diff --git a/backend/internal/caddy/listmodules_test.go b/backend/internal/caddy/listmodules_test.go
index 6447f78..d3a1ec8 100644
--- a/backend/internal/caddy/listmodules_test.go
+++ b/backend/internal/caddy/listmodules_test.go
@@ -45,6 +45,67 @@ EOF
 	}
 }
 
+// TestListModulesTextFallback simulates an older Caddy that rejects --json but
+// supports the plain-text flags, exercising the text-parsing fallback.
+func TestListModulesTextFallback(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("fake shell binary not supported on windows")
+	}
+	prev := config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary
+	t.Cleanup(func() { config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary = prev })
+
+	script := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "fakecaddy")
+	body := `#!/bin/sh
+# Reject --json like older caddy does.
+for a in "$@"; do
+  if [ "$a" = "--json" ]; then
+    echo "Error: unknown flag: --json" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+done
+# --skip-standard returns only the plugin(s).
+case "$*" in
+  *--skip-standard*)
+    echo "dns.providers.cloudflare github.com/caddy-dns/cloudflare"
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "http.handlers.reverse_proxy github.com/caddyserver/caddy/v2"
+    echo "dns.providers.cloudflare github.com/caddy-dns/cloudflare"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  Standard modules: 1"
+    ;;
+esac
+`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(script, []byte(body), 0755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary = script
+
+	mods, err := ListModules()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ListModules text fallback: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(mods) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 modules, got %d: %+v", len(mods), mods)
+	}
+
+	byID := map[string]Module{}
+	for _, m := range mods {
+		byID[m.ID] = m
+	}
+	cf, ok := byID["dns.providers.cloudflare"]
+	if !ok || cf.Standard {
+		t.Errorf("cloudflare should be present and non-standard: %+v", cf)
+	}
+	if cf.Package != "github.com/caddy-dns/cloudflare" {
+		t.Errorf("cloudflare package = %q", cf.Package)
+	}
+	rp, ok := byID["http.handlers.reverse_proxy"]
+	if !ok || !rp.Standard {
+		t.Errorf("reverse_proxy should be present and standard: %+v", rp)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestListModulesBinaryMissing(t *testing.T) {
 	prev := config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary
 	t.Cleanup(func() { config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary = prev })
diff --git a/backend/internal/caddy/modules.go b/backend/internal/caddy/modules.go
index d52c610..aa24c2f 100644
--- a/backend/internal/caddy/modules.go
+++ b/backend/internal/caddy/modules.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package caddy
 
 import (
+	"bytes"
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
@@ -39,20 +40,109 @@ type rawModule struct {
 	PackageURL string `json:"package_url"`
 }
 
-// ListModules runs `caddy list-modules --json` against the configured binary
-// and returns the parsed module list sorted by ID. It is the canonical way to
-// discover which plugins a user-supplied Caddy build provides.
+// ListModules returns the module list reported by the configured Caddy binary,
+// sorted by ID. It is the canonical way to discover which plugins a
+// user-supplied Caddy build provides.
+//
+// It prefers `caddy list-modules --json`, but older Caddy versions don't
+// support the --json flag; in that case it falls back to parsing the plain
+// text output.
 func ListModules() ([]Module, error) {
+	out, jsonErr := runListModules("--json")
+	if jsonErr == nil {
+		return parseModules(out)
+	}
+	// Older Caddy without --json support: fall back to text parsing.
+	return listModulesText()
+}
+
+// runListModules runs `caddy list-modules <args...>` and returns stdout,
+// surfacing stderr in the error message.
+func runListModules(args ...string) ([]byte, error) {
 	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 15*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 
-	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary, "list-modules", "--json")
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary, append([]string{"list-modules"}, args...)...)
+	var stderr bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stderr = &stderr
 	out, err := cmd.Output()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("running %q list-modules: %w", config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary, err)
+		msg := strings.TrimSpace(stderr.String())
+		if msg == "" {
+			msg = err.Error()
+		}
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("running %q list-modules: %s", config.Configuration.Caddy.Binary, msg)
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// listModulesText builds the module list from Caddy's plain-text output, used
+// when the binary doesn't support --json. It runs once for the full list
+// (with package paths) and once skipping standard modules to classify which
+// modules are non-standard plugins.
+func listModulesText() ([]Module, error) {
+	full, err := runListModules("--packages")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	// --skip-standard yields only the non-standard (plugin) module IDs.
+	skipStd, err := runListModules("--skip-standard", "--packages")
+	if err != nil {
+		// Without classification, treat everything as standard rather than fail.
+		skipStd = nil
 	}
 
-	return parseModules(out)
+	nonStandard := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, line := range parseTextModuleLines(skipStd) {
+		nonStandard[line.id] = true
+	}
+
+	lines := parseTextModuleLines(full)
+	modules := make([]Module, 0, len(lines))
+	for _, l := range lines {
+		namespace, name := splitModuleID(l.id)
+		modules = append(modules, Module{
+			ID:        l.id,
+			Namespace: namespace,
+			Name:      name,
+			Standard:  !nonStandard[l.id],
+			Package:   l.pkg,
+		})
+	}
+
+	sort.Slice(modules, func(i, j int) bool { return modules[i].ID < modules[j].ID })
+	return modules, nil
+}
+
+type textModuleLine struct {
+	id  string
+	pkg string
+}
+
+// parseTextModuleLines parses lines of `caddy list-modules --packages` output.
+// Each module line looks like "http.handlers.reverse_proxy github.com/...".
+// Summary/blank lines (e.g. "Standard modules: 132") are skipped.
+func parseTextModuleLines(data []byte) []textModuleLine {
+	var out []textModuleLine
+	for _, raw := range strings.Split(string(data), "\n") {
+		line := strings.TrimSpace(raw)
+		if line == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		fields := strings.Fields(line)
+		id := fields[0]
+		// A module ID is a dotted token; summary lines like "Standard
+		// modules: 132" start with a word and a colon, so skip non-module ids.
+		if !strings.Contains(id, ".") || strings.HasSuffix(id, ":") {
+			continue
+		}
+		pkg := ""
+		if len(fields) > 1 {
+			pkg = fields[len(fields)-1]
+		}
+		out = append(out, textModuleLine{id: id, pkg: pkg})
+	}
+	return out
 }
 
 // parseModules decodes the JSON output of `caddy list-modules --json`.