diff --git a/src/app/components/ImageInputModal.svelte b/src/app/components/ImageInputModal.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..178d5ac4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/components/ImageInputModal.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  import LinkRound from "@assets/icons/link-round.svg?dataurl"
+  import UploadMinimalistic from "@assets/icons/upload-minimalistic.svg?dataurl"
+  import AltArrowLeft from "@assets/icons/alt-arrow-left.svg?dataurl"
+  import {preventDefault} from "@lib/html"
+  import Icon from "@lib/components/Icon.svelte"
+  import Field from "@lib/components/Field.svelte"
+  import Button from "@lib/components/Button.svelte"
+  import Modal from "@lib/components/Modal.svelte"
+  import ModalBody from "@lib/components/ModalBody.svelte"
+  import ModalHeader from "@lib/components/ModalHeader.svelte"
+  import ModalTitle from "@lib/components/ModalTitle.svelte"
+  import ModalSubtitle from "@lib/components/ModalSubtitle.svelte"
+  import ModalFooter from "@lib/components/ModalFooter.svelte"
+  import {popModal} from "@app/modal"
+
+  type Props = {
+    onSelect: (image: File | string) => void
+    initialValue?: string
+  }
+
+  const {onSelect, initialValue = ""}: Props = $props()
+
+  const isValidUrl = (value: string) => {
+    try {
+      return ["http:", "https:"].includes(new URL(value).protocol)
+    } catch (e) {
+      return false
+    }
+  }
+
+  const select = (image: File | string) => {
+    onSelect(image)
+    popModal()
+  }
+
+  const onFileChange = (event: Event) => {
+    const selected = (event.target as HTMLInputElement).files?.[0]
+
+    if (selected?.type.startsWith("image/")) {
+      select(selected)
+    }
+  }
+
+  let value = $state(initialValue)
+
+  let failedUrl = $state("")
+
+  const url = $derived(value.trim())
+  const isValid = $derived(isValidUrl(url))
+  const failed = $derived(Boolean(url) && failedUrl === url)
+</script>
+
+<Modal tag="form" onsubmit={preventDefault(() => select(url))}>
+  <ModalBody>
+    <ModalHeader>
+      <ModalTitle>Add an image</ModalTitle>
+      <ModalSubtitle>Upload a file, or link to an image hosted somewhere else.</ModalSubtitle>
+    </ModalHeader>
+    <label class="button button-primary cursor-pointer">
+      <Icon icon={UploadMinimalistic} />
+      Upload a file
+      <input type="file" accept="image/*" class="hidden" onchange={onFileChange} />
+    </label>
+    <div class="flex items-center gap-3 text-sm opacity-50">
+      <span class="h-px grow bg-line"></span>
+      or
+      <span class="h-px grow bg-line"></span>
+    </div>
+    <Field>
+      {#snippet label()}
+        <p>Image URL</p>
+      {/snippet}
+      {#snippet input()}
+        <label class="input flex w-full items-center gap-2">
+          <Icon icon={LinkRound} />
+          <input bind:value class="grow" type="url" placeholder="https://" />
+        </label>
+      {/snippet}
+      {#snippet info()}
+        {#if url && !isValid}
+          <span class="text-error">Please enter a valid http or https link.</span>
+        {:else if failed}
+          <span class="text-error">That link could not be loaded as an image.</span>
+        {:else}
+          <span>The image will be linked from where it's hosted rather than re-uploaded.</span>
+        {/if}
+      {/snippet}
+    </Field>
+    {#if isValid && !failed}
+      <div class="flex justify-center">
+        <img
+          src={url}
+          alt="Preview"
+          class="max-h-48 rounded-2xl object-contain"
+          onerror={() => (failedUrl = url)} />
+      </div>
+    {/if}
+  </ModalBody>
+  <ModalFooter>
+    <Button class="button button-link" onclick={popModal}>
+      <Icon icon={AltArrowLeft} />
+      Go back
+    </Button>
+    <Button type="submit" class="button button-primary" disabled={!isValid}>Use this image</Button>
+  </ModalFooter>
+</Modal>
diff --git a/src/app/components/RoomForm.svelte b/src/app/components/RoomForm.svelte
index 939beb55..9babeca3 100644
--- a/src/app/components/RoomForm.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/RoomForm.svelte
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   import {rooms} from "@app/core"
   import {joinRoom} from "@app/access"
   import {pushToast} from "@app/toast"
-  import {compressFileForUpload, uploadFileOrFallback} from "@app/uploads"
+  import {resolveImageInput} from "@app/uploads"
   import {deriveHasLivekit} from "@app/relays"
   import {RoomType} from "@app/rooms"
 
@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 
   const {url, header, footer, onsubmit, initialValues = {h: randomId()}}: Props = $props()
 
+  const compressOptions = {maxWidth: 128, maxHeight: 128}
+
   const values = $state(initialValues)
   const relayHasLivekit = deriveHasLivekit(url)
 
@@ -43,16 +45,7 @@
 
     room.livekit = roomType === RoomType.Voice
 
-    if (imageFile) {
-      const compressedFile = await compressFileForUpload(imageFile, {
-        maxWidth: 128,
-        maxHeight: 128,
-      })
-
-      const result = await uploadFileOrFallback(compressedFile)
-
-      room.picture = result.url
-    }
+    room.picture = await resolveImageInput(imageFile, imagePreview, compressOptions)
 
     const createCommand = await $rooms.createRoom(url, room)
     const createMessage = await createCommand.publish().waitForError()
diff --git a/src/app/components/SpaceEdit.svelte b/src/app/components/SpaceEdit.svelte
index 1c6b46d6..439e8f5a 100644
--- a/src/app/components/SpaceEdit.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/SpaceEdit.svelte
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
   import IconInput from "@lib/components/IconInput.svelte"
   import {pushToast} from "@app/toast"
   import {clearModals} from "@app/modal"
-  import {compressFileForUpload, uploadFileOrFallback} from "@app/uploads"
+  import {resolveImageInput} from "@app/uploads"
   import {relayManagement, relays} from "@app/core"
 
   type Props = {
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@
 
   const values = $state({...initialValues})
 
+  const compressOptions = {maxWidth: 128, maxHeight: 128}
+
   const back = () => history.back()
 
   const submit = async () => {
@@ -51,11 +53,10 @@
       }
     }
 
-    if (imageFile) {
-      const compressedFile = await compressFileForUpload(imageFile, {maxWidth: 128, maxHeight: 128})
-      const result = await uploadFileOrFallback(compressedFile)
+    const icon = await resolveImageInput(imageFile, imagePreview, compressOptions)
 
-      const res = await $relayManagement.forUrl(url).changeRelayIcon(result.url)
+    if (icon && icon !== initialValues.icon) {
+      const res = await $relayManagement.forUrl(url).changeRelayIcon(icon)
 
       if (res.error) {
         return pushToast({theme: "error", message: res.error})
diff --git a/src/app/components/hosting/RelayForm.svelte b/src/app/components/hosting/RelayForm.svelte
index 6fea2edf..7e1aebcc 100644
--- a/src/app/components/hosting/RelayForm.svelte
+++ b/src/app/components/hosting/RelayForm.svelte
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
   import {derivePlans} from "@app/hosting"
   import {HOSTING_RELAY_DOMAIN} from "@app/env"
   import {pushToast} from "@app/toast"
-  import {compressFileForUpload, uploadFileOrFallback} from "@app/uploads"
+  import {resolveImageInput} from "@app/uploads"
 
   type Props = {
     mode: "create" | "edit"
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@
     onSubmit,
   }: Props = $props()
 
+  const compressOptions = {maxWidth: 128, maxHeight: 128}
+
   const slugify = (value: string) =>
     value
       .toLowerCase()
@@ -123,17 +125,11 @@
     loading = true
 
     try {
-      if (imageFile) {
-        const compressedFile = await compressFileForUpload(imageFile, {
-          maxWidth: 128,
-          maxHeight: 128,
-        })
-        const result = await uploadFileOrFallback(compressedFile)
+      const resolvedIcon = await resolveImageInput(imageFile, imagePreview, compressOptions)
 
-        icon = result.url
-        imagePreview = result.url
-        imageFile = undefined
-      }
+      icon = resolvedIcon ?? ""
+      imagePreview = icon
+      imageFile = undefined
 
       await onSubmit({
         plan_id: planId,
diff --git a/src/app/uploads.ts b/src/app/uploads.ts
index fe33dfca..fca5d923 100644
--- a/src/app/uploads.ts
+++ b/src/app/uploads.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import type {Maybe} from "@welshman/lib"
 import {first, normalizeUrl, parseJson, sha256, simpleCache} from "@welshman/lib"
 import {canUploadBlob, encryptFile, makeBlossomAuthEvent, uploadBlob} from "@welshman/util"
 import {Nip01Signer} from "@welshman/signer"
@@ -177,3 +178,18 @@ export const uploadFileOrFallback = async (
 
   return {url: await readFileAsDataUrl(file), tags: []}
 }
+
+export const resolveImageInput = async (
+  file: Maybe<File>,
+  url: Maybe<string>,
+  options: CompressFileOptions = {},
+) => {
+  if (!file) {
+    return url
+  }
+
+  const compressedFile = await compressFileForUpload(file, options)
+  const result = await uploadFileOrFallback(compressedFile)
+
+  return result.url
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/components/IconInput.svelte b/src/lib/components/IconInput.svelte
index 688576c8..c0f116ba 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/IconInput.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/IconInput.svelte
@@ -4,17 +4,20 @@
   import Icon from "@lib/components/Icon.svelte"
   import ImageIcon from "@lib/components/ImageIcon.svelte"
   import IconPickerButton from "@lib/components/IconPickerButton.svelte"
+  import ImageInputButton from "@lib/components/ImageInputButton.svelte"
 
   type Props = {
     // The parent uploads this on submit — never `preview`, which may be a data: URL.
     file?: File | undefined
-    // An existing hosted URL, or the data: URL of a freshly picked image.
+    // An existing hosted URL, the data: URL of a freshly picked image, or a URL the user pasted.
     preview?: string | undefined
     previewClass?: string
   }
 
   let {file = $bindable(), preview = $bindable(), previewClass = ""}: Props = $props()
 
+  const initialUrlValue = $derived(preview?.startsWith("data:") ? undefined : preview)
+
   // Decode a built-in icon's base64 SVG data: URL into a File so it uploads on
   // submit like any image.
   const handleIconSelect = (iconUrl: string) => {
@@ -31,19 +34,21 @@
     file = new File([bytes], "icon.svg", {type: "image/svg+xml"})
   }
 
-  const handleImageUpload = (event: Event) => {
-    const selected = (event.target as HTMLInputElement).files?.[0]
-
-    if (selected && selected.type.startsWith("image/")) {
-      const reader = new FileReader()
-
-      reader.onload = e => {
-        file = selected
-        preview = e.target?.result as string
-      }
-
-      reader.readAsDataURL(selected)
+  const handleImageSelect = (image: File | string) => {
+    if (typeof image === "string") {
+      file = undefined
+      preview = image
+      return
     }
+
+    const reader = new FileReader()
+
+    reader.onload = e => {
+      file = image
+      preview = e.target?.result as string
+    }
+
+    reader.readAsDataURL(image)
   }
 </script>
 
@@ -60,9 +65,11 @@
     <IconPickerButton onSelect={handleIconSelect} class="button button-primary button-sm">
       <Icon icon={StickerSmileSquare} size={4} />
     </IconPickerButton>
-    <label class="button button-neutral button-sm cursor-pointer">
+    <ImageInputButton
+      onSelect={handleImageSelect}
+      initialValue={initialUrlValue}
+      class="button button-neutral button-sm">
       <Icon icon={UploadMinimalistic} size={4} />
-      <input type="file" accept="image/*" class="hidden" onchange={handleImageUpload} />
-    </label>
+    </ImageInputButton>
   </div>
 </div>
diff --git a/src/lib/components/ImageInputButton.svelte b/src/lib/components/ImageInputButton.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9f8e4aed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/components/ImageInputButton.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+  import type {Snippet} from "svelte"
+  import Button from "@lib/components/Button.svelte"
+  import ImageInputModal from "@app/components/ImageInputModal.svelte"
+  import {pushModal} from "@app/modal"
+
+  type Props = {
+    onSelect: (image: File | string) => void
+    initialValue?: string
+    children?: Snippet
+    [key: string]: any
+  }
+
+  const {onSelect, initialValue, children, ...props}: Props = $props()
+
+  const open = () => pushModal(ImageInputModal, {onSelect, initialValue}, {nested: true})
+</script>
+
+<Button onclick={open} {...props}>
+  {@render children?.()}
+</Button>