diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d74d08d..9833871 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,15 @@
+# macOS
 .DS_Store
 
+# Build
 /target
+
+# Editor/IDE
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+
+# Claude Code
+.claude/
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e311d6a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Contributing to FIPS
+
+## Getting Started
+
+Clone the repo and verify your setup:
+
+```
+git clone https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips.git
+cd fips
+cargo build
+cargo test
+```
+
+Read [docs/design/](docs/design/) for protocol understanding, starting with
+[fips-intro.md](docs/design/fips-intro.md).
+
+## Filing Issues
+
+- Search existing issues before opening a new one.
+- Include FIPS version, Rust version, and OS.
+- For bugs: steps to reproduce, expected vs actual behavior.
+
+## Pull Requests
+
+- All PRs must pass `cargo build`, `cargo test`, and `cargo clippy` with no
+  warnings.
+- Keep commits focused — one logical change per commit.
+- Add tests for new functionality.
+- Reference relevant design docs if the change touches protocol behavior.
+
+## Questions
+
+Open a GitHub issue for design or implementation questions.
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 18fcce1..68de178 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -2,6 +2,11 @@
 name = "fips"
 version = "0.1.0"
 edition = "2024"
+description = "A distributed, decentralized network routing protocol for mesh nodes connecting over arbitrary transports"
+license = "MIT"
+authors = ["Johnathan Corgan <jcorgan@corganlabs.com>"]
+repository = "https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips"
+readme = "README.md"
 
 [dependencies]
 secp256k1 = { version = "0.30", features = ["rand", "global-context"] }
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7bf9e15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Johnathan Corgan
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b7ec94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+# FIPS: Free Internetworking Peering System
+
+A distributed, decentralized network routing protocol for mesh nodes
+connecting over arbitrary transports.
+
+> **Status: Experimental / Pre-release**
+>
+> FIPS is under active development. The protocol and APIs are not stable.
+> Expect breaking changes.
+
+## Overview
+
+FIPS is a self-organizing mesh network that operates natively over a variety
+of physical and logical media — local area networks, Bluetooth, serial links,
+radio, or the existing internet as an overlay. Nodes generate their own
+identities, discover each other, and route traffic without any central
+authority or global topology knowledge.
+
+FIPS uses Nostr keypairs (secp256k1/schnorr) as native node identities,
+making every Nostr user a potential network participant. Nodes address each
+other by npub, and the same cryptographic identity used in the Nostr ecosystem
+serves as both the routing address and the basis for end-to-end encrypted
+sessions across the mesh.
+
+## Features
+
+- **Self-organizing mesh routing** — spanning tree coordinates and bloom
+  filter candidate selection, no global routing tables
+- **Multi-transport** — UDP/IP overlay today; designed for Ethernet,
+  Bluetooth, serial, radio, and Tor
+- **Noise encryption** — hop-by-hop link encryption plus independent
+  end-to-end session encryption
+- **Nostr-native identity** — secp256k1 keypairs as node addresses, no
+  registration or central authority
+- **IPv6 adaptation** — TUN interface maps npubs to fd00::/8 addresses for
+  unmodified IP applications
+- **Metrics Measurement Protocol** — per-link RTT, loss, jitter, and goodput
+  measurement
+- **Zero configuration** — sensible defaults; a node can run with no config
+  file
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### Requirements
+
+- Rust 1.85+ (edition 2024)
+- Linux (TUN interface requires `CAP_NET_ADMIN` or root)
+
+### Build
+
+```
+git clone https://github.com/jmcorgan/fips.git
+cd fips
+cargo build --release
+```
+
+### Run
+
+```
+# With default configuration (ephemeral identity, default ports):
+sudo ./target/release/fips
+
+# With a configuration file:
+sudo ./target/release/fips -c fips.yaml
+```
+
+See [docs/design/fips-configuration.md](docs/design/fips-configuration.md) for
+the full configuration reference.
+
+### Multi-node Testing
+
+See [testing/](testing/) for Docker-based integration test harnesses including
+static topology tests and stochastic chaos simulation.
+
+## Documentation
+
+Protocol design documentation is in [docs/design/](docs/design/), organized as
+a layered protocol specification. Start with
+[fips-intro.md](docs/design/fips-intro.md) for the full protocol overview.
+
+## Project Structure
+
+```
+src/          Rust source (library + daemon binary)
+docs/design/  Protocol design specifications
+testing/      Docker-based integration test harnesses
+benches/      Criterion benchmarks
+```
+
+## License
+
+MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).