diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b877c4b..a41035e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,14 +4,11 @@
 .github/prompts
 .vite
 debug
+coverage
 dist
 docs/others
 node_modules
 probe.mjs
-README.md
 shot.mjs
 tests/render-parity/FINDINGS.md
 tests/render-parity/fixtures
-
-# coverage output (npm run test:coverage)
-coverage/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6736faf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+<p align="center">
+  <img src="public/favicon.svg" width="80" alt="">
+</p>
+
+<h1 align="center">
+  <img src="public/EdenText.png" height="40" alt="EdenText">
+</h1>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <strong>Powerful word processor — just one URL away.</strong><br>
+  Free · Open Source · Private by Design
+</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://github.com/stffnb/edentext/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img src="https://github.com/stffnb/edentext/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg" alt="CI"></a>
+  <a href="LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-AGPL--3.0-blue" alt="License: AGPL-3.0"></a>
+  <a href="CHANGELOG.md"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/package-json/v/stffnb/edentext" alt="Version"></a>
+</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://stffnb.github.io/edentext/"><strong>▶ Open EdenText</strong></a>
+</p>
+
+---
+
+EdenText is a web-based, powerful word processor for everything from quick notes to full-length books. No server, no account — processing runs locally and your documents never leave your computer. Just one URL away, or completely offline as a slim browser app — only ~1 MB[^1].
+
+## Features
+
+- **Real page layout** — A4/Letter pages, margins, headers & footers, footnotes,
+  columns, page numbering, watermarks, ...
+- **Opens and saves `.odt` and `.docx`**, exports PDF; templates (`.ott`/`.dotx`)
+- **Styles** — paragraph, character and table styles with inheritance
+- **Tables** with styles, sorting and spreadsheet-style formulas
+- **Everything a thesis needs** — table of contents, captions, cross-references,
+  citations & bibliography, alphabetical index, formulas (LaTeX)
+- **Review tools** — track changes, comments, spell check (English & German),
+  synonyms
+- **Private by design** — your documents never leave your computer, all
+  processing runs locally; works offline as an installable app
+
+## Development
+
+```bash
+npm install
+npm run dev      # dev server with hot-reload
+npm test         # test suite
+npm run build    # production build → dist/
+```
+
+Built with Svelte 5, TypeScript, Vite and TipTap 3 (ProseMirror).
+
+## Contributing
+
+Contributions are welcome — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). Merging
+requires a signed [CLA](CLA.md), checked automatically on every pull request.
+
+## License
+
+[AGPL-3.0](LICENSE). A [commercial license](LICENSE.commercial.md) is available
+for use cases the AGPL does not fit.
+
+*EdenText is an independent project, not affiliated with Microsoft or The
+Document Foundation. `.docx` and `.odt` are supported for interoperability.*
+
+[^1]: First load, compressed. Further fonts, spell-check dictionaries and the
+    thesaurus load on demand; the complete offline install is ~25 MB.