diff --git a/generic_rag/backend/models.py b/generic_rag/backend/models.py
index ebcf45c..e09e5f5 100644
--- a/generic_rag/backend/models.py
+++ b/generic_rag/backend/models.py
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ class BackendType(Enum):
     aws = "aws"
     local = "local"
 
+    # make the enum pretty printable for argparse
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.value
+
 
 def get_chat_model(backend_type: BackendType) -> BaseChatModel:
     if backend_type == BackendType.azure: