diff --git a/launcher/src/main.rs b/launcher/src/main.rs
index be7ae4b0..228b0e79 100644
--- a/launcher/src/main.rs
+++ b/launcher/src/main.rs
@@ -1607,6 +1607,10 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), LauncherError> {
     // Download and convert lora adapters if any
     if let Some(lora_adapters) = &args.lora_adapters {
         for adapter in lora_adapters.split(',') {
+            // skip download if a path is provided
+            if adapter.contains('=') {
+                continue;
+            }
             download_convert_model(
                 adapter,
                 None,
diff --git a/server/tests/utils/test_adapter.py b/server/tests/utils/test_adapter.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cc1b076d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/tests/utils/test_adapter.py
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+import pytest
+from unittest.mock import Mock
+from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import get_attn_weights, get_mlp_weights
+
+
+def test_get_attn_weights():
+    # create a mock layer
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj = Mock()
+
+    # call the function
+    result = get_attn_weights(2, mock_layer)
+
+    # assert the result
+    expected = {
+        (2, "q_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.q_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "k_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.k_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "v_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.v_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "o_proj"): ("model.layers.2.self_attn.o_proj", mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
+
+
+def test_get_mlp_weights_with_gate_up_proj():
+    # create a mock layer with gate_up_proj
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.down_proj = Mock()
+
+    # call the function
+    result = get_mlp_weights(3, mock_layer)
+
+    # assert the result
+    expected = {
+        (3, "gate_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.gate_proj", mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj),
+        (3, "up_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.up_proj", mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj),
+        (3, "down_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.down_proj", mock_layer.mlp.down_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
+
+
+def test_get_mlp_weights_without_gate_up_proj():
+    # create a mock layer without gate_up_proj
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp = Mock(spec=[])
+
+    # call the function
+    result = get_mlp_weights(1, mock_layer)
+
+    # assert the result
+    assert result == {}
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("layer_index", [0, 1, 5])
+def test_get_attn_weights_different_layers(layer_index):
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj = Mock()
+
+    result = get_attn_weights(layer_index, mock_layer)
+
+    for k in ["q", "k", "v"]:
+        assert (layer_index, f"{k}_proj") in result
+        assert (
+            result[(layer_index, f"{k}_proj")][0]
+            == f"model.layers.{layer_index}.self_attn.{k}_proj"
+        )
+
+    assert (layer_index, "o_proj") in result
+    assert (
+        result[(layer_index, "o_proj")][0]
+        == f"model.layers.{layer_index}.self_attn.o_proj"
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("layer_index", [0, 1, 5])
+def test_get_mlp_weights_different_layers(layer_index):
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.down_proj = Mock()
+
+    result = get_mlp_weights(layer_index, mock_layer)
+
+    for k in ["gate", "up", "down"]:
+        assert (layer_index, f"{k}_proj") in result
+        assert (
+            result[(layer_index, f"{k}_proj")][0]
+            == f"model.layers.{layer_index}.mlp.{k}_proj"
+        )
+
+
+def test_get_attn_weights_llama_compatibility():
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj = Mock()
+
+    result = get_attn_weights(2, mock_layer)
+
+    expected = {
+        (2, "q_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.q_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "k_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.k_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "v_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.v_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "o_proj"): ("model.layers.2.self_attn.o_proj", mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
+
+
+def test_get_mlp_weights_llama_compatibility():
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.down_proj = Mock()
+
+    result = get_mlp_weights(3, mock_layer)
+
+    expected = {
+        (3, "gate_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.gate_proj", mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj),
+        (3, "up_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.up_proj", mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj),
+        (3, "down_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.down_proj", mock_layer.mlp.down_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
+
+
+def test_get_attn_weights_gemma_compatibility():
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value = Mock()
+    mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj = Mock()
+
+    result = get_attn_weights(2, mock_layer)
+
+    expected = {
+        (2, "q_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.q_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "k_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.k_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "v_proj"): (
+            "model.layers.2.self_attn.v_proj",
+            mock_layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
+        ),
+        (2, "o_proj"): ("model.layers.2.self_attn.o_proj", mock_layer.self_attn.o_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
+
+
+def test_get_mlp_weights_gemma_compatibility():
+    mock_layer = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.gate_proj = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.up_proj = Mock()
+    mock_layer.mlp.down_proj = Mock()
+
+    # ensure that the mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj attribute does not exist.
+    # This is necessary because the use of `Mock` automatically creates any
+    # attributes that are accessed, even if they don't exist in the actual
+    # implementation. If `gate_up_proj` were created, `get_mlp_weights` might
+    # follow the wrong execution path and return an incorrect result.
+    del mock_layer.mlp.gate_up_proj
+
+    result = get_mlp_weights(3, mock_layer)
+
+    expected = {
+        (3, "gate_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.gate_proj", mock_layer.mlp.gate_proj),
+        (3, "up_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.up_proj", mock_layer.mlp.up_proj),
+        (3, "down_proj"): ("model.layers.3.mlp.down_proj", mock_layer.mlp.down_proj),
+    }
+    assert result == expected
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/config.py b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/config.py
index 5261d4b5..2ee53b12 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/config.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/config.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Dict, Optional, Set, Tuple
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Dict, Set, Tuple
 
 import torch
 
@@ -31,14 +31,3 @@ class AdapterConfig(ABC):
         weight_names: Tuple[str],
     ) -> Tuple[ModuleMap, Set[str]]:
         pass
-
-    @abstractmethod
-    def load_batched_adapter_weights(
-        self,
-        model: "Model",
-        module_map: ModuleMap,
-        layer_type: str,
-        unused_weight_names: Set[str],
-        dynamic: bool,
-    ) -> Optional[AdapterWeights]:
-        pass
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/lora.py b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/lora.py
index 87543be2..ac143bb7 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/lora.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/lora.py
@@ -102,22 +102,6 @@ class LoraConfig(AdapterConfig):
             adapter_weight_names.add(lora_b_name)
         return module_map, adapter_weight_names
 
-    def load_batched_adapter_weights(
-        self,
-        model: "Model",
-        module_map: Dict[str, Dict],
-        layer_type: str,
-        unused_weight_names: Set[str],
-        dynamic: bool,
-    ) -> Optional[AdapterWeights]:
-        return LoraWeights.load(
-            self,
-            model,
-            module_map,
-            layer_type,
-            unused_weight_names,
-        )
-
     @classmethod
     def load(cls, adapter_id: str, api_token: str) -> "LoraConfig":
         hf_config = _LoraConfig.from_pretrained(adapter_id, token=api_token)
@@ -192,22 +176,38 @@ class LoraWeights(AdapterWeights):
     def get_batch_types(cls) -> List[Type[BatchAdapterWeights]]:
         return [BatchLoraWeights]
 
+    # prepare pre-loaded lora weights for use in the model.
+    #
+    # this method processes and organizes lora weights for a specific layer type across all layers:
+    # - uses `config` (LoraConfig) to apply lora-specific settings like scaling factor.
+    # - retrieves weights from `module_map` based on the `layer_type`.
+    # - processes `nlayers` number of layers.
+    # - converts weights to the specified `dtype`.
+    # - shards weights across `world_size` number of processes using the `process_group`.
+    # - maps weights to specific layers using `target_to_layer`.
+    # - tracks `unused_weight_names` to identify any unused weights.
+    #
+    # the method handles weight transposition, scaling, and padding to ensure compatibility
+    # with SGMV or BGMV operations.
     @classmethod
-    def load(
+    def prepare_weights(
         cls,
         config: LoraConfig,
-        model: "Model",
         module_map: Dict[str, Dict],
         layer_type: str,
         unused_weight_names: Set[str],
+        nlayers: int,
+        dtype: torch.dtype,
+        world_size: int,
+        process_group: ProcessGroup,
+        target_to_layer: Dict[str, Tuple[str, torch.Tensor]],
     ) -> Optional[AdapterWeights]:
-        nlayers = model.get_num_layers_for_type(layer_type)
         lora_a_list = [None] * nlayers
         lora_b_list = [None] * nlayers
 
         for layer_id in range(nlayers):
             key = (layer_id, layer_type)
-            weight_name, layer = model.target_to_layer[key]
+            weight_name, layer = target_to_layer[key]
             base_weight = layer.base_layer.linear.weight
             base_device = base_weight.device
 
@@ -216,10 +216,10 @@ class LoraWeights(AdapterWeights):
                 return None
 
             lora_a, lora_a_name = module_map[weight_name]["lora_A"]
-            lora_a = lora_a.to(base_device, model.dtype)
+            lora_a = lora_a.to(base_device, dtype)
 
             lora_b, lora_b_name = module_map[weight_name]["lora_B"]
-            lora_b = lora_b.to(base_device, model.dtype)
+            lora_b = lora_b.to(base_device, dtype)
 
             scale = get_scaling_factor(
                 config.lora_alpha,
@@ -236,12 +236,8 @@ class LoraWeights(AdapterWeights):
             lora_b_list[layer_id] = lora_b.transpose(0, 1) * scale
 
         # pad lora ranks to be compatible with sgmv
-        lora_a_list = [
-            pad_rank(w, dim=1, world_size=model.world_size) for w in lora_a_list
-        ]
-        lora_b_list = [
-            pad_rank(w, dim=0, world_size=model.world_size) for w in lora_b_list
-        ]
+        lora_a_list = [pad_rank(w, dim=1, world_size=world_size) for w in lora_a_list]
+        lora_b_list = [pad_rank(w, dim=0, world_size=world_size) for w in lora_b_list]
 
         if lora_a_list:
             # update rank if it was padded
@@ -252,8 +248,8 @@ class LoraWeights(AdapterWeights):
             *shard_lora_weights(
                 weights_a=lora_a_list,
                 weights_b=lora_b_list,
-                split_dim=0 if model.is_row_parallel(layer_type) else 1,
-                process_group=model.process_group,
+                split_dim=0 if layer_type in {"o_proj", "down_proj", "lm_head"} else 1,
+                process_group=process_group,
             ),
             config,
         )
@@ -293,10 +289,6 @@ class BatchLoraWeights(BatchAdapterWeights):
             for rank_data in self.rank_data.values()
         )
 
-    @classmethod
-    def key(cls) -> str:
-        return "lora"
-
     @classmethod
     def load(
         self,
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/weights.py b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/weights.py
index 8f658756..da75dbcd 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/adapters/weights.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/adapters/weights.py
@@ -42,10 +42,6 @@ class BatchAdapterWeights(ABC):
     def has_adapter(self, adapter_index: int) -> bool:
         pass
 
-    @abstractclassmethod
-    def key(cls) -> str:
-        pass
-
     @abstractclassmethod
     def load(
         cls,
@@ -71,13 +67,6 @@ class LayerAdapterWeights:
             return
         del self.adapter_weights[adapter_idx]
 
-    @property
-    def max_speculative_tokens(self) -> int:
-        return max(
-            adapter_weights.speculative_tokens
-            for adapter_weights in self.adapter_weights.values()
-        )
-
     def is_empty(self) -> bool:
         return len(self.adapter_weights) == 0
 
@@ -101,7 +90,7 @@ class LayerAdapterWeights:
                 adapter_weights, meta, prefill, prefill_head_indices
             )
             if batched_weights is not None:
-                batch_data[batch_type.key()] = batched_weights
+                batch_data = batched_weights
         return batch_data
 
 
@@ -133,8 +122,7 @@ class AdapterBatchData:
     def ranks(self) -> Set[int]:
         # TODO(travis): refactor to be less coupled to lora implementation
         ranks = set()
-        for layer_data in self.data.values():
-            lora_data = layer_data.get("lora")
+        for lora_data in self.data.values():
             if lora_data is None:
                 continue
 
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/cli.py b/server/text_generation_server/cli.py
index 8ec2a5ae..8b5520bf 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/cli.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/cli.py
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@ import typer
 
 from pathlib import Path
 from loguru import logger
-from typing import Optional
+from typing import Optional, List, Dict
 from enum import Enum
 from huggingface_hub import hf_hub_download
+from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import parse_lora_adapters
 
 from text_generation_server.utils.log import log_master
 
@@ -80,28 +81,19 @@ def serve(
     if otlp_endpoint is not None:
         setup_tracing(otlp_service_name=otlp_service_name, otlp_endpoint=otlp_endpoint)
 
-    lora_adapter_ids = os.getenv("LORA_ADAPTERS", None)
-
-    # split on comma and strip whitespace
-    lora_adapter_ids = (
-        [x.strip() for x in lora_adapter_ids.split(",")] if lora_adapter_ids else []
-    )
-
-    if len(lora_adapter_ids) > 0:
-        log_master(
-            logger.warning,
-            f"LoRA adapters are enabled. This is an experimental feature and may not work as expected.",
-        )
+    lora_adapters = parse_lora_adapters(os.getenv("LORA_ADAPTERS"))
 
     # TODO: enable lora with cuda graphs. for now disable cuda graphs if lora is enabled
     # and warn the user
-    if len(lora_adapter_ids) > 0 and os.getenv("CUDA_GRAPHS", None) is not None:
-        log_master(
-            logger.warning,
-            f"LoRa adapter are not supported with CUDA Graphs. Disabling CUDA Graphs.",
-        )
-        global CUDA_GRAPHS
-        CUDA_GRAPHS = None
+    if lora_adapters:
+        logger.warning("LoRA adapters enabled (experimental feature).")
+
+        if "CUDA_GRAPHS" in os.environ:
+            logger.warning(
+                "LoRA adapters incompatible with CUDA Graphs. Disabling CUDA Graphs."
+            )
+            global CUDA_GRAPHS
+            CUDA_GRAPHS = None
 
     # Downgrade enum into str for easier management later on
     quantize = None if quantize is None else quantize.value
@@ -117,7 +109,7 @@ def serve(
         )
     server.serve(
         model_id,
-        lora_adapter_ids,
+        lora_adapters,
         revision,
         sharded,
         quantize,
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/layers/lora.py b/server/text_generation_server/layers/lora.py
index 0bb6db41..df5e92da 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/layers/lora.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/layers/lora.py
@@ -43,10 +43,7 @@ class LoraLinear(nn.Module):
     ) -> torch.Tensor:
         if adapter_data is None:
             return result
-        data = adapter_data.data.get(layer_type)
-        data: Optional["BatchLoraWeights"] = (
-            data.get("lora") if data is not None else None
-        )
+        data: Optional["BatchLoraWeights"] = adapter_data.data.get(layer_type)
 
         if has_sgmv() and data is not None and data.can_vectorize(self.process_group):
             # In tensor-parallel configurations, each GPU processes a specific segment of the output.
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/models/__init__.py b/server/text_generation_server/models/__init__.py
index 1cd13a2a..ac7a8f3e 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/models/__init__.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/models/__init__.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ from loguru import logger
 from transformers.configuration_utils import PretrainedConfig
 from transformers.models.auto import modeling_auto
 from huggingface_hub import hf_hub_download, HfApi
-from typing import Optional, List
+from typing import Optional, List, Dict
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from text_generation_server.utils.speculate import get_speculate, set_speculate
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@ from text_generation_server.models.custom_modeling.t5_modeling import (
     T5ForConditionalGeneration,
 )
 
+
+from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import (
+    AdapterParameters,
+    build_layer_weight_lookup,
+    load_and_merge_adapters,
+    AdapterInfo,
+)
+from text_generation_server.adapters.lora import LoraWeights
+
+
 from text_generation_server.utils.import_utils import SYSTEM
 from text_generation_server.utils.log import log_master
 
@@ -50,7 +60,7 @@ __all__ = [
     "Model",
     "CausalLM",
     "Seq2SeqLM",
-    "get_model",
+    "get_model_with_lora_adapters",
 ]
 
 FLASH_ATT_ERROR_MESSAGE = "{} requires Flash Attention enabled models."
@@ -1115,3 +1125,116 @@ def get_model(
             )
 
     raise ValueError(f"Unsupported model type {model_type}")
+
+
+# get_model_with_lora_adapters wraps the internal get_model function and adds support for loading adapters
+# this provides a post model loading hook to load adapters into the model after the model has been loaded
+def get_model_with_lora_adapters(
+    model_id: str,
+    lora_adapters: Optional[List[AdapterInfo]],
+    revision: Optional[str],
+    sharded: bool,
+    quantize: Optional[str],
+    speculate: Optional[int],
+    dtype: Optional[str],
+    trust_remote_code: bool,
+    max_input_tokens: int,
+    adapter_to_index: Dict[str, int],
+):
+    lora_adapter_ids = [adapter.id for adapter in lora_adapters]
+    model = get_model(
+        model_id,
+        lora_adapter_ids,
+        revision,
+        sharded,
+        quantize,
+        speculate,
+        dtype,
+        trust_remote_code,
+        max_input_tokens,
+    )
+
+    if len(lora_adapters) > 0:
+        target_to_layer = build_layer_weight_lookup(model.model)
+
+        for index, adapter in enumerate(lora_adapters):
+            # The AdapterParameters object allows for merging multiple adapters into a single adapter.
+            # At the moment, we only support loading a single adapter into the model, but we keep the
+            # AdapterParameters object for easier extension in the future.
+            adapter_parameters = AdapterParameters(
+                adapter_info=[adapter],
+                # when merging multiple adapters we can weight them differently
+                # if this is not set, all adapters will be weighted equally
+                # see: text_generation_server.utils.merges.strategies for impl
+                weights=None,
+                merge_strategy=0,
+                density=1.0,
+                majority_sign_method=0,
+            )
+
+            adapter_index = index + 1
+            adapter_to_index[adapter.id] = adapter_index
+
+            logger.info(
+                f"Loading adapter weights into model: {','.join([adapter.id for adapter in adapter_parameters.adapter_info])}"
+            )
+            weight_names = tuple([v[0] for v in target_to_layer.values()])
+            (
+                module_map,
+                adapter_config,
+                adapter_weight_names,
+                adapter_tokenizer,
+            ) = load_and_merge_adapters(
+                model.model_id,
+                adapter_parameters,
+                adapter_index,
+                weight_names,
+                False,
+            )
+
+            unused_weight_names = adapter_weight_names.copy()
+
+            adapter_layers = [
+                "q_proj",
+                "k_proj",
+                "v_proj",
+                "o_proj",
+                "gate_proj",
+                "up_proj",
+                "down_proj",
+            ]
+
+            for layer_name in adapter_layers:
+                nlayers = (
+                    1 if layer_name == "lm_head" else len(model.model.model.layers)
+                )
+                adapter_weights = LoraWeights.prepare_weights(
+                    config=adapter_config,
+                    module_map=module_map,
+                    layer_type=layer_name,
+                    unused_weight_names=unused_weight_names,
+                    nlayers=nlayers,
+                    dtype=model.dtype,
+                    world_size=model.world_size,
+                    process_group=model.process_group,
+                    target_to_layer=target_to_layer,
+                )
+
+                if adapter_weights is None:
+                    continue
+
+                model.layer_to_adapter_weights[layer_name].add_adapter(
+                    adapter_index, adapter_weights
+                )
+
+            if len(unused_weight_names) > 0:
+                logger.warning(
+                    f"{','.join(adapter_parameters.adapter_ids)} unused adapter weights: {unused_weight_names}"
+                )
+
+            if adapter_tokenizer is not None:
+                model.tokenizers.add_tokenizer(adapter_index, adapter_tokenizer)
+
+            model.loaded_adapters.add(adapter_index)
+
+    return model
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_causal_lm.py b/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_causal_lm.py
index 5db62431..2ca40959 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_causal_lm.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_causal_lm.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import math
 import os
 import time
-import itertools
 import torch
 import torch.distributed
 
@@ -1700,72 +1699,3 @@ class FlashCausalLM(Model):
         forward_ns = start_decode - start
         decode_ns = time.time_ns() - start_decode
         return generations, batch, (forward_ns, decode_ns)
-
-    @property
-    def supports_adapter_loading(self) -> bool:
-        return True
-
-    def adapter_target_to_layer(self) -> Dict[str, Tuple[str, torch.Tensor]]:
-        layer_weights = {}
-
-        prefix = "model.layers"
-
-        # This accounts for VLMs (e.g. LlavaNext, Idefics2)
-        # that have a language_model inside of the larger model.
-        if hasattr(self.model, "language_model"):
-            _model = self.model.language_model
-        elif hasattr(self.model, "text_model"):
-            _model = self.model.text_model
-        else:
-            _model = self.model
-
-        for i, layer in enumerate(_model.model.layers):
-            layer_weights[(i, "q_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.q_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "k_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.k_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "v_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.v_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "o_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.o_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.o_proj,
-            )
-
-            # TODO: this is a hack to avoid the gate_proj for
-            # FlashStarcoder2 that doesnt have these layers
-            if hasattr(layer, "mlp") and hasattr(layer.mlp, "gate_up_proj"):
-                layer_weights[(i, "gate_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.gate_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.gate_up_proj,
-                )
-                layer_weights[(i, "up_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.up_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.gate_up_proj,
-                )
-                layer_weights[(i, "down_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.down_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.down_proj,
-                )
-
-        layer_weights[(0, "lm_head")] = ("lm_head", _model.lm_head)
-        return layer_weights
-
-    @property
-    def adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return ADAPTER_LAYERS
-
-    @property
-    def default_traced_adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return ["q_proj", "v_proj"]
-
-    def get_num_layers_for_type(self, layer_type: str) -> int:
-        return 1 if layer_type == "lm_head" else len(self.model.model.layers)
-
-    def is_row_parallel(self, layer_type: str) -> bool:
-        return layer_type in ROW_PARALLEL
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_mistral.py b/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_mistral.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 2b2bd2e0..00000000
--- a/server/text_generation_server/models/flash_mistral.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,85 +0,0 @@
-import torch
-from typing import Optional, Tuple, Dict, List
-
-from text_generation_server.models import FlashCausalLM
-
-
-ADAPTER_LAYERS = [
-    "q_proj",
-    "k_proj",
-    "v_proj",
-    "o_proj",
-    "gate_proj",
-    "up_proj",
-    "down_proj",
-]
-ROW_PARALLEL = {"o_proj", "down_proj", "lm_head"}
-
-
-class FlashMistral(FlashCausalLM):
-    @property
-    def supports_adapter_loading(self) -> bool:
-        return True
-
-    def adapter_target_to_layer(self) -> Dict[str, Tuple[str, torch.Tensor]]:
-        layer_weights = {}
-
-        prefix = "model.layers"
-
-        # This accounts for VLMs (e.g. LlavaNext, Idefics2)
-        # that have a language_model inside of the larger model.
-        if hasattr(self.model, "text_model"):
-            _model = self.model.text_model
-        else:
-            _model = self.model
-
-        for i, layer in enumerate(_model.model.layers):
-            layer_weights[(i, "q_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.q_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "k_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.k_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "v_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.v_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.query_key_value,
-            )
-            layer_weights[(i, "o_proj")] = (
-                f"{prefix}.{i}.self_attn.o_proj",
-                layer.self_attn.o_proj,
-            )
-
-            # TODO: this is a hack to avoid the gate_proj for
-            # FlashStarcoder2 that doesnt have these layers
-            if hasattr(layer, "mlp") and hasattr(layer.mlp, "gate_up_proj"):
-                layer_weights[(i, "gate_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.gate_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.gate_up_proj,
-                )
-                layer_weights[(i, "up_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.up_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.gate_up_proj,
-                )
-                layer_weights[(i, "down_proj")] = (
-                    f"{prefix}.{i}.mlp.down_proj",
-                    layer.mlp.down_proj,
-                )
-
-        layer_weights[(0, "lm_head")] = ("lm_head", _model.lm_head)
-        return layer_weights
-
-    @property
-    def adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return ADAPTER_LAYERS
-
-    @property
-    def default_traced_adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return ["q_proj", "v_proj"]
-
-    def get_num_layers_for_type(self, layer_type: str) -> int:
-        return 1 if layer_type == "lm_head" else len(self.model.model.layers)
-
-    def is_row_parallel(self, layer_type: str) -> bool:
-        return layer_type in ROW_PARALLEL
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/models/model.py b/server/text_generation_server/models/model.py
index e7748bb9..159139de 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/models/model.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/models/model.py
@@ -4,20 +4,12 @@ import torch
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
 from typing import List, Tuple, Optional, TypeVar, Type, Dict, DefaultDict
 from collections import defaultdict
-from transformers import PreTrainedTokenizerBase, PretrainedConfig
+from transformers import PreTrainedTokenizerBase
 
 from text_generation_server.models.types import Batch, Generation
 from text_generation_server.utils.speculate import get_speculate
 from text_generation_server.pb.generate_pb2 import InfoResponse
 from text_generation_server.adapters.weights import LayerAdapterWeights
-from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import (
-    load_and_merge_adapters,
-    AdapterParameters,
-    AdapterSource,
-)
-from text_generation_server.utils.log import log_master
-from loguru import logger
-
 
 BASE_MODEL_ADAPTER_ID = "__base_model__"
 
@@ -61,7 +53,6 @@ class Model(ABC):
         self.layer_to_adapter_weights: Dict[str, LayerAdapterWeights] = defaultdict(
             LayerAdapterWeights
         )
-        self.target_to_layer = None
         self.loaded_adapters = set()
         self.static_adapter_id = adapter_id
 
@@ -142,140 +133,3 @@ class Model(ABC):
             raise RuntimeError(
                 f"found uninitialized parameters in model {self.__class__.__name__}: {uninitialized_parameters}"
             )
-
-    @property
-    def supports_adapter_loading(self) -> bool:
-        return False
-
-    def adapter_target_to_layer(self) -> Dict[str, Tuple[str, torch.Tensor]]:
-        return {}
-
-    @property
-    def adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return []
-
-    @property
-    def default_traced_adapter_layers(self) -> List[str]:
-        return []
-
-    def get_num_layers_for_type(self, layer_type: str) -> int:
-        return 0
-
-    def is_row_parallel(self, layer_type: str) -> bool:
-        return False
-
-    @property
-    def max_speculative_tokens(self) -> int:
-        return max(
-            [
-                weights.max_speculative_tokens
-                for weights in self.layer_to_adapter_weights.values()
-            ],
-            default=0,
-        )
-
-    def load_adapter(
-        self,
-        adapter_parameters: AdapterParameters,
-        adapter_source: AdapterSource,
-        adapter_index: int,
-        api_token: str,
-        dynamic: bool = True,
-    ):
-        """Loads adapter weights from disk / host memory on the GPU.
-
-        adapter_id must be `BASE_MODEL_ADAPTER_ID` if adapter statically loaded
-        into model. Otherwise, the adapter weights are applied during the forward
-        pass and stored separately from the base model parameters.
-        """
-        if self.target_to_layer is None:
-            self.target_to_layer = self.adapter_target_to_layer()
-        if adapter_index in self.loaded_adapters:
-            # Adapter already loaded
-            return
-
-        if not self.supports_adapter_loading:
-            raise ValueError("This model does not support adapter loading.")
-
-        if dynamic and not self.dynamic_adapter_loading_enabled:
-            raise ValueError(
-                f"This model was initialized with the adapter {self.static_adapter_id} "
-                f"and therefore does not support dynamic adapter loading. "
-                f"Please initialize a new model instance from the base model in "
-                f"order to use the dynamic adapter loading feature."
-            )
-
-        log_master(
-            logger.info,
-            f"Loading adapter weights into model: {','.join(adapter_parameters.adapter_ids)}",
-        )
-        weight_names = tuple([v[0] for v in self.target_to_layer.values()])
-        (
-            module_map,
-            adapter_config,
-            adapter_weight_names,
-            adapter_tokenizer,
-        ) = load_and_merge_adapters(
-            self.model_id,
-            adapter_parameters,
-            adapter_source,
-            adapter_index,
-            weight_names,
-            api_token,
-            False,
-        )
-
-        unused_weight_names = adapter_weight_names.copy()
-        for layer_name in self.adapter_layers:
-            adapter_weights = adapter_config.load_batched_adapter_weights(
-                self,
-                module_map,
-                layer_name,
-                unused_weight_names,
-                dynamic,
-            )
-
-            if adapter_weights is None:
-                continue
-
-            layer_weights = self.layer_to_adapter_weights[layer_name]
-            layer_weights.add_adapter(adapter_index, adapter_weights)
-
-        if len(unused_weight_names) > 0:
-            log_master(
-                logger.warning,
-                f"{','.join(adapter_parameters.adapter_ids)} unused adapter weights: {unused_weight_names}",
-            )
-
-        if adapter_tokenizer is not None:
-            self.tokenizers.add_tokenizer(adapter_index, adapter_tokenizer)
-
-        self.loaded_adapters.add(adapter_index)
-
-    def offload_adapter(
-        self,
-        adapter_parameters: AdapterParameters,
-        adapter_source: AdapterSource,
-        adapter_index: int,
-    ):
-        """Offloads the adapter weights from GPU to CPU or disk."""
-        if adapter_index not in self.loaded_adapters:
-            # Adapter already offloaded
-            return
-
-        if not self.supports_adapter_loading:
-            raise ValueError("This model does not support adapter loading.")
-
-        if not self.dynamic_adapter_loading_enabled:
-            raise ValueError(
-                f"This model was initialized with the adapter {self.static_adapter_id} "
-                f"and therefore does not support dynamic adapter loading. "
-                f"Please initialize a new model instance from the base model in "
-                f"order to use the dynamic adapter loading feature."
-            )
-
-        for layer_name in self.adapter_layers:
-            if layer_name in self.layer_to_adapter_weights:
-                self.layer_to_adapter_weights[layer_name].remove_adapter(adapter_index)
-
-        self.loaded_adapters.remove(adapter_index)
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/server.py b/server/text_generation_server/server.py
index aee287c6..7ac54603 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/server.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/server.py
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ from loguru import logger
 
 from grpc_reflection.v1alpha import reflection
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import List, Optional
+from typing import List, Optional, Dict
 
 from text_generation_server.cache import Cache
 from text_generation_server.interceptor import ExceptionInterceptor
-from text_generation_server.models import Model, get_model
+from text_generation_server.models import Model, get_model_with_lora_adapters
+from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import AdapterInfo
 
 try:
     from text_generation_server.models.pali_gemma import PaliGemmaBatch
@@ -30,9 +31,6 @@ except (ImportError, NotImplementedError):
 from text_generation_server.pb import generate_pb2_grpc, generate_pb2
 from text_generation_server.tracing import UDSOpenTelemetryAioServerInterceptor
 from text_generation_server.models.globals import set_model_id, set_adapter_to_index
-from text_generation_server.utils.adapter import (
-    AdapterParameters,
-)
 
 
 class SignalHandler:
@@ -195,7 +193,7 @@ class TextGenerationService(generate_pb2_grpc.TextGenerationServiceServicer):
 
 def serve(
     model_id: str,
-    lora_adapter_ids: Optional[List[str]],
+    lora_adapters: Optional[List[AdapterInfo]],
     revision: Optional[str],
     sharded: bool,
     quantize: Optional[str],
@@ -207,7 +205,7 @@ def serve(
 ):
     async def serve_inner(
         model_id: str,
-        lora_adapter_ids: Optional[List[str]],
+        lora_adapters: Optional[List[AdapterInfo]],
         revision: Optional[str],
         sharded: bool = False,
         quantize: Optional[str] = None,
@@ -228,9 +226,9 @@ def serve(
             server_urls = [local_url]
 
         try:
-            model = get_model(
+            model = get_model_with_lora_adapters(
                 model_id,
-                lora_adapter_ids,
+                lora_adapters,
                 revision,
                 sharded,
                 quantize,
@@ -238,29 +236,9 @@ def serve(
                 dtype,
                 trust_remote_code,
                 max_input_tokens,
+                adapter_to_index,
             )
 
-            if len(lora_adapter_ids) > 0:
-                for index, adapter_id in enumerate(lora_adapter_ids):
-                    # TODO: improve non merged adapter loading and long term
-                    # improve adapter loading as a whole
-                    adapter_parameters = AdapterParameters(
-                        adapter_ids=[adapter_id],
-                        weights=None,  #  will be set to 1
-                        merge_strategy=0,
-                        density=1.0,
-                        majority_sign_method=0,
-                    )
-                    adapter_index = index + 1
-                    adapter_to_index[adapter_id] = adapter_index
-                    model.load_adapter(
-                        adapter_parameters,
-                        None,  # adapter_source
-                        adapter_index,
-                        None,  # api_token
-                        False,  # dynamic
-                    )
-
         except Exception:
             logger.exception("Error when initializing model")
             raise
@@ -297,7 +275,7 @@ def serve(
     asyncio.run(
         serve_inner(
             model_id,
-            lora_adapter_ids,
+            lora_adapters,
             revision,
             sharded,
             quantize,
diff --git a/server/text_generation_server/utils/adapter.py b/server/text_generation_server/utils/adapter.py
index 4e2492de..1db5f77b 100644
--- a/server/text_generation_server/utils/adapter.py
+++ b/server/text_generation_server/utils/adapter.py
@@ -5,12 +5,11 @@
 import warnings
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from functools import lru_cache
-from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Set, Tuple
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Set, Tuple, Optional, List
 
 from safetensors.torch import load_file
 from transformers import AutoConfig, AutoTokenizer, PreTrainedTokenizer
 
-from text_generation_server.pb import generate_pb2
 from text_generation_server.utils.merges.strategies import merge_adapters
 
 from text_generation_server.utils import hub
@@ -24,9 +23,15 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
 BASE_MODEL_ADAPTER_ID = "__base_model__"
 
 
+@dataclass
+class AdapterInfo:
+    id: str
+    path: Optional[str]
+
+
 @dataclass
 class AdapterParameters:
-    adapter_ids: Tuple[str]
+    adapter_info: Tuple[AdapterInfo]
     weights: Tuple[float]
     merge_strategy: NotImplemented
     density: float
@@ -40,37 +45,47 @@ class AdapterSource:
     revision: str
 
 
+def parse_lora_adapters(lora_adapters: Optional[str]) -> List[AdapterInfo]:
+    if not lora_adapters:
+        return []
+
+    adapter_list = []
+    for adapter in lora_adapters.split(","):
+        parts = adapter.strip().split("=")
+        if len(parts) == 1:
+            adapter_list.append(AdapterInfo(id=parts[0], path=None))
+        elif len(parts) == 2:
+            adapter_list.append(AdapterInfo(id=parts[0], path=parts[1]))
+        else:
+            raise ValueError(f"Invalid LoRA adapter format: {adapter}")
+    return adapter_list
+
+
 def load_and_merge_adapters(
     model_id: str,
     adapter_parameters: AdapterParameters,
-    adapter_source: str,
     adapter_index: int,
     weight_names: Tuple[str],
-    api_token: str,
     trust_remote_code: bool = False,
 ) -> Tuple["ModuleMap", "AdapterConfig", Set[str], PreTrainedTokenizer]:
-    if len(adapter_parameters.adapter_ids) == 1:
+
+    if len(adapter_parameters.adapter_info) == 1:
+        adapter_info = next(iter(adapter_parameters.adapter_info))
         return load_module_map(
             model_id,
-            adapter_parameters.adapter_ids[0],
-            adapter_source,
+            adapter_info.id,
+            adapter_info.path,
             weight_names,
-            api_token,
             trust_remote_code,
         )
 
-    adapter_params = AdapterParametersContainer(
-        adapter_parameters, adapter_source, adapter_index
-    )
-    return _load_and_merge(
-        model_id, adapter_params, weight_names, api_token, trust_remote_code
-    )
+    adapter_params = AdapterParametersContainer(adapter_parameters, adapter_index)
+    return _load_and_merge(model_id, adapter_params, weight_names, trust_remote_code)
 
 
 @dataclass
 class AdapterParametersContainer:
     adapter_parameters: AdapterParameters
-    adapter_source: str
     adapter_index: int
 
     def __hash__(self) -> int:
@@ -82,7 +97,6 @@ def _load_and_merge(
     model_id: str,
     adapter_params: AdapterParametersContainer,
     weight_names: Tuple[str],
-    api_token: str,
     trust_remote_code: bool = False,
 ) -> Tuple["ModuleMap", "AdapterConfig", Set[str], PreTrainedTokenizer]:
     params = adapter_params.adapter_parameters
@@ -90,17 +104,16 @@ def _load_and_merge(
     adapters_to_merge = []
     merged_weight_names = set()
     tokenizer = None
-    for adapter_id in params.adapter_ids:
-        if adapter_id == BASE_MODEL_ADAPTER_ID:
+    for adapter in params.adapter_info:
+        if adapter.id == BASE_MODEL_ADAPTER_ID:
             raise ValueError("Base model adapter cannot be merged.")
 
         module_map, adapter_config, adapter_weight_names, adapter_tokenizer = (
             load_module_map(
                 model_id,
-                adapter_id,
-                adapter_params.adapter_source,
+                adapter.id,
+                adapter.path,
                 weight_names,
-                api_token,
                 trust_remote_code,
             )
         )
@@ -159,25 +172,28 @@ def check_architectures(
 def load_module_map(
     model_id: str,
     adapter_id: str,
-    adapter_source: str,
+    adapter_path: Optional[str],
     weight_names: Tuple[str],
-    api_token: str,
     trust_remote_code: bool = False,
 ) -> Tuple["ModuleMap", "AdapterConfig", Set[str], PreTrainedTokenizer]:
     revision = "main"
 
-    adapter_config = LoraConfig.load(adapter_id, api_token)
-    if adapter_config.base_model_name_or_path != model_id:
+    adapter_config = LoraConfig.load(adapter_path or adapter_id, None)
+
+    if not adapter_path and adapter_config.base_model_name_or_path != model_id:
         check_architectures(model_id, adapter_id, adapter_config, trust_remote_code)
 
-    adapter_filenames = hub._cached_adapter_weight_files(
-        adapter_id, revision=revision, extension=".safetensors"
+    adapter_filenames = (
+        hub._adapter_weight_files_from_dir(adapter_path, extension=".safetensors")
+        if adapter_path
+        else hub._cached_adapter_weight_files(
+            adapter_id, revision=revision, extension=".safetensors"
+        )
     )
 
     try:
         adapter_tokenizer = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(
             adapter_config.config_path,
-            token=api_token,
             trust_remote_code=trust_remote_code,
         )
     except Exception:
@@ -194,3 +210,87 @@ def load_module_map(
         adapter_weights, weight_names
     )
     return module_map, adapter_config, adapter_weight_names, adapter_tokenizer
+
+
+def get_attn_weights(i, layer):
+    qkv = layer.self_attn.query_key_value
+    weights = {}
+
+    for k in ["q", "k", "v"]:
+        key = (i, f"{k}_proj")
+        value = (f"model.layers.{i}.self_attn.{k}_proj", qkv)
+        weights[key] = value
+
+    weights[(i, "o_proj")] = (
+        f"model.layers.{i}.self_attn.o_proj",
+        layer.self_attn.o_proj,
+    )
+
+    return weights
+
+
+def get_mlp_weights(i, layer):
+    weights = {}
+    if hasattr(layer, "mlp"):
+        mlp = layer.mlp
+        if hasattr(mlp, "gate_up_proj"):
+            # handle combined gate_up_proj (e.g., for some LLaMA variants)
+            weights.update(
+                {
+                    (i, "gate_proj"): (
+                        f"model.layers.{i}.mlp.gate_proj",
+                        mlp.gate_up_proj,
+                    ),
+                    (i, "up_proj"): (f"model.layers.{i}.mlp.up_proj", mlp.gate_up_proj),
+                }
+            )
+        else:
+            # handle separate gate_proj, up_proj, and down_proj (e.g., for Gemma)
+            if hasattr(mlp, "gate_proj"):
+                weights[(i, "gate_proj")] = (
+                    f"model.layers.{i}.mlp.gate_proj",
+                    mlp.gate_proj,
+                )
+            if hasattr(mlp, "up_proj"):
+                weights[(i, "up_proj")] = (f"model.layers.{i}.mlp.up_proj", mlp.up_proj)
+
+        if hasattr(mlp, "down_proj"):
+            weights[(i, "down_proj")] = (
+                f"model.layers.{i}.mlp.down_proj",
+                mlp.down_proj,
+            )
+
+    return weights
+
+
+# build_layer_weight_lookup creates a mapping of model layers to their corresponding
+# weight tensors and paths. It builds a dictionary that maps layer identifiers to tuples
+# containing the weight tensor path and the actual layer object. This mapping is needed
+# for the lora adapter to know which weights to update when applying the adapter.
+def build_layer_weight_lookup(model):
+    if hasattr(model, "language_model"):
+        m = model.language_model.model
+    elif hasattr(model, "text_model"):
+        m = model.text_model.model
+    else:
+        m = model.model
+
+    layer_weights = {}
+
+    for i, layer in enumerate(m.layers):
+        attn_weights = get_attn_weights(i, layer)
+        mlp_weights = get_mlp_weights(i, layer)
+
+        layer_weights.update(attn_weights)
+        layer_weights.update(mlp_weights)
+
+    lm_head = None
+    if hasattr(m, "lm_head"):
+        lm_head = m.lm_head
+    elif hasattr(model, "lm_head"):
+        lm_head = model.lm_head
+
+    if lm_head:
+        layer_weights[(0, "lm_head")] = ("lm_head", lm_head)
+
+    return layer_weights