diff --git a/photomap/frontend/static/javascript/album-manager.js b/photomap/frontend/static/javascript/album-manager.js
index c9eed328..4d68f81f 100644
--- a/photomap/frontend/static/javascript/album-manager.js
+++ b/photomap/frontend/static/javascript/album-manager.js
@@ -110,6 +110,7 @@ export class AlbumManager {
       slideshowTitle: document.getElementById("slideshow_title"),
       albumManagementContent: document.querySelector("#albumManagementContent"),
       // InvokeAI board-album source controls (add form)
+      newAlbumSourceGroup: document.getElementById("newAlbumSourceGroup"),
       newAlbumDirectorySection: document.getElementById("newAlbumDirectorySection"),
       newAlbumInvokeAISection: document.getElementById("newAlbumInvokeAISection"),
       newAlbumInvokeUrl: document.getElementById("newAlbumInvokeUrl"),
@@ -323,6 +324,16 @@ export class AlbumManager {
     return checked ? checked.value : "directory";
   }
 
+  // Whether a global InvokeAI backend URL is configured in settings.
+  async _isInvokeAIConfigured() {
+    try {
+      const config = await fetchJson("invokeai/config");
+      return !!(config.url && config.url.trim());
+    } catch {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
   setupNewAlbumSourceControls() {
     document.querySelectorAll('input[name="newAlbumSourceType"]').forEach((radio) => {
       radio.addEventListener("change", () => this.toggleNewAlbumSourceSections());
@@ -366,6 +377,22 @@ export class AlbumManager {
     }
   }
 
+  // Show or hide the album-source chooser based on whether a global InvokeAI
+  // backend is configured. With no backend the board option is meaningless, so
+  // we hide the radios and force the directory source.
+  _setNewAlbumInvokeAvailable(available) {
+    if (this.elements.newAlbumSourceGroup) {
+      this.elements.newAlbumSourceGroup.hidden = !available;
+    }
+    if (!available) {
+      const directoryRadio = document.querySelector('input[name="newAlbumSourceType"][value="directory"]');
+      if (directoryRadio) {
+        directoryRadio.checked = true;
+      }
+      this.toggleNewAlbumSourceSections();
+    }
+  }
+
   // Build the InvokeAI-root input row: a text input plus the same 📁
   // filetree-picker button used by the image-path rows.
   _createInvokeRootRow(container, initialValue = "") {
@@ -499,10 +526,12 @@ export class AlbumManager {
     // Prefill the URL — and surface the credential fallback — from the
     // global InvokeAI settings when available.
     this._settingsInvokeDefaults = null;
+    let hasBackend = false;
     if (this.elements.newAlbumInvokeUrl) {
       this.elements.newAlbumInvokeUrl.value = "";
       try {
         const config = await fetchJson("invokeai/config");
+        hasBackend = !!(config.url && config.url.trim());
         if (config.url) {
           this.elements.newAlbumInvokeUrl.value = config.url;
         }
@@ -516,6 +545,8 @@ export class AlbumManager {
       }
       this._applySettingsCredentialDefaults();
     }
+    // The board-album option only makes sense with a configured backend.
+    this._setNewAlbumInvokeAvailable(hasBackend);
   }
 
   // The backend reuses the settings-panel credentials when the album form
@@ -1261,9 +1292,19 @@ export class AlbumManager {
 
     // Reflect the (immutable) source type and show the matching section
     const isBoardAlbum = album.source_type === "invokeai_board";
-    editForm.querySelectorAll(".edit-album-source-radio").forEach((radio) => {
-      radio.checked = radio.value === (album.source_type || "directory");
-    });
+    const sourceDisplay = editForm.querySelector(".edit-album-source-display");
+    if (sourceDisplay) {
+      sourceDisplay.textContent = isBoardAlbum ? "An InvokeAI Image Gallery Board" : "Directory of Image Files";
+    }
+    // Show the (immutable) source line only when an InvokeAI backend is
+    // configured — or when this album is itself a board album, so its type is
+    // never silently hidden.
+    const sourceGroup = editForm.querySelector(".edit-album-source-group");
+    if (sourceGroup) {
+      this._isInvokeAIConfigured().then((available) => {
+        sourceGroup.hidden = !(available || isBoardAlbum);
+      });
+    }
     const directorySection = editForm.querySelector(".edit-album-directory-section");
     const invokeSection = editForm.querySelector(".edit-album-invokeai-section");
     if (directorySection) {
diff --git a/photomap/frontend/templates/modules/album-manager.html b/photomap/frontend/templates/modules/album-manager.html
index f97e2678..18f14f92 100644
--- a/photomap/frontend/templates/modules/album-manager.html
+++ b/photomap/frontend/templates/modules/album-manager.html
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ <h3>Add New Album</h3>
         <input id="newAlbumDescription" type="text" placeholder="Optional description" />
       </div>
 
-      <div class="form-group">
+      <div class="form-group" id="newAlbumSourceGroup" hidden>
         <label>Album Source</label>
         <div class="album-source-radios">
           <label class="radio-label">
@@ -166,19 +166,9 @@ <h4 class="edit-album-title">Edit Album</h4>
           <input class="edit-album-description" type="text" />
         </div>
       </div>
-      <div class="form-group">
-        <label>Album Source</label>
-        <div class="album-source-radios">
-          <label class="radio-label">
-            <input type="radio" class="edit-album-source-radio" value="directory" disabled />
-            Directory of Image Files
-          </label>
-          <label class="radio-label">
-            <input type="radio" class="edit-album-source-radio" value="invokeai_board" disabled />
-            An InvokeAI Image Gallery Board
-          </label>
-        </div>
-        <small class="form-hint"> An album's source type cannot be changed after creation. </small>
+      <div class="form-group edit-album-source-group" hidden>
+        <label>Album Source: <span class="edit-album-source-display"></span></label>
+        <small class="form-hint"> An album's source cannot be changed after creation. </small>
       </div>
       <div class="form-group edit-album-directory-section">
         <label>Image Folder(s)</label>
diff --git a/tests/frontend/invokeai-album-source.test.js b/tests/frontend/invokeai-album-source.test.js
index 2e30feaf..797ea1b8 100644
--- a/tests/frontend/invokeai-album-source.test.js
+++ b/tests/frontend/invokeai-album-source.test.js
@@ -221,6 +221,12 @@ describe("AlbumManager add-album payloads", () => {
 describe("AlbumManager settings-credential surfacing", () => {
   function makeInvokeSectionStub() {
     document.body.innerHTML = `
+      <div id="newAlbumSourceGroup" hidden>
+        <label><input type="radio" name="newAlbumSourceType" value="directory" /></label>
+        <label><input type="radio" name="newAlbumSourceType" value="invokeai_board" checked /></label>
+      </div>
+      <div id="newAlbumDirectorySection"></div>
+      <div id="newAlbumInvokeAISection"></div>
       <input id="newAlbumInvokeUrl" />
       <input id="newAlbumInvokeUsername" />
       <input id="newAlbumInvokePassword" />
@@ -231,6 +237,9 @@ describe("AlbumManager settings-credential surfacing", () => {
     `;
     const elements = {};
     [
+      "newAlbumSourceGroup",
+      "newAlbumDirectorySection",
+      "newAlbumInvokeAISection",
       "newAlbumInvokeUrl",
       "newAlbumInvokeUsername",
       "newAlbumInvokePassword",
@@ -246,6 +255,9 @@ describe("AlbumManager settings-credential surfacing", () => {
       _setInvokeHint: AlbumManager.prototype._setInvokeHint,
       _createInvokeRootRow: AlbumManager.prototype._createInvokeRootRow,
       _applySettingsCredentialDefaults: AlbumManager.prototype._applySettingsCredentialDefaults,
+      _setNewAlbumInvokeAvailable: AlbumManager.prototype._setNewAlbumInvokeAvailable,
+      getNewAlbumSourceType: AlbumManager.prototype.getNewAlbumSourceType,
+      toggleNewAlbumSourceSections: AlbumManager.prototype.toggleNewAlbumSourceSections,
       initializeNewAlbumInvokeSection: AlbumManager.prototype.initializeNewAlbumInvokeSection,
     };
   }
@@ -311,6 +323,25 @@ describe("AlbumManager settings-credential surfacing", () => {
     manager._applySettingsCredentialDefaults();
     expect(manager.elements.newAlbumInvokeUsername.value).toBe("bob");
   });
+
+  test("reveals the album-source chooser when a backend is configured", async () => {
+    const manager = makeInvokeSectionStub();
+    fetchJson.mockResolvedValue({ url: "http://localhost:9090", username: "", has_password: false, board_id: "" });
+
+    await manager.initializeNewAlbumInvokeSection();
+
+    expect(manager.elements.newAlbumSourceGroup.hidden).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  test("hides the chooser and forces the directory source with no backend", async () => {
+    const manager = makeInvokeSectionStub();
+    fetchJson.mockResolvedValue({ url: "", username: "", has_password: false, board_id: "" });
+
+    await manager.initializeNewAlbumInvokeSection();
+
+    expect(manager.elements.newAlbumSourceGroup.hidden).toBe(true);
+    expect(document.querySelector('input[name="newAlbumSourceType"][value="directory"]').checked).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("AlbumManager indexing-progress robustness", () => {