diff --git a/server/src/db/models/QueueWorker.ts b/server/src/db/models/QueueWorker.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..76485f56c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/db/models/QueueWorker.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { Schema, model } from "mongoose";
+import { QueueModes, type QueueMode } from "@/types/settings.js";
+
+// Heartbeat presence record for a scheduler instance. _id is the scheduler's
+// workerId (hostname:pid:uuid). The TTL index on lastSeenAt garbage-collects
+// records for instances that have stopped heartbeating.
+interface QueueWorkerDocument {
+	_id: string;
+	mode: QueueMode;
+	lastSeenAt: Date;
+	createdAt: Date;
+	updatedAt: Date;
+}
+
+const QueueWorkerSchema = new Schema<QueueWorkerDocument>(
+	{
+		_id: { type: String, required: true },
+		mode: { type: String, enum: QueueModes, required: true },
+		lastSeenAt: { type: Date, default: Date.now, expires: 30 },
+	},
+	{ timestamps: true }
+);
+
+const QueueWorkerModel = model<QueueWorkerDocument>("QueueWorker", QueueWorkerSchema);
+
+export type { QueueWorkerDocument };
+export { QueueWorkerModel };
+export default QueueWorkerModel;
diff --git a/server/src/db/models/index.ts b/server/src/db/models/index.ts
index f0647f9eb..b825ca503 100644
--- a/server/src/db/models/index.ts
+++ b/server/src/db/models/index.ts
@@ -41,3 +41,6 @@ export * from "@/db/models/DLQItem.js";
 export { default as DLQItemModel } from "@/db/models/DLQItem.js";
 export * from "@/db/models/Tag.js";
 export { default as TagModel } from "@/db/models/Tag.js";
+
+export * from "@/db/models/QueueWorker.js";
+export { default as QueueWorkerModel } from "@/db/models/QueueWorker.js";