diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..067a4fd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Quintine
+
+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..6401f98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# MeatSlicer: A Butcher's Descent
+
+**Clear, harvest, descend.**
+
+MeatSlicer is an endless top-down arena roguelite. Play as the Butcher, clear rooms of flesh-hungry horrors, draft mutations, assemble grotesque item builds, defeat each floor's boss, and keep descending until the meat wins.
+
+## Play
+
+### Browser
+
+On Windows, run:
+
+```bat
+play.bat
+```
+
+This starts a local server at <http://localhost:8123> and opens the game in your browser. Python is required.
+
+### Desktop
+
+```sh
+npm install
+npm start
+```
+
+### Development mode
+
+Run `play-dev.bat` for the browser build, or:
+
+```sh
+npm start -- --dev
+```
+
+Press the backtick key (`` ` ``) while playing or paused to open the debug console.
+
+## Test and package
+
+```sh
+npm test
+npm run dist
+```
+
+`npm test` runs the smoke test. `npm run dist` packages the Windows Electron build as a zip in `dist/`.
+
+## Documentation
+
+See the [documentation index](docs/README.md) for the gameplay guide, weapons, items, perks, enemies, bosses, debug tools, and changelog.
+
+## Technology
+
+The game uses plain JavaScript and HTML5 canvas, with an Electron wrapper for the desktop build. It has no browser framework or bundler.
+
+## Asset provenance
+
+This project contains AI-assisted generated visual and audio assets. Production sprite stills were generated through OpenRouter and processed by the repository's asset tools; sound effects were generated with ElevenLabs. Generated assets and the rest of this repository are distributed under the MIT License.
+
+## License
+
+[MIT](LICENSE)