diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6847dfc..0901d9c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ listens on 127.0.0.1:3030, and should only be exposed to an external network
 behind a proxy that supports both HTTP and WebSocket protocols (only tested
 with `nginx`).
 
+## Environment Variables
+
+- `CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS`: Comma-separated list of allowed origins for CORS requests to the `/api/rpc` endpoint (e.g., `"https://example.com,https://app.example.com"`). Set to `"*"` to allow any origin (not recommended for production). If not set, defaults to allowing common localhost origins for development (`http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3030,http://127.0.0.1:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3030`).
+
 # Development
 
 ```
diff --git a/backend/Cargo.toml b/backend/Cargo.toml
index 0b6bdda..89ec11b 100644
--- a/backend/Cargo.toml
+++ b/backend/Cargo.toml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ publish = false
 # See more keys and their definitions at https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html
 [features]
 default = []
-dynamic = ["slog-term", "tower-http"]
+dynamic = ["slog-term"]
 
 [dependencies]
 anyhow = "1.0"
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ tokio = { version = "1.28", features = [
     "sync",
     "io-util",
 ] }
-tower-http = { version = "0.4", features = ["fs"], optional = true }
+tower-http = { version = "0.4", features = ["fs", "cors"] }
 zstd = "0.12"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/backend/src/main.rs b/backend/src/main.rs
index 8edc1e1..65ddb5f 100644
--- a/backend/src/main.rs
+++ b/backend/src/main.rs
@@ -25,6 +25,8 @@ use axum::{
     extract::Path,
     response::Response,
 };
+use http::{HeaderValue, Method};
+use tower_http::cors::{AllowOrigin, CorsLayer};
 #[cfg(feature = "dynamic")]
 use tower_http::services::ServeDir;
 
@@ -146,7 +148,52 @@ async fn main() -> Result<(), anyhow::Error> {
         )
         .route("/*path", get(serve_static_routes));
 
+    // Configure CORS based on environment variables
+    // CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS: comma-separated list of allowed origins (e.g., "http://localhost:3000,https://example.com")
+    // Set to "*" to allow any origin (not recommended for production)
+    // If not set, defaults to allowing localhost origins in development
+    let cors = {
+        let allowed_origins = std::env::var("CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS")
+            .unwrap_or_else(|_| {
+                // Default to common development origins if not specified
+                "http://localhost:3000,http://localhost:3030,http://127.0.0.1:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3030".to_string()
+            });
+
+        if allowed_origins.trim() == "*" {
+            // Allow any origin (use with caution)
+            info!(
+                ROOT_LOGGER,
+                "CORS configured to allow ANY origin - not recommended for production"
+            );
+            CorsLayer::new()
+                .allow_origin(tower_http::cors::Any)
+                .allow_methods([Method::GET, Method::POST, Method::OPTIONS])
+                .allow_headers(tower_http::cors::Any)
+        } else {
+            let origins: Vec<HeaderValue> = allowed_origins
+                .split(',')
+                .filter_map(|origin| origin.trim().parse::<HeaderValue>().ok())
+                .collect();
+
+            if origins.is_empty() {
+                // If no valid origins, fall back to same-origin only
+                info!(
+                    ROOT_LOGGER,
+                    "No valid CORS origins configured, using same-origin policy"
+                );
+                CorsLayer::new()
+            } else {
+                info!(ROOT_LOGGER, "CORS origins configured: {:?}", origins);
+                CorsLayer::new()
+                    .allow_origin(AllowOrigin::list(origins))
+                    .allow_methods([Method::GET, Method::POST, Method::OPTIONS])
+                    .allow_headers(tower_http::cors::Any)
+            }
+        }
+    };
+
     let app = app
+        .layer(cors)
         .layer(Extension(backend_storage))
         .layer(Extension(stats));
 
diff --git a/mechanics/src/hands.rs b/mechanics/src/hands.rs
index e545646..e113268 100644
--- a/mechanics/src/hands.rs
+++ b/mechanics/src/hands.rs
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ impl<'de> Deserialize<'de> for Hands {
         if let serde_json::Value::Object(obj) = helper.hands {
             for (key, value) in obj {
                 let player_id = PlayerID::from_str(&key)
-                    .map_err(|_| de::Error::custom(format!("invalid PlayerID: {}", key)))?;
+                    .map_err(|_| de::Error::custom(format!("invalid PlayerID: {key}")))?;
                 let card_map: HashMap<Card, usize> =
                     serde_json::from_value(value).map_err(de::Error::custom)?;
                 hands_map.insert(player_id, card_map);