diff --git a/.mindmodel/README.md b/.mindmodel/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f4b84d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.mindmodel/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# .mindmodel
+
+This directory contains a generated, read-only snapshot of the repository's "mind model" — structured metadata and evidence used by tooling to reason about repository intent, patterns, and decisions.
+
+Guidelines
+- Read-only: Treat files in this directory as generated artifacts. Local tooling or CI may regenerate or validate them; avoid manual edits unless you are intentionally updating the generator.
+- No secrets: Do not place any credentials, tokens, or sensitive data here. The validator that consumes this folder is designed to detect common secret patterns and will fail if secrets are found.
+- Safe to read: Tools and CI may read these files. They must avoid opening or parsing arbitrary repository secrets and should operate in read-only mode.
+- Validation: CI workflows will run a validator against this folder (if present) to ensure manifest shape, evidence snippets, and referenced files meet project rules.
+
+If you need to propose a change to the mind model, open a PR describing the intent and the generator changes. The CI validator will validate the submitted artifact before merge.
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d7ecbbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+-   repos:
+  - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks
+    rev: v4.5.0
+    hooks:
+      - id: trailing-whitespace
+      - id: end-of-file-fixer
+      - id: check-yaml