diff --git a/admin/app/controllers/ollama_controller.ts b/admin/app/controllers/ollama_controller.ts
index d4af8aa..5ec3976 100644
--- a/admin/app/controllers/ollama_controller.ts
+++ b/admin/app/controllers/ollama_controller.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 import { ChatService } from '#services/chat_service'
+import { DockerService } from '#services/docker_service'
 import { OllamaService } from '#services/ollama_service'
 import { RagService } from '#services/rag_service'
+import Service from '#models/service'
+import KVStore from '#models/kv_store'
 import { modelNameSchema } from '#validators/download'
 import { chatSchema, getAvailableModelsSchema } from '#validators/ollama'
 import { inject } from '@adonisjs/core'
 import type { HttpContext } from '@adonisjs/core/http'
 import { DEFAULT_QUERY_REWRITE_MODEL, RAG_CONTEXT_LIMITS, SYSTEM_PROMPTS } from '../../constants/ollama.js'
+import { SERVICE_NAMES } from '../../constants/service_names.js'
 import logger from '@adonisjs/core/services/logger'
 import type { Message } from 'ollama'
 
@@ -13,6 +17,7 @@ import type { Message } from 'ollama'
 export default class OllamaController {
   constructor(
     private chatService: ChatService,
+    private dockerService: DockerService,
     private ollamaService: OllamaService,
     private ragService: RagService
   ) { }
@@ -171,6 +176,72 @@ export default class OllamaController {
     }
   }
 
+  async configureRemote({ request, response }: HttpContext) {
+    const remoteUrl: string | null = request.input('remoteUrl', null)
+
+    const ollamaService = await Service.query().where('service_name', SERVICE_NAMES.OLLAMA).first()
+    if (!ollamaService) {
+      return response.status(404).send({ success: false, message: 'Ollama service record not found.' })
+    }
+
+    // Clear path: null or empty URL removes remote config and marks service as not installed
+    if (!remoteUrl || remoteUrl.trim() === '') {
+      await KVStore.clearValue('ai.remoteOllamaUrl')
+      ollamaService.installed = false
+      ollamaService.installation_status = 'idle'
+      await ollamaService.save()
+      return { success: true, message: 'Remote Ollama configuration cleared.' }
+    }
+
+    // Validate URL format
+    if (!remoteUrl.startsWith('http')) {
+      return response.status(400).send({
+        success: false,
+        message: 'Invalid URL. Must start with http:// or https://',
+      })
+    }
+
+    // Test connectivity
+    try {
+      const testResponse = await fetch(`${remoteUrl.replace(/\/$/, '')}/api/tags`, {
+        signal: AbortSignal.timeout(5000),
+      })
+      if (!testResponse.ok) {
+        return response.status(400).send({
+          success: false,
+          message: `Could not connect to Ollama at ${remoteUrl} (HTTP ${testResponse.status}). Make sure Ollama is running with OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0.`,
+        })
+      }
+    } catch (error) {
+      return response.status(400).send({
+        success: false,
+        message: `Could not connect to Ollama at ${remoteUrl}. Make sure the host is reachable and Ollama is running with OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0.`,
+      })
+    }
+
+    // Save remote URL and mark service as installed
+    await KVStore.setValue('ai.remoteOllamaUrl', remoteUrl.trim())
+    ollamaService.installed = true
+    ollamaService.installation_status = 'idle'
+    await ollamaService.save()
+
+    // Install Qdrant if not already installed (fire-and-forget)
+    const qdrantService = await Service.query().where('service_name', SERVICE_NAMES.QDRANT).first()
+    if (qdrantService && !qdrantService.installed) {
+      this.dockerService.createContainerPreflight(SERVICE_NAMES.QDRANT).catch((error) => {
+        logger.error('[OllamaController] Failed to start Qdrant preflight:', error)
+      })
+    }
+
+    // Mirror post-install side effects: disable suggestions, trigger docs discovery
+    await KVStore.setValue('chat.suggestionsEnabled', false)
+    this.ragService.discoverNomadDocs().catch((error) => {
+      logger.error('[OllamaController] Failed to discover Nomad docs:', error)
+    })
+
+    return { success: true, message: 'Remote Ollama configured.' }
+  }
+
   async deleteModel({ request }: HttpContext) {
     const reqData = await request.validateUsing(modelNameSchema)
     await this.ollamaService.deleteModel(reqData.model)
diff --git a/admin/app/controllers/settings_controller.ts b/admin/app/controllers/settings_controller.ts
index c0a312f..fb41318 100644
--- a/admin/app/controllers/settings_controller.ts
+++ b/admin/app/controllers/settings_controller.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ export default class SettingsController {
         const installedModels = await this.ollamaService.getModels();
         const chatSuggestionsEnabled = await KVStore.getValue('chat.suggestionsEnabled')
         const aiAssistantCustomName = await KVStore.getValue('ai.assistantCustomName')
+        const remoteOllamaUrl = await KVStore.getValue('ai.remoteOllamaUrl')
         return inertia.render('settings/models', {
             models: {
                 availableModels: availableModels?.models || [],
@@ -62,6 +63,7 @@ export default class SettingsController {
                 settings: {
                     chatSuggestionsEnabled: chatSuggestionsEnabled ?? false,
                     aiAssistantCustomName: aiAssistantCustomName ?? '',
+                    remoteOllamaUrl: remoteOllamaUrl ?? '',
                 }
             }
         });
diff --git a/admin/app/services/docker_service.ts b/admin/app/services/docker_service.ts
index 8eafc64..3bfd521 100644
--- a/admin/app/services/docker_service.ts
+++ b/admin/app/services/docker_service.ts
@@ -140,6 +140,11 @@ export class DockerService {
       return null
     }
 
+    if (serviceName === SERVICE_NAMES.OLLAMA) {
+      const remoteUrl = await KVStore.getValue('ai.remoteOllamaUrl')
+      if (remoteUrl) return remoteUrl
+    }
+
     const service = await Service.query()
       .where('service_name', serviceName)
       .andWhere('installed', true)
diff --git a/admin/constants/kv_store.ts b/admin/constants/kv_store.ts
index 7cae751..32092d2 100644
--- a/admin/constants/kv_store.ts
+++ b/admin/constants/kv_store.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 import { KVStoreKey } from "../types/kv_store.js";
 
-export const SETTINGS_KEYS: KVStoreKey[] = ['chat.suggestionsEnabled', 'chat.lastModel', 'ui.hasVisitedEasySetup', 'system.earlyAccess', 'ai.assistantCustomName'];
\ No newline at end of file
+export const SETTINGS_KEYS: KVStoreKey[] = ['chat.suggestionsEnabled', 'chat.lastModel', 'ui.hasVisitedEasySetup', 'system.earlyAccess', 'ai.assistantCustomName', 'ai.remoteOllamaUrl'];
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/admin/inertia/lib/api.ts b/admin/inertia/lib/api.ts
index e6bbb93..b1ad607 100644
--- a/admin/inertia/lib/api.ts
+++ b/admin/inertia/lib/api.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ class API {
     })()
   }
 
+  async configureRemoteOllama(remoteUrl: string | null): Promise<{ success: boolean; message: string }> {
+    return catchInternal(async () => {
+      const response = await this.client.post<{ success: boolean; message: string }>(
+        '/ollama/configure-remote',
+        { remoteUrl }
+      )
+      return response.data
+    })()
+  }
+
   async deleteModel(model: string): Promise<{ success: boolean; message: string }> {
     return catchInternal(async () => {
       const response = await this.client.delete('/ollama/models', { data: { model } })
diff --git a/admin/inertia/pages/easy-setup/index.tsx b/admin/inertia/pages/easy-setup/index.tsx
index c1fab9b..c3c7de7 100644
--- a/admin/inertia/pages/easy-setup/index.tsx
+++ b/admin/inertia/pages/easy-setup/index.tsx
@@ -121,6 +121,9 @@ export default function EasySetupWizard(props: { system: { services: ServiceSlim
   const [selectedAiModels, setSelectedAiModels] = useState<string[]>([])
   const [isProcessing, setIsProcessing] = useState(false)
   const [showAdditionalTools, setShowAdditionalTools] = useState(false)
+  const [remoteOllamaEnabled, setRemoteOllamaEnabled] = useState(false)
+  const [remoteOllamaUrl, setRemoteOllamaUrl] = useState('')
+  const [remoteOllamaUrlError, setRemoteOllamaUrlError] = useState<string | null>(null)
 
   // Category/tier selection state
   const [selectedTiers, setSelectedTiers] = useState<Map<string, SpecTier>>(new Map())
@@ -357,8 +360,24 @@ export default function EasySetupWizard(props: { system: { services: ServiceSlim
     setIsProcessing(true)
 
     try {
+      // If using remote Ollama, configure it first before other installs
+      if (remoteOllamaEnabled && remoteOllamaUrl) {
+        const remoteResult = await api.configureRemoteOllama(remoteOllamaUrl)
+        if (!remoteResult?.success) {
+          const msg = (remoteResult as any)?.message || 'Failed to configure remote Ollama.'
+          setRemoteOllamaUrlError(msg)
+          setIsProcessing(false)
+          setCurrentStep(1)
+          return
+        }
+      }
+
       // All of these ops don't actually wait for completion, they just kick off the process, so we can run them in parallel without awaiting each one sequentially
-      const installPromises = selectedServices.map((serviceName) => api.installService(serviceName))
+      // Exclude Ollama from local install when using remote mode
+      const servicesToInstall = remoteOllamaEnabled
+        ? selectedServices.filter((s) => s !== SERVICE_NAMES.OLLAMA)
+        : selectedServices
+      const installPromises = servicesToInstall.map((serviceName) => api.installService(serviceName))
 
       await Promise.all(installPromises)
 
@@ -687,9 +706,53 @@ export default function EasySetupWizard(props: { system: { services: ServiceSlim
               <div>
                 <h3 className="text-lg font-semibold text-gray-700 mb-4">Core Capabilities</h3>
                 <div className="grid grid-cols-1 lg:grid-cols-3 gap-4">
-                  {existingCoreCapabilities.map((capability) =>
-                    renderCapabilityCard(capability, true)
-                  )}
+                  {existingCoreCapabilities.map((capability) => {
+                    if (capability.id === 'ai') {
+                      const isAiSelected = isCapabilitySelected(capability)
+                      return (
+                        <div key={capability.id}>
+                          {renderCapabilityCard(capability, true)}
+                          {isAiSelected && !isCapabilityInstalled(capability) && (
+                            <div
+                              className="mt-2 p-4 bg-gray-50 rounded-lg border border-gray-200"
+                              onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}
+                            >
+                              <label className="flex items-center gap-2 cursor-pointer select-none">
+                                <input
+                                  type="checkbox"
+                                  checked={remoteOllamaEnabled}
+                                  onChange={(e) => {
+                                    setRemoteOllamaEnabled(e.target.checked)
+                                    setRemoteOllamaUrlError(null)
+                                  }}
+                                  className="w-4 h-4 accent-desert-green"
+                                />
+                                <span className="text-sm font-medium text-gray-700">Use remote Ollama instance</span>
+                              </label>
+                              {remoteOllamaEnabled && (
+                                <div className="mt-3">
+                                  <input
+                                    type="text"
+                                    value={remoteOllamaUrl}
+                                    onChange={(e) => {
+                                      setRemoteOllamaUrl(e.target.value)
+                                      setRemoteOllamaUrlError(null)
+                                    }}
+                                    placeholder="http://192.168.1.100:11434"
+                                    className="w-full px-3 py-2 text-sm border border-gray-300 rounded-md focus:outline-none focus:ring-1 focus:ring-desert-green"
+                                  />
+                                  {remoteOllamaUrlError && (
+                                    <p className="mt-1 text-xs text-red-600">{remoteOllamaUrlError}</p>
+                                  )}
+                                </div>
+                              )}
+                            </div>
+                          )}
+                        </div>
+                      )
+                    }
+                    return renderCapabilityCard(capability, true)
+                  })}
                 </div>
               </div>
             )}
@@ -803,8 +866,14 @@ export default function EasySetupWizard(props: { system: { services: ServiceSlim
                 <p className="text-sm text-gray-500">Select models to download for offline AI</p>
               </div>
             </div>
-
-            {isLoadingRecommendedModels ? (
+            {remoteOllamaEnabled && remoteOllamaUrl ? (
+              <Alert
+                title="Remote Ollama selected"
+                message="Models are managed on the remote machine. You can add models from Settings > AI Assistant after setup."
+                type="info"
+                variant="bordered"
+              />
+            ) : isLoadingRecommendedModels ? (
               <div className="flex justify-center py-12">
                 <LoadingSpinner />
               </div>
diff --git a/admin/inertia/pages/settings/models.tsx b/admin/inertia/pages/settings/models.tsx
index 826f87f..91e3a00 100644
--- a/admin/inertia/pages/settings/models.tsx
+++ b/admin/inertia/pages/settings/models.tsx
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ export default function ModelsPage(props: {
   models: {
     availableModels: NomadOllamaModel[]
     installedModels: ModelResponse[]
-    settings: { chatSuggestionsEnabled: boolean; aiAssistantCustomName: string }
+    settings: { chatSuggestionsEnabled: boolean; aiAssistantCustomName: string; remoteOllamaUrl: string }
   }
 }) {
   const { aiAssistantName } = usePage<{ aiAssistantName: string }>().props
@@ -97,6 +97,43 @@ export default function ModelsPage(props: {
   const [aiAssistantCustomName, setAiAssistantCustomName] = useState(
     props.models.settings.aiAssistantCustomName
   )
+  const [remoteOllamaUrl, setRemoteOllamaUrl] = useState(props.models.settings.remoteOllamaUrl)
+  const [remoteOllamaError, setRemoteOllamaError] = useState<string | null>(null)
+  const [remoteOllamaSaving, setRemoteOllamaSaving] = useState(false)
+
+  async function handleSaveRemoteOllama() {
+    setRemoteOllamaError(null)
+    setRemoteOllamaSaving(true)
+    try {
+      const res = await api.configureRemoteOllama(remoteOllamaUrl || null)
+      if (res?.success) {
+        addNotification({ message: res.message, type: 'success' })
+        router.reload()
+      }
+    } catch (error: any) {
+      const msg = error?.response?.data?.message || error?.message || 'Failed to configure remote Ollama.'
+      setRemoteOllamaError(msg)
+    } finally {
+      setRemoteOllamaSaving(false)
+    }
+  }
+
+  async function handleClearRemoteOllama() {
+    setRemoteOllamaError(null)
+    setRemoteOllamaSaving(true)
+    try {
+      const res = await api.configureRemoteOllama(null)
+      if (res?.success) {
+        setRemoteOllamaUrl('')
+        addNotification({ message: 'Remote Ollama configuration cleared.', type: 'success' })
+        router.reload()
+      }
+    } catch (error: any) {
+      setRemoteOllamaError(error?.message || 'Failed to clear remote Ollama.')
+    } finally {
+      setRemoteOllamaSaving(false)
+    }
+  }
 
   const [query, setQuery] = useState('')
   const [queryUI, setQueryUI] = useState('')
@@ -286,6 +323,56 @@ export default function ModelsPage(props: {
               />
             </div>
           </div>
+          <StyledSectionHeader title="Remote Connection" className="mt-8 mb-4" />
+          <div className="bg-white rounded-lg border-2 border-gray-200 p-6">
+            <p className="text-sm text-gray-500 mb-4">
+              Connect to an Ollama instance running on another machine in your local network.
+              The remote host must be started with <code className="bg-gray-100 px-1 rounded">OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0</code>.
+            </p>
+            {props.models.settings.remoteOllamaUrl && (
+              <p className="text-sm text-green-700 bg-green-50 border border-green-200 rounded px-3 py-2 mb-4">
+                Currently configured: <span className="font-mono">{props.models.settings.remoteOllamaUrl}</span>
+              </p>
+            )}
+            <div className="flex items-end gap-3">
+              <div className="flex-1">
+                <Input
+                  name="remoteOllamaUrl"
+                  label="Remote Ollama URL"
+                  placeholder="http://192.168.1.100:11434"
+                  value={remoteOllamaUrl}
+                  onChange={(e) => {
+                    setRemoteOllamaUrl(e.target.value)
+                    setRemoteOllamaError(null)
+                  }}
+                />
+                {remoteOllamaError && (
+                  <p className="text-sm text-red-600 mt-1">{remoteOllamaError}</p>
+                )}
+              </div>
+              <StyledButton
+                variant="primary"
+                onClick={handleSaveRemoteOllama}
+                loading={remoteOllamaSaving}
+                disabled={remoteOllamaSaving || !remoteOllamaUrl}
+                className="mb-0.5"
+              >
+                Save &amp; Test
+              </StyledButton>
+              {props.models.settings.remoteOllamaUrl && (
+                <StyledButton
+                  variant="danger"
+                  onClick={handleClearRemoteOllama}
+                  loading={remoteOllamaSaving}
+                  disabled={remoteOllamaSaving}
+                  className="mb-0.5"
+                >
+                  Clear
+                </StyledButton>
+              )}
+            </div>
+          </div>
+
           <ActiveModelDownloads withHeader />
 
           <StyledSectionHeader title="Models" className="mt-12 mb-4" />
diff --git a/admin/start/routes.ts b/admin/start/routes.ts
index 1de6fa7..f068778 100644
--- a/admin/start/routes.ts
+++ b/admin/start/routes.ts
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ router
     router.post('/models', [OllamaController, 'dispatchModelDownload'])
     router.delete('/models', [OllamaController, 'deleteModel'])
     router.get('/installed-models', [OllamaController, 'installedModels'])
+    router.post('/configure-remote', [OllamaController, 'configureRemote'])
   })
   .prefix('/api/ollama')
 
diff --git a/admin/types/kv_store.ts b/admin/types/kv_store.ts
index 557091b..fcd8091 100644
--- a/admin/types/kv_store.ts
+++ b/admin/types/kv_store.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ export const KV_STORE_SCHEMA = {
   'system.earlyAccess':         'boolean',
   'ui.hasVisitedEasySetup':     'boolean',
   'ai.assistantCustomName':     'string',
+  'ai.remoteOllamaUrl':         'string',
 } as const
 
 type KVTagToType<T extends string> = T extends 'boolean' ? boolean : string