diff --git a/.coderabbit.yaml b/.coderabbit.yaml
index 126537c..7f7397f 100644
--- a/.coderabbit.yaml
+++ b/.coderabbit.yaml
@@ -67,7 +67,6 @@ knowledge_base:
     enabled: true
     file_patterns:
       - "**/CLAUDE.md"
-      - "**/.cursorrules"
 
   # Web search for additional context (library docs, etc.)
   web_search:
diff --git a/.cursor/rules/codeswhat-project.mdc b/.cursor/rules/codeswhat-project.mdc
deleted file mode 100644
index 5f069e2..0000000
--- a/.cursor/rules/codeswhat-project.mdc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,71 +0,0 @@
----
-description: CodesWhat - Software consultancy website development rules
-alwaysApply: true
----
-
-# CodesWhat Project Rules
-
-## Project Context
-Building CodesWhat (codeswhat-website) - a modern software consultancy landing page.
-- Next.js 15.4.0 App Router, TypeScript strict, Tailwind CSS v4
-- Vercel deployment with `frontend/` as root directory
-- EmailOctopus for subscriptions, Sonner for toasts
-
-## Development Workflow
-- Use `./start.sh` for dev server (auto-restarts, port management)
-- Run `npm run check:all` before committing
-- Frontend directory is the Vercel root
-
-## Git Commit Standards
-**MANDATORY**: All commits must include emojis.
-
-Format: `<emoji> <type>: <description>`
-
-Common types:
-- 🐛 fix - 🎨 style - ✨ feat - 🔧 config - 📝 docs
-- 🔄 refactor - 📦 deps - 🧪 test - 🚀 deploy - 🗑️ remove
-
-Multi-change commits use emoji bullets:
-```
-🎨 style: Improve dark mode visibility
-
-- 🐛 fix: Toast notification positioning
-- 🎨 style: Updated color contrast
-- 🧹 cleanup: Removed unused styles
-```
-
-## Component Patterns
-- Server Components by default
-- Client Components only for interactivity
-- Use shadcn/ui components: `npx shadcn@canary add [component]`
-
-## Styling Rules
-- Tailwind classes only, no inline styles
-- Dark mode: use `dark:` prefix
-- Toast backgrounds must be solid (no transparency)
-- Background pattern uses `fixed` positioning
-
-## API Implementation
-```typescript
-// Rate limiting example
-const limiter = rateLimit({ max: 5, windowMs: 60000 })
-
-// Always validate and sanitize
-const email = formData.get('email')?.toString().toLowerCase().trim()
-```
-
-## Environment Variables
-Public: `NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_NAME`
-Private: `EMAILOCTOPUS_API_KEY`, `EMAILOCTOPUS_LIST_ID`
-
-## Key Features
-- Email subscription: 5 req/min rate limit
-- Toast notifications: bottom-right, 5s duration, hover to pause
-- Dark mode: logo inverts colors
-- SEO: robots.ts, sitemap.ts, JSON-LD on homepage
-
-## Pre-deployment
-1. `npm run check:all`
-2. Test email subscription
-3. Verify dark mode
-4. Check mobile responsive
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73ff981
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# CodesWhat website
+
+Private source for the public CodesWhat org site at codeswhat.com. The
+Next.js app lives in `frontend/`; everything deployable is under that
+directory.
+
+## What this repo is (and isn't)
+
+This is permanently private infrastructure, not a community project. That's
+why there's no LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY policy, or CODEOWNERS here:
+the site's source isn't published, only the rendered site is. The tier
+decision and rationale live in the private ops repo
+(`decisions/repository-tiers.md`).
+
+## Working here
+
+- Flow: feature branches PR into `dev`, then `dev` promotes to `main`.
+- CI: `website.yml` runs the website contract checks.
+- Deploys: Vercel, but git-integration deploys are broken for this repo (a
+  private repo in a GitHub org can't deploy on the Hobby plan). Production
+  deploys happen from a local checkout with
+  `npx vercel deploy --prod --scope codeswhat`.
+- Analytics: PostHog via the shared "CodesWhat Public Websites" project,
+  proxied through `e.codeswhat.com`, cookieless.
+
+## More docs
+
+- `docs/README.md` - development guide
+- `frontend/README-VERCEL.md` - deploy specifics
+- `ROADMAP.md` - planned sections and site direction
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index 316fa13..f32f375 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -16,5 +16,4 @@ npm run dev        # Start development server
 ```
 
 ### Other Documentation
-- **Cursor Rules**: See `.cursorrules` in the project root
 - **Future Plans**: See `FUTURE_SECTIONS.md` in the project root 
\ No newline at end of file