diff --git a/COMMANDS.md b/COMMANDS.md
index 4afc665..1516f89 100644
--- a/COMMANDS.md
+++ b/COMMANDS.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ This document mirrors `src/index.ts` command registration and is the canonical C
 
 Trust boundary: live receipt > committed receipt > memory summary. Memory is advisory only; `8099/deploy` via git-proxy is the guarded deploy route, and `8098/deploy-webhook` is legacy/stale for fable-agent deploy trust.
 
+Agent-manager rule: agents draft, receipts prove, humans approve, and only guarded `8099/deploy` may ship.
+
 Agent-run traces follow system-card discipline: `fable.agent_run.trace.v1` records budget, environment, safety posture, receipts, latency, and `deployAttempted: false`; capability evidence is not deploy authority.
 
 Last sync: 2026-06-14.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bd2d1d7..ed2f7f9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 
 The harness, not the model. Pi/Codex/Claude can act; fable-agent proves what happened, what verified it, what risk remains, and whether guarded deploy is allowed.
 
+Fable is an agent-manager layer: agents draft, receipts prove, humans approve, and only the guarded `8099/deploy` path may ship.
+
 ```
 node dist/index.js demo
 # 3 seconds. Research → Learn → Sharpen → Compound. Live data.