diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd5590b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+node_modules/
+.npmrc
+.env
+.env.*
+__tests__/
+coverage/
+.nyc_output/
+dist/
+build/
+.cache/
+*.log
+.DS_Store
+tmp/
+.tmp/
+__pycache__/
+*.pyc
+.venv/
+venv/
+*.egg-info/
+.pytest_cache/
+READY_TO_PUBLISH
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e34c9f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# AGENTS.md
+
+Overview
+- This repository implements a production-ready, cross-organization IR orchestration MVP called GuardRailOps. It targets offline/partitioned networks with eventual reconciliation and auditable governance.
+
+Tech stack (Python-based MVP)
+- Core: Python 3.11+ (dataclasses, typing, simple cryptographic placeholders)
+- Packaging: pyproject.toml with setuptools
+- Tests: pytest
+- Adapters: minimal SIEM/EDR adapters scaffolds
+
+Architecture components
+- LocalIRTask, SharedTelemetry, PlanDelta: core DSL primitives implemented as dataclasses
+- DeltaSyncEngine: simple offline delta propagation and deterministic replay
+- GovernanceLedger: append-only, cryptographically-signed entries (simulated)
+- GoCRegistry: skeleton registry for Graph-of-Contracts, to be extended
+- Adapters: SIEMAdapter, EDRAdapter with TLS mutual authentication hooks (simulated)
+
+Development and testing workflow
+- Run tests with test.sh (located in root)
+- Packaging: build w/ python -m build via test.sh
+- Use AGENTS.md guidelines to extend; avoid breaking the contract DSL unless explicitly required
+
+Contribution rules
+- Minimal, atomic changes preferred
+- Add tests for new features; ensure all tests pass before merging
+- Do not push to remote unless explicitly requested
+
+Notes
+- This is a multi-organization, highway-to-production project. The MVP emphasizes determinism, data locality, and governance transparency.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2d2ad01..3e6e22f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,22 @@
-# idea138-guardrailops-federated-verifiable
+# GuardRailOps: Federated, Verifiable Incident Response Orchestration
 
-Source logic for Idea #138
\ No newline at end of file
+Prototype of an open-source platform enabling cross-organization incident response (IR) orchestration across multi-cloud and on-prem environments with offline resilience, deterministic replay, and auditable governance.
+
+Architecture at a glance
+- Local IR primitives: LocalIRTask, SharedTelemetry, PlanDelta
+- Delta-based offline-first propagation and deterministic replay
+- Tamper-evident governance ledger with cryptographic signatures (simulated for MVP)
+- Graph-of-Contracts (GoC) registry scaffold
+- Adapters marketplace scaffold (SIEM/EDR as starter adapters)
+- Privacy-preserving telemetry sharing via secure aggregation scaffolds (MVP stubs)
+
+Getting started (developer workflow)
+- Install dependencies via test.sh (will be defined in repo)
+- Run tests and packaging to validate MVP
+
+This repository is structured to be extended by multiple agents in a SWARM fashion. See AGENTS.md for architecture details and contribution rules.
+
+Links
+- AGENTS.md: Architecture and contribution rules
+- test.sh: Test and packaging automation
+- READY_TO_PUBLISH: Placeholder for publishing readiness
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8376f09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools", "wheel"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = "Prototype of federated, verifiable incident response orchestration across multi-cloud and on-prem environments. MVP with delta-based offline replay and governance ledger."
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.11"
+authors = [ { name = "OpenCode" } ]
+license = { text = "MIT" }
+
+[project.urls]
+Homepage = "https://example.com/guardrailops"
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+where = ["src"]
diff --git a/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/__init__.py b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3cba3e0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+"""Idea138 GuardRailOps - Federated IR MVP (core primitives and orchestration scaffold)."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Dict, List, Any
+import hashlib
+import time
+
+
+@dataclass
+class LocalIRTask:
+    id: str
+    description: str
+    action: str  # e.g., 'detect', 'contain', 'recover'
+    status: str  # 'pending'|'in_progress'|'completed'
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SharedTelemetry:
+    signals: Dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
+    budget: float = 0.0  # privacy/telemetry budget placeholder
+    timestamp: float = field(default_factory=time.time)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class PlanDelta:
+    delta_id: str
+    parent_id: str | None
+    timestamp: float
+    nonce: str
+    changes: List[Dict[str, Any]]  # primitive changes describing actions
+
+    def digest(self) -> str:
+        hasher = hashlib.sha256()
+        hasher.update(self.delta_id.encode())
+        hasher.update(str(self.timestamp).encode())
+        hasher.update((self.nonce or "").encode())
+        for ch in self.changes:
+            hasher.update(str(ch).encode())
+        return hasher.hexdigest()
+
+
+@dataclass
+class AuditLogEntry:
+    entry_id: str
+    event: str
+    detail: Dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
+    signature: str = ""  # placeholder signature
+
+    def sign(self, key: str) -> None:
+        data = f"{self.entry_id}:{self.event}:{self.detail}:{key}"
+        self.signature = hashlib.sha256(data.encode()).hexdigest()
+
+
+class DeltaSyncEngine:
+    """Minimal offline delta synchronization engine (in-memory)."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.ledger: List[AuditLogEntry] = []
+
+    def apply_delta(self, state: Dict[str, Any], delta: PlanDelta) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        # Simple deterministic application: iterate changes and update state
+        new_state = dict(state)
+        for change in delta.changes:
+            # Each change should be a dict with 'key' and 'value' and optional 'op'
+            key = change.get("key")
+            value = change.get("value")
+            op = change.get("op", "set")
+            if op == "set":
+                new_state[key] = value
+            elif op == "delete":
+                new_state.pop(key, None)
+            elif op == "append":
+                if key not in new_state:
+                    new_state[key] = [value]
+                else:
+                    new_state[key].append(value)
+        return new_state
+
+    def log(self, event: str, detail: Dict[str, Any], signer_key: str | None = None) -> AuditLogEntry:
+        entry = AuditLogEntry(entry_id=hashlib.sha256((event + str(time.time())).encode()).hexdigest(), event=event, detail=detail)
+        if signer_key:
+            entry.sign(signer_key)
+        self.ledger.append(entry)
+        return entry
+
+
+__all__ = [
+    "LocalIRTask",
+    "SharedTelemetry",
+    "PlanDelta",
+    "AuditLogEntry",
+    "DeltaSyncEngine",
+]
diff --git a/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/edr.py b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/edr.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ae3dee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/edr.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Dict, Any
+
+
+@dataclass
+class EDRAdapter:
+    name: str = "GenericEDR"
+    connected: bool = False
+    storage: Dict[str, Any] = None
+
+    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
+        if self.storage is None:
+            self.storage = {}
+
+    def connect(self) -> None:
+        self.connected = True
+
+    def alert(self, data: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        if not self.connected:
+            self.connect()
+        key = str(len(self.storage) + 1)
+        self.storage[key] = data
diff --git a/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/siem.py b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/siem.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f60619
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable/adapters/siem.py
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from typing import Dict, Any
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SIEMAdapter:
+    name: str = "GenericSIEM"
+    connected: bool = False
+    storage: Dict[str, Any] = None
+
+    def __post_init__(self) -> None:
+        if self.storage is None:
+            self.storage = {}
+
+    def connect(self) -> None:
+        # In a real implementation, TLS mutual auth would occur here
+        self.connected = True
+
+    def ingest(self, data: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        if not self.connected:
+            self.connect()
+        # Simple in-memory store to simulate ingestion
+        key = str(len(self.storage) + 1)
+        self.storage[key] = data
diff --git a/test.sh b/test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..631f6db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+echo "Running tests and packaging verification..."
+python3 -m pip install -e . >/dev/null 2>&1 || python3 -m pip install -e .
+pytest -q
+echo "Running Python build to verify packaging metadata..."
+python3 -m build
+echo "All tests and packaging checks passed."
diff --git a/tests/test_delta_replay.py b/tests/test_delta_replay.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba6bb59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_delta_replay.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import time
+import sys
+import os
+
+# Ensure the package in src/ is importable for tests
+ROOT = os.path.abspath(os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), ".."))
+SRC = os.path.join(ROOT, "src")
+if SRC not in sys.path:
+    sys.path.insert(0, SRC)
+
+from idea138_guardrailops_federated_verifiable import PlanDelta, DeltaSyncEngine
+
+
+def make_delta(delta_id: str, parent_id: str | None, changes) -> PlanDelta:
+    return PlanDelta(
+        delta_id=delta_id,
+        parent_id=parent_id,
+        timestamp=time.time(),
+        nonce="nonce-123",
+        changes=changes,
+    )
+
+
+def test_delta_offline_replay_deterministically():
+    # initial state
+    state = {
+        "host_group": [],
+        "status": "idle",
+    }
+
+    engine = DeltaSyncEngine()
+
+    delta1 = make_delta(
+        "delta-1",
+        None,
+        [
+            {"key": "status", "value": "scanned", "op": "set"},
+            {"key": "host_group", "value": "hostA", "op": "append"},
+        ],
+    )
+
+    # apply delta once
+    state1 = engine.apply_delta(state, delta1)
+    log1 = engine.log("delta_applied", {"delta_id": delta1.delta_id})
+
+    # simulate offline save and replay with the same delta and state seed
+    state2 = engine.apply_delta(state, delta1)
+    log2 = engine.log("delta_applied_replay", {"delta_id": delta1.delta_id})
+
+    assert state1 == state2
+    assert delta1.digest() == delta1.digest()  # deterministic digest
+    # Ledger should have two entries for two applications
+    assert len(engine.ledger) >= 2