diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e69de29..c98fc9f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# CascadingDev (CDev)
+
+**CDev** — short for *Cascading Development* — is a **Git-native AI–human collaboration framework** that automates documentation, discussion summaries, and code review directly within your repository.  
+It lets you build self-documenting projects where AI assists in generating and maintaining feature discussions, design docs, and implementation plans — all version-controlled alongside your code.
+
+---
+
+## ✨ Key Features
+- **Git-Integrated Workflow** — every discussion, decision, and artifact lives in Git.
+- **Cascading Rules System** — nearest `.ai-rules.yml` defines how automation behaves.
+- **Stage-Per-Discussion Model** — separate files for feature, design, implementation, testing, and review.
+- **Pre-commit Hook** — automatically maintains summaries, diagrams, and vote tallies.
+- **Ramble GUI** — friendly PySide6/PyQt5 dialog for capturing structured feature requests.
+- **Deterministic Builds** — a reproducible installer bundle you can unzip and run anywhere.
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 Quick Start (Developers)
+
+```bash
+# 1. Create and activate a virtual environment
+python3 -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate
+pip install --upgrade pip wheel PySide6
+
+# 2. Build the installer bundle
+python tools/build_installer.py
+
+# 3. Test-install into a temporary folder
+python install/cascadingdev-*/setup_cascadingdev.py --target /tmp/myproject --no-ramble
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6e8bf73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+0.1.0
diff --git a/DESIGN.md b/docs/DESIGN.md
similarity index 99%
rename from DESIGN.md
rename to docs/DESIGN.md
index 7bb5249..67476ed 100644
--- a/DESIGN.md
+++ b/docs/DESIGN.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Cascading Development - AI–Human Collaboration System
+# CascadingDev - AI–Human Collaboration System
 ## Process & Architecture Design Document (v2.0)
 - Feature ID: FR_2025-10-21_initial-feature-request
 - Status: Design Approved (Ready for Implementation)
@@ -315,7 +315,6 @@ python setup_cascadingdev.py --target /path/to/users-project
 6. Makes initial commit
 
 If GUI fails, use a virtualenv and \`pip install PySide6\`, or run with \`--no-ramble\`.
-```
 
 This ensures every distributed bundle includes explicit usage instructions.
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 3116b40..5feee10 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,9 +1,21 @@
 # pyproject.toml
+[build-system]
+requires = ["setuptools>=68", "wheel"]
+build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
+
 [project]
 name = "cascadingdev"
-version = "0.1.0"
+# Tell PEP 621 that version is provided dynamically
+dynamic = ["version"]
 description = "CascadingDev: scaffold rule-driven multi-agent project repos"
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 
 [project.scripts]
 cdev = "cascadingdev.cli:main"
+
+[tool.setuptools]
+package-dir = {"" = "src"}
+packages = ["cascadingdev"]
+
+[tool.setuptools.dynamic]
+version = { file = "VERSION" }