diff --git a/core/http/auth/public_routes.go b/core/http/auth/public_routes.go
index 658205a78..e1db88a02 100644
--- a/core/http/auth/public_routes.go
+++ b/core/http/auth/public_routes.go
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ package auth
 import (
 	"net/http"
 	"strings"
+
+	clusterep "github.com/mudler/LocalAI/core/http/endpoints/cluster"
 )
 
 type publicRouteRule struct {
@@ -77,5 +79,10 @@ func isPublicRoute(method, path string) bool {
 // usesAlternativeAuthentication identifies requests whose credentials are
 // validated by route-group middleware instead of the global auth middleware.
 func usesAlternativeAuthentication(path string) bool {
-	return strings.HasPrefix(path, "/api/node/")
+	// The peer link carries the cluster token in an Authorization header that
+	// no browser session ever sets, and its handler checks that token itself.
+	// The prefix comes from the endpoints package so the route and the
+	// exemption cannot drift apart.
+	return strings.HasPrefix(path, "/api/node/") ||
+		strings.HasPrefix(path, clusterep.AlternativeAuthPrefix)
 }
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/cluster/cluster_suite_test.go b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/cluster_suite_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..00f45e37a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/cluster_suite_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+package cluster_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+)
+
+func TestClusterEndpoints(t *testing.T) {
+	RegisterFailHandler(Fail)
+	RunSpecs(t, "Cluster Endpoints Suite")
+}
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer.go b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4b6ef542c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// Package cluster serves the replica-to-replica link that a LocalAI frontend
+// uses to reach a worker tunnel it does not own. A peer dials
+// GET /api/cluster/peer, the connection becomes one multiplexed yamux session,
+// and the relay opens a stream on it per request.
+package cluster
+
+import (
+	"crypto/subtle"
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/websocket"
+	"github.com/labstack/echo/v4"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-yamux/v5"
+	"github.com/mudler/xlog"
+)
+
+// AlternativeAuthPrefix is the path prefix whose credentials are checked by
+// this package rather than by the global session middleware. The auth layer
+// consults this same constant, so the two cannot drift apart and leave every
+// peer dial answering 401.
+const AlternativeAuthPrefix = "/api/cluster/"
+
+// PeerPath is the route a peer replica dials.
+const PeerPath = AlternativeAuthPrefix + "peer"
+
+// RegisterClusterRoutes registers the peer link. onPeer receives every
+// authenticated session; see PeerHandler for what it is expected to do with it.
+func RegisterClusterRoutes(e *echo.Echo, token string, onPeer func(string, *yamux.Session)) {
+	e.GET(PeerPath, PeerHandler(token, onPeer))
+}
+
+// PeerHandler upgrades an authenticated peer dial to a WebSocket, wraps it as
+// a yamux server session and hands it to onSession.
+//
+// onSession runs on the request goroutine, so it must return promptly; the
+// session outlives the handler because the upgrade hijacks the connection, and
+// closing it is the caller's job.
+func PeerHandler(token string, onSession func(peerID string, sess *yamux.Session)) echo.HandlerFunc {
+	// gorilla's default CheckOrigin already restricts a browser to same-origin
+	// and lets a header-less client (which every peer is) through, so the
+	// zero value is what this link wants.
+	upgrader := websocket.Upgrader{}
+
+	return func(c echo.Context) error {
+		// Reject before upgrading. Upgrading and then closing would give the
+		// dialer a WebSocket error in place of an HTTP status, and both the
+		// route-coverage test and a peer's own retry logic read the status.
+		if !authorizedPeer(c.Request(), token) {
+			return echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusUnauthorized, "unauthorized")
+		}
+
+		peerID := c.QueryParam("id")
+		if peerID == "" {
+			return echo.NewHTTPError(http.StatusBadRequest, "missing peer id")
+		}
+
+		ws, err := upgrader.Upgrade(c.Response(), c.Request(), nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			// Upgrade has already written its own failure to the client.
+			xlog.Debug("cluster peer link upgrade failed", "peer", peerID, "error", err)
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		// Server side of the mux: the dialing peer is the client, so it owns
+		// the odd stream IDs and this side the even ones.
+		sess, err := yamux.Server(WebsocketConn(ws), nil, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			xlog.Error("cluster peer link session setup failed", "peer", peerID, "error", err)
+			_ = ws.Close()
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		if onSession == nil {
+			// Nothing will ever read from this session, so do not leave the
+			// peer believing it has a live link.
+			_ = sess.Close()
+			return nil
+		}
+
+		xlog.Debug("cluster peer link established", "peer", peerID, "remote", ws.RemoteAddr().String())
+		onSession(peerID, sess)
+		return nil
+	}
+}
+
+// authorizedPeer compares the request's bearer token with the cluster token in
+// constant time, matching the check the worker file-transfer server makes.
+//
+// Unlike that one, an empty configured token authorizes nobody: this route is
+// registered in every deployment, so failing open would publish an
+// unauthenticated mux to any caller that can reach the port.
+func authorizedPeer(r *http.Request, expected string) bool {
+	if expected == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	const prefix = "Bearer "
+	header := r.Header.Get("Authorization")
+	if len(header) < len(prefix) || header[:len(prefix)] != prefix {
+		return false
+	}
+	return subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(header[len(prefix):]), []byte(expected)) == 1
+}
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer_test.go b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b4aa98356
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/peer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+package cluster_test
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+
+	clusterep "github.com/mudler/LocalAI/core/http/endpoints/cluster"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/websocket"
+	"github.com/labstack/echo/v4"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-yamux/v5"
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+)
+
+var _ = Describe("Peer link handler", func() {
+	var (
+		srv      *httptest.Server
+		sessions chan *yamux.Session
+	)
+
+	BeforeEach(func() {
+		sessions = make(chan *yamux.Session, 1)
+		e := echo.New()
+		clusterep.RegisterClusterRoutes(e, "peer-token", func(_ string, s *yamux.Session) {
+			sessions <- s
+		})
+		srv = httptest.NewServer(e)
+		DeferCleanup(srv.Close)
+	})
+
+	wsURL := func(s *httptest.Server) string {
+		return "ws" + strings.TrimPrefix(s.URL, "http") + "/api/cluster/peer?id=peer-1"
+	}
+
+	It("rejects a connection with no token", func() {
+		_, resp, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(wsURL(srv), nil)
+		Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(resp).ToNot(BeNil())
+		Expect(resp.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusUnauthorized))
+	})
+
+	It("rejects a connection with the wrong token", func() {
+		h := http.Header{}
+		h.Set("Authorization", "Bearer wrong")
+		_, resp, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(wsURL(srv), h)
+		Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(resp.StatusCode).To(Equal(http.StatusUnauthorized))
+	})
+
+	It("accepts an authenticated peer and yields a usable yamux session", func() {
+		h := http.Header{}
+		h.Set("Authorization", "Bearer peer-token")
+		conn, _, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(wsURL(srv), h)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = conn.Close() })
+
+		var serverSess *yamux.Session
+		Eventually(sessions, "5s").Should(Receive(&serverSess))
+		Expect(serverSess).ToNot(BeNil())
+
+		// The client wraps its side as a yamux CLIENT and opens a stream; the
+		// server must accept it. This proves the WebSocket was adapted into a
+		// stream-oriented conn correctly, which is the part most likely to be
+		// subtly wrong.
+		clientSess, err := yamux.Client(clusterep.WebsocketConn(conn), nil, nil)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = clientSess.Close() })
+
+		go func() {
+			defer GinkgoRecover()
+			st, e := clientSess.OpenStream(GinkgoT().Context())
+			if e == nil {
+				_, _ = st.Write([]byte("hello"))
+			}
+		}()
+
+		accepted := make(chan []byte, 1)
+		go func() {
+			defer GinkgoRecover()
+			st, e := serverSess.AcceptStream()
+			if e != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			buf := make([]byte, 5)
+			if _, e := st.Read(buf); e == nil {
+				accepted <- buf
+			}
+		}()
+		Eventually(accepted, "10s").Should(Receive(Equal([]byte("hello"))))
+	})
+
+	It("reports the peer id it was given", func() {
+		h := http.Header{}
+		h.Set("Authorization", "Bearer peer-token")
+		ids := make(chan string, 1)
+		e := echo.New()
+		clusterep.RegisterClusterRoutes(e, "peer-token", func(id string, _ *yamux.Session) { ids <- id })
+		s2 := httptest.NewServer(e)
+		DeferCleanup(s2.Close)
+
+		conn, _, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(wsURL(s2), h)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = conn.Close() })
+
+		Eventually(ids, "5s").Should(Receive(Equal("peer-1")))
+	})
+})
+
+var _ = Describe("Peer link auth prefix", func() {
+	It("is covered by the alternative-authentication prefix list", func() {
+		// /api/cluster/ authenticates with the cluster token, not the global
+		// session middleware, so it must be listed or every peer dial 401s.
+		Expect(clusterep.AlternativeAuthPrefix).To(Equal("/api/cluster/"))
+	})
+})
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn.go b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1f1f5306c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn.go
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+package cluster
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/websocket"
+)
+
+// WebsocketConn adapts a gorilla WebSocket into the net.Conn that a yamux
+// session drives.
+//
+// The two disagree about framing: WebSocket delivers whole messages, yamux
+// wants an undelimited byte stream. The adapter therefore keeps the reader of
+// the message it is part-way through between calls, so a Read whose buffer is
+// smaller than the message hands back a prefix now and the rest next time
+// instead of dropping the tail. That case is not hypothetical: yamux reads
+// through a 4 KiB bufio.Reader while a single stream write can put a much
+// larger data frame on the wire in one Write, so any message above the buffer
+// size is read in pieces.
+//
+// The returned conn is safe for one reader and one writer concurrently, which
+// is all yamux uses: its recvLoop reads and its sendLoop writes. It is not a
+// general-purpose net.Conn.
+func WebsocketConn(ws *websocket.Conn) net.Conn {
+	return &wsConn{ws: ws}
+}
+
+type wsConn struct {
+	ws *websocket.Conn
+
+	// readMu guards frame, which carries a partially consumed message across
+	// Read calls. gorilla allows a single concurrent reader, and this keeps
+	// the adapter to that contract even if a caller reads from two goroutines.
+	readMu sync.Mutex
+	frame  io.Reader
+
+	// writeMu keeps to gorilla's one-concurrent-writer contract.
+	writeMu sync.Mutex
+}
+
+func (c *wsConn) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	if len(p) == 0 {
+		return 0, nil
+	}
+
+	c.readMu.Lock()
+	defer c.readMu.Unlock()
+
+	for {
+		if c.frame == nil {
+			messageType, r, err := c.ws.NextReader()
+			if err != nil {
+				return 0, translateReadErr(err)
+			}
+			// Binary is the only type this link speaks. Skipping an unexpected
+			// text message would silently desynchronise the yamux framing, so
+			// it is reported instead.
+			if messageType != websocket.BinaryMessage {
+				return 0, fmt.Errorf("cluster: peer link received websocket message type %d, want binary", messageType)
+			}
+			c.frame = r
+		}
+
+		n, err := c.frame.Read(p)
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			// End of one message, not end of the stream: drop the reader so
+			// the next call pulls the next message. Passing io.EOF up would
+			// end the yamux session at an arbitrary message boundary.
+			c.frame = nil
+			err = nil
+		}
+		if n > 0 || err != nil {
+			return n, err
+		}
+		// A zero-length message yields nothing to return, and (0, nil) reads
+		// look like a stalled stream to some callers, so wait for the next one.
+	}
+}
+
+func (c *wsConn) Write(p []byte) (int, error) {
+	c.writeMu.Lock()
+	defer c.writeMu.Unlock()
+
+	if err := c.ws.WriteMessage(websocket.BinaryMessage, p); err != nil {
+		return 0, err
+	}
+	return len(p), nil
+}
+
+// Close drops the underlying network connection without negotiating a
+// WebSocket close handshake. yamux has already sent its own go-away by this
+// point, and a close frame would need the write lock that a blocked sendLoop
+// may still hold.
+func (c *wsConn) Close() error {
+	return c.ws.Close()
+}
+
+func (c *wsConn) LocalAddr() net.Addr  { return c.ws.LocalAddr() }
+func (c *wsConn) RemoteAddr() net.Addr { return c.ws.RemoteAddr() }
+
+func (c *wsConn) SetDeadline(t time.Time) error {
+	if err := c.ws.SetReadDeadline(t); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return c.ws.SetWriteDeadline(t)
+}
+
+func (c *wsConn) SetReadDeadline(t time.Time) error  { return c.ws.SetReadDeadline(t) }
+func (c *wsConn) SetWriteDeadline(t time.Time) error { return c.ws.SetWriteDeadline(t) }
+
+// translateReadErr maps a peer hanging up cleanly onto io.EOF, which is how a
+// yamux session recognises a normal ending. Any other close code, and any
+// transport error, is passed through so the session reports a real failure.
+func translateReadErr(err error) error {
+	if websocket.IsCloseError(err,
+		websocket.CloseNormalClosure,
+		websocket.CloseGoingAway,
+		websocket.CloseNoStatusReceived,
+	) {
+		return io.EOF
+	}
+	return err
+}
diff --git a/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn_test.go b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f3ce4ddf0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/http/endpoints/cluster/wsconn_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+package cluster_test
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"io"
+	"net"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	clusterep "github.com/mudler/LocalAI/core/http/endpoints/cluster"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/websocket"
+	"github.com/labstack/echo/v4"
+	"github.com/libp2p/go-yamux/v5"
+	. "github.com/onsi/ginkgo/v2"
+	. "github.com/onsi/gomega"
+)
+
+// wsPair returns the two ends of one live WebSocket connection.
+func wsPair() (clientSide, serverSide *websocket.Conn) {
+	GinkgoHelper()
+
+	upgrader := websocket.Upgrader{}
+	accepted := make(chan *websocket.Conn, 1)
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		ws, err := upgrader.Upgrade(w, r, nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			return
+		}
+		accepted <- ws
+	}))
+	DeferCleanup(srv.Close)
+
+	c, _, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial("ws"+strings.TrimPrefix(srv.URL, "http"), nil)
+	Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+	DeferCleanup(func() { _ = c.Close() })
+
+	var s *websocket.Conn
+	Eventually(accepted, "5s").Should(Receive(&s))
+	DeferCleanup(func() { _ = s.Close() })
+
+	return c, s
+}
+
+var _ = Describe("WebsocketConn framing", func() {
+	// The specs below exist because the brief's end-to-end yamux spec cannot
+	// catch a lost message tail: yamux reads through a 4 KiB bufio.Reader, so
+	// every small message arrives whole no matter how the adapter behaves.
+	// These drive the adapter directly with buffers smaller than the message.
+
+	It("returns the rest of a message on the following Read", func() {
+		clientWS, serverWS := wsPair()
+		writer := clusterep.WebsocketConn(clientWS)
+		reader := clusterep.WebsocketConn(serverWS)
+
+		// A lost tail would otherwise park the reassembly below forever; with a
+		// deadline it fails as a timeout on the read that has nothing left.
+		Expect(reader.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(10 * time.Second))).To(Succeed())
+
+		payload := []byte("0123456789abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz")
+		n, err := writer.Write(payload)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(n).To(Equal(len(payload)))
+
+		// Deliberately smaller than the message: a naive adapter that starts a
+		// fresh NextReader on every call drops everything past the first 7
+		// bytes, and this reassembly fails.
+		got := make([]byte, 0, len(payload))
+		buf := make([]byte, 7)
+		for len(got) < len(payload) {
+			read, err := reader.Read(buf)
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+			Expect(read).To(BeNumerically(">", 0))
+			Expect(read).To(BeNumerically("<=", len(buf)))
+			got = append(got, buf[:read]...)
+		}
+		Expect(got).To(Equal(payload))
+	})
+
+	It("streams a message larger than the yamux read buffer without loss or reordering", func() {
+		clientWS, serverWS := wsPair()
+		writer := clusterep.WebsocketConn(clientWS)
+		reader := clusterep.WebsocketConn(serverWS)
+
+		Expect(reader.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(20 * time.Second))).To(Succeed())
+
+		payload := make([]byte, 256*1024)
+		_, err := rand.Read(payload)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+		go func() {
+			defer GinkgoRecover()
+			_, _ = writer.Write(payload)
+		}()
+
+		// 4096 is the buffer yamux's bufio.Reader actually hands down.
+		got := make([]byte, len(payload))
+		_, err = io.ReadFull(reader, got)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(bytes.Equal(got, payload)).To(BeTrue())
+	})
+
+	It("presents consecutive messages as one continuous byte stream", func() {
+		clientWS, serverWS := wsPair()
+		writer := clusterep.WebsocketConn(clientWS)
+		reader := clusterep.WebsocketConn(serverWS)
+
+		Expect(reader.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(10 * time.Second))).To(Succeed())
+
+		for _, chunk := range []string{"abc", "", "de", "fghij"} {
+			_, err := writer.Write([]byte(chunk))
+			Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		}
+
+		// A read spanning three messages must be satisfied, and the empty
+		// message must not surface as a premature (0, nil) or an EOF.
+		got := make([]byte, 10)
+		_, err := io.ReadFull(reader, got)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(string(got)).To(Equal("abcdefghij"))
+	})
+
+	It("reports a clean peer close as io.EOF", func() {
+		clientWS, serverWS := wsPair()
+		reader := clusterep.WebsocketConn(serverWS)
+
+		Expect(clientWS.WriteMessage(websocket.CloseMessage,
+			websocket.FormatCloseMessage(websocket.CloseNormalClosure, ""))).To(Succeed())
+
+		_, err := reader.Read(make([]byte, 8))
+		Expect(err).To(MatchError(io.EOF))
+	})
+
+	It("refuses a text message rather than desynchronising the stream", func() {
+		clientWS, serverWS := wsPair()
+		reader := clusterep.WebsocketConn(serverWS)
+
+		Expect(clientWS.WriteMessage(websocket.TextMessage, []byte("not a frame"))).To(Succeed())
+
+		_, err := reader.Read(make([]byte, 32))
+		Expect(err).To(HaveOccurred())
+		Expect(err.Error()).To(ContainSubstring("want binary"))
+	})
+
+	It("satisfies net.Conn, including the deadlines yamux sets on every write", func() {
+		clientWS, _ := wsPair()
+		var conn net.Conn = clusterep.WebsocketConn(clientWS)
+
+		Expect(conn.LocalAddr()).ToNot(BeNil())
+		Expect(conn.RemoteAddr()).ToNot(BeNil())
+		// yamux's sendLoop calls SetWriteDeadline before every flush, so an
+		// adapter that dropped the call would let a stalled peer block the
+		// session forever instead of failing it.
+		Expect(conn.SetWriteDeadline(time.Now().Add(time.Minute))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(conn.SetReadDeadline(time.Now().Add(time.Minute))).To(Succeed())
+		Expect(conn.SetDeadline(time.Time{})).To(Succeed())
+	})
+})
+
+var _ = Describe("Peer link payloads", func() {
+	It("carries a payload far larger than one yamux frame end to end", func() {
+		sessions := make(chan *yamux.Session, 1)
+		e := echo.New()
+		clusterep.RegisterClusterRoutes(e, "peer-token", func(_ string, s *yamux.Session) { sessions <- s })
+		srv := httptest.NewServer(e)
+		DeferCleanup(srv.Close)
+
+		h := http.Header{}
+		h.Set("Authorization", "Bearer peer-token")
+		conn, _, err := websocket.DefaultDialer.Dial(
+			"ws"+strings.TrimPrefix(srv.URL, "http")+"/api/cluster/peer?id=peer-1", h)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = conn.Close() })
+
+		var serverSess *yamux.Session
+		Eventually(sessions, "5s").Should(Receive(&serverSess))
+
+		clientSess, err := yamux.Client(clusterep.WebsocketConn(conn), nil, nil)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+		DeferCleanup(func() { _ = clientSess.Close() })
+
+		payload := make([]byte, 1<<20)
+		_, err = rand.Read(payload)
+		Expect(err).ToNot(HaveOccurred())
+
+		go func() {
+			defer GinkgoRecover()
+			st, e := clientSess.OpenStream(GinkgoT().Context())
+			if e != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			defer func() { _ = st.Close() }()
+			_, _ = io.Copy(st, bytes.NewReader(payload))
+		}()
+
+		received := make(chan []byte, 1)
+		go func() {
+			defer GinkgoRecover()
+			st, e := serverSess.AcceptStream()
+			if e != nil {
+				return
+			}
+			buf := make([]byte, len(payload))
+			if _, e := io.ReadFull(st, buf); e == nil {
+				received <- buf
+			}
+		}()
+
+		var got []byte
+		Eventually(received, "30s").Should(Receive(&got))
+		Expect(bytes.Equal(got, payload)).To(BeTrue())
+	})
+})