diff --git a/backend/config/entity_references.py b/backend/config/entity_references.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..77b8cf13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/config/entity_references.py
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+"""Every cross-entity id field on a backend model: what entity it points at, and where that
+entity is resolved from an id.
+
+OpenSwarm stores entities as JSON records that point at each other with bare strings. A workflow
+holds `edit_agent_session_id`, an app record holds `workspace_id`, a dashboard card holds
+`session_id`. Nothing at the type level says the referent exists, so a reader that forgets the miss
+renders a blank instead of a designed empty state. This module is the one place that says what each
+pointer means, and the `dangling-refs` linter check (linter/checks/dangling_refs.py) fails any new
+`*_id` / `*_ids` field on a backend model that is not declared here.
+
+Data only, no logic: nothing resolves a pointer for you. The `EntityStore` rows name the function
+that does, and the linter checks those names still exist so a rename can't quietly rot this file.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from enum import Enum
+from typing import List
+
+from pydantic import BaseModel, ConfigDict
+
+
+class EntityKind(str, Enum):
+    """A record type other records point at by id."""
+
+    SESSION = "session"
+    DASHBOARD = "dashboard"
+    WORKFLOW = "workflow"
+    WORKFLOW_RUN = "workflow_run"
+    OUTPUT = "output"
+    WORKSPACE = "workspace"
+
+
+class EntityStore(BaseModel):
+    """Where one entity kind is looked up by id, so a reader knows what a pointer resolves against."""
+
+    model_config = ConfigDict(validate_assignment=True, frozen=True)
+
+    kind: EntityKind
+    module: str
+    lookup: str
+
+
+class EntityReference(BaseModel):
+    """One id field on one backend model, and the entity kind it points at."""
+
+    model_config = ConfigDict(validate_assignment=True, frozen=True)
+
+    module: str
+    model: str
+    field: str
+    target: EntityKind
+
+
+ENTITY_STORES: List[EntityStore] = [
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.SESSION, module="backend.apps.agents.manager.session.session_store", lookup="load_session_data"),
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.DASHBOARD, module="backend.apps.dashboards.dashboards", lookup="load"),
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.WORKFLOW, module="backend.apps.workflows.storage", lookup="get_workflow"),
+    # No get_run(run_id) exists; a run is found by scanning the listing, which is why a stale
+    # last_run_id reads as "no run" rather than as an error.
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.WORKFLOW_RUN, module="backend.apps.workflows.storage", lookup="list_all_runs"),
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.OUTPUT, module="backend.apps.outputs.workspace_io", lookup="load_output"),
+    # A workspace is a folder on disk, not a record, so its only by-id lookup is the read route.
+    EntityStore(kind=EntityKind.WORKSPACE, module="backend.apps.outputs.outputs", lookup="read_workspace"),
+]
+
+CROSS_ENTITY_REFERENCES: List[EntityReference] = [
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentConfig", field="dashboard_id", target=EntityKind.DASHBOARD),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentConfig", field="selected_app_output_ids", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentConfig", field="workflow_edit_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentConfig", field="workflow_run_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW_RUN),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentSession", field="dashboard_id", target=EntityKind.DASHBOARD),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentSession", field="parent_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentSession", field="workflow_edit_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="AgentSession", field="workflow_run_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW_RUN),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.core.models", model="ApprovalRequest", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.manager.Messaging", model="QueuedMessage", field="selected_app_output_ids", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.agents.manager.streaming.HookContext", model="HookContext", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboard_layout.models", model="CardPosition", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboard_layout.models", model="ViewCardPosition", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboards.models", model="BrowserCardPosition", field="dashboard_id", target=EntityKind.DASHBOARD),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboards.models", model="CardPosition", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboards.models", model="DashboardLayout", field="expanded_session_ids", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.dashboards.models", model="ViewCardPosition", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="AgentCreateAppRequest", field="parent_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="Output", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="Output", field="workspace_id", target=EntityKind.WORKSPACE),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputCreate", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputCreate", field="workspace_id", target=EntityKind.WORKSPACE),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputExecute", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputExecuteResult", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputUpdate", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="OutputUpdate", field="workspace_id", target=EntityKind.WORKSPACE),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="PublishPreflightRequest", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="PublishRequest", field="output_id", target=EntityKind.OUTPUT),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.outputs.models", model="WorkspaceSeedRequest", field="workspace_id", target=EntityKind.WORKSPACE),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.skills.models", model="SkillWorkspaceSeedRequest", field="workspace_id", target=EntityKind.WORKSPACE),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="AskRunBody", field="run_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW_RUN),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="MissedRun", field="workflow_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="dashboard_id", target=EntityKind.DASHBOARD),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="edit_agent_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="last_run_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW_RUN),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="last_test_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="schedule_agent_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="Workflow", field="source_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="WorkflowCreate", field="dashboard_id", target=EntityKind.DASHBOARD),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="WorkflowCreate", field="source_session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="WorkflowRun", field="session_id", target=EntityKind.SESSION),
+    EntityReference(module="backend.apps.workflows.models", model="WorkflowRun", field="workflow_id", target=EntityKind.WORKFLOW),
+]