diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report.md b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c37445b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug-report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+---
+name: Bug report
+description: Report a reproducible behavior issue using sanitized evidence
+title: "[bug] "
+labels: []
+assignees: []
+---
+
+> Public issue: do not paste credentials, cookies, private URLs/IPs, internal hostnames, raw production logs, HAR/PCAP captures, customer data, or infrastructure details.
+
+## Observed behavior
+
+Describe what the library returned or did.
+
+## Expected behavior
+
+Describe the evidence-preserving behavior you expected.
+
+## Minimal synthetic reproducer
+
+Provide the smallest sanitized example that reproduces the issue.
+
+## Environment
+
+- Python version:
+- `proxy-outcome` version/commit:
+- OS/runtime, if relevant:
+
+## Additional context
+
+Include only non-sensitive details needed to understand the bug.
diff --git a/.github/pull_request_template.md b/.github/pull_request_template.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8f1eb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/pull_request_template.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+## Summary
+
+What changed and why?
+
+## Evidence
+
+What observation, test, or reproducible case supports the change?
+
+## Safety / scope check
+
+- [ ] No credentials, private endpoints/IPs, customer data, or production captures are included.
+- [ ] The change does not invent root cause when evidence is insufficient.
+- [ ] Public/private implementation boundaries are preserved.
+- [ ] Tests were added or updated when behavior changed.
+- [ ] Local tests and repository hygiene checks pass.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e68e197
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# Contributing
+
+Thanks for considering a contribution to `proxy-outcome`.
+
+## Scope
+
+Good contributions improve the public deterministic baseline without weakening its core rule: preserve observations without inventing root cause.
+
+Useful changes include:
+
+- clearer taxonomy or documentation;
+- additional conservative classification cases;
+- regression tests for ambiguous outcomes;
+- CLI usability improvements;
+- packaging or CI improvements;
+- security and data-minimization hardening.
+
+Private routing/scoring logic, provider-specific private configuration, credentials, production infrastructure, and non-public benchmark data do not belong in this repository.
+
+## Development
+
+```bash
+python -m pip install .
+python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
+python scripts/public_hygiene_check.py
+```
+
+Keep runtime dependencies at zero unless there is a strong, documented reason to change that constraint.
+
+## Pull requests
+
+A good pull request should:
+
+1. explain the observed problem before proposing attribution;
+2. include tests for behavior changes;
+3. avoid changing unrelated code;
+4. preserve fail-closed behavior when evidence is insufficient;
+5. keep examples synthetic and non-sensitive;
+6. keep CI green across the supported Python matrix.
+
+## Sensitive information
+
+Do not post credentials, cookies, raw authorization headers, private URLs or IPs, internal hostnames, production logs, HAR/PCAP captures, customer data, or private infrastructure details.
+
+See [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md) for the repository security boundary.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 79560eb..97eacdf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,13 +1,24 @@
 # proxy-outcome
 
+> Evidence-first classification for proxy and web-retrieval outcomes.
+
 **403 ≠ bad proxy. 429 ≠ bad proxy. 451 ≠ bad proxy.**
 
-`proxy-outcome` is a small, deterministic classification library for HTTP and proxy-path observations in scraping and web-retrieval systems.
+`proxy-outcome` is a small, deterministic Python library that classifies HTTP and proxy-path observations without inventing root cause. It is designed for scraper, crawler, browser-automation, and web-retrieval systems where a failed request should not automatically poison a proxy pool.
 
-Its job is deliberately narrow: preserve evidence without inventing a root cause.
+**Status:** alpha · Python 3.10+ · zero runtime dependencies · local-only · no telemetry
 
 Built by **PN Labs**.
 
+## PN Labs reliability toolkit
+
+| Project | Purpose |
+| --- | --- |
+| **proxy-outcome** | Classify what happened without over-attributing the cause |
+| [**proxybench**](https://github.com/pnlabs-dev/proxybench) | Compare usable-result efficiency between retrieval policies |
+
+The tools are intentionally separate: classify evidence first, then benchmark whether a policy actually improves outcomes.
+
 ## Why this exists
 
 A common reliability mistake is:
@@ -158,6 +169,10 @@ CI installs the package before testing, runs CLI smoke tests, and executes a non
 
 See [`docs/ARCHITECTURE.md`](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md).
 
+## Contributing
+
+Small, evidence-preserving improvements are welcome. See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) before opening a pull request.
+
 ## Design partners
 
 If you operate a legitimate scraping/web-retrieval workload and want to compare naive rotation against evidence-based classification, see [`DESIGN-PARTNER.md`](DESIGN-PARTNER.md).