diff --git a/docs/api-reference.md b/docs/api-reference.md
index 91a4710..527b26a 100644
--- a/docs/api-reference.md
+++ b/docs/api-reference.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ This reference covers the supported public Python surface exported by `jointfm_c
 | `DataFrameSchema` | Describes tabular history layout. Fields are `columns`, `time_index_mode`, `time_column`, `time_scale_seconds`, `use_local_normalized_time`, `calendar_id`, and `timezone`. |
 | `ForecastRequestMetadata` | Holds `schema_version`, `model_version`, `query_mode`, and `return_mode` for one forecast request. |
 | `ForecastRequest` | Validated request object that combines metadata, schema, history rows, query times, requested columns, sample or quantile controls, and `seed`, then emits a JSON-compatible payload with `to_payload()`. |
-| `HealthMetadata` | Typed service-health payload with service status, schema and model versions, checkpoint metadata, device, head, advertised modes, time-index encoding, `max_sample_count`, and an optional `data_generation` block carrying advertised capacity limits. The container exposes it on `GET /healthz` for direct local access and as the response to `POST {"request_type": "health"}` on the unstructured prediction route for DataRobot-hosted deployments. |
+| `HealthMetadata` | Typed service-health payload with service status, schema and model versions, checkpoint metadata, device, head, advertised modes, time-index encoding, `max_sample_count`, an optional `data_generation` block carrying advertised capacity limits, and the optional informational `backend` and `decoding_strategy` fields. The container exposes it on `GET /healthz` for direct local access and as the response to `POST {"request_type": "health"}` on the unstructured prediction route for DataRobot-hosted deployments. |
 | `DataGenerationCapabilities` | Optional service-health block describing the deployed checkpoint's data-generation capacity. Fields are `sampler_type`, `min_features`, `max_features`, `min_targets`, `max_targets`, `t_input`, `t_output`, `n_input`, and `n_output`. |
 | `ForecastPlan` | Validated forecast plan returned by `plan_forecast_columns`. Fields are `columns` (ordered `ColumnSpec` tuple), `feature_columns`, `target_columns` (both reflect post-downgrade roles), and `requested_columns` (the caller's original target list). |
 | `StructuredError` | One structured JointFM service error with `code`, `message`, and optional `field`. |
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ The string literals are exposed as `PREDICT_REQUEST_TYPE`, `HEALTH_REQUEST_TYPE`
 | `checkpoint_version` | Loaded checkpoint version. |
 | `checkpoint_path` | Loaded checkpoint path reported by the service. |
 | `device` | Device used by inference. |
+| `backend` | Informational serving backend: `legacy` or `architecture`. `None` when the deployment predates the field. Not client-selectable and never validated by the SDK. |
 | `head` | Active forecast head. |
 | `supported_query_modes` | Must match the SDK V1 query modes. |
 | `supported_return_modes` | Must match the SDK V1 return modes (`mean`, `samples`, `quantiles`, `log_prob`). |
@@ -222,6 +223,7 @@ The string literals are exposed as `PREDICT_REQUEST_TYPE`, `HEALTH_REQUEST_TYPE`
 | `time_index_encoding` | Time-index encoding advertised by the service. |
 | `max_sample_count` | Maximum sample-count budget the service accepts in a single prediction. The client reads it during health probes and batches oversized sample requests locally, so the service never has to reject them. |
 | `data_generation` | Optional capability block describing the deployed checkpoint's advertised data-generation capacity. Absent on legacy checkpoints; present payloads expose `sampler_type`, `min_features`, `max_features`, `min_targets`, `max_targets`, `t_input`, `t_output`, `n_input`, and `n_output`. |
+| `decoding_strategy` | Informational decoding strategy of the mounted checkpoint: `parallel_dense`, `parallel_scalable`, or `autoregressive`. `None` when the service reports it as null (architecture-backend containers and checkpoint configs predating the field) or omits it entirely. It is singular rather than a `supported_*` list because the strategy is fixed at training time and no request field can select another, so it never constrains which requests a deployment accepts and the SDK does not validate against it. Callers still need it to interpret responses: only `autoregressive` couples horizons, so under either parallel strategy `samples` are per-horizon marginal draws rather than coherent sample paths. |
 
 ## Docstring Enforcement
 
diff --git a/src/jointfm_client/contract.py b/src/jointfm_client/contract.py
index 235132d..53ed337 100644
--- a/src/jointfm_client/contract.py
+++ b/src/jointfm_client/contract.py
@@ -476,6 +476,8 @@ class HealthMetadata:
     time_index_encoding: str
     max_sample_count: int
     data_generation: DataGenerationCapabilities | None = None
+    decoding_strategy: str | None = None
+    backend: str | None = None
 
     @classmethod
     def from_payload(cls, payload: Mapping[str, Any]) -> Self:
@@ -533,6 +535,11 @@ def from_payload(cls, payload: Mapping[str, Any]) -> Self:
                 field="max_sample_count",
             ),
             data_generation=parsed_data_generation,
+            decoding_strategy=_optional_string(
+                payload.get("decoding_strategy"),
+                field="decoding_strategy",
+            ),
+            backend=_optional_string(payload.get("backend"), field="backend"),
         )
 
 
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/health_metadata.json b/tests/fixtures/health_metadata.json
index b1b5a8b..7bc3416 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/health_metadata.json
+++ b/tests/fixtures/health_metadata.json
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
   "checkpoint_version": "sdk-test",
   "checkpoint_path": "/models/jointfm.pt",
   "device": "cpu",
+  "backend": "legacy",
   "head": "studentt",
   "supported_query_modes": ["forecast"],
   "supported_return_modes": ["mean", "samples", "quantiles", "log_prob"],
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@
   ],
   "time_index_encoding": "legacy_discrete_grid",
   "max_sample_count": 4096,
+  "decoding_strategy": "parallel_dense",
   "data_generation": {
     "sampler_type": "studentt",
     "min_features": 0,
diff --git a/tests/test_cli.py b/tests/test_cli.py
index 1d371af..754d421 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli.py
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ def health(self) -> HealthMetadata:
             ),
             time_index_encoding="legacy_discrete_grid",
             max_sample_count=4096,
+            decoding_strategy="parallel_dense",
+            backend="legacy",
         )
 
 
@@ -125,6 +127,8 @@ def test_health_command_prints_non_secret_metadata(monkeypatch, capsys) -> None:
     payload = json.loads(output)
     assert exit_code == 0
     assert payload["service"]["status"] == "ok"
+    assert payload["service"]["decoding_strategy"] == "parallel_dense"
+    assert payload["service"]["backend"] == "legacy"
     assert payload["deployment"]["deployment_id"] == "deployment-id"
     assert "secret-token" not in output
 
diff --git a/tests/test_contract.py b/tests/test_contract.py
index b6b6d6a..973e344 100644
--- a/tests/test_contract.py
+++ b/tests/test_contract.py
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ def _health_metadata() -> dict[str, object]:
         "checkpoint_version": "smoke-1",
         "checkpoint_path": "/models/jointfm.pt",
         "device": "cpu",
+        "backend": "legacy",
         "head": "dummy",
         "supported_query_modes": ["forecast"],
         "supported_return_modes": ["mean", "quantiles", "samples", "log_prob"],
@@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ def _health_metadata() -> dict[str, object]:
         ],
         "time_index_encoding": "legacy_discrete_grid",
         "max_sample_count": 4096,
+        "decoding_strategy": "parallel_dense",
         "data_generation": {
             "sampler_type": "studentt",
             "min_features": 0,
@@ -778,6 +780,8 @@ def test_health_and_response_models_parse_current_payloads() -> None:
     )
 
     assert health.model_version == "jointfm-inference:0.2.0+ckpt.smoke-1"
+    assert health.decoding_strategy == "parallel_dense"
+    assert health.backend == "legacy"
     assert isinstance(response, MeanForecastResult)
     assert response.requested_columns == ("target",)
     assert response.mean == ((100.0,),)
@@ -786,6 +790,28 @@ def test_health_and_response_models_parse_current_payloads() -> None:
     assert response.errors == ()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("field", ["decoding_strategy", "backend"])
+def test_health_metadata_treats_informational_fields_as_optional(field: str) -> None:
+    """Health metadata treats informational fields as optional."""
+    missing = _health_metadata()
+    del missing[field]
+    assert getattr(HealthMetadata.from_payload(missing), field) is None
+
+    explicit_null = _health_metadata()
+    explicit_null[field] = None
+    assert getattr(HealthMetadata.from_payload(explicit_null), field) is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("field", ["decoding_strategy", "backend"])
+def test_health_metadata_rejects_non_string_informational_fields(field: str) -> None:
+    """Health metadata rejects non string informational fields."""
+    metadata = _health_metadata()
+    metadata[field] = 7
+
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match=field):
+        HealthMetadata.from_payload(metadata)
+
+
 def test_forecast_result_conversion_helpers_cover_mean_samples_and_quantiles() -> None:
     """Forecast result conversion helpers cover mean samples and quantiles."""
     mean_result = ForecastResponse.from_payload(
diff --git a/tests/test_fixture_compatibility.py b/tests/test_fixture_compatibility.py
index 2e2ac25..a36c2d4 100644
--- a/tests/test_fixture_compatibility.py
+++ b/tests/test_fixture_compatibility.py
@@ -47,6 +47,8 @@ def test_health_fixture_matches_current_v1_service_contract(
     metadata = HealthMetadata.from_payload(payload)
 
     assert metadata.schema_version == "v1"
+    assert metadata.decoding_strategy == payload["decoding_strategy"]
+    assert metadata.backend == payload["backend"]
     assert metadata.supported_return_modes == (
         "mean",
         "samples",