diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/__init__.py b/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d159536fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+"""Scraper capability registry — typed, stateless verbs. See plans/backend/04-capabilities.md."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+__all__: list[str] = []
diff --git a/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/types.py b/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/types.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a9c261e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/surfsense_backend/app/capabilities/types.py
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+"""``Capability`` registry contracts shared by every verb."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from collections.abc import Awaitable, Callable
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from enum import StrEnum
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any, Protocol
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from pydantic import BaseModel
+    from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
+
+
+class BillingUnit(StrEnum):
+    """The meter a verb charges on (priced by the billing service, 03c)."""
+
+    WEB_CRAWL = "web_crawl"
+
+
+class BillableOutput(Protocol):
+    """A capability output that reports its own billable count."""
+
+    @property
+    def billable_units(self) -> int: ...
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class CapabilityContext:
+    """Request-scoped deps a capability call needs beyond its typed input."""
+
+    session: AsyncSession
+    workspace_id: int
+
+
+Executor = Callable[[Any], Awaitable[Any]]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class Capability:
+    """One typed verb; the source of truth the doors (05) and agent (07) read."""
+
+    name: str
+    input_schema: type[BaseModel]
+    output_schema: type[BaseModel]
+    executor: Executor
+    billing_unit: BillingUnit