diff --git a/.claude/settings.json b/.claude/settings.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a6780f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/settings.json
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+{
+  "permissions": {
+    "allow": [
+      "Bash(pql)",
+      "Bash(pql *)",
+      "Bash(/home/jpmschweitzer/.local/bin/pql:*)",
+      "Bash(git status:*)",
+      "Bash(git log:*)",
+      "Bash(git diff:*)",
+      "Bash(git branch:*)",
+      "Bash(.venv/bin/python -m pytest:*)",
+      "Bash(.venv/bin/pytest:*)",
+      "Bash(pytest:*)",
+      "Bash(alembic *)",
+      "Bash(docker logs core-api:*)",
+      "Bash(curl -s http://localhost:8083/*)"
+    ],
+    "deny": [
+      "Bash(sudo *)",
+      "Bash(su *)",
+      "Bash(rm -rf /*)",
+      "Bash(rm -rf ~*)",
+      "Bash(rm -rf $HOME*)",
+      "Bash(mkfs*)",
+      "Bash(dd if=*)",
+      "Bash(chmod 777 *)",
+      "Bash(chmod -R 777 *)",
+      "Bash(find * -exec*)",
+      "Bash(find * -delete*)",
+      "Bash(git add -A*)",
+      "Bash(git * add -A*)",
+      "Bash(git add --all*)",
+      "Bash(git * add --all*)",
+      "Bash(git add .)",
+      "Bash(git * add .)",
+      "Bash(git push --force*)",
+      "Bash(git * push --force*)",
+      "Bash(git push -f*)",
+      "Bash(git * push -f*)",
+      "Bash(git reset --hard*)",
+      "Bash(git * reset --hard*)",
+      "Bash(git clean -fd*)",
+      "Bash(git * clean -fd*)",
+      "Bash(git clean -fdx*)",
+      "Bash(git * clean -fdx*)",
+      "Bash(git branch -D *)",
+      "Bash(git * branch -D *)",
+      "Bash(git checkout -- *)",
+      "Bash(git * checkout -- *)",
+      "Bash(git restore .*)",
+      "Bash(git * restore .*)",
+      "Bash(git commit --no-verify*)",
+      "Bash(git * commit --no-verify*)",
+      "Bash(git merge --no-ff*)",
+      "Bash(git * merge --no-ff*)",
+      "Bash(psql * -c DROP*)",
+      "Bash(psql * DROP DATABASE*)",
+      "Bash(psql * TRUNCATE*)",
+      "Bash(alembic downgrade base*)"
+    ]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..788efb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitattributes
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+.pql/changelog/*.sql merge=union
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6b8e426..fc43e7d 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -136,3 +136,12 @@ Thumbs.db
 
 # profiling data
 .prof
+
+# Claude Code local settings (machine-specific, may contain credentials)
+.claude/settings.local.json
+
+# pql — ignore everything except the changelog, which is the replication log of
+# record and must be committed for tickets to travel with the repo.
+.pql/*
+!.pql/changelog/
+
diff --git a/governance/README.md b/governance/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0945720
--- /dev/null
+++ b/governance/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# Decisions, Questions, Rejected
+
+This directory holds structured planning records that pql parses
+into pql.db. Each record is a `### [DQR]-N: Title` heading inside
+a markdown file. Files live in three per-type subdirectories:
+
+- `decisions/<domain>.md` — confirmed design decisions
+- `questions/<domain>.md` — open questions that may resolve into
+  decisions or rejected proposals
+- `rejected/<domain>.md` — rejected proposals (kept for the audit
+  trail)
+
+The parser infers domain from the filename stem and record type
+from the parent subdirectory.
+
+D-records that propose implementation work link to `initiative`-type
+tickets via `decision_ref`. Run `pql decisions show <id>
+--with-tickets` to inspect implementation status.
+
+## Recommended domains
+
+Start with this canonical set; create files as records land in
+each domain:
+
+- **architecture** — structural commitments (storage, layering,
+  languages, libraries)
+- **process** — team workflow (commits, branches, releases, reviews)
+- **design** — user-facing surface (UX, UI, public APIs)
+- **coding-conventions** — team-internal code shape (style, lint,
+  file layout)
+- **testing** — quality strategy (coverage, layers, gates)
+
+You might also want, project-permitting:
+
+- `accessibility` — if you ship user-facing software
+- `security` — if you handle user data or network surfaces
+- `licensing` — if you release open-source or commercial
+- `documentation` — if user-docs are non-trivial
+- `deployment` — if shipping is non-trivial
+- `performance` — if you have perf budgets / SLOs
+
+<!-- pql:records (auto-generated; do not edit manually) -->
+
+## Decisions
+
+- _(none)_
+
+## Open questions
+
+- _(none)_
+
+## Rejected
+
+- _(none)_