diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index dc300fc..723eea5 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -4436,6 +4436,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio-util",
  "tracing",
  "tracing-subscriber",
+ "url",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
diff --git a/crates/librqbit/Cargo.toml b/crates/librqbit/Cargo.toml
index a2a4453..1f8c4ee 100644
--- a/crates/librqbit/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/librqbit/Cargo.toml
@@ -98,7 +98,9 @@ tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", default-features = false, features = [
 ], optional = true }
 uuid = { version = "1.2", features = ["v4"] }
 futures = "0.3"
-url = { version = "=2.5.2", default-features = false } # can't upgrade yet until min version is Rust 1.81, see https://github.com/servo/rust-url/issues/992
+url = { version = "=2.5.2", default-features = false, features = [
+    "serde",
+] } # can't upgrade yet until min version is Rust 1.81, see https://github.com/servo/rust-url/issues/992
 
 hex = "0.4"
 backoff = "0.4.0"
@@ -119,7 +121,7 @@ notify = { version = "7", optional = true }
 walkdir = "2.5.0"
 arc-swap = "1.7.1"
 intervaltree = "0.2.7"
-async-compression = {version="0.4.18", features= ["tokio", "gzip"] }
+async-compression = { version = "0.4.18", features = ["tokio", "gzip"] }
 
 [build-dependencies]
 anyhow = "1"
diff --git a/crates/librqbit/src/session.rs b/crates/librqbit/src/session.rs
index 951e025..e65eded 100644
--- a/crates/librqbit/src/session.rs
+++ b/crates/librqbit/src/session.rs
@@ -121,6 +121,7 @@ pub struct Session {
     default_storage_factory: Option<BoxStorageFactory>,
     persistence: Option<Arc<dyn SessionPersistenceStore>>,
     disk_write_tx: Option<DiskWorkQueueSender>,
+    trackers: HashSet<url::Url>,
 
     // Limits and throttling
     pub(crate) concurrent_initialize_semaphore: Arc<tokio::sync::Semaphore>,
@@ -422,6 +423,9 @@ pub struct SessionOptions {
 
     pub blocklist_url: Option<String>,
 
+    // The list of tracker URLs to always use for each torrent.
+    pub trackers: HashSet<url::Url>,
+
     #[cfg(feature = "disable-upload")]
     pub disable_upload: bool,
 }
@@ -440,12 +444,12 @@ async fn create_tcp_listener(
     bail!("no free TCP ports in range {port_range:?}");
 }
 
-fn torrent_file_from_info_bytes(info_bytes: &[u8], trackers: &[String]) -> anyhow::Result<Bytes> {
+fn torrent_file_from_info_bytes(info_bytes: &[u8], trackers: &[url::Url]) -> anyhow::Result<Bytes> {
     #[derive(Serialize)]
     struct Tmp<'a> {
         announce: &'a str,
         #[serde(rename = "announce-list")]
-        announce_list: &'a [&'a [String]],
+        announce_list: &'a [&'a [url::Url]],
         info: bencode::raw_value::RawValue<&'a [u8]>,
     }
 
@@ -469,7 +473,7 @@ pub(crate) struct CheckedIncomingConnection {
 struct InternalAddResult {
     info_hash: Id20,
     metadata: Option<TorrentMetadata>,
-    trackers: Vec<String>,
+    trackers: Vec<url::Url>,
     name: Option<String>,
 }
 
@@ -644,6 +648,7 @@ impl Session {
                     opts.concurrent_init_limit.unwrap_or(3),
                 )),
                 ratelimits: Limits::new(opts.ratelimits),
+                trackers: opts.trackers,
                 #[cfg(feature = "disable-upload")]
                 _disable_upload: opts.disable_upload,
                 blocklist,
@@ -906,7 +911,11 @@ impl Session {
 
                     InternalAddResult {
                         info_hash,
-                        trackers: magnet.trackers,
+                        trackers: magnet
+                            .trackers
+                            .into_iter()
+                            .filter_map(|t| url::Url::parse(&t).ok())
+                            .collect(),
                         metadata: None,
                         name: magnet.name,
                     }
@@ -952,7 +961,10 @@ impl Session {
                             torrent.torrent_bytes,
                             torrent.info_bytes,
                         )?),
-                        trackers,
+                        trackers: trackers
+                            .iter()
+                            .filter_map(|t| url::Url::parse(t).ok())
+                            .collect(),
                         name: None,
                     }
                 }
@@ -1309,7 +1321,7 @@ impl Session {
     fn make_peer_rx(
         self: &Arc<Self>,
         info_hash: Id20,
-        mut trackers: Vec<String>,
+        mut trackers: Vec<url::Url>,
         announce: bool,
         force_tracker_interval: Option<Duration>,
         initial_peers: Vec<SocketAddr>,
@@ -1326,7 +1338,9 @@ impl Session {
 
         if is_private && trackers.len() > 1 {
             warn!("private trackers are not fully implemented, so using only the first tracker");
-            trackers.resize_with(1, Default::default);
+            trackers.truncate(1);
+        } else {
+            trackers.extend(self.trackers.iter().cloned());
         }
 
         let tracker_rx_stats = PeerRxTorrentInfo {
@@ -1336,7 +1350,7 @@ impl Session {
         let tracker_rx = TrackerComms::start(
             info_hash,
             self.peer_id,
-            trackers,
+            trackers.into_iter().collect(),
             Box::new(tracker_rx_stats),
             force_tracker_interval,
             announce_port,
@@ -1393,7 +1407,7 @@ impl Session {
         self: &Arc<Self>,
         info_hash: Id20,
         peer_rx: PeerStream,
-        trackers: &[String],
+        trackers: &[url::Url],
         peer_opts: Option<PeerConnectionOptions>,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<ResolveMagnetResult> {
         match read_metainfo_from_peer_receiver(
@@ -1525,9 +1539,10 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_torrent_file_from_info_and_bytes() {
-        fn get_trackers(info: &TorrentMetaV1<ByteBuf>) -> Vec<String> {
+        fn get_trackers(info: &TorrentMetaV1<ByteBuf>) -> Vec<url::Url> {
             info.iter_announce()
                 .filter_map(|t| std::str::from_utf8(t.as_ref()).ok().map(|t| t.to_owned()))
+                .filter_map(|t| t.parse().ok())
                 .collect_vec()
         }
 
diff --git a/crates/librqbit/src/session_persistence/postgres.rs b/crates/librqbit/src/session_persistence/postgres.rs
index b70bbb1..d3c20c3 100644
--- a/crates/librqbit/src/session_persistence/postgres.rs
+++ b/crates/librqbit/src/session_persistence/postgres.rs
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ impl SessionPersistenceStore for PostgresSessionStorage {
                     .shared()
                     .trackers
                     .iter()
-                    .cloned()
+                    .map(|t| t.to_string())
                     .collect::<Vec<_>>(),
             )
             .bind(
diff --git a/crates/librqbit/src/torrent_state/mod.rs b/crates/librqbit/src/torrent_state/mod.rs
index 90b8f60..5181609 100644
--- a/crates/librqbit/src/torrent_state/mod.rs
+++ b/crates/librqbit/src/torrent_state/mod.rs
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ pub struct ManagedTorrentShared {
     pub id: TorrentId,
     pub info_hash: Id20,
     pub(crate) spawner: BlockingSpawner,
-    pub trackers: HashSet<String>,
+    pub trackers: HashSet<url::Url>,
     pub peer_id: Id20,
     pub span: tracing::Span,
     pub(crate) options: ManagedTorrentOptions,
diff --git a/crates/rqbit/Cargo.toml b/crates/rqbit/Cargo.toml
index e592b10..b56a351 100644
--- a/crates/rqbit/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/rqbit/Cargo.toml
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ libc = "0.2.158"
 signal-hook = "0.3.17"
 tokio-util = "0.7.11"
 gethostname = "0.5.0"
+url = "2"
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 futures = { version = "0.3" }
diff --git a/crates/rqbit/src/main.rs b/crates/rqbit/src/main.rs
index 23ada49..dde6707 100644
--- a/crates/rqbit/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/rqbit/src/main.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use std::{
+    collections::HashSet,
     io,
     net::SocketAddr,
     num::NonZeroU32,
@@ -232,6 +233,10 @@ struct Opts {
     /// Downloads a p2p blocklist from this url and blocks peers from it
     #[arg(long, env = "RQBIT_BLOCKLIST_URL")]
     blocklist_url: Option<String>,
+
+    /// The filename with tracker URLs to always use for each torrent.
+    #[arg(long, env = "RQBIT_TRACKERS_FILENAME")]
+    trackers_filename: Option<String>,
 }
 
 #[derive(Parser)]
@@ -431,6 +436,24 @@ fn main() -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     }
 }
 
+async fn parse_trackers_file(filename: &str) -> anyhow::Result<HashSet<url::Url>> {
+    let content = tokio::fs::read_to_string(filename)
+        .await
+        .with_context(|| format!("error opening {filename}"))?;
+    let trackers = content
+        .lines()
+        .filter_map(|s| {
+            let s = s.trim();
+            if s.is_empty() {
+                return None;
+            }
+            url::Url::parse(s).ok()
+        })
+        .collect::<HashSet<url::Url>>();
+    info!(filename, count = trackers.len(), "parsed trackers");
+    Ok(trackers)
+}
+
 async fn async_main(opts: Opts, cancel: CancellationToken) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     let log_config = init_logging(InitLoggingOptions {
         default_rust_log_value: Some(match opts.log_level.unwrap_or(LogLevel::Info) {
@@ -449,6 +472,14 @@ async fn async_main(opts: Opts, cancel: CancellationToken) -> anyhow::Result<()>
         Err(e) => warn!("failed increasing open file limit: {:#}", e),
     };
 
+    let trackers = if let Some(f) = opts.trackers_filename {
+        parse_trackers_file(&f)
+            .await
+            .context("error reading trackers file")?
+    } else {
+        Default::default()
+    };
+
     let mut sopts = SessionOptions {
         disable_dht: opts.disable_dht,
         disable_dht_persistence: opts.disable_dht_persistence,
@@ -499,6 +530,7 @@ async fn async_main(opts: Opts, cancel: CancellationToken) -> anyhow::Result<()>
             download_bps: opts.ratelimit_download_bps,
         },
         blocklist_url: opts.blocklist_url,
+        trackers,
     };
 
     let http_api_basic_auth = if let Ok(up) = std::env::var("RQBIT_HTTP_BASIC_AUTH_USERPASS") {
diff --git a/crates/tracker_comms/src/tracker_comms.rs b/crates/tracker_comms/src/tracker_comms.rs
index c155b28..0bfc60a 100644
--- a/crates/tracker_comms/src/tracker_comms.rs
+++ b/crates/tracker_comms/src/tracker_comms.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use std::collections::HashSet;
 use std::net::SocketAddr;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::time::Duration;
@@ -91,7 +92,7 @@ impl TrackerComms {
     pub fn start(
         info_hash: Id20,
         peer_id: Id20,
-        trackers: Vec<String>,
+        trackers: HashSet<Url>,
         stats: Box<dyn TorrentStatsProvider>,
         force_interval: Option<Duration>,
         tcp_listen_port: Option<u16>,
@@ -99,17 +100,11 @@ impl TrackerComms {
     ) -> Option<BoxStream<'static, SocketAddr>> {
         let trackers = trackers
             .into_iter()
-            .filter_map(|t| match Url::parse(&t) {
-                Ok(parsed) => match parsed.scheme() {
-                    "http" | "https" => Some(SupportedTracker::Http(parsed)),
-                    "udp" => Some(SupportedTracker::Udp(parsed)),
-                    _ => {
-                        debug!("unsuppoted tracker URL: {}", t);
-                        None
-                    }
-                },
-                Err(e) => {
-                    debug!("error parsing tracker URL {}: {}", t, e);
+            .filter_map(|t| match t.scheme() {
+                "http" | "https" => Some(SupportedTracker::Http(t)),
+                "udp" => Some(SupportedTracker::Udp(t)),
+                _ => {
+                    debug!("unsuppoted tracker URL: {}", t);
                     None
                 }
             })