diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/deployer/orchestrator.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/deployer/orchestrator.rs
index 27048d1..a365348 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/deployer/orchestrator.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/deployer/orchestrator.rs
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ use testing_framework_core::{
     scenario::{
         Application, CleanupGuard, Deployer, DeploymentPolicy, DynError, FeedHandle, FeedRuntime,
         HttpReadinessRequirement, Metrics, NodeClients, NodeControlCapability, NodeControlHandle,
-        RetryPolicy, RunContext, Runner, Scenario, ScenarioError, build_source_orchestration_plan,
-        orchestrate_sources, spawn_feed,
+        RetryPolicy, RunContext, Runner, Scenario, ScenarioError, SourceOrchestrationPlan,
+        build_source_orchestration_plan, spawn_feed,
     },
     topology::DeploymentDescriptor,
 };
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ use tracing::{debug, info, warn};
 
 use crate::{
     env::{LocalDeployerEnv, Node, wait_local_http_readiness},
+    external::build_external_client,
     keep_tempdir_from_env,
     manual::ManualCluster,
     node_control::{NodeManager, NodeManagerSeed},
@@ -202,9 +203,7 @@ impl<E: LocalDeployerEnv> ProcessDeployer<E> {
         let nodes = Self::spawn_nodes_for_scenario(scenario, self.membership_check).await?;
         let node_clients = NodeClients::<E>::new(nodes.iter().map(|node| node.client()).collect());
 
-        // Source orchestration currently runs here after managed clients are prepared.
-        let node_clients = orchestrate_sources(&source_plan, node_clients)
-            .await
+        let node_clients = merge_source_clients_for_local::<E>(&source_plan, node_clients)
             .map_err(|source| ProcessDeployerError::SourceOrchestration { source })?;
 
         let runtime = run_context_for(
@@ -241,10 +240,9 @@ impl<E: LocalDeployerEnv> ProcessDeployer<E> {
 
         let nodes = Self::spawn_nodes_for_scenario(scenario, self.membership_check).await?;
         let node_control = self.node_control_from(scenario, nodes);
-        // Source orchestration currently runs here after managed clients are prepared.
-        let node_clients = orchestrate_sources(&source_plan, node_control.node_clients())
-            .await
-            .map_err(|source| ProcessDeployerError::SourceOrchestration { source })?;
+        let node_clients =
+            merge_source_clients_for_local::<E>(&source_plan, node_control.node_clients())
+                .map_err(|source| ProcessDeployerError::SourceOrchestration { source })?;
         let runtime = run_context_for(
             scenario.deployment().clone(),
             node_clients,
@@ -314,6 +312,18 @@ impl<E: LocalDeployerEnv> ProcessDeployer<E> {
     }
 }
 
+fn merge_source_clients_for_local<E: LocalDeployerEnv>(
+    source_plan: &SourceOrchestrationPlan,
+    node_clients: NodeClients<E>,
+) -> Result<NodeClients<E>, DynError> {
+    for source in source_plan.external_sources() {
+        let client =
+            E::external_node_client(source).or_else(|_| build_external_client::<E>(source))?;
+        node_clients.add_node(client);
+    }
+    Ok(node_clients)
+}
+
 fn build_retry_execution_config(
     deployment_policy: DeploymentPolicy,
     membership_check: bool,
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/external.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/external.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..713c5be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/external.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+use std::net::ToSocketAddrs;
+
+use testing_framework_core::scenario::{DynError, ExternalNodeSource};
+
+use crate::{LocalDeployerEnv, NodeEndpoints};
+
+#[derive(Debug, thiserror::Error)]
+pub enum ExternalClientBuildError {
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint is empty")]
+    EmptyEndpoint { label: String },
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint '{endpoint}' has unsupported scheme")]
+    UnsupportedScheme { label: String, endpoint: String },
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint '{endpoint}' is missing host")]
+    MissingHost { label: String, endpoint: String },
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint '{endpoint}' is missing port")]
+    MissingPort { label: String, endpoint: String },
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint '{endpoint}' failed to resolve: {source}")]
+    Resolve {
+        label: String,
+        endpoint: String,
+        #[source]
+        source: std::io::Error,
+    },
+    #[error("external source '{label}' endpoint '{endpoint}' resolved to no socket addresses")]
+    NoResolvedAddress { label: String, endpoint: String },
+}
+
+pub fn build_external_client<E: LocalDeployerEnv>(
+    source: &ExternalNodeSource,
+) -> Result<E::NodeClient, DynError> {
+    let api = resolve_api_socket(source)?;
+    let mut endpoints = NodeEndpoints::default();
+    endpoints.api = api;
+    Ok(E::node_client(&endpoints))
+}
+
+fn resolve_api_socket(source: &ExternalNodeSource) -> Result<std::net::SocketAddr, DynError> {
+    let source_label = source.label.clone();
+    let endpoint = source.endpoint.trim();
+    if endpoint.is_empty() {
+        return Err(ExternalClientBuildError::EmptyEndpoint {
+            label: source_label,
+        }
+        .into());
+    }
+
+    let without_scheme = endpoint
+        .strip_prefix("http://")
+        .or_else(|| endpoint.strip_prefix("https://"))
+        .ok_or_else(|| ExternalClientBuildError::UnsupportedScheme {
+            label: source_label.clone(),
+            endpoint: endpoint.to_owned(),
+        })?;
+
+    let authority = without_scheme.trim_end_matches('/');
+    let (host, port) =
+        split_host_port(authority).ok_or_else(|| ExternalClientBuildError::MissingPort {
+            label: source_label.clone(),
+            endpoint: endpoint.to_owned(),
+        })?;
+
+    if host.is_empty() {
+        return Err(ExternalClientBuildError::MissingHost {
+            label: source_label.clone(),
+            endpoint: endpoint.to_owned(),
+        }
+        .into());
+    }
+
+    let resolved = (host, port)
+        .to_socket_addrs()
+        .map_err(|source| ExternalClientBuildError::Resolve {
+            label: source_label.clone(),
+            endpoint: endpoint.to_owned(),
+            source,
+        })?
+        .next()
+        .ok_or_else(|| ExternalClientBuildError::NoResolvedAddress {
+            label: source_label,
+            endpoint: endpoint.to_owned(),
+        })?;
+
+    Ok(resolved)
+}
+
+fn split_host_port(authority: &str) -> Option<(&str, u16)> {
+    let (host, port) = authority.rsplit_once(':')?;
+    let port = port.parse::<u16>().ok()?;
+    Some((host.trim_matches(['[', ']']), port))
+}
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/lib.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/lib.rs
index df19be3..9531a3b 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/lib.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 pub mod binary;
 mod deployer;
 pub mod env;
+mod external;
 mod manual;
 mod node_control;
 pub mod process;
diff --git a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/manual/mod.rs b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/manual/mod.rs
index e880f1e..36a4019 100644
--- a/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/manual/mod.rs
+++ b/testing-framework/deployers/local/src/manual/mod.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ use thiserror::Error;
 
 use crate::{
     env::LocalDeployerEnv,
+    external::build_external_client,
     keep_tempdir_from_env,
     node_control::{NodeManager, NodeManagerError, NodeManagerSeed},
 };
@@ -93,7 +94,8 @@ impl<E: LocalDeployerEnv> ManualCluster<E> {
     ) -> Result<(), DynError> {
         let node_clients = self.nodes.node_clients();
         for source in external_sources {
-            let client = E::external_node_client(&source)?;
+            let client = E::external_node_client(&source)
+                .or_else(|_| build_external_client::<E>(&source))?;
             node_clients.add_node(client);
         }