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..3029596
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# HopeMesh AGENTS
+
+- Overview
+  - A production-oriented skeleton for a cross-domain, offline-first resource allocation system with governance and adapters.
+
+- Architecture
+  - Core primitives: LocalProblem, SharedSignals, PlanDelta (GoC-style contracts).
+  - Graph of Contracts (GoC): lightweight in-process graph to connect problems, signals, and actions.
+  - Adapters: pluggable endpoints for field units, warehouses, transport hubs; starter adapters included.
+  - Transport: TLS-backed channel abstraction for inter-device communication.
+  - Governance: skeleton ledger for provenance with per-message signatures (extensible to DID-based identities).
+
+- Tech Stack
+  - Language: Python 3.9+
+  - Packaging: pyproject.toml (setuptools)
+
+- Testing and quality gates
+  - Basic unit tests for core primitives.
+  - test.sh to run pytest and python -m build for packaging checks.
+  - AGENTS.md intentionally documents architecture so future agents can contribute without breaking it.
+
+- How to run locally
+  - python3 -m pytest
+  - bash test.sh
+
+- Publishing rules
+  - Follow the publish checklist in the main task description; ensure READY_TO_PUBLISH exists when ready.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1721f2b..ddc90b9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,32 @@
-# idea152-hopemesh-federated-privacy
+# HopeMesh: Federated, Privacy-Preserving Humanitarian Resource Allocation
 
-Source logic for Idea #152
\ No newline at end of file
+Overview
+- HopeMesh is a distributed, offline-first platform to coordinate humanitarian aid across agencies in crisis zones with intermittent connectivity.
+- It models local needs as LocalProblem, supply signals as SharedSignals, and delta actions as PlanDelta within a Graph-of-Contracts (GoC) architecture.
+- The MVP focuses on cross-domain adapters (supply-inventory tracker and field-needs collector) with TLS transport, governance ledger skeleton, and a small cross-domain objective.
+
+Architecture (high level)
+- Core primitives: LocalProblem, SharedSignals, PlanDelta
+- Graph-of-Contracts (GoC): a lightweight graph of contracts and adapters
+- Adapters: plug in domain-specific data sources and workflows (starter adapters included)
+- Governance ledger: per-message provenance and signature trail (skeleton)
+- TLS transport: secure channels between field units and hubs
+
+Tech Stack (by component)
+- Language: Python 3.9+
+- Packaging: pyproject.toml (setuptools) with an executable test script
+- API surface: lightweight Python classes and simple in-memory data stores
+
+How to run (local dev)
+- Install dependencies: (no heavy deps required yet)
+- Run tests: ./test.sh
+- Package and build: python3 -m build
+
+Packaging hooks
+- The project name in pyproject.toml is idea152-hopemesh-federated-privacy to satisfy publishing rules.
+- The Python importable package is idea152_hopemesh_federated_privacy (underscore style) to align with Python packaging norms.
+
+Contributing
+- See AGENTS.md for architecture, testing commands, and contribution rules.
+
+License: MIT (example)
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49b37d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools>=42", "wheel"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "idea152-hopemesh-federated-privacy"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = "Federated, privacy-preserving humanitarian resource allocation prototype (HopeMesh)"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.9"
+license = { file = "LICENSE" }
+
+[project.urls]
+Homepage = "https://example.org/hope-mesh"
+Repository = "https://github.com/example/hope-mesh"
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+where = ["src"]
diff --git a/src/__init__.py b/src/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cb2bea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+"""Temporary namespace for the HopeMesh Python package.
+This package provides core primitives and a minimal MVP scaffolding.
+"""
+
+__all__ = [
+    "core",
+    "governance",
+    "adapters",
+    "tls_transport",
+]
diff --git a/src/adapters/__init__.py b/src/adapters/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0576fef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/adapters/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+"""Adapters package for HopeMesh MVP."""
diff --git a/src/adapters/starter/__init__.py b/src/adapters/starter/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c48a97a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/adapters/starter/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+"""Starter adapters for HopeMesh MVP."""
diff --git a/src/adapters/starter/field_needs_collector.py b/src/adapters/starter/field_needs_collector.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ad52dde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/adapters/starter/field_needs_collector.py
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import List, Dict
+import time
+
+
+@dataclass
+class FieldNeedsCollector:
+    collected: List[Dict] = field(default_factory=list)
+
+    def add_need(self, location: str, need_type: str, quantity: int, time_window: tuple[str, str]) -> None:
+        need = {
+            "location": location,
+            "need_type": need_type,
+            "quantity": quantity,
+            "time_window": time_window,
+            "timestamp": time.time(),
+        }
+        self.collected.append(need)
+
+    def to_local_problem(self) -> dict:
+        # Simple translation to LocalProblem-like dict for MVP testability
+        if not self.collected:
+            return {}
+        n = self.collected[-1]
+        return {
+            "location": n["location"],
+            "need_type": n["need_type"],
+            "quantity": n["quantity"],
+            "time_window": n["time_window"],
+            "priority": 3,
+        }
diff --git a/src/adapters/starter/supply_inventory_tracker.py b/src/adapters/starter/supply_inventory_tracker.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48fe020
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/adapters/starter/supply_inventory_tracker.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Dict
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SupplyInventoryTracker:
+    inventory: Dict[str, int] = field(default_factory=dict)
+
+    def register_item(self, item: str, quantity: int) -> None:
+        if item not in self.inventory:
+            self.inventory[item] = 0
+        self.inventory[item] += int(quantity)
+
+    def consume_item(self, item: str, quantity: int) -> bool:
+        if self.inventory.get(item, 0) < quantity:
+            return False
+        self.inventory[item] -= quantity
+        return True
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        return f"SupplyInventoryTracker(inventory={self.inventory})"
diff --git a/src/core.py b/src/core.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d6b3a4e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/core.py
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import Dict, List, Tuple, Optional
+
+
+@dataclass
+class LocalProblem:
+    location: str
+    need_type: str
+    priority: int  # 1-5, higher means more urgent
+    quantity: int
+    time_window: Tuple[str, str]  # (start_iso, end_iso)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SharedSignals:
+    stock_levels: Dict[str, int]  # e.g., {"itemA": 100}
+    urgency_scores: Dict[str, float]  # per-location urgency or need types
+
+
+@dataclass
+class PlanDelta:
+    plan_id: str
+    actions: List[Dict[str, object]]  # simple action descriptors
+    timestamp: str  # ISO timestamp
+    valid: bool = True
+
+
+class GraphOfContracts:
+    """Minimal GoC-like graph to connect problems, signals, and deltas."""
+
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.local_problems: List[LocalProblem] = []
+        self.shared_signals: Optional[SharedSignals] = None
+        self.plan_deltas: List[PlanDelta] = []
+
+    def add_local_problem(self, lp: LocalProblem) -> None:
+        self.local_problems.append(lp)
+
+    def set_shared_signals(self, ss: SharedSignals) -> None:
+        self.shared_signals = ss
+
+    def add_plan_delta(self, pd: PlanDelta) -> None:
+        self.plan_deltas.append(pd)
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        return (
+            f"GraphOfContracts(LocalProblems={len(self.local_problems)}, "
+            f"SharedSignals={'set' if self.shared_signals else 'unset'}, "
+            f"PlanDeltas={len(self.plan_deltas)})"
+        )
diff --git a/src/governance.py b/src/governance.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c363b3f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/governance.py
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+import hmac
+import hashlib
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from time import time
+
+_SHARED_KEY = b"super-secret-key-for-tests"  # In production, use DID-based keys or KMS
+
+
+@dataclass
+class GovernanceEntry:
+    message: str
+    signature: str
+    timestamp: float
+
+
+class GovernanceLedger:
+    """Skeleton governance ledger with simple HMAC-based signatures for testability."""
+
+    def __init__(self, key: bytes | None = None) -> None:
+        self.key = key or _SHARED_KEY
+        self.entries: list[GovernanceEntry] = []
+
+    def sign_message(self, message: str) -> GovernanceEntry:
+        ts = time()
+        sig = hmac.new(self.key, msg=message.encode("utf-8"), digestmod=hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
+        entry = GovernanceEntry(message=message, signature=sig, timestamp=ts)
+        self.entries.append(entry)
+        return entry
+
+    def verify_entry(self, entry: GovernanceEntry) -> bool:
+        expected = hmac.new(self.key, msg=entry.message.encode("utf-8"), digestmod=hashlib.sha256).hexdigest()
+        return hmac.compare_digest(expected, entry.signature)
+
+    def __repr__(self) -> str:
+        return f"GovernanceLedger(entries={len(self.entries)})"
diff --git a/src/tls_transport.py b/src/tls_transport.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea18329
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tls_transport.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+class TLSEndpoint:
+    """Minimal TLS transport stub for MVP. Not a full TLS server/client.
+    This provides a placeholder interface that future code can extend to use real TLS sockets.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, address: str, use_tls: bool = True):
+        self.address = address
+        self.use_tls = use_tls
+
+    def send(self, data: bytes) -> None:
+        # Stub: in a real implementation this would write to a TLS-wrapped socket
+        if self.use_tls:
+            # pretend to encrypt and send
+            _ = data  # no-op for placeholder
+        else:
+            pass
+
+    def receive(self) -> bytes:
+        # Stub: return empty bytes for MVP
+        return b""
diff --git a/test.sh b/test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..441a42d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+printf "Running tests...\n"
+pytest -q
+printf "Building package...\n"
+python3 -m build
diff --git a/test_core.py b/test_core.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b80e4d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_core.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+import time
+from src.core import LocalProblem, SharedSignals, PlanDelta, GraphOfContracts
+
+
+def test_local_problem_dataclass():
+    lp = LocalProblem(
+        location="Site-A",
+        need_type="food_rations",
+        priority=4,
+        quantity=1000,
+        time_window=("2026-04-21T00:00:00Z", "2026-04-22T00:00:00Z"),
+    )
+    assert lp.location == "Site-A"
+    assert lp.need_type == "food_rations"
+    assert lp.quantity == 1000
+
+
+def test_shared_signals_and_plan_delta_basics():
+    ss = SharedSignals(stock_levels={"itemA": 500}, urgency_scores={"Site-A": 0.8})
+    assert ss.stock_levels["itemA"] == 500
+
+    pd = PlanDelta(plan_id="P1", actions=[{"allocate": {"itemA": 100}}], timestamp=time.time())
+    assert pd.plan_id == "P1"
+    assert isinstance(pd.actions, list)
+
+
+def test_graph_of_contracts_basic_flow():
+    go = GraphOfContracts()
+    lp = LocalProblem(
+        location="Site-B",
+        need_type="water",
+        priority=2,
+        quantity=200,
+        time_window=("2026-04-25T00:00:00Z", "2026-04-26T00:00:00Z"),
+    )
+    go.add_local_problem(lp)
+    ss = SharedSignals(stock_levels={"water": 1000}, urgency_scores={"Site-B": 0.5})
+    go.set_shared_signals(ss)
+    pd = PlanDelta(plan_id="P2", actions=[{"deliver": {"water": 200}}], timestamp=time.time())
+    go.add_plan_delta(pd)
+    assert len(go.local_problems) == 1
+    assert go.shared_signals is ss
+    assert len(go.plan_deltas) == 1