diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 3909361..44adc39 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -4,6 +4,12 @@ All implementation in this repository is independently written under MIT. The
 classic server and its runtime Python are GPL history, not source material for
 this repository.
 
+Direct human-written code contributions are welcome; contributors do not need
+to use an agent. “Agentic” describes the project's primary current
+software-development workflow. Human- and agent-assisted contributions follow
+the same clean-room, review, provenance, testing, and repository-validation
+requirements below.
+
 ## Permitted design inputs
 
 You may use public issues and specifications, black-box observable behavior,
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fd4115e..1d68137 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,16 +1,32 @@
 # Atrinik server
 
-This repository is the fresh, clean-room implementation of the authoritative
-Atrinik game server in Go.
+This repository contains the authoritative Go server for Atrinik's agentic
+next-generation reimplementation.
+
+## Development model
+
+The replacement server is fresh, clean-room MIT-licensed Go code developed
+primarily through Codex workflows under maintainer direction, review,
+provenance controls, tests, and repository validation. It reimplements and
+improves Classic behavior and project direction; it is not a mechanical C or
+Python translation or a source port.
+
+Direct human-written code contributions are welcome. “Agentic” describes the
+project's primary current software-development workflow, not a requirement that
+every line, commit, or contributor use an agent. See the
+[replacement roadmap](https://github.com/atrinik/atrinik/issues/168) and the
+[canonical project authorship statement](https://github.com/atrinik/.github/blob/main/profile/README.md#the-project).
+
+Atrinik's art, maps, quests, lore, audio, and other game content remain
+external, human-created work. They retain their exact authors, upstream credit,
+licenses, and notices in their source repositories and are not covered by this
+server's MIT license.
 
 New source code in this repository is licensed under the MIT License. The
 classic GPL server is maintained in the
 [`server/` module of `atrinik/classic`](https://github.com/atrinik/classic/tree/main/server).
 Do not copy, translate, or adapt its source code.
 
-The implementation roadmap is tracked by
-[`atrinik/atrinik#168`](https://github.com/atrinik/atrinik/issues/168).
-
 ## Foundation status
 
 M1 supplies the independent build, lifecycle, architecture, provenance, state,