diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index c2d0d3f..1e2c7fb 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ releases of the course material.
 ```text
 cppcourse/
   AGENTS.md         # This file
+  README.md         # Project docs
   .oxfmtrc.json     # oxfmt config
   .agents/          # Agent skills (git workflow)
 ```
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc71248
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+# cppcourse
+
+Course material for a C++ course: lecture notes, exercises, and runnable code
+examples in modern C++ (C++23), built and run on Linux.
+
+The repository is in a startup phase; content will be added as the course
+develops. Coding conventions and agent instructions live in
+[AGENTS.md](AGENTS.md).