diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 97cb40b..e20a849 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ if(EMSCRIPTEN)
 else()
     find_package(SDL3 CONFIG REQUIRED)
     find_package(SDL3_image CONFIG REQUIRED)
+    find_package(CURL REQUIRED)
 endif()
 
 if(KOBO_ENABLE_OPENGL)
@@ -199,14 +200,26 @@ set(KOBO_SOURCES
     myship.cpp radar.cpp random.cpp scenes.cpp score.cpp screen.cpp
     filemap.cpp prefs.cpp cfgform.cpp options.cpp gamestate.cpp
     states.cpp form.cpp cfgparse.cpp game.cpp kobo.cpp logger.c
-    dashboard.cpp sound.cpp prof.cpp bench.cpp
+    dashboard.cpp sound.cpp prof.cpp bench.cpp leaderboard.cpp
 )
 
+if(EMSCRIPTEN)
+    list(APPEND KOBO_SOURCES httpclient_web.cpp)
+else()
+    list(APPEND KOBO_SOURCES httpclient_native.cpp)
+endif()
+
 add_executable(kobodl ${KOBO_SOURCES})
 target_include_directories(kobodl PRIVATE ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/data/sfx)
 target_link_libraries(kobodl PRIVATE graphics sound eel kobo_deps)
 set_target_properties(kobodl PROPERTIES OUTPUT_NAME ${KOBO_EXEFILE})
 
+if(EMSCRIPTEN)
+    target_link_options(kobodl PRIVATE -sFETCH=1)
+else()
+    target_link_libraries(kobodl PRIVATE CURL::libcurl)
+endif()
+
 if(EMSCRIPTEN)
     # ASYNCIFY lets the existing blocking main loop (gengine->run(), SDL_Delay)
     # yield to the browser without rewriting it around emscripten_set_main_loop.
diff --git a/httpclient.h b/httpclient.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..364a221
--- /dev/null
+++ b/httpclient.h
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+/*
+ * httpclient.h — thin async HTTP client.
+ *
+ * Two impls share this header:
+ *   httpclient_native.cpp — libcurl-multi, polled from http_pump().
+ *   httpclient_web.cpp    — emscripten_fetch; http_pump() is a no-op.
+ *
+ * Callbacks fire on the main thread: native impls dispatch from http_pump(),
+ * web from the Emscripten runtime (which is already main-thread).
+ *
+ * The `body` pointer in http_response_t is only valid for the duration of
+ * the callback — copy what you need.
+ */
+#ifndef KOBO_HTTPCLIENT_H
+#define KOBO_HTTPCLIENT_H
+
+#include <stddef.h>
+
+typedef struct http_response_t {
+    int status;        // HTTP status code; 0 = network/transport failure
+    const char *body;  // NUL-terminated; valid only during the callback
+    size_t len;
+} http_response_t;
+
+typedef void (*http_callback_t)(const http_response_t *resp, void *user);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+void http_init(void);
+void http_shutdown(void);
+
+void http_post_json(const char *url, const char *body,
+                    http_callback_t cb, void *user);
+void http_get(const char *url, http_callback_t cb, void *user);
+
+void http_pump(void);
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* KOBO_HTTPCLIENT_H */
diff --git a/httpclient_native.cpp b/httpclient_native.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cba6b82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/httpclient_native.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+/*
+ * httpclient_native.cpp — libcurl-multi backend.
+ *
+ * Single CURLM handle owned by this module. http_post_json / http_get queue
+ * an easy handle; http_pump() runs curl_multi_perform and drains finished
+ * transfers, firing user callbacks exactly once.
+ *
+ * Failure modes (DNS, connect refused, timeout, etc.) are surfaced as
+ * status=0 in the response — caller doesn't have to distinguish curl error
+ * codes from HTTP errors.
+ */
+#include "httpclient.h"
+#include "kobolog.h"
+
+#include <curl/curl.h>
+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+namespace {
+
+CURLM *g_multi = nullptr;
+
+struct pending_t {
+    http_callback_t cb;
+    void *user;
+    std::string body;
+    curl_slist *headers = nullptr;
+};
+
+// Keyed by CURL* easy handle so curl_multi_info_read results can be routed.
+std::unordered_map<CURL *, pending_t *> g_pending;
+
+size_t write_cb(char *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void *userdata)
+{
+    pending_t *p = static_cast<pending_t *>(userdata);
+    p->body.append(ptr, size * nmemb);
+    return size * nmemb;
+}
+
+void start_request(CURL *easy, pending_t *pending)
+{
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_WRITEFUNCTION, write_cb);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_WRITEDATA, pending);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 10L);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 5L);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_FOLLOWLOCATION, 1L);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_USERAGENT, "kobodl/0.5.1");
+
+    g_pending[easy] = pending;
+    CURLMcode rc = curl_multi_add_handle(g_multi, easy);
+    if(rc != CURLM_OK)
+    {
+        log_printf(ELOG, "http: curl_multi_add_handle failed: %s\n",
+                   curl_multi_strerror(rc));
+        // Synthesize a transport failure callback.
+        http_response_t resp{0, "", 0};
+        pending->cb(&resp, pending->user);
+        g_pending.erase(easy);
+        if(pending->headers) curl_slist_free_all(pending->headers);
+        curl_easy_cleanup(easy);
+        delete pending;
+    }
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+extern "C" void http_init(void)
+{
+    if(g_multi) return;
+    curl_global_init(CURL_GLOBAL_DEFAULT);
+    g_multi = curl_multi_init();
+}
+
+extern "C" void http_shutdown(void)
+{
+    if(!g_multi) return;
+    // Abandon any in-flight handles — we're shutting down, callbacks are
+    // moot. Free the resources to avoid leak reports.
+    for(auto &kv : g_pending)
+    {
+        curl_multi_remove_handle(g_multi, kv.first);
+        if(kv.second->headers) curl_slist_free_all(kv.second->headers);
+        curl_easy_cleanup(kv.first);
+        delete kv.second;
+    }
+    g_pending.clear();
+    curl_multi_cleanup(g_multi);
+    g_multi = nullptr;
+    curl_global_cleanup();
+}
+
+extern "C" void http_post_json(const char *url, const char *body,
+                               http_callback_t cb, void *user)
+{
+    if(!g_multi || !cb) return;
+    CURL *easy = curl_easy_init();
+    if(!easy)
+    {
+        http_response_t resp{0, "", 0};
+        cb(&resp, user);
+        return;
+    }
+    auto *pending = new pending_t;
+    pending->cb = cb;
+    pending->user = user;
+    pending->headers = curl_slist_append(nullptr, "Content-Type: application/json");
+
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_URL, url);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_POST, 1L);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_COPYPOSTFIELDS, body ? body : "");
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, pending->headers);
+    start_request(easy, pending);
+}
+
+extern "C" void http_get(const char *url, http_callback_t cb, void *user)
+{
+    if(!g_multi || !cb) return;
+    CURL *easy = curl_easy_init();
+    if(!easy)
+    {
+        http_response_t resp{0, "", 0};
+        cb(&resp, user);
+        return;
+    }
+    auto *pending = new pending_t;
+    pending->cb = cb;
+    pending->user = user;
+
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_URL, url);
+    curl_easy_setopt(easy, CURLOPT_HTTPGET, 1L);
+    start_request(easy, pending);
+}
+
+extern "C" void http_pump(void)
+{
+    if(!g_multi) return;
+    int running = 0;
+    curl_multi_perform(g_multi, &running);
+
+    CURLMsg *msg;
+    int msgs_left = 0;
+    while((msg = curl_multi_info_read(g_multi, &msgs_left)) != nullptr)
+    {
+        if(msg->msg != CURLMSG_DONE) continue;
+
+        CURL *easy = msg->easy_handle;
+        auto it = g_pending.find(easy);
+        if(it == g_pending.end())
+        {
+            curl_multi_remove_handle(g_multi, easy);
+            curl_easy_cleanup(easy);
+            continue;
+        }
+        pending_t *p = it->second;
+
+        long status = 0;
+        if(msg->data.result == CURLE_OK)
+            curl_easy_getinfo(easy, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE, &status);
+        else
+            log_printf(DLOG, "http: transport error: %s\n",
+                       curl_easy_strerror(msg->data.result));
+
+        http_response_t resp;
+        resp.status = (int)status;
+        resp.body   = p->body.c_str();
+        resp.len    = p->body.size();
+        p->cb(&resp, p->user);
+
+        curl_multi_remove_handle(g_multi, easy);
+        if(p->headers) curl_slist_free_all(p->headers);
+        curl_easy_cleanup(easy);
+        g_pending.erase(it);
+        delete p;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/httpclient_web.cpp b/httpclient_web.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..434977f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/httpclient_web.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+/*
+ * httpclient_web.cpp — emscripten_fetch backend.
+ *
+ * emscripten_fetch is async and fires onsuccess/onerror on the main thread.
+ * We attach a small heap-owned context to userData; the trampolines invoke
+ * the user callback and free the context.
+ *
+ * http_pump() is a no-op because the runtime drives completion delivery.
+ */
+#ifdef __EMSCRIPTEN__
+
+#include "httpclient.h"
+
+#include <emscripten/fetch.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+
+namespace {
+
+struct ctx_t {
+    http_callback_t cb;
+    void *user;
+};
+
+void deliver(emscripten_fetch_t *fetch, int status)
+{
+    ctx_t *c = static_cast<ctx_t *>(fetch->userData);
+    http_response_t resp;
+    resp.status = status;
+    resp.body   = fetch->data ? fetch->data : "";
+    resp.len    = (size_t)fetch->numBytes;
+    c->cb(&resp, c->user);
+    emscripten_fetch_close(fetch);
+    delete c;
+}
+
+void on_success(emscripten_fetch_t *fetch)
+{
+    deliver(fetch, (int)fetch->status);
+}
+
+void on_error(emscripten_fetch_t *fetch)
+{
+    // Distinguish: a non-2xx with body (e.g. 500 + JSON) reports its status;
+    // a true transport failure (no connection, CORS reject) reports 0.
+    int status = (fetch->status >= 100 && fetch->status < 600)
+                    ? (int)fetch->status : 0;
+    deliver(fetch, status);
+}
+
+void issue(const char *method, const char *url, const char *body,
+           http_callback_t cb, void *user)
+{
+    emscripten_fetch_attr_t attr;
+    emscripten_fetch_attr_init(&attr);
+    strncpy(attr.requestMethod, method, sizeof(attr.requestMethod) - 1);
+    attr.attributes = EMSCRIPTEN_FETCH_LOAD_TO_MEMORY;
+    attr.onsuccess  = on_success;
+    attr.onerror    = on_error;
+
+    static const char *headers[] = {
+        "Content-Type", "application/json", nullptr
+    };
+    if(body)
+    {
+        attr.requestHeaders = headers;
+        attr.requestData    = body;
+        attr.requestDataSize = strlen(body);
+    }
+
+    auto *c = new ctx_t{cb, user};
+    attr.userData = c;
+    emscripten_fetch(&attr, url);
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+extern "C" void http_init(void)     {}
+extern "C" void http_shutdown(void) {}
+extern "C" void http_pump(void)     {}
+
+extern "C" void http_post_json(const char *url, const char *body,
+                               http_callback_t cb, void *user)
+{
+    if(!cb) return;
+    issue("POST", url, body ? body : "", cb, user);
+}
+
+extern "C" void http_get(const char *url, http_callback_t cb, void *user)
+{
+    if(!cb) return;
+    issue("GET", url, nullptr, cb, user);
+}
+
+#endif /* __EMSCRIPTEN__ */
diff --git a/kobo.cpp b/kobo.cpp
index 0f06a28..1bc8c11 100644
--- a/kobo.cpp
+++ b/kobo.cpp
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #include "enemies.h"
 #include "prof.h"
 #include "bench.h"
+#include "httpclient.h"
 
 #define	MAX_FPS_RESULTS	64
 
@@ -1860,6 +1861,7 @@ void kobo_gfxengine_t::frame()
 	/*
 	 * Run the current gamestate for one frame
 	 */
+	http_pump();
 	gsm.frame();
 
 	if(prefs->cmd_autoshot && !manage.game_stopped())
@@ -2088,6 +2090,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	prof_init();
 
 	SDL_Init(0);
+	http_init();
 
 	if(main_init())
 	{
@@ -2111,6 +2114,31 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		return 1;
 	}
 
+	// First-run client_id generation. Stable per-install identifier sent
+	// with leaderboard submissions for rate-limiting/dedup (not used as
+	// the public identity — that's name + board_name).
+	if(prefs->client_id[0] == '\0')
+	{
+		// Not cryptographically random — this is a rate-limit dedup
+		// token, not a secret. SDL_rand_bits is sufficient.
+		Uint8 b[16];
+		for(int i = 0; i < 16; i += 4)
+		{
+			Uint32 r = SDL_rand_bits();
+			b[i]   = (Uint8)(r >> 24);
+			b[i+1] = (Uint8)(r >> 16);
+			b[i+2] = (Uint8)(r >> 8);
+			b[i+3] = (Uint8)r;
+		}
+		b[6] = (b[6] & 0x0F) | 0x40;  // RFC 4122 v4
+		b[8] = (b[8] & 0x3F) | 0x80;
+		snprintf(prefs->client_id, sizeof(prefs->client_id),
+			"%02x%02x%02x%02x-%02x%02x-%02x%02x-%02x%02x-%02x%02x%02x%02x%02x%02x",
+			b[0],b[1],b[2],b[3], b[4],b[5], b[6],b[7],
+			b[8],b[9], b[10],b[11],b[12],b[13],b[14],b[15]);
+		prefs->changed = 1;
+	}
+
 	if(prefs->cmd_options_man)
 	{
 		put_options_man();
@@ -2194,6 +2222,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 		km.print_fps_results();
 
 	km.close_logging();
+	http_shutdown();
 	main_cleanup();
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/leaderboard.cpp b/leaderboard.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5e62320
--- /dev/null
+++ b/leaderboard.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,260 @@
+/*
+ * leaderboard.cpp — submission + browse over HTTP.
+ *
+ * Hand-rolled JSON build/parse. The wire schema is tiny and fixed-shape
+ * (see plan); no point in pulling in a JSON dep just to handle two
+ * response types.
+ *
+ * Threading: callbacks fire from http_pump() (native) or the Emscripten
+ * runtime (web) — both single-threaded relative to the game loop, so
+ * mutating the global state structs from the callbacks is safe.
+ */
+// pfile.h (pulled in via score.h via leaderboard.h) uses FILE without
+// including stdio.h itself; pull it in first.
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <ctype.h>
+
+#include "leaderboard.h"
+#include "httpclient.h"
+#include "prefs.h"
+#include "kobo.h"
+#include "kobolog.h"
+
+extern prefs_t *prefs;
+
+namespace {
+
+leaderboard_submission_t g_sub  = { LB_IDLE, 0, 0 };
+leaderboard_browse_t     g_brw  = { LB_IDLE, 0, 0, {}, "" };
+
+bool enabled()
+{
+    return prefs && prefs->global_leaderboard
+        && prefs->leaderboard_url[0]   != '\0'
+        && prefs->leaderboard_board[0] != '\0';
+}
+
+// ---- JSON helpers ----------------------------------------------------------
+//
+// Build: snprintf with manual escaping for string fields.
+// Parse: substring-search the known keys. Tolerates whitespace but assumes
+// the server emits one occurrence of each key (which our server contract does).
+
+void json_escape(char *out, size_t cap, const char *in)
+{
+    size_t o = 0;
+    for(size_t i = 0; in[i] && o + 2 < cap; ++i)
+    {
+        char c = in[i];
+        if(c == '"' || c == '\\')
+        {
+            if(o + 3 >= cap) break;
+            out[o++] = '\\'; out[o++] = c;
+        }
+        else if((unsigned char)c < 0x20)
+        {
+            // Skip control bytes; the in-game name editor only emits ASCII
+            // letters anyway. Logging this would be noise.
+            continue;
+        }
+        else out[o++] = c;
+    }
+    out[o] = '\0';
+}
+
+// Find `"key":` and return pointer to first char after the colon, or NULL.
+const char *find_key(const char *body, const char *key)
+{
+    size_t klen = strlen(key);
+    for(const char *p = body; (p = strchr(p, '"')) != NULL; ++p)
+    {
+        ++p;
+        if(strncmp(p, key, klen) != 0) continue;
+        if(p[klen] != '"') continue;
+        const char *q = p + klen + 1;
+        while(*q == ' ' || *q == '\t') ++q;
+        if(*q != ':') continue;
+        ++q;
+        while(*q == ' ' || *q == '\t') ++q;
+        return q;
+    }
+    return NULL;
+}
+
+bool parse_int(const char *p, int *out)
+{
+    if(!p) return false;
+    char *end = NULL;
+    long v = strtol(p, &end, 10);
+    if(end == p) return false;
+    *out = (int)v;
+    return true;
+}
+
+// Copies the next "string" into out, returns pointer past the closing quote.
+const char *parse_string(const char *p, char *out, size_t cap)
+{
+    if(!p || *p != '"') { if(cap) out[0] = '\0'; return NULL; }
+    ++p;
+    size_t o = 0;
+    while(*p && *p != '"')
+    {
+        if(*p == '\\' && p[1])
+        {
+            if(o + 1 < cap) out[o++] = p[1];
+            p += 2;
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            if(o + 1 < cap) out[o++] = *p;
+            ++p;
+        }
+    }
+    if(cap) out[o] = '\0';
+    return *p == '"' ? p + 1 : NULL;
+}
+
+// ---- callbacks --------------------------------------------------------------
+
+void on_submit(const http_response_t *resp, void * /*user*/)
+{
+    if(resp->status == 0)
+    {
+        g_sub.status = LB_OFFLINE;
+        log_printf(WLOG, "leaderboard: submission failed (network)\n");
+        return;
+    }
+    if(resp->status / 100 != 2)
+    {
+        g_sub.status = LB_FAILED;
+        log_printf(WLOG, "leaderboard: submission rejected (HTTP %d)\n",
+                   resp->status);
+        return;
+    }
+    int rank = -1, total = -1;
+    parse_int(find_key(resp->body, "rank"),  &rank);
+    parse_int(find_key(resp->body, "total"), &total);
+    g_sub.rank   = rank;
+    g_sub.total  = total;
+    g_sub.status = LB_DONE;
+}
+
+void on_browse(const http_response_t *resp, void * /*user*/)
+{
+    if(resp->status == 0)        { g_brw.status = LB_OFFLINE; return; }
+    if(resp->status / 100 != 2)  { g_brw.status = LB_FAILED;  return; }
+
+    g_brw.count = 0;
+    int total = -1;
+    parse_int(find_key(resp->body, "total"), &total);
+    g_brw.total = total;
+
+    // "scores": [ {name, score, end_scene}, ... ]
+    const char *p = find_key(resp->body, "scores");
+    if(!p || *p != '[') { g_brw.status = LB_FAILED; return; }
+    ++p;
+    while(g_brw.count < LEADERBOARD_BROWSE_MAX)
+    {
+        while(*p && *p != '{' && *p != ']') ++p;
+        if(*p != '{') break;
+        // Each entry is a small object — scan it locally.
+        const char *end = strchr(p, '}');
+        if(!end) break;
+
+        leaderboard_entry_t &e = g_brw.entries[g_brw.count];
+        e.name[0] = '\0';
+        e.score = 0;
+        e.end_scene = 0;
+
+        const char *kp = find_key(p, "name");
+        if(kp && kp < end) parse_string(kp, e.name, sizeof(e.name));
+
+        kp = find_key(p, "score");
+        int sv = 0;
+        if(kp && kp < end && parse_int(kp, &sv) && sv >= 0)
+            e.score = (unsigned int)sv;
+
+        kp = find_key(p, "end_scene");
+        if(kp && kp < end) parse_int(kp, &e.end_scene);
+
+        ++g_brw.count;
+        p = end + 1;
+    }
+    g_brw.status = LB_DONE;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+namespace leaderboard {
+
+void submit_score(const s_hiscore_t *hi)
+{
+    g_sub.status = LB_IDLE;
+    g_sub.rank   = -1;
+    g_sub.total  = -1;
+    if(!enabled() || !hi) return;
+
+    char name_esc[LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX * 2 + 1];
+    char board_esc[LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX * 2 + 1];
+    char id_esc[128];
+    const char *player_name = (hi->profile && hi->profile->name[0])
+                                ? hi->profile->name : "ANON";
+    json_escape(name_esc,  sizeof(name_esc),  player_name);
+    json_escape(board_esc, sizeof(board_esc), prefs->leaderboard_board);
+    json_escape(id_esc,    sizeof(id_esc),    prefs->client_id);
+
+    char body[1024];
+    int n = snprintf(body, sizeof(body),
+        "{\"board\":\"%s\",\"name\":\"%s\",\"client_id\":\"%s\","
+        "\"client\":\"kobodl/0.5.1\","
+        "\"score\":%u,\"skill\":%d,\"gametype\":%d,"
+        "\"end_scene\":%d,\"end_lives\":%d,\"end_health\":%d,"
+        "\"playtime\":%u,\"start_date\":%u,\"end_date\":%u}",
+        board_esc, name_esc, id_esc,
+        hi->score, hi->skill, hi->gametype,
+        hi->end_scene, hi->end_lives, hi->end_health,
+        hi->playtime, hi->start_date, hi->end_date);
+    if(n <= 0 || n >= (int)sizeof(body)) return;
+
+    char url[512];
+    snprintf(url, sizeof(url), "%s/api/scores", prefs->leaderboard_url);
+
+    g_sub.status = LB_INFLIGHT;
+    http_post_json(url, body, on_submit, NULL);
+}
+
+void fetch_board()
+{
+    g_brw.status = LB_IDLE;
+    g_brw.count  = 0;
+    g_brw.total  = 0;
+    if(!enabled()) return;
+
+    strncpy(g_brw.board, prefs->leaderboard_board, sizeof(g_brw.board) - 1);
+    g_brw.board[sizeof(g_brw.board) - 1] = '\0';
+
+    char board_esc[LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX * 2 + 1];
+    json_escape(board_esc, sizeof(board_esc), prefs->leaderboard_board);
+
+    char url[768];
+    snprintf(url, sizeof(url),
+             "%s/api/scores?board=%s&limit=%d",
+             prefs->leaderboard_url, board_esc, LEADERBOARD_BROWSE_MAX);
+
+    g_brw.status = LB_INFLIGHT;
+    http_get(url, on_browse, NULL);
+}
+
+const leaderboard_submission_t *submission() { return &g_sub; }
+const leaderboard_browse_t     *browse()     { return &g_brw; }
+
+void reset_submission()
+{
+    g_sub.status = LB_IDLE;
+    g_sub.rank   = -1;
+    g_sub.total  = -1;
+}
+
+} // namespace leaderboard
diff --git a/leaderboard.h b/leaderboard.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df56fbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/leaderboard.h
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/*
+ * leaderboard.h — global leaderboard client.
+ *
+ * Two flows:
+ *
+ *  1. submit_score() is called after each completed game (manage.cpp). It
+ *     POSTs the run's s_hiscore_t to leaderboard_url + "/api/scores". The
+ *     game-over screen polls submission() to render the in-flight UI.
+ *
+ *  2. fetch_board() is called when the in-game leaderboard browser opens.
+ *     It GETs the top N for the current board. The browser state polls
+ *     browse() to render the list.
+ *
+ * Both flows are no-ops when prefs->global_leaderboard is 0, or when the
+ * board name is empty, or when the URL is empty.
+ */
+#ifndef KOBO_LEADERBOARD_H
+#define KOBO_LEADERBOARD_H
+
+#include "score.h"
+
+#define LEADERBOARD_BROWSE_MAX 50
+#define LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX   32
+
+enum leaderboard_status_t {
+    LB_IDLE = 0,
+    LB_INFLIGHT,
+    LB_DONE,
+    LB_FAILED,    // server error, network error, or feature disabled
+    LB_OFFLINE    // transport failure (status 0)
+};
+
+struct leaderboard_submission_t {
+    leaderboard_status_t status;
+    int rank;       // valid when status == LB_DONE
+    int total;      // valid when status == LB_DONE
+};
+
+struct leaderboard_entry_t {
+    char         name[LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX];
+    unsigned int score;
+    int          end_scene;
+};
+
+struct leaderboard_browse_t {
+    leaderboard_status_t status;
+    int count;
+    int total;
+    leaderboard_entry_t entries[LEADERBOARD_BROWSE_MAX];
+    char board[LEADERBOARD_NAME_MAX];
+};
+
+namespace leaderboard {
+    // Called from manage.cpp after scorefile.record(). Safe to call always;
+    // it self-checks prefs and silently no-ops if disabled.
+    void submit_score(const s_hiscore_t *hi);
+
+    // Called from the browser state on enter. Replaces previous results.
+    void fetch_board();
+
+    // State accessors — game UI reads these every frame.
+    const leaderboard_submission_t *submission();
+    const leaderboard_browse_t     *browse();
+
+    // Reset submission state to LB_IDLE (e.g. when starting a new game).
+    void reset_submission();
+}
+
+#endif // KOBO_LEADERBOARD_H
diff --git a/manage.cpp b/manage.cpp
index 512b344..448f70e 100644
--- a/manage.cpp
+++ b/manage.cpp
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@
 #include "random.h"
 #include "prof.h"
 #include "bench.h"
+#include "leaderboard.h"
+#include <time.h>
 
 #define GIGA             1000000000
 
@@ -213,6 +215,8 @@ void _manage::game_start()
 {
 	_game_over = 0;
 	hi.clear();
+	hi.start_date = (unsigned int)time(NULL);
+	leaderboard::reset_submission();
 
 	game.set(GAME_SINGLE, (skill_levels_t)scorefile.profile()->skill);
 
@@ -267,8 +271,20 @@ void _manage::game_stop()
 		hi.score = score;
 		hi.end_scene = scene_num;
 		hi.end_health = myship.health();
+		hi.end_date = (unsigned int)time(NULL);
+		// Profile name isn't part of s_hiscore_t's serialized form, but
+		// leaderboard::submit_score wants it. Sync it here so the
+		// payload picks it up.
+		s_profile_t *p = scorefile.profile();
+		if(p)
+		{
+			hi.profile = p;
+			strncpy(hi.name, p->name, sizeof(hi.name) - 1);
+			hi.name[sizeof(hi.name) - 1] = '\0';
+		}
 
 		scorefile.record(&hi);
+		leaderboard::submit_score(&hi);
 	}
 	ships = 0;
 	ships_changed = 1;
diff --git a/options.cpp b/options.cpp
index ed0cf26..13ad812 100644
--- a/options.cpp
+++ b/options.cpp
@@ -458,6 +458,14 @@ void game_options_t::build()
 		item("Off", 200);
 		item("Low", 100);
 		item("High", 50);
+
+	// Leaderboard toggle. Board name and URL live in the config file
+	// (the form toolkit has no free-text widget). When this is on but
+	// the board name is empty, submission no-ops silently.
+	space();
+	xoffs = 0.6;
+	onoff("Global Leaderboard", &prf->global_leaderboard, 0);
+
 	big();
 	space();
 	xoffs = 0.5;
diff --git a/prefs.cpp b/prefs.cpp
index d3a0adf..595d63b 100644
--- a/prefs.cpp
+++ b/prefs.cpp
@@ -104,6 +104,18 @@ void prefs_t::init()
 	key("sfx", sfxdir, ""); desc("Sound Data Path");
 	key("scores", scoredir, ""); desc("Score File Path");
 
+	comment("--- Global leaderboard ---------------------");
+	// Default off: this code is shipped dormant until the backend at
+	// leaderboard_url exists. Flip on once the server is live.
+	yesno("global_leaderboard", global_leaderboard, 0);
+			desc("Submit Scores to Global Leaderboard");
+	key("leaderboard_board", leaderboard_board, "");
+			desc("Leaderboard Board Name (shared with friends)");
+	key("leaderboard_url", leaderboard_url,
+			"https://leaderboard.lindholm.dev");
+			desc("Leaderboard Server URL");
+	key("client_id", client_id, ""); desc("Anonymous Per-Install ID");
+
 	// Obsolete stuff (not written into new files)
 	key("size", o_size, 0, 0); desc("Screen Size (Obsolete)");
 	key("wait", o_wait_msec, 30); desc("Game Speed (Obsolete)");
diff --git a/prefs.h b/prefs.h
index 1f6cca1..dd8f3c5 100644
--- a/prefs.h
+++ b/prefs.h
@@ -95,6 +95,12 @@ class prefs_t : public config_parser_t
 	cfg_string_t	sfxdir;		//Path to sfx/
 	cfg_string_t	scoredir;	//Path to scores/
 
+	//Global leaderboard
+	int		global_leaderboard;	//Submit scores to the server
+	cfg_string_t	leaderboard_board;	//Shared "room code"
+	cfg_string_t	leaderboard_url;	//Server endpoint base URL
+	cfg_string_t	client_id;		//Per-install UUID (auto-gen)
+
 	//Obsolete stuff (compatibility)
 	int		o_size;			//Screen scale
 	int		o_wait_msec;		//ms per control system frame
diff --git a/states.cpp b/states.cpp
index 7910bd1..367f1bc 100644
--- a/states.cpp
+++ b/states.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@
 #include "sound.h"
 #include "radar.h"
 #include "random.h"
+#include "leaderboard.h"
+#include "prefs.h"
+#include <stdio.h>
 
 
 gamestatemanager_t gsm;
@@ -664,6 +667,41 @@ void st_game_over_t::post_render()
 	int y = PIXEL2CS(100) + (int)floor(PIXEL2CS(15)*sin(ft * 6));
 	wmain->center_fxp(y, "GAME OVER");
 
+	const leaderboard_submission_t *sub = leaderboard::submission();
+	if(sub->status != LB_IDLE)
+	{
+		char buf[64];
+		const char *msg = NULL;
+		switch(sub->status)
+		{
+		  case LB_INFLIGHT:
+			msg = "Submitting score…";
+			break;
+		  case LB_DONE:
+			if(sub->rank > 0 && sub->total > 0)
+			{
+				snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "Rank #%d of %d",
+						sub->rank, sub->total);
+				msg = buf;
+			}
+			else
+				msg = "Score submitted";
+			break;
+		  case LB_OFFLINE:
+			msg = "(offline)";
+			break;
+		  case LB_FAILED:
+			msg = "(submission failed)";
+			break;
+		  default: break;
+		}
+		if(msg)
+		{
+			wmain->font(B_NORMAL_FONT);
+			wmain->center_fxp(PIXEL2CS(140), msg);
+		}
+	}
+
 	wradar->frame();
 }
 
@@ -1281,6 +1319,8 @@ void main_menu_t::build()
 	}
 	space();
 	button("Options", 2);
+	if(prefs->global_leaderboard && prefs->leaderboard_board[0])
+		button("Global Leaderboard", 200);
 	space();
 	if(manage.game_stopped())
 		button("Return to Intro", 0);
@@ -1367,6 +1407,9 @@ void st_main_menu_t::select(int tag)
 	  case 3:
 		gsm.push(&st_new_player);
 		break;
+	  case 200:
+		gsm.push(&st_global_leaderboard);
+		break;
 	  case 4:	// Player: Inc/Dec
 		sound.ui_tick();
 		prefs->changed = 1;
@@ -1997,3 +2040,105 @@ st_profile_audio_t st_profile_audio;
 
 #endif /*PROFILE_AUDIO*/
 
+
+/*----------------------------------------------------------
+	Global Leaderboard browser
+----------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+st_global_leaderboard_t::st_global_leaderboard_t()
+{
+	name = "global_leaderboard";
+}
+
+void st_global_leaderboard_t::enter()
+{
+	start_time = (int)SDL_GetTicks();
+	leaderboard::fetch_board();
+}
+
+void st_global_leaderboard_t::press(int button)
+{
+	switch(button)
+	{
+	  case BTN_EXIT:
+	  case BTN_NO:
+	  case BTN_FIRE:
+	  case BTN_START:
+	  case BTN_SELECT:
+	  case BTN_YES:
+		sound.ui_ok();
+		pop();
+		break;
+	}
+}
+
+void st_global_leaderboard_t::frame()
+{
+	manage.run_intro();
+}
+
+void st_global_leaderboard_t::post_render()
+{
+	kobo_basestate_t::post_render();
+
+	const leaderboard_browse_t *b = leaderboard::browse();
+
+	wmain->font(B_BIG_FONT);
+	wmain->center(40, "GLOBAL LEADERBOARD");
+
+	char buf[96];
+	wmain->font(B_NORMAL_FONT);
+	if(b->board[0])
+	{
+		snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "Board: %s", b->board);
+		wmain->center(70, buf);
+	}
+
+	switch(b->status)
+	{
+	  case LB_INFLIGHT:
+		wmain->center(120, "Loading…");
+		break;
+	  case LB_OFFLINE:
+		wmain->center(120, "(offline)");
+		break;
+	  case LB_FAILED:
+		wmain->center(120, "(server error)");
+		break;
+	  case LB_IDLE:
+		wmain->center(120, "Leaderboard disabled.");
+		wmain->center(140, "Set leaderboard_board in config.");
+		break;
+	  case LB_DONE:
+	  {
+		if(b->count == 0)
+		{
+			wmain->center(120, "No scores yet.");
+			break;
+		}
+		// Two-column layout: rank + name on the left, score + stage
+		// on the right. 18px line height matches the existing intro
+		// high-score screen feel.
+		int y = 100;
+		int rows = b->count > 16 ? 16 : b->count;
+		for(int i = 0; i < rows; ++i)
+		{
+			const leaderboard_entry_t &e = b->entries[i];
+			snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%2d. %-10s",
+					i + 1, e.name);
+			wmain->string(40, y, buf);
+			snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%9u  st.%2d",
+					e.score, e.end_scene + 1);
+			wmain->string(160, y, buf);
+			y += 12;
+		}
+		break;
+	  }
+	  default: break;
+	}
+
+	wmain->center(WSIZE - 30, "(Press any key to return)");
+}
+
+st_global_leaderboard_t st_global_leaderboard;
+
diff --git a/states.h b/states.h
index e30441d..def3136 100644
--- a/states.h
+++ b/states.h
@@ -473,6 +473,22 @@ class st_ask_abort_game_t : public st_yesno_base_t
 };
 
 
+/*----------------------------------------------------------
+	Global Leaderboard browser
+----------------------------------------------------------*/
+
+class st_global_leaderboard_t : public kobo_basestate_t
+{
+	int	start_time;
+  public:
+	st_global_leaderboard_t();
+	void enter();
+	void press(int button);
+	void frame();
+	void post_render();
+};
+
+
 /*----------------------------------------------------------
 	Debug: Audio Engine Profiling
 ----------------------------------------------------------*/
@@ -534,6 +550,7 @@ extern st_options_graphics_t st_options_graphics;
 extern st_options_audio_t st_options_audio;
 extern st_options_control_t st_options_control;
 extern st_options_game_t st_options_game;
+extern st_global_leaderboard_t st_global_leaderboard;
 extern st_error_t st_error;
 #ifdef PROFILE_AUDIO
 extern st_profile_audio_t st_profile_audio;
diff --git a/tools/mock-leaderboard.py b/tools/mock-leaderboard.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..08ee642
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/mock-leaderboard.py
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Mock leaderboard server for local testing.
+
+Stores submitted scores in memory, returns rank/total on POST, and serves
+the top-N on GET. Sends permissive CORS so the web build can talk to it
+from a different port.
+
+Usage:
+    ./tools/mock-leaderboard.py           # listens on :8765
+    ./tools/mock-leaderboard.py 8080      # custom port
+"""
+import json
+import sys
+from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
+from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs
+
+# In-memory store: {board_name: [score_record, ...]}
+SCORES = {}
+
+
+def _cors(handler):
+    handler.send_header("Access-Control-Allow-Origin", "*")
+    handler.send_header("Access-Control-Allow-Methods", "GET, POST, OPTIONS")
+    handler.send_header("Access-Control-Allow-Headers", "Content-Type")
+
+
+class Handler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
+    def do_OPTIONS(self):
+        self.send_response(204)
+        _cors(self)
+        self.end_headers()
+
+    def do_GET(self):
+        url = urlparse(self.path)
+        if url.path != "/api/scores":
+            self.send_response(404); _cors(self); self.end_headers(); return
+        q = parse_qs(url.query)
+        board = (q.get("board") or [""])[0]
+        limit = int((q.get("limit") or ["50"])[0])
+        rows = sorted(SCORES.get(board, []),
+                      key=lambda r: r["score"], reverse=True)[:limit]
+        body = json.dumps({
+            "board": board,
+            "total": len(SCORES.get(board, [])),
+            "scores": [
+                {"name": r["name"], "score": r["score"],
+                 "end_scene": r["end_scene"]}
+                for r in rows
+            ],
+        }).encode()
+        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+        _cors(self)
+        self.end_headers()
+        self.wfile.write(body)
+
+    def do_POST(self):
+        if urlparse(self.path).path != "/api/scores":
+            self.send_response(404); _cors(self); self.end_headers(); return
+        length = int(self.headers.get("Content-Length", "0"))
+        try:
+            payload = json.loads(self.rfile.read(length))
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.send_response(400); _cors(self); self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(f"bad json: {e}".encode())
+            return
+        board = payload.get("board", "")
+        SCORES.setdefault(board, []).append(payload)
+        # Rank: 1 = best. Sort descending, find position.
+        ranked = sorted(SCORES[board], key=lambda r: r["score"], reverse=True)
+        # Identify *this* submission by reference equality.
+        rank = next((i + 1 for i, r in enumerate(ranked) if r is payload), -1)
+        body = json.dumps({"rank": rank, "total": len(SCORES[board])}).encode()
+        print(f"[POST] board={board} name={payload.get('name')} "
+              f"score={payload.get('score')} -> #{rank}/{len(SCORES[board])}")
+        self.send_response(200)
+        self.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+        _cors(self)
+        self.end_headers()
+        self.wfile.write(body)
+
+    def log_message(self, fmt, *args):
+        # Keep the noise down; we print our own line on POST.
+        return
+
+
+def main():
+    port = int(sys.argv[1]) if len(sys.argv) > 1 else 8765
+    srv = HTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", port), Handler)
+    print(f"mock-leaderboard listening on http://127.0.0.1:{port}")
+    try:
+        srv.serve_forever()
+    except KeyboardInterrupt:
+        pass
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()