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..a1ed726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+TradeCipher MVP - Agent Overview
+
+- Architecture: Python-based MVP with a clean separation between data contracts, a tamper-evident ledger, and a placeholder ZK proof generator.
+- Tech stack: Python 3.8+, dataclasses, in-memory ledger, JSON serialization. No external databases required for MVP.
+- Testing: PyTest test suite covering contracts, ledger, and ZK proof placeholder.
+- How to run tests: ./test.sh
+- Publishing: when ready, follow the publishing steps in the repo's instructions and ensure READY_TO_PUBLISH is created.
+
+Notes:
+- This is a minimal interoperable skeleton designed to be extended into a full cross-venue MVP.
+- Additional adapters and contract registries can be added under adapters/ and contracts/ respectively.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c2762ee..b825d4e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,19 @@
 # tradecipher-blockchain-backed-privacy-pr
 
-A modular, open-source platform enabling end-to-end trade lifecycle auditing across venues (options, equities) with cryptographic provenance, zero-knowledge privacy, and offline-first capabilities. The system anchors attestations of orders, fills, an
\ No newline at end of file
+A modular, open-source platform enabling end-to-end trade lifecycle auditing across venues (options, equities) with cryptographic provenance, zero-knowledge privacy, and offline-first capabilities. The system anchors attestations of orders, fills, and post-trade events to a tamper-evident ledger while keeping sensitive payloads off-chain.
+
+This repository provides a minimal MVP implementation in Python to satisfy tests and demonstrate the core concepts (contracts, a tamper-evident ledger, and placeholder ZK proofs). See AGENTS.md for contribution guidance and the READY_TO_PUBLISH signal when ready to publish.
+
+## How to run (local MVP)
+- Install Python 3.8+
+- Install build tooling: "python3 -m pip install build"
+- Run tests: ./test.sh
+- Build package: python3 -m build
+
+## Project layout
+- tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/: Python package with contracts, ledger, zk_proofs, and adapters
+- tests/: pytest test suite for core MVP
+- pyproject.toml: packaging metadata for the MVP package tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr
+- AGENTS.md: architecture and contribution guidelines
+- test.sh: test runner that executes tests and packaging build
+- README.md: this file
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..636af42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools>=61.0", "wheel"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
+[project]
+name = "tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr"
+version = "0.1.0"
+dependencies = []
+description = "MVP: blockchain-backed, privacy-preserving trade lifecycle auditing across venues"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.8"
+
+[tool.setuptools.packages.find]
+where = ["."]
+include = ["tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr"]
diff --git a/test.sh b/test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9c324a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+echo "Running tests..."
+export PYTHONPATH="/workspace/repo:${PYTHONPATH:-}"
+pytest -q
+
+echo "Building package..."
+python3 -m build
+
+echo "ALL TESTS PASSED and BUILD SUCCEEDED"
+echo "READY_TO_PUBLISH_MARKER"
diff --git a/tests/test_contracts.py b/tests/test_contracts.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a08e881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_contracts.py
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import json
+from tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr.contracts import LocalTrade, SharedSignals, PlanDelta
+
+
+def test_local_trade_json_roundtrip():
+    lt = LocalTrade(
+        trade_id="T1",
+        product_id="P-XYZ",
+        venue="VenueA",
+        price=123.45,
+        size=10,
+        side="buy",
+        timestamp=1620000000.0,
+        signer_id="Signer1",
+        signature="sig123",
+    )
+    j = lt.to_json()
+    # Ensure it's valid JSON and contains expected fields
+    obj = json.loads(j)
+    assert isinstance(obj, dict)
+    assert obj["trade_id"] == "T1"
+
+
+def test_shared_signals_and_plan_delta_structure():
+    ss = SharedSignals(signals_version=1, aggregated_risk=0.5, margin_impact=0.1, liquidity_metric=0.9)
+    pd = PlanDelta(delta_version=1, timestamp=1620000001.0, allocations={"T1": 0.5}, cryptographic_tag="tag")
+    assert isinstance(ss.to_json(), str)
+    assert isinstance(pd.to_json(), str)
diff --git a/tests/test_ledger.py b/tests/test_ledger.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..652868c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_ledger.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr.ledger import AttestationLedger
+import json
+
+
+def test_ledger_append_and_latest():
+    ledger = AttestationLedger()
+    payload = json.dumps({"event": "test"})
+    block = ledger.append(payload)
+    assert block.index == 0
+    assert ledger.latest() is block
diff --git a/tests/test_zkp.py b/tests/test_zkp.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c993a8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_zkp.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+from tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr.zk_proofs import generate_zk_proof
+
+
+def test_generate_zk_proof_structure():
+    data = {"trade_id": "T1"}
+    constraints = {"price_band": [100, 200]}
+    proof = generate_zk_proof(data, constraints)
+    assert isinstance(proof, dict)
+    assert proof.get("valid") is True
+    assert "proof" in proof
diff --git a/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/__init__.py b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8efc819
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+"""TradeCipher MVP package
+
+A lightweight reference implementation for LocalTrade / SharedSignals / PlanDelta
+contracts, a tamper-evident in-memory attestation ledger, and a placeholder
+Zero-Knowledge proof generator. This is intentionally minimal to satisfy the
+tests and provide a concrete starting point for further work.
+"""
+
+__all__ = [
+    "contracts",
+    "ledger",
+    "zk_proofs",
+    "adapters",
+]
diff --git a/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/adapters.py b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/adapters.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..72d69cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/adapters.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+"""Tiny adapters registry for two-venue MVP.
+
+This module is deliberately small; it provides a stub registry that could be
+extended to map LocalTrade -> canonical representation and to register
+simple venue adapters. It demonstrates the intended extension point.
+"""
+
+ADAPTER_REGISTRY = {}
+
+
+def register_adapter(name: str, adapter: object) -> None:
+    ADAPTER_REGISTRY[name] = adapter
+
+
+def get_adapter(name: str):
+    return ADAPTER_REGISTRY.get(name)
diff --git a/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/contracts.py b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/contracts.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fcd9668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/contracts.py
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
+from typing import Optional
+import json
+
+
+@dataclass
+class LocalTrade:
+    trade_id: str
+    product_id: str
+    venue: str
+    price: float
+    size: int
+    side: str  # 'buy' or 'sell'
+    timestamp: float
+    signer_id: str
+    signature: str
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class SharedSignals:
+    signals_version: int
+    aggregated_risk: float  # placeholder for aggregated risk metric
+    margin_impact: float
+    liquidity_metric: float
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class PlanDelta:
+    delta_version: int
+    timestamp: float
+    allocations: dict  # mapping from trade_id to new allocation
+    cryptographic_tag: str
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class PrivacyBudget:
+    budget_id: str
+    max_privacy_leakage: float
+    spent_privacy: float
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class AuditLog:
+    event_id: str
+    timestamp: float
+    actor: str
+    action: str
+    details: Optional[str] = None
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class ComplianceEvent:
+    event_id: str
+    venue: str
+    constraint: str
+    violated: bool
+    timestamp: float
+    details: Optional[str] = None
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps(asdict(self), sort_keys=True)
diff --git a/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/ledger.py b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/ledger.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13849c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/ledger.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import List, Optional
+import hashlib
+import time
+import json
+
+
+def _hash(data: str) -> str:
+    return hashlib.sha256(data.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
+
+
+@dataclass
+class Block:
+    index: int
+    timestamp: float
+    payload: str  # JSON-serialized contract data or attestation
+    previous_hash: str
+    hash: str = field(init=False)
+
+    def __post_init__(self):
+        self.hash = _hash(self._block_string())
+
+    def _block_string(self) -> str:
+        return f"{self.index}:{self.timestamp}:{self.payload}:{self.previous_hash}"
+
+
+class AttestationLedger:
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._chain: List[Block] = []
+        self._current_previous_hash: str = "0" * 64
+
+    def append(self, payload_json: str) -> Block:
+        index = len(self._chain)
+        block = Block(
+            index=index,
+            timestamp=time.time(),
+            payload=payload_json,
+            previous_hash=self._current_previous_hash,
+        )
+        self._chain.append(block)
+        self._current_previous_hash = block.hash
+        return block
+
+    def latest(self) -> Optional[Block]:
+        return self._chain[-1] if self._chain else None
+
+    def to_json(self) -> str:
+        return json.dumps([{
+            "index": b.index,
+            "timestamp": b.timestamp,
+            "payload": b.payload,
+            "previous_hash": b.previous_hash,
+            "hash": b.hash,
+        } for b in self._chain], sort_keys=True)
diff --git a/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/zk_proofs.py b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/zk_proofs.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb0a955
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tradecipher_blockchain_backed_privacy_pr/zk_proofs.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+from typing import Dict
+
+
+def generate_zk_proof(data: dict, constraints: dict) -> Dict[str, object]:
+    """Placeholder ZK proof generator.
+
+This MVP uses a deterministic, non-secure stub that returns a structure
+compatible with a real ZK proof's interface. The real implementation should
+produce a succinct proof that the given data satisfies the constraints without
+revealing the underlying data.
+"""
+    # Very naive: hash of inputs to simulate a proof id, and a dummy proof artifact
+    probe = {
+        "proof_id": hash(str(data) + str(constraints)),
+        "proof": "dummy-zk-proof",
+        "valid": True,
+        "revealed": None,
+    }
+    return probe