diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a44196
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# GovOPlaN Addresses
+
+`govoplan-addresses` is the planned reusable address and recipient-source
+module. It should own long-lived address directories and make them available to
+campaigns, mail, forms, reporting, portal, and postbox modules through platform
+capabilities.
+
+The campaign module may import campaign-local recipient tables, but reusable
+address management belongs here.
+
+## Boundary
+
+`govoplan-addresses` should own:
+
+- Adrema-style person, organization, household, and postal-address records
+- reusable email address lists and postal-letter recipient views
+- segments and reusable recipient-source definitions
+- consent, legal-basis, and communication-preference metadata
+- deduplication, merge, and address quality workflows
+- import/export of reusable address directories
+- source provenance and change history
+
+It must not own:
+
+- campaign-local recipient snapshots
+- delivery queues or send attempts
+- SMTP/IMAP transport
+- file storage
+- global identity authentication or RBAC evaluation
+
+## First Capability
+
+The first useful contract should be a read-only recipient-source capability,
+for example `addresses.recipientSource`.
+
+It should let a consumer request a stable snapshot containing:
+
+- source id and display label
+- normalized recipient rows
+- email and postal address fields
+- legal-basis and consent metadata
+- source update marker
+- provenance fields suitable for audit and campaign reports
+
+Consumers must store their own immutable snapshot when they need historical
+evidence. The addresses module remains the owner of the reusable source, not of
+the consumer's historical records.