diff --git a/packages/ai/src/provider-utils/IBackendsTransport.ts b/packages/ai/src/provider-utils/IBackendsTransport.ts
index 26dd437d4..67bf0d8dd 100644
--- a/packages/ai/src/provider-utils/IBackendsTransport.ts
+++ b/packages/ai/src/provider-utils/IBackendsTransport.ts
@@ -23,8 +23,12 @@ export interface IEnsureRunningRequest {
   readonly backend: string;
   /** Absolute path to the model file. */
   readonly modelPath: string;
-  /** Runtime options forwarded to the backend process. */
-  readonly opts: { readonly ctx: number };
+  /**
+   * Backend-specific runtime options forwarded to the broker as opaque JSON.
+   * llamacpp uses `{ ctx: number }`; sd-cpp passes an empty object `{}`;
+   * future backends define their own schema.
+   */
+  readonly opts: Readonly<Record<string, unknown>>;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -40,7 +44,10 @@ export interface IRunningHandle {
   /**
    * Decrements the broker's refcount for this handle. The backend may shut
    * down after the broker's idle timeout if refcount reaches zero.
-   * Fire-and-forget — no ack is awaited from the broker.
+   *
+   * The returned promise resolves once the release message has been posted
+   * to the port; the broker does not acknowledge. Errors posting (e.g. port
+   * closed) reject.
    */
   readonly release: () => Promise<void>;
 }
@@ -70,7 +77,7 @@ export interface IBackendsTransport {
   /**
    * Acquire (or share) a running backend. Resolves once the backend is healthy.
    *
-   * Multiple callers requesting the same `(backend, modelPath, opts.ctx)` triple
+   * Multiple callers requesting the same `(backend, modelPath, opts)` triple
    * will share one process via the broker's refcounting. `release()` on the
    * returned handle decrements the refcount.
    */
@@ -79,9 +86,11 @@ export interface IBackendsTransport {
   /**
    * Subscribe to status updates for a backend.
    *
-   * The callback is called immediately (on the next port message) and on every
-   * subsequent status change. Subscriptions persist across port reconnects
-   * (utility crash + restart).
+   * The callback fires on every subsequent broker `status` event; callers
+   * wanting an initial snapshot must invoke `list()`. Subscriptions persist
+   * across port reconnects. Implementations MUST be idempotent: calling the
+   * returned unsubscribe twice is a no-op; subscribing the same callback
+   * twice is allowed and de-duplicated.
    *
    * @returns An unsubscribe function. Call it to stop receiving updates.
    */
@@ -95,4 +104,18 @@ export interface IBackendsTransport {
    * `total` may be 0 if the content-length is unknown.
    */
   install(backend: string, onProgress?: (bytes: number, total: number) => void): Promise<void>;
+
+  /**
+   * Fire-and-forget request for the broker to broadcast a `status`
+   * event for every backend in its registry. Resolves once the request
+   * has been posted (the broker does not send a discrete reply).
+   */
+  list(): Promise<void>;
+
+  /**
+   * Removes the backend's installed binary. In v1 the broker rejects
+   * this with an error; callers should handle the rejection. Future
+   * versions may implement teardown semantics.
+   */
+  uninstall(backend: string): Promise<void>;
 }
diff --git a/packages/test/src/test/ai/IBackendsTransport.types.test.ts b/packages/test/src/test/ai/IBackendsTransport.types.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d002ae162
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/test/src/test/ai/IBackendsTransport.types.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright 2026 Steven Roussey <sroussey@gmail.com>
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+// ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Compile-time conformance tests for IBackendsTransport.
+//
+// These tests run via the test runner but their value is in `tsc` accepting
+// (or rejecting) the declarations below. No runtime assertions of substance:
+// if the file compiles, the contract holds.
+//
+// Lives under packages/test/src/test/ai/ so that scripts/test.ts picks it up
+// (the runner only scans packages/test/src/test).
+// ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+import type {
+  IBackendsTransport,
+  IBackendStatus,
+  IEnsureRunningRequest,
+  IRunningHandle,
+} from "@workglow/ai/provider-utils";
+import { expect, test } from "vitest";
+
+// `opts` is open — accepts the historic llamacpp shape …
+const _checkOptsWithCtx: IEnsureRunningRequest["opts"] = { ctx: 4096 };
+// … the empty shape that sd-cpp uses today (no per-run options) …
+const _checkOptsEmpty: IEnsureRunningRequest["opts"] = {};
+// … and arbitrary shapes future backends may define.
+const _checkOptsArbitrary: IEnsureRunningRequest["opts"] = { foo: "bar", n: 42 };
+
+// Interface exposes `list` and `uninstall` alongside the existing methods.
+type _Methods = keyof IBackendsTransport;
+const _hasList: _Methods = "list";
+const _hasUninstall: _Methods = "uninstall";
+
+// Structural conformance using explicit parameter signatures: TypeScript
+// allows assigning `() => X` to `(arg: T) => X`, so a zero-arg dummy would
+// silently accept a parameter-list change. Spelling each signature out
+// forces a typecheck failure on any rename, type change, or return-type
+// change to a method of `IBackendsTransport`.
+const _conforms: IBackendsTransport = {
+  ensureRunning: (_req: IEnsureRunningRequest): Promise<IRunningHandle> => {
+    return Promise.resolve({
+      url: "http://127.0.0.1:0",
+      release: (): Promise<void> => Promise.resolve(),
+    });
+  },
+  subscribeStatus: (
+    _backend: string,
+    _callback: (status: IBackendStatus) => void
+  ): (() => void) => {
+    return (): void => undefined;
+  },
+  install: (
+    _backend: string,
+    _onProgress?: (bytes: number, total: number) => void
+  ): Promise<void> => Promise.resolve(),
+  list: (): Promise<void> => Promise.resolve(),
+  uninstall: (_backend: string): Promise<void> => Promise.resolve(),
+};
+
+// Silence `no-unused-vars` / `noUnusedLocals` on the type-only assertions.
+void _checkOptsWithCtx;
+void _checkOptsEmpty;
+void _checkOptsArbitrary;
+void _hasList;
+void _hasUninstall;
+void _conforms;
+
+// Vitest requires at least one runtime test in the file.
+test("IBackendsTransport conformance compiles", () => {
+  expect(true).toBe(true);
+});
diff --git a/providers/stable-diffusion-cpp/src/ai/StableDiffusionCppProvider.ts b/providers/stable-diffusion-cpp/src/ai/StableDiffusionCppProvider.ts
index 56e3d8722..bd79f141c 100644
--- a/providers/stable-diffusion-cpp/src/ai/StableDiffusionCppProvider.ts
+++ b/providers/stable-diffusion-cpp/src/ai/StableDiffusionCppProvider.ts
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ function createStableDiffusionCppImageGenerateRunFn(
       handle = await options.transport.ensureRunning({
         backend: "stable-diffusion-cpp",
         modelPath: model.model_id,
-        opts: { ctx: 0 },
+        opts: {},
       });
       baseUrl = handle.url.replace(/\/$/, "");
     }