", c.name, "models", len(c.models))
+	}
+	if err := s.catalog.Refresh(ctx); err != nil {
+		s.log.Warn("the catalog could not be rebuilt after a peer's models changed", "err", err)
+	}
+}
+
+// checkResult is one check of one peer.
+type checkResult struct {
+	health  Health
+	cluster string
+	models  []PeerModel
+	// err is set when the models could not be read; health says the peer
+	// is down then too.
+	err error
+}
+
+// check asks a peer whether it is ready, timed, and what it offers this
+// cluster's key.
+func (s *Service) check(ctx context.Context, rec store.FederationPeer) checkResult {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, s.cfg.Timeout)
+	defer cancel()
+	res := checkResult{health: Health{Checked: time.Now()}}
+	fail := func(err error) checkResult {
+		res.health.Up, res.health.Error, res.err = false, err.Error(), err
+		return res
+	}
+
+	// /ready first, and timed: it is open, cheap, and says whether the peer
+	// has anything of its own to serve with.
+	req, err := http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, rec.URL+"/ready", nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fail(err)
+	}
+	start := time.Now()
+	resp, err := s.cfg.Client.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer did not answer: %w", err))
+	}
+	_, _ = io.Copy(io.Discard, io.LimitReader(resp.Body, 1<<12))
+	resp.Body.Close()
+	res.health.Latency = time.Since(start)
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer is not ready (%s): it has nothing of its own to serve with", resp.Status))
+	}
+
+	key := ""
+	if rec.KeyFile != "" {
+		b, err := secrets.Read(ctx, rec.KeyFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fail(fmt.Errorf("the key for the peer could not be read: %w", err))
+		}
+		key = strings.TrimSpace(string(b))
+	}
+	req, err = http.NewRequestWithContext(ctx, http.MethodGet, rec.URL+"/v1/models", nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fail(err)
+	}
+	if key != "" {
+		req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+key)
+	}
+	resp, err = s.cfg.Client.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer's models could not be read: %w", err))
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	switch {
+	case resp.StatusCode == http.StatusUnauthorized || resp.StatusCode == http.StatusForbidden:
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer refused this cluster's key (%s): check the key file", resp.Status))
+	case resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK:
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer's models could not be read: %s", resp.Status))
+	}
+	cluster := resp.Header.Get(ClusterHeader)
+	if cluster == "" {
+		return fail(errors.New("the peer does not say its cluster id: is it an llmgw gateway of this version or later?"))
+	}
+	var list struct {
+		Data []struct {
+			ID            string               `json:"id"`
+			Description   string               `json:"description"`
+			ContextLength int                  `json:"context_length"`
+			MaxOutput     int                  `json:"max_output_tokens"`
+			Capabilities  catalog.Capabilities `json:"capabilities"`
+			AliasOf       string               `json:"alias_of"`
+			Peer          string               `json:"peer"`
+		} `json:"data"`
+	}
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(io.LimitReader(resp.Body, 4<<20)).Decode(&list); err != nil {
+		return fail(fmt.Errorf("the peer's model list is not what an llmgw gateway answers: %w", err))
+	}
+	for _, m := range list.Data {
+		// Not an alias, which is a second name for a model already here,
+		// nor a model the peer itself has from a peer of its own: federating
+		// those would grow a name a hop, A/B/A/..., each time two clusters
+		// read each other's lists.
+		if m.AliasOf != "" || m.Peer != "" || !validModelID(m.ID) {
+			continue
+		}
+		res.models = append(res.models, PeerModel{ID: m.ID, Description: m.Description,
+			ContextLength: m.ContextLength, MaxOutput: m.MaxOutput, Capabilities: m.Capabilities})
+	}
+	slices.SortFunc(res.models, func(a, b PeerModel) int { return strings.Compare(a.ID, b.ID) })
+	res.cluster = cluster
+	res.health.Up = true
+	return res
+}
+
+// validModelID is a model name this cluster can carry: printable, no spaces,
+// and short enough to be a name.
+func validModelID(id string) bool {
+	if id == "" || len(id) > 200 {
+		return false
+	}
+	return !strings.ContainsFunc(id, func(r rune) bool { return r <= ' ' || r == 0x7f })
+}
+
+// Run checks every peer at once each interval until ctx ends, the first
+// time straight away.
+func (s *Service) Run(ctx context.Context) {
+	t := time.NewTicker(s.cfg.Interval)
+	defer t.Stop()
+	for {
+		s.SyncAll(ctx)
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-t.C:
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// Status is a peer as `llmgw ctl federation list` shows it.
+type Status struct {
+	Name     string `json:"name"`
+	URL      string `json:"url"`
+	KeyFile  string `json:"key_file,omitempty"`
+	SendTags bool   `json:"send_tags"`
+	// Cluster is the peer's own cluster id.
+	Cluster string `json:"cluster,omitempty"`
+	Health
+	// LatencyMs is Latency in milliseconds, for reading.
+	LatencyMs float64 `json:"latency_ms"`
+	// SyncedAt is when its models last changed here.
+	SyncedAt  time.Time     `json:"synced_at,omitempty"`
+	Models    []ModelStatus `json:"models"`
+	CreatedAt time.Time     `json:"created_at"`
+	CreatedBy string        `json:"created_by,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// ModelStatus is one of a peer's models: its name here, the peer's own,
+// and whether the peer has stopped offering it.
+type ModelStatus struct {
+	Name      string `json:"name"`
+	Upstream  string `json:"upstream"`
+	Withdrawn bool   `json:"withdrawn,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// Status is one peer; false when there is none of the name.
+func (s *Service) Status(name string) (Status, bool) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	p, ok := s.peers[name]
+	if !ok {
+		return Status{}, false
+	}
+	return statusOf(p), true
+}
+
+// List is every peer, by name.
+func (s *Service) List() []Status {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	out := make([]Status, 0, len(s.peers))
+	for _, n := range s.namesLocked() {
+		out = append(out, statusOf(s.peers[n]))
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+func statusOf(p *peer) Status {
+	st := Status{Name: p.rec.Name, URL: p.rec.URL, KeyFile: p.rec.KeyFile, SendTags: p.rec.SendTags,
+		Cluster: p.rec.Cluster, Health: p.health, LatencyMs: float64(p.health.Latency.Microseconds()) / 1000,
+		SyncedAt: p.rec.SyncedAt, CreatedAt: p.rec.CreatedAt, CreatedBy: p.rec.CreatedBy,
+		Models: make([]ModelStatus, 0, len(p.models))}
+	for _, m := range p.models {
+		st.Models = append(st.Models, ModelStatus{Name: p.rec.Name + "/" + m.ID, Upstream: m.ID, Withdrawn: m.Withdrawn})
+	}
+	return st
+}
diff --git a/internal/control/federation/metrics.go b/internal/control/federation/metrics.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ffa1257
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/control/federation/metrics.go
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+package federation
+
+import "github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+
+var (
+	upDesc = prometheus.NewDesc("llmgw_federation_peer_up",
+		"Whether a federated peer answered its last check: 1 up, 0 down and not sent requests.",
+		[]string{"peer"}, nil)
+	latencyDesc = prometheus.NewDesc("llmgw_federation_peer_latency_seconds",
+		"How long a federated peer took to answer /ready at its last check.",
+		[]string{"peer"}, nil)
+	modelsDesc = prometheus.NewDesc("llmgw_federation_peer_models",
+		"How many models a federated peer offers this cluster.",
+		[]string{"peer"}, nil)
+)
+
+// Describe and Collect publish each peer's health beside the traffic it
+// takes, so "overflow went to the other site" and "the other site was slow"
+// are on one chart.
+func (s *Service) Describe(ch chan<- *prometheus.Desc) {
+	ch <- upDesc
+	ch <- latencyDesc
+	ch <- modelsDesc
+}
+
+func (s *Service) Collect(ch chan<- prometheus.Metric) {
+	for _, st := range s.List() {
+		up := 0.0
+		if st.Up {
+			up = 1
+		}
+		offered := 0
+		for _, m := range st.Models {
+			if !m.Withdrawn {
+				offered++
+			}
+		}
+		ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(upDesc, prometheus.GaugeValue, up, st.Name)
+		ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(latencyDesc, prometheus.GaugeValue, st.Latency.Seconds(), st.Name)
+		ch <- prometheus.MustNewConstMetric(modelsDesc, prometheus.GaugeValue, float64(offered), st.Name)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/control/modelsvc/modelsvc.go b/internal/control/modelsvc/modelsvc.go
index 392b67d..f93e944 100644
--- a/internal/control/modelsvc/modelsvc.go
+++ b/internal/control/modelsvc/modelsvc.go
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@ type Service struct {
 	// SetCheck.
 	check func(context.Context, catalog.Model) error
 
+	// federated are the models federated clusters offer; see SetFederated.
+	federated func() []catalog.Model
+
 	// mu serialises rebuilds. They are rare — a person adding a model — and two
 	// at once could apply catalogs in either order, leaving the one in force
 	// disagreeing with the database that outlives it.
@@ -128,7 +131,7 @@ func (s *Service) Add(ctx context.Context, m catalog.Model, by string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	next := append([]catalog.Model{}, s.declared...)
+	next := s.base(stored)
 	for _, e := range stored {
 		if e.Name == m.Name {
 			continue // this call replaces it
@@ -174,7 +177,7 @@ func (s *Service) Remove(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	next := append([]catalog.Model{}, s.declared...)
+	next := s.base(stored)
 	found := false
 	for _, e := range stored {
 		if e.Name == name {
@@ -371,7 +374,7 @@ func (s *Service) update(ctx context.Context, name, by, what string, change func
 	if err != nil {
 		return catalog.Model{}, err
 	}
-	next := append([]catalog.Model{}, s.declared...)
+	next := s.base(stored)
 	found := false
 	for _, e := range stored {
 		if e.Name == name {
@@ -416,12 +419,19 @@ func (s *Service) Load(ctx context.Context) (*catalog.Catalog, error) {
 	s.mu.Lock()
 	defer s.mu.Unlock()
 
+	return s.load(ctx)
+}
+
+// load is Load, with the lock held.
+func (s *Service) load(ctx context.Context) (*catalog.Catalog, error) {
 	stored, err := s.storedModels(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	next := append([]catalog.Model{}, s.declared...)
+	// The federated models before the stored ones, so a stored model that
+	// falls back to a peer's is checked against a catalog that has it.
+	next := s.base(stored)
 	for _, m := range stored {
 		// Checked one at a time and against what is already accepted, so one
 		// bad model cannot take a good one with it.
@@ -459,6 +469,82 @@ func (s *Service) storedModels(ctx context.Context) ([]catalog.Model, error) {
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+// SetFederated supplies the models federated clusters offer, which join the
+// catalog after the declared ones and before those added at runtime.
+//
+// A function rather than a list, read at every rebuild, because the list
+// changes whenever a peer's does; Refresh is how federation says it has.
+func (s *Service) SetFederated(f func() []catalog.Model) {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	s.federated = f
+}
+
+// Refresh rebuilds the catalog and puts it in force: after a peer's models
+// changed. Built as at startup, so a stored model that no longer makes a
+// valid catalog is skipped and said rather than taking the rest with it.
+func (s *Service) Refresh(ctx context.Context) error {
+	s.mu.Lock()
+	defer s.mu.Unlock()
+	built, err := s.load(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	s.apply.ReplaceCatalog(ctx, built)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// base is the declared models, then the federated ones whose names nothing
+// declared or added at runtime already uses.
+//
+// A peer's model is named PEER/MODEL, which a local model could also be
+// called — Hugging Face ids look just like that. The local one wins, for the
+// reason configuration wins over the database: a request for a model this
+// cluster runs must not leave it because a peer started offering a name.
+func (s *Service) base(stored []catalog.Model) []catalog.Model {
+	next := append([]catalog.Model{}, s.declared...)
+	if s.federated == nil {
+		return next
+	}
+	taken := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, list := range [][]catalog.Model{s.declared, stored} {
+		for _, m := range list {
+			taken[m.Name] = true
+			for _, a := range m.Aliases {
+				taken[a] = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	for _, f := range s.federated() {
+		if taken[f.Name] {
+			s.log.Warn("a federated model has the name of a model of this cluster's; not offered",
+				"model", f.Name)
+			continue
+		}
+		next = append(next, f)
+	}
+	return next
+}
+
+// SetFallbacks replaces the models a model added at runtime falls back to
+// when it has no capacity: other models of the catalog, a federated peer's
+// among them.
+func (s *Service) SetFallbacks(ctx context.Context, name string, fallbacks []string, by string) (catalog.Model, error) {
+	final, err := s.update(ctx, name, by, "change its fallbacks", func(m *catalog.Model) error {
+		for _, f := range fallbacks {
+			if f == m.Name {
+				return fmt.Errorf("model %q cannot fall back to itself", name)
+			}
+		}
+		m.Fallbacks = fallbacks
+		return nil
+	})
+	if err == nil {
+		s.log.Info("model fallbacks set", "model", name, "fallbacks", fallbacks, "by", by)
+	}
+	return final, err
+}
+
 // SetCheck runs before a model is added, and refuses it by returning an error.
 // Used to catch weights the engine cannot load, which otherwise are placed and
 // then fail on every node they are tried on.
diff --git a/internal/docgen/reference_gen.go b/internal/docgen/reference_gen.go
index 2f35025..6b4c73e 100644
--- a/internal/docgen/reference_gen.go
+++ b/internal/docgen/reference_gen.go
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ var Reference = []Block{
 		{Key: "url", Type: "string", Doc: "URL is the provider's base address, without /v1: https://api.openai.com.", Nested: ""},
 		{Key: "model", Type: "string", Doc: "Model is what the provider calls it; requests are rewritten to it.", Nested: ""},
 		{Key: "api_key_file", Type: "string", Doc: "APIKeyFile holds the provider's key, on the control plane. A file\nrather than the key itself, so the key is in neither the catalog, the\nstore nor the audit log; empty for a provider that asks for none.", Nested: ""},
+		{Key: "peer", Type: "string", Doc: "Peer names the federated llmgw cluster this model is offered by, for\na model that federation added (`llmgw ctl federation add`) rather\nthan one written by hand. Such a model is named PEER/MODEL, comes and\ngoes with the peer's own list, and is sent only while the peer is up.", Nested: ""},
 	}},
 	{Package: "config", Name: "Facility", Title: "Facility", Doc: "", Fields: []Field{
 		{Key: "budgets", Type: "[]FacilityBudget", Doc: "Budgets are the domains with a power cap.", Nested: ""},
@@ -112,6 +113,10 @@ var Reference = []Block{
 		{Key: "cap_watts", Type: "float64", Doc: "CapWatts is what the domain may draw. For a dual-fed rack it is what\none feed carries alone, derated as the facility derates it (usually\n80%), since that is what the rack has to survive.", Nested: ""},
 		{Key: "other_watts", Type: "float64", Doc: "OtherWatts is drawn in the domain by what llmgw does not place on:\nswitches, storage, machines outside the cluster.", Nested: ""},
 	}},
+	{Package: "config", Name: "Federation", Title: "Federation", Doc: "", Fields: []Field{
+		{Key: "name", Type: "string", Doc: "Name is this cluster as a peer reads it, in the federated_from tag\nsent with a request to a peer set to receive tags (`ctl federation add\n--send-tags`). Empty is this machine's host name.", Nested: ""},
+		{Key: "interval", Type: "time.Duration", Doc: "Interval is how often each peer is asked whether it is ready, timed,\nand what it offers. A peer that does not answer is taken out of\nrouting until it does. Zero is 10s.", Nested: ""},
+	}},
 	{Package: "catalog", Name: "GuardModel", Title: "GuardModel", Doc: "", Fields: []Field{
 		{Key: "format", Type: "string", Doc: "Format is llamaguard3 (Meta's Llama Guard 3: \"safe\", or \"unsafe\" and\nthe categories), shieldgemma (Google's ShieldGemma: Yes or No), or\njson ({\"safe\": false, \"categories\": [\"...\"]}).", Nested: ""},
 		{Key: "categories", Type: "[]string", Doc: "Categories the model is asked about, for shieldgemma — each a policy\nsentence — and the names reported for llamaguard3's S1, S2, ….", Nested: ""},
@@ -367,6 +372,7 @@ var Reference = []Block{
 		{Key: "control", Type: "Control", Doc: "", Nested: "config.Control"},
 		{Key: "models", Type: "[]catalog.Model", Doc: "", Nested: ""},
 		{Key: "facility", Type: "Facility", Doc: "Facility is the power caps of racks, PDUs and other domains, and how\na replica's draw is estimated against them. Where a node is comes from\nits llmgw.io/site, room, row, rack and pdu labels; holding a domain for\nmaintenance is `llmgw ctl facility hold`, not configuration.", Nested: "config.Facility"},
+		{Key: "federation", Type: "Federation", Doc: "Federation is how this cluster takes part in federation with other\nllmgw clusters. The peers themselves are added at runtime, with\n`llmgw ctl federation add`, and kept in the store.", Nested: "config.Federation"},
 		{Key: "endpoints", Type: "[]Endpoint", Doc: "Endpoints is the phase-1 static replica list. It is only consulted when\nno model declares a profile, which is what makes a router-only smoke test\nagainst sim-engines possible without a control plane.", Nested: ""},
 	}},
 	{Package: "engines", Name: "SimConfig", Title: "SimConfig", Doc: "", Fields: []Field{
diff --git a/internal/router/endpoint/endpoint.go b/internal/router/endpoint/endpoint.go
index b2a49d4..bfdb397 100644
--- a/internal/router/endpoint/endpoint.go
+++ b/internal/router/endpoint/endpoint.go
@@ -41,6 +41,13 @@ type Info struct {
 	// from the catalog's name: an external provider's. Requests are rewritten
 	// to it. Empty sends the name as the client did.
 	UpstreamModel string
+	// Peer names the federated llmgw cluster behind an external endpoint,
+	// empty for every other. PeerCluster is that cluster's own id, which a
+	// request that has already passed through it carries in its hop header,
+	// and PeerTags whether requests sent there name who sent them.
+	Peer        string
+	PeerCluster string
+	PeerTags    bool
 }
 
 // EngineExternal marks an endpoint that is a provider outside the cluster.
diff --git a/internal/router/federation.go b/internal/router/federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d29bfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/router/federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,155 @@
+package router
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"net/http"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/auth"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/router/endpoint"
+)
+
+// Federation, as the router sees it: requests sent to another llmgw cluster
+// say which clusters they have passed through, and a request that comes back
+// to one of them is refused rather than sent round again.
+
+const (
+	// hopHeader lists the cluster ids a request has passed through, oldest
+	// first: "3f9a…, 81c0…". Each gateway adds its own when it sends the
+	// request to a peer.
+	hopHeader = "x-llmgw-hop"
+	// clusterHeader says this gateway's cluster id, on /v1/models, which is
+	// where a peer learns it.
+	clusterHeader = "x-llmgw-cluster"
+	// maxHops bounds a chain of peers whatever their ids say: a backstop
+	// for two clusters given the same id by a restore of one's store into
+	// the other, where the loop check cannot tell them apart.
+	maxHops = 4
+)
+
+// federationID is this cluster as its peers know it: its id, in the hop
+// header, and its name, in the tags a peer may be sent.
+type federationID struct {
+	id, name string
+}
+
+// SetFederationIdentity says which cluster this gateway is. Without it,
+// requests are never refused as loops and peers are sent no hop of this one.
+func (r *Router) SetFederationIdentity(id, name string) {
+	r.federation.Store(&federationID{id: id, name: name})
+}
+
+func (r *Router) clusterID() federationID {
+	if f := r.federation.Load(); f != nil {
+		return *f
+	}
+	return federationID{}
+}
+
+// hops reads the clusters a request has passed through.
+func hops(h http.Header) []string {
+	var out []string
+	for _, v := range h.Values(hopHeader) {
+		for _, p := range strings.Split(v, ",") {
+			if p = strings.TrimSpace(p); p != "" {
+				out = append(out, p)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// refuseLoops answers 508 to a request that has already passed through this
+// cluster, or through more clusters than any sensible chain of peers has.
+//
+// Before anything else, authentication included: such a request was sent by
+// a peer that had no capacity, and answering it at once is what lets that
+// peer move on to its next fallback instead of waiting out a queue here.
+func (r *Router) refuseLoops(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
+		if req.Header.Get(hopHeader) == "" || !strings.HasPrefix(req.URL.Path, "/v1/") {
+			next.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+			return
+		}
+		seen := hops(req.Header)
+		self := r.clusterID().id
+		switch {
+		case self != "" && slices.Contains(seen, self):
+			writeErrorCode(w, http.StatusLoopDetected, "invalid_request_error", "federation_loop",
+				"this request has already passed through this cluster; it is not sent round again")
+		case len(seen) >= maxHops:
+			writeErrorCode(w, http.StatusLoopDetected, "invalid_request_error", "federation_loop",
+				"this request has passed through too many federated clusters")
+		default:
+			next.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+			return
+		}
+		r.m.observeRequest("", "", http.StatusLoopDetected, 0, nil, 0)
+	})
+}
+
+// withoutVisited drops the endpoints of peers a request has already passed
+// through: sending it there would only be refused as a loop, after a round
+// trip to the other site.
+func withoutVisited(eps []endpoint.Snapshot, h http.Header) []endpoint.Snapshot {
+	seen := hops(h)
+	if len(seen) == 0 {
+		return eps
+	}
+	return slices.DeleteFunc(slices.Clone(eps), func(e endpoint.Snapshot) bool {
+		return e.Peer != "" && e.PeerCluster != "" && slices.Contains(seen, e.PeerCluster)
+	})
+}
+
+// peerHeaders are what a request sent to a peer carries beyond what any
+// upstream is sent: the hop header with this cluster added, and, when the
+// peer is set to receive them, tags naming this cluster and the project.
+//
+// The peer sees one key, this cluster's, so without the tags every request
+// from here is one tenant to it. They are off by default because they tell
+// another site who in this one is asking.
+func (r *Router) peerHeaders(ctx context.Context, ep endpoint.Snapshot, h http.Header) http.Header {
+	out := http.Header{}
+	self := r.clusterID()
+	chain := hops(h)
+	if self.id != "" {
+		chain = append(chain, self.id)
+	}
+	if len(chain) > 0 {
+		out.Set(hopHeader, strings.Join(chain, ", "))
+	}
+	if ep.PeerTags {
+		tags := []string{"federated_from=" + tagValue(self.name)}
+		if p, ok := auth.FromContext(ctx); ok {
+			for _, kv := range [][2]string{{"org", p.OrgID}, {"team", p.TeamID}, {"project", p.ProjectID}} {
+				if kv[1] != "" {
+					tags = append(tags, kv[0]+"="+tagValue(kv[1]))
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		out.Set(tagsHeader, strings.Join(tags, ","))
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// tagValue keeps a value inside one tag: x-llmgw-tags is comma-separated.
+func tagValue(v string) string {
+	v = strings.NewReplacer(",", "_", "=", "_").Replace(v)
+	if len(v) > maxTagValue {
+		v = v[:maxTagValue]
+	}
+	return v
+}
+
+// localEndpoints counts the endpoints that are not a federated peer's: what
+// this cluster can serve with itself.
+func (r *Router) localEndpoints() int {
+	n := 0
+	for _, s := range r.reg.Snapshots("") {
+		if s.Peer == "" {
+			n++
+		}
+	}
+	return n
+}
diff --git a/internal/router/federation_test.go b/internal/router/federation_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83fe84a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/router/federation_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,594 @@
+package router
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"slices"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/catalog"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/federation"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/modelsvc"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/control/reconciler"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/router/endpoint"
+	"gitea.mynodes.xyz/ilker/llmgw/internal/store"
+)
+
+// fedCluster is one llmgw cluster, whole but for its nodes: a router serving
+// on a loopback port, the control plane that publishes to it, the model
+// service and federation. Its one model is served by a fake engine standing
+// in for the replica a node would run.
+type fedCluster struct {
+	name, id string
+	model    string
+	rt       *Router
+	srv      *httptest.Server
+	ctl      *control.Controller
+	models   *modelsvc.Service
+	fed      *federation.Service
+	engine   *fakeEngine
+	// key is a client's key here, in project.
+	key, project string
+	keys         int
+}
+
+type fedNoDispatch struct{}
+
+func (fedNoDispatch) StartShard(context.Context, reconciler.ShardCommand) error { return nil }
+func (fedNoDispatch) StopShard(context.Context, string, string) error           { return nil }
+func (fedNoDispatch) DrainShard(context.Context, string, string) error          { return nil }
+
+// withLocal is the sink between a control plane with no nodes and its
+// router: what the control plane publishes, and the cluster's own engine.
+type withLocal struct {
+	rt    *Router
+	local endpoint.Info
+}
+
+func (s withLocal) SetEndpoints(ctx context.Context, infos []endpoint.Info) {
+	s.rt.SetEndpoints(ctx, append(slices.Clone(infos), s.local))
+}
+
+func (s withLocal) SetCatalog(c *catalog.Catalog) { s.rt.SetCatalog(c) }
+
+func newFedCluster(t *testing.T, name, model string) *fedCluster {
+	t.Helper()
+	c := &fedCluster{name: name, id: name + "-cluster-id", model: model}
+	c.engine = newFakeEngine(t, model)
+
+	cfg := baseConfig()
+	cfg.Auth.Enabled = true
+	cfg.Auth.Store = filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "store.db")
+	cfg.Auth.FlushInterval = 20 * time.Millisecond
+	cfg.Auth.BatchSize = 1
+	cfg.Router.Retries = 0
+	c.rt = newTestRouter(t, cfg)
+	c.rt.SetFederationIdentity(c.id, name)
+
+	empty, err := catalog.New(nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	log := slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler)
+	sink := withLocal{rt: c.rt, local: endpoint.Info{ID: name + "-replica", URL: c.engine.srv.URL, Models: []string{model}}}
+	c.ctl = control.New(control.DefaultConfig(), catalog.NewLive(empty), fedNoDispatch{}, sink, log)
+	c.models = modelsvc.New(nil, c.rt.store, c.ctl, log)
+	c.fed = federation.New(federation.Config{Self: c.id, Interval: time.Hour}, c.rt.store, c.models, c.ctl.Catalog, log)
+	if err := c.fed.Load(t.Context()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	c.models.SetFederated(c.fed.Models)
+	c.ctl.SetPeers(c.fed)
+	c.srv = httptest.NewServer(c.rt.Handler())
+	t.Cleanup(c.srv.Close)
+
+	if err := c.models.Add(t.Context(), catModel(model, nil), "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// The control plane has published nothing yet — an empty list is no
+	// change — so the engine is put in by hand the first time.
+	sink.SetEndpoints(t.Context(), nil)
+
+	org, err := c.rt.store.CreateOrg(t.Context(), "acme-"+name)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	team, err := c.rt.store.CreateTeam(t.Context(), org, "platform")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if c.project, err = c.rt.store.CreateProject(t.Context(), team, "gateway"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	c.key = c.issueKey(t)
+	return c
+}
+
+// issueKey makes a key in the cluster's project, as `llmgw keys create`
+// would, and returns its secret.
+func (c *fedCluster) issueKey(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	c.keys++
+	secret := store.KeyPrefix + strings.Repeat(string(rune('a'+c.keys)), 43)
+	sum := sha256.Sum256([]byte(secret))
+	if err := c.rt.store.CreateKey(t.Context(), store.Key{
+		ID: fmt.Sprintf("%s-key-%d", c.name, c.keys), Hash: sum[:], Prefix: "pfx" + c.name, Name: "test",
+		ProjectID: c.project, CreatedAt: time.Now(),
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return secret
+}
+
+// federate makes other a peer of c, with a key other issued to c.
+func (c *fedCluster) federate(t *testing.T, other *fedCluster, sendTags bool) federation.Status {
+	t.Helper()
+	keyFile := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), other.name+".key")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(keyFile, []byte(other.issueKey(t)+"\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	st, err := c.fed.Add(t.Context(), federation.AddRequest{Name: other.name, URL: other.srv.URL,
+		KeyFile: keyFile, SendTags: sendTags}, "test")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	c.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	return st
+}
+
+// ask sends a chat completion to the cluster as its client.
+func (c *fedCluster) ask(t *testing.T, model string, hdr map[string]string) *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
+	t.Helper()
+	h := map[string]string{"Authorization": "Bearer " + c.key}
+	for k, v := range hdr {
+		h[k] = v
+	}
+	return post(t, c.rt.Handler(), map[string]any{"model": model,
+		"messages": []any{map[string]any{"role": "user", "content": "hello"}}}, h)
+}
+
+// usageOf waits for the cluster's record of a request.
+func (c *fedCluster) usageOf(t *testing.T, requestID string) store.Usage {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(5 * time.Second)
+	for time.Now().Before(deadline) {
+		u, ok, err := c.rt.store.UsageByRequest(t.Context(), requestID)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if ok {
+			return u
+		}
+		time.Sleep(20 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+	t.Fatalf("%s has no record of request %s", c.name, requestID)
+	return store.Usage{}
+}
+
+func listedModels(t *testing.T, c *fedCluster) (map[string]map[string]any, http.Header) {
+	t.Helper()
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/v1/models", nil)
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+c.key)
+	rec := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	c.rt.Handler().ServeHTTP(rec, req)
+	var list struct {
+		Data []map[string]any `json:"data"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(rec.Body.Bytes(), &list); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	out := map[string]map[string]any{}
+	for _, m := range list.Data {
+		out[fmt.Sprint(m["id"])] = m
+	}
+	return out, rec.Header()
+}
+
+func TestAPeersModelsAreOfferedHereUnderItsNameAndFollowItsList(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+
+	st := west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if !st.Up || st.Cluster != east.id || st.Latency <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east after adding: %+v", st)
+	}
+	listed, hdr := listedModels(t, west)
+	if listed["east/qwen-east"] == nil || listed["east/qwen-east"]["peer"] != "east" {
+		t.Fatalf("west offers %v; east's model should be there as east/qwen-east", slices.Collect(mapsKeys(listed)))
+	}
+	if hdr.Get(clusterHeader) != west.id {
+		t.Errorf("west's /v1/models says cluster %q", hdr.Get(clusterHeader))
+	}
+	if m, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/qwen-east"); !ok || !m.IsPeer() || m.External.Model != "qwen-east" {
+		t.Errorf("west's catalog has %+v", m)
+	}
+
+	// Asked for by its name here, answered by east's engine under east's name.
+	rec := west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil)
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK || east.engine.calls.Load() != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d %s; east's engine was called %d times", rec.Code, rec.Body.String(), east.engine.calls.Load())
+	}
+	var sent map[string]any
+	_ = json.Unmarshal(east.engine.last.Load().([]byte), &sent)
+	if sent["model"] != "qwen-east" {
+		t.Errorf("east's engine was asked for %v", sent["model"])
+	}
+
+	// East adds a model, then drops its first: west follows at its next check.
+	if err := east.models.Add(t.Context(), catModel("qwen-east-2", nil), "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := east.models.Remove(t.Context(), "qwen-east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	east.rt.SetEndpoints(t.Context(), []endpoint.Info{{ID: "e2", URL: east.engine.srv.URL, Models: []string{"qwen-east-2"}}})
+	if _, err := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/qwen-east-2"); !ok {
+		t.Error("a model east added is not offered here")
+	}
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/qwen-east"); ok {
+		t.Error("a model east dropped, which nothing here names, is still offered")
+	}
+}
+
+func mapsKeys(m map[string]map[string]any) func(func(string) bool) {
+	return func(yield func(string) bool) {
+		for k := range m {
+			if !yield(k) {
+				return
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestOverflowGoesToThePeerWhichSeesOneKeyAndTheRequestID(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+
+	// West has capacity: east is not asked.
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "qwen-west", nil); rec.Code != http.StatusOK || east.engine.calls.Load() != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("%d; east called %d times", rec.Code, east.engine.calls.Load())
+	}
+
+	// West's replica is full: the overflow goes east.
+	west.engine.status.Store(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+	rec := west.ask(t, "qwen-west", map[string]string{"X-Request-Id": "overflow-1"})
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("%d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	if got := rec.Header().Values("x-llmgw-served-model"); !slices.Equal(got, []string{"east/qwen-east"}) {
+		t.Errorf("served by %q", got)
+	}
+	// East's own answer headers do not reach the client beside west's.
+	if got := rec.Header().Values("X-Request-Id"); len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("the client was given request ids %q", got)
+	}
+	if east.engine.calls.Load() != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("east's engine was called %d times", east.engine.calls.Load())
+	}
+
+	// West records which peer served; east, the one key west uses there,
+	// the request's id, and no tags, which are off unless asked for.
+	here := west.usageOf(t, "overflow-1")
+	if here.ServedModel != "east/qwen-east" || here.Replica != "peer:east/qwen-east" {
+		t.Errorf("west's record: served %q by %q", here.ServedModel, here.Replica)
+	}
+	there := east.usageOf(t, "overflow-1")
+	if there.KeyID != "east-key-2" || there.Model != "qwen-east" {
+		t.Errorf("east's record: key %q, model %q", there.KeyID, there.Model)
+	}
+	if len(there.Tags) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east was told %v without send-tags", there.Tags)
+	}
+
+	// With tags on, east can say which cluster and project asked.
+	west.federate(t, east, true)
+	rec = west.ask(t, "qwen-west", map[string]string{"X-Request-Id": "overflow-2"})
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("%d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	there = east.usageOf(t, "overflow-2")
+	if there.Tags["federated_from"] != "west" || there.Tags["project"] != west.project {
+		t.Errorf("east's record carries tags %v", there.Tags)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestTwoClustersFederatingEachOtherDoNotSendARequestRoundAgain(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	east.federate(t, west, false)
+
+	// Neither offers the other's peer models back: no east/west/... names.
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/west/qwen-west"); ok {
+		t.Error("west took back its own model through east")
+	}
+	if _, ok := east.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("west/east/qwen-east"); ok {
+		t.Error("east took back its own model through west")
+	}
+
+	// Each falls back to the other, and both are full.
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := east.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-east", []string{"west/qwen-west"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	east.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	west.engine.status.Store(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+	east.engine.status.Store(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+
+	rec := west.ask(t, "qwen-west", nil)
+	if rec.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("served: %s", rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	// West's replica once, east's once; east did not send it back west.
+	if w, e := west.engine.calls.Load(), east.engine.calls.Load(); w != 1 || e != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("west's engine was called %d times, east's %d; each should be once", w, e)
+	}
+
+	// And a request that says it has passed through a cluster already is
+	// refused there, before anything else.
+	rec = west.ask(t, "qwen-west", map[string]string{hopHeader: east.id + ", " + west.id})
+	if rec.Code != http.StatusLoopDetected {
+		t.Errorf("a request that came back: %d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAProjectThatStaysInTheClusterIsNeverSentToAPeer(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	west.engine.status.Store(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+
+	if err := west.rt.store.SetInCluster(t.Context(), west.project, true); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil); rec.Code != http.StatusForbidden {
+		t.Errorf("a peer's model, asked for by a project that stays in the cluster: %d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "qwen-west", nil); rec.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		t.Errorf("served by %q", rec.Header().Get("x-llmgw-served-model"))
+	}
+	if east.engine.calls.Load() != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east was sent %d requests", east.engine.calls.Load())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAPolicyThatKeepsNothingIsNeverSentToAPeer(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	west.engine.status.Store(http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+	g := &switchGuard{}
+	g.noStore.Store(true)
+	west.rt.SetGuard(g)
+
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil); rec.Code != http.StatusBadRequest {
+		t.Errorf("a peer's model under no_store: %d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "qwen-west", nil); rec.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		t.Errorf("served by %q", rec.Header().Get("x-llmgw-served-model"))
+	}
+	if east.engine.calls.Load() != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east was sent %d requests", east.engine.calls.Load())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAPeerThatIsDownIsTakenOutOfRoutingAndBackWhenItAnswers(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if len(west.rt.reg.Snapshots("east/qwen-east")) != 1 {
+		t.Fatal("east's model is not routed to while east is up")
+	}
+
+	// East has nothing of its own to serve with: its /ready says so.
+	east.rt.SetEndpoints(t.Context(), nil)
+	if st, _ := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); st.Up || st.Error == "" {
+		t.Errorf("east with nothing to serve: %+v", st)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	if n := len(west.rt.reg.Snapshots("east/qwen-east")); n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east is down and still routed to: %d endpoints", n)
+	}
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/qwen-east"); !ok {
+		t.Error("east's model left the catalog when east went down; down is not gone")
+	}
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil); rec.Code == http.StatusOK {
+		t.Error("served by a peer that is down")
+	}
+
+	// Back.
+	east.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	east.rt.SetEndpoints(t.Context(), []endpoint.Info{{ID: "e", URL: east.engine.srv.URL, Models: []string{"qwen-east"}}})
+	if st, _ := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); !st.Up {
+		t.Errorf("east is back: %+v", st)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	if rec := west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil); rec.Code != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Errorf("east is back: %d %s", rec.Code, rec.Body.String())
+	}
+
+	// Gone altogether.
+	east.srv.Close()
+	if st, _ := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); st.Up {
+		t.Errorf("east is gone: %+v", st)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	if n := len(west.rt.reg.Snapshots("east/qwen-east")); n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("east is gone and still routed to: %d endpoints", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAPeerModelAFallbackNamesIsKeptWithdrawnAndThePeerCannotBeRemoved(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if err := west.fed.Remove(t.Context(), "east"); err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "qwen-west") {
+		t.Errorf("removing a peer a fallback names: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// East stops offering it: kept, withdrawn, and not routed to.
+	if err := east.models.Remove(t.Context(), "qwen-east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// Its replica goes too; east still serves something, so it is up.
+	east.rt.SetEndpoints(t.Context(), []endpoint.Info{{ID: "other", URL: east.engine.srv.URL, Models: []string{"other"}}})
+	if _, err := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("qwen-west"); !ok {
+		t.Fatal("the model that falls back to east's lost its place in the catalog")
+	}
+	st, _ := west.fed.Status("east")
+	if !slices.ContainsFunc(st.Models, func(m federation.ModelStatus) bool { return m.Upstream == "qwen-east" && m.Withdrawn }) {
+		t.Errorf("east's models: %+v", st.Models)
+	}
+	if n := len(west.rt.reg.Snapshots("east/qwen-east")); n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a withdrawn model is routed to: %d endpoints", n)
+	}
+
+	// Once nothing names it, it goes, and so may the peer.
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", nil, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, err := west.fed.Sync(t.Context(), "east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := west.ctl.Catalog().Resolve("east/qwen-east"); ok {
+		t.Error("a withdrawn model nothing names is still in the catalog")
+	}
+	if err := west.fed.Remove(t.Context(), "east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if len(west.fed.List()) != 0 {
+		t.Error("east is still a peer")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPeersAndTheirModelsSurviveARestart(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	if _, err := west.models.SetFallbacks(t.Context(), "qwen-west", []string{"east/qwen-east"}, "test"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// A new control plane against the same store, before east is asked
+	// anything: the model falling back to east's is whole.
+	log := slog.New(slog.DiscardHandler)
+	empty, _ := catalog.New(nil)
+	ctl := control.New(control.DefaultConfig(), catalog.NewLive(empty), fedNoDispatch{}, withLocal{rt: west.rt}, log)
+	models := modelsvc.New(nil, west.rt.store, ctl, log)
+	fed := federation.New(federation.Config{Self: west.id}, west.rt.store, models, ctl.Catalog, log)
+	if err := fed.Load(t.Context()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	models.SetFederated(fed.Models)
+	built, err := models.Load(t.Context())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	m, ok := built.Resolve("qwen-west")
+	if !ok || !slices.Equal(m.Fallbacks, []string{"east/qwen-east"}) {
+		t.Errorf("after a restart: %+v", m)
+	}
+	if _, ok := built.Resolve("east/qwen-east"); !ok {
+		t.Error("east's model is not in the catalog after a restart")
+	}
+	// Down until checked.
+	if _, _, ok := fed.PeerRoute("east", "qwen-east"); ok {
+		t.Error("a peer not yet checked is routed to")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAClusterCannotBeItsOwnPeer(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	keyFile := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "self.key")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(keyFile, []byte(west.issueKey(t)), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	_, err := west.fed.Add(t.Context(), federation.AddRequest{Name: "self", URL: west.srv.URL, KeyFile: keyFile}, "test")
+	if err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "this cluster") {
+		t.Errorf("adding itself: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAPeerIsCheckedBeforeItIsKept(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	keyFile := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "wrong.key")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(keyFile, []byte(store.KeyPrefix+strings.Repeat("z", 43)), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for name, req := range map[string]federation.AddRequest{
+		"a key the peer refuses": {Name: "east", URL: east.srv.URL, KeyFile: keyFile},
+		"nothing at the address": {Name: "east", URL: "http://127.0.0.1:1", KeyFile: keyFile},
+		"a name with a slash":    {Name: "ea/st", URL: east.srv.URL, KeyFile: keyFile},
+		"no key file":            {Name: "east", URL: east.srv.URL},
+	} {
+		if _, err := west.fed.Add(t.Context(), req, "test"); err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%s: accepted", name)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(west.fed.List()) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("kept: %+v", west.fed.List())
+	}
+}
+
+// The federation's checks run beside requests and catalog rebuilds.
+func TestFederationChecksAreSafeBesideTraffic(t *testing.T) {
+	west := newFedCluster(t, "west", "qwen-west")
+	east := newFedCluster(t, "east", "qwen-east")
+	west.federate(t, east, false)
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for range 4 {
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			for range 5 {
+				west.fed.SyncAll(t.Context())
+				west.ctl.Publish(t.Context())
+			}
+		})
+		wg.Go(func() {
+			for range 5 {
+				west.ask(t, "east/qwen-east", nil)
+				_ = west.fed.List()
+			}
+		})
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+}
diff --git a/internal/router/handlers.go b/internal/router/handlers.go
index f1ed618..bedf77d 100644
--- a/internal/router/handlers.go
+++ b/internal/router/handlers.go
@@ -139,8 +139,13 @@ func (r *Router) Handler() http.Handler {
 	// Open, like /health: a load balancer does not have a key, and this leaks
 	// one bit — whether anything is servable — which the next request would
 	// reveal anyway.
+	//
+	// Only this cluster's own endpoints count, not a federated peer's: a
+	// peer reads this to decide whether to send here, and two clusters
+	// federating each other would otherwise each be ready because the other
+	// is, with nothing of their own to serve with.
 	mux.HandleFunc("GET /ready", func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
-		if len(r.reg.IDs()) == 0 {
+		if r.localEndpoints() == 0 {
 			http.Error(w, "no endpoints are available to serve", http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
 			return
 		}
@@ -298,7 +303,7 @@ func (r *Router) Handler() http.Handler {
 	}
 
 	if r.auth == nil {
-		return mux
+		return r.refuseLoops(mux)
 	}
 	exempt := []string{"/health", "/ready", "/leader", "/", "/about", "/_static/", "/_lang/", "/claim/",
 		"/signup", "/login", "/login/", "/logout", "/profile", "/profile/", "/scim/",
@@ -312,7 +317,7 @@ func (r *Router) Handler() http.Handler {
 	// Wrapping the whole mux rather than checking inside each handler: adding a
 	// route must not be able to add an unauthenticated one by omission. Health
 	// stays open because a load balancer has no key.
-	return auth.Middleware(r.auth, r.log, exempt...)(mux)
+	return r.refuseLoops(auth.Middleware(r.auth, r.log, exempt...)(mux))
 }
 
 // parsedRequest is what the router needs from a request. Everything else in the
@@ -1017,6 +1022,15 @@ func (r *Router) handleModels(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 		entry := map[string]any{
 			"id": n, "object": "model", "created": time.Now().Unix(), "owned_by": owner,
 		}
+		// Not OpenAI's either: what a federated peer reading this list needs
+		// to leave out — a second name for a model already listed, and a
+		// model this cluster has from a peer of its own.
+		if m := r.modelMap()[n]; m.Name != "" && m.Name != n {
+			entry["alias_of"] = m.Name
+		}
+		if m := r.modelMap()[n]; m.IsPeer() {
+			entry["peer"] = m.External.Peer
+		}
 		// Only when known. A context_length of 0 would read as "no context",
 		// which is a worse answer than saying nothing.
 		m := r.modelMap()[n]
@@ -1038,6 +1052,9 @@ func (r *Router) handleModels(w http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 		}
 		data = append(data, entry)
 	}
+	if id := r.clusterID().id; id != "" {
+		w.Header().Set(clusterHeader, id)
+	}
 	writeJSON(w, http.StatusOK, map[string]any{"object": "list", "data": data})
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/router/proxy/proxy.go b/internal/router/proxy/proxy.go
index 8c4d164..9afbf85 100644
--- a/internal/router/proxy/proxy.go
+++ b/internal/router/proxy/proxy.go
@@ -149,6 +149,10 @@ type Request struct {
 	Body []byte
 	// Header carries headers to forward (authorization is deliberately not).
 	Header http.Header
+	// Extra are headers set on the upstream request beyond those forwarded
+	// from the client: what the router itself says to this upstream, such
+	// as the hop header a federated cluster is sent.
+	Extra http.Header
 	// APIKey is the engine's own key, sent in place of the client's.
 	APIKey string
 	// Stream says whether an SSE response is expected.
@@ -255,6 +259,9 @@ func (p *Proxy) Do(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, r Request) (Outco
 		return Outcome{Retryable: false}, err
 	}
 	req.Header = cloneForUpstream(r.Header)
+	for k, vs := range r.Extra {
+		req.Header[http.CanonicalHeaderKey(k)] = vs
+	}
 	ct := r.ContentType
 	if ct == "" {
 		ct = "application/json"
@@ -625,9 +632,15 @@ var hopByHop = map[string]bool{
 	"Upgrade":             true,
 }
 
+// copyHeaders gives the client the upstream's response headers.
+//
+// A header the gateway has already set is its own answer and is kept: an
+// upstream that is itself an llmgw — a federated peer — sends X-Request-Id
+// and x-llmgw-served-model of its own, and the client would otherwise be
+// given both.
 func copyHeaders(dst, src http.Header) {
 	for k, vs := range src {
-		if hopByHop[http.CanonicalHeaderKey(k)] {
+		if hopByHop[http.CanonicalHeaderKey(k)] || len(dst.Values(k)) > 0 {
 			continue
 		}
 		for _, v := range vs {
diff --git a/internal/router/router.go b/internal/router/router.go
index 11962f1..26498dc 100644
--- a/internal/router/router.go
+++ b/internal/router/router.go
@@ -102,7 +102,9 @@ type Router struct {
 	usageRetention time.Duration
 	// isLeader says whether this process leads; nil is always.
 	isLeader atomic.Pointer[func() bool]
-	acct     *accounting.Accountant
+	// federation is which cluster this is, to its peers; nil until said.
+	federation atomic.Pointer[federationID]
+	acct       *accounting.Accountant
 	// guard judges requests and answers; nil judges nothing. guardLibrary
 	// is the policies it was built from, for the pages that show them.
 	guard        guard.Guard
@@ -929,6 +931,13 @@ var errLoading = errors.New("model loading")
 
 func (r *Router) dispatchOne(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, req *parsedRequest, model string, entry catalog.Model) dispatchResult {
 	candidates := r.reg.Snapshots(model)
+	if visited := withoutVisited(candidates, req.Header); len(visited) < len(candidates) {
+		if len(visited) == 0 {
+			return dispatchResult{err: fmt.Errorf("%w: %s is served by a federated cluster this request has already passed through",
+				errNoCapacity, model)}
+		}
+		candidates = visited
+	}
 	if len(candidates) == 0 {
 		// Nothing is serving it. That may be because nothing ever will, or
 		// because it loads when asked and nobody has asked yet — and the second
@@ -1081,6 +1090,9 @@ func (r *Router) dispatchOne(ctx context.Context, w http.ResponseWriter, req *pa
 			// restart. Not relayed; loaded again and tried again.
 			preq.RetryStatus = http.StatusNotFound
 		}
+		if dec.Endpoint.Peer != "" {
+			preq.Extra = r.peerHeaders(ctx, dec.Endpoint, req.Header)
+		}
 		if req.Stream {
 			gaps := r.m.token.gap.WithLabelValues(r.metricModel(model))
 			preq.OnEvent = func(d time.Duration) { gaps.Observe(d.Seconds()) }
diff --git a/internal/store/copy.go b/internal/store/copy.go
index 81ce820..a296b87 100644
--- a/internal/store/copy.go
+++ b/internal/store/copy.go
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ var copyOrder = []string{
 	// Runs before their cases, which point at them.
 	"eval_runs",
 	"eval_cases",
+	"federation_peers",
 }
 
 // notCopied are tables deliberately left behind.
diff --git a/internal/store/federation.go b/internal/store/federation.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..987bf26
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/store/federation.go
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"database/sql"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+)
+
+// FederationPeer is another llmgw cluster whose models this one offers.
+type FederationPeer struct {
+	Name string
+	URL  string
+	// KeyFile holds the key this cluster uses at the peer, on the control
+	// plane: a path, never the key, for the reason an external model's is.
+	KeyFile string
+	// SendTags makes requests sent to the peer carry x-llmgw-tags naming
+	// this cluster and the sending project, so the peer can attribute them.
+	SendTags bool
+	// Cluster is the peer's own cluster id, as it last said it: what a
+	// request that has passed through the peer carries in its hop header.
+	Cluster string
+	// Models is what the peer last offered, as JSON.
+	Models    json.RawMessage
+	SyncedAt  time.Time
+	CreatedAt time.Time
+	CreatedBy string
+}
+
+// PutFederationPeer adds a peer, or replaces one whole: its address, key
+// file, tags setting and what it offers. Who added it, and when, stay as
+// they were first written.
+func (s *DB) PutFederationPeer(ctx context.Context, p FederationPeer) error {
+	if p.Name == "" || p.URL == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("a federation peer needs a name and an address")
+	}
+	if p.CreatedAt.IsZero() {
+		p.CreatedAt = time.Now()
+	}
+	models := string(p.Models)
+	if models == "" {
+		models = "[]"
+	}
+	if !json.Valid([]byte(models)) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("peer %q: its models are not valid JSON", p.Name)
+	}
+	_, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`INSERT INTO federation_peers (name, url, key_file, send_tags, cluster, models, synced_at, created_at, created_by)
+		 VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)
+		 ON CONFLICT (name) DO UPDATE SET url = excluded.url, key_file = excluded.key_file,
+		   send_tags = excluded.send_tags, cluster = excluded.cluster, models = excluded.models,
+		   synced_at = excluded.synced_at`,
+		p.Name, p.URL, p.KeyFile, boolInt(p.SendTags), p.Cluster, models, syncedMillis(p.SyncedAt),
+		millis(p.CreatedAt), p.CreatedBy)
+	return err
+}
+
+// SetFederationPeerModels records what a peer offers now, and its cluster
+// id, without touching how it is reached. ErrNotFound when the peer was
+// removed meanwhile: a sync that finishes after a removal must not bring
+// the peer back.
+func (s *DB) SetFederationPeerModels(ctx context.Context, name, cluster string, models json.RawMessage, at time.Time) error {
+	if !json.Valid(models) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("peer %q: its models are not valid JSON", name)
+	}
+	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx,
+		`UPDATE federation_peers SET cluster = ?, models = ?, synced_at = ? WHERE name = ?`,
+		cluster, string(models), syncedMillis(at), name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if n, _ := res.RowsAffected(); n == 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// DeleteFederationPeer removes a peer; removing one that is not there is
+// ErrNotFound, so a mistyped name is said rather than silently accepted.
+func (s *DB) DeleteFederationPeer(ctx context.Context, name string) error {
+	res, err := s.db.ExecContext(ctx, `DELETE FROM federation_peers WHERE name = ?`, name)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	if n, _ := res.RowsAffected(); n == 0 {
+		return ErrNotFound
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// FederationPeers lists the peers by name.
+func (s *DB) FederationPeers(ctx context.Context) ([]FederationPeer, error) {
+	return queryAll(ctx, s.db, `SELECT name, url, key_file, send_tags, cluster, models, synced_at, created_at, created_by
+		FROM federation_peers ORDER BY name`, nil, func(rows *sql.Rows) (FederationPeer, error) {
+		var p FederationPeer
+		var tags int
+		var models string
+		var synced, created int64
+		err := rows.Scan(&p.Name, &p.URL, &p.KeyFile, &tags, &p.Cluster, &models, &synced, &created, &p.CreatedBy)
+		p.SendTags, p.Models = tags == 1, json.RawMessage(models)
+		p.CreatedAt = fromMillis(created)
+		if synced > 0 {
+			p.SyncedAt = fromMillis(synced)
+		}
+		return p, err
+	})
+}
+
+// FederationPeer is one peer by name; ErrNotFound when there is none.
+func (s *DB) FederationPeer(ctx context.Context, name string) (FederationPeer, error) {
+	peers, err := s.FederationPeers(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return FederationPeer{}, err
+	}
+	for _, p := range peers {
+		if p.Name == name {
+			return p, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return FederationPeer{}, ErrNotFound
+}
+
+// syncedMillis is 0 for a peer never synced, which reads back as no time
+// rather than as a date in 1754.
+func syncedMillis(t time.Time) int64 {
+	if t.IsZero() {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return t.UnixMilli()
+}
diff --git a/internal/store/federation_test.go b/internal/store/federation_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d80c95
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/store/federation_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package store
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestAFederationPeerIsKeptWithWhatItLastOffered(t *testing.T) {
+	s, err := OpenSQLite(t.Context(), filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "s.db"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = s.Close() })
+	ctx := t.Context()
+
+	if err := s.PutFederationPeer(ctx, FederationPeer{Name: "east", URL: "https://east", KeyFile: "/k",
+		SendTags: true, CreatedBy: "ops"}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	peers, err := s.FederationPeers(ctx)
+	if err != nil || len(peers) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("%v %+v", err, peers)
+	}
+	if p := peers[0]; !p.SendTags || string(p.Models) != "[]" || !p.SyncedAt.IsZero() || p.CreatedBy != "ops" {
+		t.Errorf("as kept: %+v", p)
+	}
+
+	at := time.Now()
+	if err := s.SetFederationPeerModels(ctx, "east", "c1", json.RawMessage(`[{"id":"m"}]`), at); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	p, err := s.FederationPeer(ctx, "east")
+	if err != nil || p.Cluster != "c1" || string(p.Models) != `[{"id":"m"}]` || p.SyncedAt.UnixMilli() != at.UnixMilli() {
+		t.Errorf("after a sync: %v %+v", err, p)
+	}
+
+	// A sync finishing after the peer was removed does not bring it back.
+	if err := s.DeleteFederationPeer(ctx, "east"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := s.SetFederationPeerModels(ctx, "east", "c1", json.RawMessage(`[]`), at); !errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Errorf("syncing a removed peer: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := s.DeleteFederationPeer(ctx, "east"); !errors.Is(err, ErrNotFound) {
+		t.Errorf("removing it twice: %v", err)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/store/migrations/postgres/0029_federation_peers.sql b/internal/store/migrations/postgres/0029_federation_peers.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f169fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/store/migrations/postgres/0029_federation_peers.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+-- Ported from the SQLite migration of the same number.
+-- Other llmgw clusters this one federates with (`llmgw ctl federation add`):
+-- each peer's address, the file on the control plane holding the key this
+-- cluster uses there, whether requests sent to it carry tags naming who sent
+-- them, the peer's own cluster id, and the models it last offered.
+--
+-- The models are kept, not only fetched, so a catalog that names one of them
+-- as a fallback is whole at startup, before the peer has been asked again:
+-- a local model falling back to a peer's would otherwise be skipped as
+-- naming a model that is not there. Stored as JSON for the same reason a
+-- runtime model's definition is: a list of what the peer says about each,
+-- which grows.
+CREATE TABLE federation_peers (
+  name       TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  url        TEXT NOT NULL,
+  key_file   TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+  send_tags  BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  cluster    TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+  models     TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
+  synced_at  BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  created_at BIGINT NOT NULL,
+  created_by TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT ''
+);
diff --git a/internal/store/migrations/sqlite/0029_federation_peers.sql b/internal/store/migrations/sqlite/0029_federation_peers.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94935cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/store/migrations/sqlite/0029_federation_peers.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+-- Other llmgw clusters this one federates with (`llmgw ctl federation add`):
+-- each peer's address, the file on the control plane holding the key this
+-- cluster uses there, whether requests sent to it carry tags naming who sent
+-- them, the peer's own cluster id, and the models it last offered.
+--
+-- The models are kept, not only fetched, so a catalog that names one of them
+-- as a fallback is whole at startup, before the peer has been asked again:
+-- a local model falling back to a peer's would otherwise be skipped as
+-- naming a model that is not there. Stored as JSON for the same reason a
+-- runtime model's definition is: a list of what the peer says about each,
+-- which grows.
+CREATE TABLE federation_peers (
+  name       TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+  url        TEXT NOT NULL,
+  key_file   TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+  send_tags  INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  cluster    TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '',
+  models     TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT '[]',
+  synced_at  INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+  created_at INTEGER NOT NULL,
+  created_by TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT ''
+);
diff --git a/internal/store/postgres_test.go b/internal/store/postgres_test.go
index 94e5980..f1884f8 100644
--- a/internal/store/postgres_test.go
+++ b/internal/store/postgres_test.go
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func openPG(t *testing.T) *DB {
 		`TRUNCATE thread_messages, threads, memory_notes, usage, usage_5m, usage_1h, usage_1d, api_keys, memberships,
 		         key_claims, limits, models, sessions, users, projects, teams,
 		         organizations, leadership, control_planes, files, batches, batch_results, request_bodies,
-		         eval_runs, eval_cases, facility_holds, node_labels RESTART IDENTITY CASCADE`)
+		         eval_runs, eval_cases, facility_holds, node_labels, federation_peers RESTART IDENTITY CASCADE`)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("clearing the test database: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/notes/c24-federation.md b/notes/c24-federation.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..deb7d27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/notes/c24-federation.md
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+## CHANGELOG
+
+### Federating clusters: another llmgw cluster as a provider
+
+- `llmgw ctl federation add NAME --url URL --key-file FILE [--send-tags]`
+  makes another llmgw gateway a peer. It is checked first (its `/ready`,
+  timed, and its `/v1/models` with the key) and kept in the store (migration
+  0029, `federation_peers`) with the models it offers.
+- A peer's models join the catalog as `NAME/MODEL`, always prefixed, and
+  follow the peer's own list every `federation.interval` (10s). A model the
+  peer drops goes, unless a model here still falls back to it: then it is
+  kept withdrawn (in the catalog, sent nothing) until the fallback changes.
+  The peer's aliases and its own peers' models are not taken.
+- A peer whose `/ready` fails, which refuses the key, or which does not answer
+  is taken out of routing until it answers again. `/ready` now counts only a
+  gateway's own endpoints, not its peers'.
+- `llmgw ctl model fallbacks MODEL [FALLBACK...]` (and `PUT
+  /api/v1/models/{name}/fallbacks`) sets a runtime model's fallbacks, so
+  overflow can go to a peer's model.
+- Requests to a peer carry `x-llmgw-hop` with the ids of the clusters they
+  have passed through (each cluster's id is kept in the store). A request that
+  comes back to a cluster is refused with 508 `federation_loop`, and a peer a
+  request came from is not sent it.
+- The peer sees one key, this cluster's, and the request's `X-Request-Id`.
+  With `--send-tags`, also `x-llmgw-tags: federated_from=<federation.name>,
+  org=,team=,project=` (ids); off by default.
+- In-cluster residency and `no_store` keep requests off peers, by name and as
+  fallbacks. Usage records the peer's model as served, and `peer:NAME/MODEL`
+  as the replica.
+- `ctl federation list|remove|sync`, a Federation view in the console,
+  `llmgw_federation_peer_up`, `_latency_seconds` and `_models` metrics, admin
+  API `/api/v1/federation`, and a "Federating clusters" section in
+  docs/install.md. New `federation:` block in server.yaml (`name`,
+  `interval`).
+- A response header the gateway already set (X-Request-Id,
+  x-llmgw-served-model) is no longer repeated from the upstream's.
+
+## BACKLOG
+
+- [x] 24. Multi-cluster federation — built: peers via `ctl federation` kept in the store, their models as PEER/MODEL synced from /v1/models (withdrawn-while-referenced), /ready health with latency and routing withdrawal, `ctl model fallbacks` for overflow, hop header loop refusal, residency/no_store hold, optional attribution tags, console view, metrics, docs. Left: server.yaml-declared models cannot name a peer model as a fallback (config catalog is validated before peers are read); per-peer CA / mTLS for peers behind a private CA; transitive federation (A→B→C models) deliberately not offered; latency is /ready RTT only (no per-request peer TTFT used in routing or weighting); the peer's adapters are not imported (listed as aliases); no console form to add/remove peers (CLI only); key file must exist on every control plane.