diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 37dc15c..2321391 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@ All notable changes to CmdForge will be documented in this file.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [0.2.0] - 2026-07-21
+
+First public Python package release. This release brings the current CmdForge
+application to PyPI, including provider routing and provenance, MCP client and
+server support, provider-attached skills, delegated tools, contracts and
+preflight analysis, regression evidence, quality scoring, registry integrity,
+project-owned tools, agent discovery commands, and local usage suggestions.
+
 ### Added
 
 #### System Dependencies
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af4abc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Rob
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/PYPI_README.md b/PYPI_README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c8ba83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PYPI_README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# CmdForge
+
+**Turn useful AI workflows into commands you own.**
+
+CmdForge is a personal tool-building environment for the command line. A tool
+can combine prompts, Python, other CmdForge tools, and Model Context Protocol
+(MCP) calls, then behave like an ordinary Unix command:
+
+```bash
+cat meeting.txt | meeting-decisions
+git diff --staged | review-change
+cmdforge run classify-private --no-fallback --require-local
+```
+
+Tools are readable YAML, stored either in `~/.cmdforge/` for personal use or
+`./.cmdforge/` when they belong to a project. You choose the provider at build
+time or runtime: a local Ollama model, an installed coding CLI, or an
+OpenAI-compatible API.
+
+## Install
+
+CmdForge requires Python 3.10 or newer. `pipx` is recommended for a personal
+command-line application:
+
+```bash
+pipx install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"
+```
+
+Or install it in a virtual environment:
+
+```bash
+python -m pip install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"
+```
+
+The base `cmdforge` package includes the CLI and desktop tool builder. The
+`mcp` extra adds MCP client/server support, while `pty` adds interactive CLI
+providers.
+
+Verify the installation and discover providers already present on the machine:
+
+```bash
+cmdforge --version
+cmdforge providers discover
+cmdforge providers discover --add
+```
+
+## Begin with One Useful Command
+
+```bash
+cmdforge create explain --prompt "Explain this clearly for a beginner: {input}"
+echo "def area(r): return 3.14159 * r * r" | cmdforge run explain
+```
+
+Use the deterministic mock provider while developing:
+
+```bash
+echo "sample input" | cmdforge run explain --provider mock
+cmdforge inspect explain
+```
+
+For AI-assisted creation, install CmdForge's official `forge-tool`:
+
+```bash
+cmdforge registry install official/forge-tool
+
+echo "Create a tool that extracts decisions and owners from meeting notes" \
+  | forge-tool --name meeting-decisions --project
+```
+
+## Four Kinds of Step
+
+- **Prompt steps** call a selected AI provider.
+- **Code steps** perform deterministic Python transformations.
+- **Tool steps** compose existing CmdForge tools and delegated contexts.
+- **MCP steps** call tools exposed by external MCP servers.
+
+Contracts, deterministic preflight, regression baselines, schema compatibility,
+and evidence-based quality scores help distinguish “worked once” from a tool
+you can maintain.
+
+## Use CmdForge from Coding Agents
+
+CmdForge can act as an MCP server for Codex and Claude Code. It is closed by
+default: configuring a host does not expose any tools until you add an explicit
+allowlist to `~/.cmdforge/mcp.yaml`.
+
+```bash
+cmdforge mcp configure codex --dry-run
+cmdforge mcp configure codex
+
+cmdforge mcp configure claude-code --scope project --dry-run
+```
+
+Agents can also discover the local and remote catalogs without reading prompt
+or code bodies:
+
+```bash
+cmdforge list --json --filter "commit message" --limit 10
+cmdforge registry search "release notes" --json --limit 5
+git diff | cmdforge run-once "Summarize this change: {input}"
+```
+
+## Privacy and Provenance
+
+Fallback is a data-movement decision. Sensitive callers can require a local
+provider, particular capabilities, and verified runtime identity:
+
+```bash
+cmdforge run incident-summary \
+  --provider local-reasoner \
+  --no-fallback \
+  --require-local \
+  --require-capability structured-json \
+  --data-classification private \
+  --require-model-identity \
+  --result-envelope json
+```
+
+The result envelope reports the requested provider, actual provider, attempted
+fallback chain, model, digest, and locality. Those fields are produced by
+CmdForge rather than invented by the model.
+
+## Learn More
+
+- [Documentation](https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/docs)
+- [MCP and coding agents](https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/docs/mcp-overview)
+- [Providers and privacy policy](https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/docs/providers)
+- [Contracts and quality evidence](https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/docs/contracts-quality)
+- [Registry](https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/tools)
+- [Source and issues](https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge)
+
+CmdForge is beta software, distributed under the MIT License. Review generated
+tools and third-party registry tools as you would any other executable code.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 01fb0d3..1d41393 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -55,16 +55,14 @@ That's it - you just used AI to explain itself. The `eli5` tool uses a free mode
 For regular use, install natively:
 
 ```bash
-# Clone and install
-git clone https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge.git
-cd CmdForge
-pip install -e .
+# Install the application with MCP and interactive-provider support
+pipx install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"
 
 # Ensure ~/.local/bin is in PATH
 export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
 
-# Install an AI provider (interactive guide)
-cmdforge providers install
+# Discover AI CLIs, API keys, and Ollama models already on this machine
+cmdforge providers discover --add
 
 # Launch the GUI
 cmdforge
@@ -75,12 +73,24 @@ cmdforge create summarize
 
 ## Installation
 
-### Native Install
+### From PyPI
+
+```bash
+pipx install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"
+```
+
+Or install into an active virtual environment:
+
+```bash
+python -m pip install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"
+```
+
+### From Source
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge.git
 cd CmdForge
-pip install -e .
+python -m pip install -e ".[mcp,pty]"
 ```
 
 ### With Development Dependencies
@@ -94,7 +104,7 @@ pip install -e ".[dev]"
 ### Requirements
 
 - Python 3.10+
-- At least one AI CLI tool installed (see [Provider Setup](docs/reference/providers.md))
+- A configured provider for live AI calls; the built-in mock works without one
 - PySide6 (included automatically - requires display server on Linux)
 
 ### Post-Install
@@ -195,7 +205,7 @@ cmdforge usage enable                 # Begin recording tool names in shell pipe
 cmdforge usage suggestions            # Show frequent pipelines
 cmdforge usage clear                  # Delete all local usage history
 
-# Model Context Protocol (optional: pip install -e ".[mcp]")
+# Model Context Protocol (optional: python -m pip install "cmdforge[mcp]")
 cmdforge mcp add local --command npx --arg=-y --arg @scope/server
 cmdforge mcp add remote --transport streamable-http --url https://example.com/mcp
 cmdforge mcp connect remote
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a38e2bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+# Publishing CmdForge to PyPI
+
+PyPI releases are public and immutable. A release version must never be reused
+for different bytes, even if an upload contains a mistake.
+
+## One-time account setup
+
+1. Create or sign in to an account at <https://pypi.org/>.
+2. Verify the account email address.
+3. Enable two-factor authentication and store the recovery codes in the
+   password manager and an offline recovery location.
+4. For the first upload only, create an account-scoped API token. PyPI cannot
+   create a project-scoped token until the project exists.
+5. Do not put a PyPI token in Git, `.pypirc`, chat, command arguments, or shell
+   history. Let Twine prompt for it interactively.
+
+After the first successful upload, immediately revoke the account-scoped token
+and create a new token restricted to the `cmdforge` project.
+
+## Prepare and validate a release
+
+Update the version in both `pyproject.toml` and `src/cmdforge/__init__.py`, then
+add the release to `CHANGELOG.md`. From a clean checkout:
+
+```bash
+python -m pip install -e '.[release]'
+pytest tests/ -m "not integration"
+python -m build
+python -m twine check dist/*
+```
+
+Inspect the wheel and source archive, then install the wheel into a clean
+temporary virtual environment and exercise both entry points. Do not upload an
+artifact that was built before the release commit.
+
+## Upload
+
+Run Twine interactively so the token is not recorded in shell history:
+
+```bash
+python -m twine upload dist/*
+```
+
+When prompted, use `__token__` as the username and paste the API token as the
+password. Once uploaded, verify the public project and install from PyPI in a
+new environment:
+
+```bash
+python -m venv /tmp/cmdforge-pypi-check
+/tmp/cmdforge-pypi-check/bin/pip install 'cmdforge[mcp,pty]'
+/tmp/cmdforge-pypi-check/bin/cmdforge --version
+/tmp/cmdforge-pypi-check/bin/cmdforge --help
+```
+
+Tag and push only the commit whose artifacts were published:
+
+```bash
+git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "CmdForge 0.2.0"
+git push origin main
+git push origin v0.2.0
+```
+
+If an upload is wrong, fix it, increment the version, rebuild, and publish a
+new release. Never delete and reuse the version number.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index cf36127..e0ffc5b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 [build-system]
-requires = ["setuptools>=61.0", "wheel"]
+requires = ["setuptools>=77.0", "wheel"]
 build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "cmdforge"
-version = "0.1.0"
-description = "Build custom AI-powered CLI commands in YAML"
-readme = "README.md"
-license = {text = "MIT"}
+version = "0.2.0"
+description = "Build, compose, and share AI-powered command-line tools you own"
+readme = "PYPI_README.md"
+license = "MIT"
+license-files = ["LICENSE"]
 requires-python = ">=3.10"
 authors = [
     {name = "Rob"}
@@ -18,7 +19,6 @@ classifiers = [
     "Environment :: Console",
     "Intended Audience :: Developers",
     "Intended Audience :: System Administrators",
-    "License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License",
     "Operating System :: POSIX :: Linux",
     "Operating System :: MacOS",
     "Programming Language :: Python :: 3",
@@ -45,6 +45,10 @@ dev = [
     "pytest-cov>=4.0",
     "tomli>=1.1; python_version < '3.11'",
 ]
+release = [
+    "build>=1.2",
+    "twine>=6.0",
+]
 registry = [
     "Flask>=2.3",
     "argon2-cffi>=21.0",
@@ -81,6 +85,7 @@ Homepage = "https://cmdforge.brrd.tech"
 Documentation = "https://cmdforge.brrd.tech/docs"
 Repository = "https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge.git"
 Issues = "https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge/issues"
+Changelog = "https://gitea.brrd.tech/rob/CmdForge/src/branch/main/CHANGELOG.md"
 
 [tool.setuptools.packages.find]
 where = ["src"]
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/__init__.py b/src/cmdforge/__init__.py
index 5d9e724..5e587b5 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/__init__.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """CmdForge - A lightweight personal tool builder for AI-powered CLI commands."""
 
-__version__ = "0.1.0"
+__version__ = "0.2.0"
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/cli/picker.py b/src/cmdforge/cli/picker.py
index aea6082..da61e43 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/cli/picker.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/cli/picker.py
@@ -451,9 +451,23 @@ def pick_args(tty_input: TTYInput, tool: dict) -> Optional[dict]:
 def main():
     """Entry point for cf command."""
     global _ui_out
+    import argparse
     import subprocess
     import signal
 
+    # Parse metadata flags before touching stdin or /dev/tty. This keeps
+    # ``cf --help`` and ``cf --version`` usable in packaging checks, CI, and
+    # other non-interactive environments.
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        prog="cf",
+        description="Interactively find and run local or registry CmdForge tools",
+    )
+    from .. import __version__
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--version", action="version", version=f"%(prog)s {__version__}"
+    )
+    parser.parse_args()
+
     # Handle Ctrl+C gracefully
     def handle_sigint(sig, frame):
         # Restore cursor and exit cleanly
diff --git a/src/cmdforge/web/docs_modern.py b/src/cmdforge/web/docs_modern.py
index d0c54ff..3b90aac 100644
--- a/src/cmdforge/web/docs_modern.py
+++ b/src/cmdforge/web/docs_modern.py
@@ -17,20 +17,21 @@ install together; optional extras add MCP, interactive PTY providers, and the re
 <h2 id="pipx">A Clean Personal Installation</h2>
 <p><code>pipx</code> keeps CmdForge isolated while placing <code>cmdforge</code> and <code>cf</code> on
 your path:</p>
-<pre><code class="language-bash">pipx install 'cmdforge[all]'
+<pre><code class="language-bash">pipx install 'cmdforge[mcp,pty]'
 cmdforge --version
 cmdforge --help</code></pre>
 <p>A normal virtual environment works just as well:</p>
 <pre><code class="language-bash">python3.10 -m venv .venv
 . .venv/bin/activate
-python -m pip install 'cmdforge[all]'</code></pre>
+python -m pip install 'cmdforge[mcp,pty]'</code></pre>
 
 <h2 id="extras">Choose Only the Extras You Need</h2>
 <table class="w-full my-5"><thead class="bg-gray-100"><tr><th>Install</th><th>Adds</th></tr></thead><tbody>
 <tr class="border-b"><td><code>cmdforge</code></td><td>CLI, desktop GUI, contracts, registry client, and local tool runner</td></tr>
 <tr class="border-b"><td><code>cmdforge[mcp]</code></td><td>MCP client steps and MCP server integration</td></tr>
 <tr class="border-b"><td><code>cmdforge[pty]</code></td><td>Interactive pseudo-terminal providers</td></tr>
-<tr><td><code>cmdforge[all]</code></td><td>All optional runtime features, including the web stack</td></tr>
+<tr><td><code>cmdforge[mcp,pty]</code></td><td>The recommended personal installation with agent integration</td></tr>
+<tr><td><code>cmdforge[all]</code></td><td>Every optional feature, including the registry web-server stack</td></tr>
 </tbody></table>
 
 <h2 id="provider">Let CmdForge Inspect the Machine</h2>
diff --git a/tests/test_packaging.py b/tests/test_packaging.py
index 75b2940..3577f53 100644
--- a/tests/test_packaging.py
+++ b/tests/test_packaging.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
-"""Tests for packaging metadata."""
+"""Release metadata checks for the public Python distribution."""
 
+from pathlib import Path
 import sys
 
 import pytest
@@ -9,12 +10,53 @@ if sys.version_info >= (3, 11):
 else:
     tomllib = pytest.importorskip("tomli")
 
+from cmdforge import __version__
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+
+
+def _project_metadata() -> dict:
+    with (ROOT / "pyproject.toml").open("rb") as handle:
+        return tomllib.load(handle)["project"]
+
+
+def test_runtime_and_distribution_versions_match():
+    assert _project_metadata()["version"] == __version__
+
+
+def test_public_distribution_metadata_is_complete():
+    project = _project_metadata()
+
+    assert project["name"] == "cmdforge"
+    assert project["readme"] == "PYPI_README.md"
+    assert project["license"] == "MIT"
+    assert project["license-files"] == ["LICENSE"]
+    assert project["requires-python"] == ">=3.10"
+    assert {"Homepage", "Documentation", "Repository", "Issues", "Changelog"} <= set(
+        project["urls"]
+    )
+
+
+def test_public_readme_describes_installation_and_current_capabilities():
+    readme = (ROOT / "PYPI_README.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    for term in (
+        'pipx install "cmdforge[mcp,pty]"',
+        "cmdforge providers discover",
+        "cmdforge mcp configure codex",
+        "--no-fallback",
+        "--result-envelope json",
+    ):
+        assert term in readme
+
+    assert (ROOT / "LICENSE").is_file()
+
 
 def test_web_templates_and_static_are_declared_as_package_data():
-    with open("pyproject.toml", "rb") as f:
-        data = tomllib.load(f)
+    with (ROOT / "pyproject.toml").open("rb") as handle:
+        data = tomllib.load(handle)
 
     package_data = data["tool"]["setuptools"]["package-data"]["cmdforge.web"]
-
     assert "templates/**/*.html" in package_data
     assert "static/**/*" in package_data
diff --git a/tests/test_picker_m8.py b/tests/test_picker_m8.py
index cef8cc7..9349876 100644
--- a/tests/test_picker_m8.py
+++ b/tests/test_picker_m8.py
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 """Behavioral coverage for registry-aware picker and deprecation UX."""
 
 from io import StringIO
+import sys
 import time
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
 import cmdforge.cli.picker as picker
+import pytest
+from cmdforge import __version__
 from cmdforge.cli.picker import PickerResult
 
 
@@ -89,3 +92,19 @@ def test_local_deprecation_selection_prints_migration_guidance():
     output = picker._ui_out.getvalue()
     assert "Moved." in output
     assert "official/new" in output
+
+
+def test_picker_help_does_not_require_a_terminal(capsys):
+    with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["cf", "--help"]), pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        picker.main()
+
+    assert exc.value.code == 0
+    assert "Interactively find and run" in capsys.readouterr().out
+
+
+def test_picker_version_does_not_require_a_terminal(capsys):
+    with patch.object(sys, "argv", ["cf", "--version"]), pytest.raises(SystemExit) as exc:
+        picker.main()
+
+    assert exc.value.code == 0
+    assert f"cf {__version__}" in capsys.readouterr().out
diff --git a/tests/test_web_docs_content.py b/tests/test_web_docs_content.py
index 8058889..fa2aae2 100644
--- a/tests/test_web_docs_content.py
+++ b/tests/test_web_docs_content.py
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ def test_installation_matches_runtime_and_current_provider_onboarding():
 
     assert "Python 3.10" in installation
     assert "Python 3.8" not in installation
-    assert "cmdforge[mcp]" in installation
+    assert "cmdforge[mcp,pty]" in installation
     assert "cmdforge providers discover --add" in installation
     assert "cmdforge providers discover --add" in provider_setup
     assert "--type api" in provider_setup