diff --git a/backend/app/api/tags.py b/backend/app/api/tags.py
index 941754d..8e20970 100644
--- a/backend/app/api/tags.py
+++ b/backend/app/api/tags.py
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ from quart import Blueprint, jsonify, request
 
 from ..extensions import get_session
 from ..models import TagKind
+from ..services.tag_directory_service import TagDirectoryService
 from ..services.tag_service import TagService, TagValidationError
 
 tags_bp = Blueprint("tags", __name__, url_prefix="/api")
@@ -46,6 +47,24 @@ async def autocomplete():
     )
 
 
+@tags_bp.route("/tags/directory", methods=["GET"])
+async def directory():
+    kind = request.args.get("kind") or None
+    q = request.args.get("q") or None
+    cursor = request.args.get("cursor") or None
+    try:
+        limit = int(request.args.get("limit", "60"))
+    except ValueError:
+        return jsonify({"error": "limit must be an integer"}), 400
+    async with get_session() as session:
+        svc = TagDirectoryService(session)
+        try:
+            page = await svc.list_tags(kind=kind, q=q, cursor=cursor, limit=limit)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return jsonify({"error": str(exc)}), 400
+    return jsonify({"cards": page.cards, "next_cursor": page.next_cursor})
+
+
 @tags_bp.route("/tags", methods=["POST"])
 async def create_tag():
     body = await request.get_json()
diff --git a/backend/app/services/tag_directory_service.py b/backend/app/services/tag_directory_service.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a0ffaaa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/services/tag_directory_service.py
@@ -0,0 +1,126 @@
+"""Paged tag-directory cards with window-function preview thumbnails.
+
+Cursor orders by (Tag.name ASC, Tag.id ASC). Preview thumbnails for the
+page's tags are fetched in ONE windowed query (ROW_NUMBER <= 3) to avoid
+an N+1. fandom_name is resolved via a self-join on Tag (fandom_id -> Tag).
+"""
+
+import base64
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+
+from sqlalchemy import and_, func, or_, select
+from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
+from sqlalchemy.orm import aliased
+
+from ..models import ImageRecord, Tag
+from ..models.tag import image_tag
+from .gallery_service import thumbnail_url
+
+_SEP = "|"
+
+
+def _encode(name: str, tag_id: int) -> str:
+    return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(f"{name}{_SEP}{tag_id}".encode()).decode()
+
+
+def _decode(cursor: str) -> tuple[str, int]:
+    try:
+        raw = base64.urlsafe_b64decode(cursor.encode()).decode()
+        name, tid = raw.rsplit(_SEP, 1)
+        return name, int(tid)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        raise ValueError(f"invalid cursor: {cursor!r}") from exc
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class DirectoryPage:
+    cards: list[dict]
+    next_cursor: str | None
+
+
+class TagDirectoryService:
+    def __init__(self, session: AsyncSession):
+        self.session = session
+
+    async def list_tags(
+        self,
+        kind: str | None,
+        q: str | None,
+        cursor: str | None,
+        limit: int = 60,
+    ) -> DirectoryPage:
+        if limit < 1 or limit > 200:
+            raise ValueError("limit must be between 1 and 200")
+
+        fandom = aliased(Tag)
+        count_col = func.count(image_tag.c.image_record_id).label("image_count")
+        stmt = (
+            select(Tag, fandom.name.label("fandom_name"), count_col)
+            .outerjoin(fandom, Tag.fandom_id == fandom.id)
+            .outerjoin(image_tag, image_tag.c.tag_id == Tag.id)
+            .group_by(Tag.id, fandom.name)
+        )
+        if kind is not None:
+            stmt = stmt.where(Tag.kind == kind)
+        if q:
+            stmt = stmt.where(Tag.name.ilike(f"%{q}%"))
+        if cursor:
+            c_name, c_id = _decode(cursor)
+            stmt = stmt.where(
+                or_(
+                    Tag.name > c_name,
+                    and_(Tag.name == c_name, Tag.id > c_id),
+                )
+            )
+        stmt = stmt.order_by(Tag.name.asc(), Tag.id.asc()).limit(limit + 1)
+        rows = (await self.session.execute(stmt)).all()
+
+        next_cursor = None
+        if len(rows) > limit:
+            last_tag = rows[limit - 1][0]
+            next_cursor = _encode(last_tag.name, last_tag.id)
+            rows = rows[:limit]
+
+        tag_ids = [r[0].id for r in rows]
+        previews = await self._previews(tag_ids)
+
+        cards = [
+            {
+                "id": tag.id,
+                "name": tag.name,
+                "kind": tag.kind.value if hasattr(tag.kind, "value") else tag.kind,
+                "fandom_id": tag.fandom_id,
+                "fandom_name": fandom_name,
+                "image_count": int(image_count),
+                "preview_thumbnails": previews.get(tag.id, []),
+            }
+            for tag, fandom_name, image_count in rows
+        ]
+        return DirectoryPage(cards=cards, next_cursor=next_cursor)
+
+    async def _previews(self, tag_ids: list[int]) -> dict[int, list[str]]:
+        if not tag_ids:
+            return {}
+        rn = func.row_number().over(
+            partition_by=image_tag.c.tag_id,
+            order_by=image_tag.c.image_record_id.desc(),
+        ).label("rn")
+        sub = (
+            select(
+                image_tag.c.tag_id.label("tag_id"),
+                image_tag.c.image_record_id.label("image_record_id"),
+                rn,
+            )
+            .where(image_tag.c.tag_id.in_(tag_ids))
+            .subquery()
+        )
+        stmt = (
+            select(sub.c.tag_id, ImageRecord.sha256, ImageRecord.mime)
+            .join(ImageRecord, ImageRecord.id == sub.c.image_record_id)
+            .where(sub.c.rn <= 3)
+            .order_by(sub.c.tag_id, sub.c.rn)
+        )
+        out: dict[int, list[str]] = {}
+        for tag_id, sha, mime in (await self.session.execute(stmt)).all():
+            out.setdefault(tag_id, []).append(thumbnail_url(sha, mime))
+        return out
diff --git a/tests/test_api_tags_directory.py b/tests/test_api_tags_directory.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..de9c01e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_api_tags_directory.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+import pytest
+
+from backend.app import create_app
+from backend.app.models import Tag, TagKind
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+async def client():
+    app = create_app()
+    async with app.test_client() as c:
+        yield c
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_endpoint(client, db):
+    db.add(Tag(name="api_tag", kind=TagKind.general))
+    await db.flush()
+    await db.commit()
+    resp = await client.get("/api/tags/directory?limit=10")
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    body = await resp.get_json()
+    assert "cards" in body and "next_cursor" in body
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_bad_limit(client):
+    resp = await client.get("/api/tags/directory?limit=nan")
+    assert resp.status_code == 400
diff --git a/tests/test_tag_directory_service.py b/tests/test_tag_directory_service.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b40e6b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_tag_directory_service.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import pytest
+
+from backend.app.models import ImageRecord, Tag, TagKind
+from backend.app.models.tag import image_tag
+from backend.app.services.tag_directory_service import TagDirectoryService
+
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.integration
+
+
+async def _img(db, i):
+    r = ImageRecord(
+        path=f"/images/td/{i}.jpg", sha256=f"d{i:063d}",
+        size_bytes=1, mime="image/jpeg", width=1, height=1,
+        origin="imported_filesystem", integrity_status="unknown",
+    )
+    db.add(r)
+    await db.flush()
+    return r
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_lists_tags_with_counts_and_previews(db):
+    t = Tag(name="sunset", kind=TagKind.general)
+    db.add(t)
+    await db.flush()
+    for i in range(4):
+        img = await _img(db, i)
+        await db.execute(image_tag.insert().values(
+            image_record_id=img.id, tag_id=t.id, source="manual"))
+    await db.flush()
+    svc = TagDirectoryService(db)
+    page = await svc.list_tags(kind=None, q=None, cursor=None, limit=10)
+    card = next(c for c in page.cards if c["name"] == "sunset")
+    assert card["image_count"] == 4
+    assert len(card["preview_thumbnails"]) == 3
+    assert card["preview_thumbnails"][0].startswith("/images/thumbs/")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_kind_filter_and_search(db):
+    db.add_all([
+        Tag(name="artist_a", kind=TagKind.artist),
+        Tag(name="char_b", kind=TagKind.character),
+        Tag(name="char_zoom", kind=TagKind.character),
+    ])
+    await db.flush()
+    svc = TagDirectoryService(db)
+    only_char = await svc.list_tags(kind="character", q=None, cursor=None, limit=10)
+    assert {c["name"] for c in only_char.cards} == {"char_b", "char_zoom"}
+    searched = await svc.list_tags(kind=None, q="zoom", cursor=None, limit=10)
+    assert {c["name"] for c in searched.cards} == {"char_zoom"}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_cursor_pagination(db):
+    for i in range(5):
+        db.add(Tag(name=f"t{i:02d}", kind=TagKind.general))
+    await db.flush()
+    svc = TagDirectoryService(db)
+    first = await svc.list_tags(kind=None, q=None, cursor=None, limit=2)
+    assert len(first.cards) == 2
+    assert first.next_cursor is not None
+    second = await svc.list_tags(kind=None, q=None, cursor=first.next_cursor, limit=2)
+    assert len(second.cards) == 2
+    assert {c["id"] for c in first.cards}.isdisjoint({c["id"] for c in second.cards})
+
+
+@pytest.mark.asyncio
+async def test_directory_rejects_bad_limit(db):
+    svc = TagDirectoryService(db)
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        await svc.list_tags(kind=None, q=None, cursor=None, limit=0)