diff --git a/.githooks/pre-push b/.githooks/pre-push
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..a503d15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.githooks/pre-push
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Pre-push hook: trigger CoreCI pipeline before any push
+exec "$(dirname "$0")/../scripts/trigger_coreci.sh"
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c6e49e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+bin/
+coverage.out
+*.test
+*.out
+.DS_Store
+orca
+*.db
+*.db-journal
+*.db-wal
+*.db-shm
+.env.local
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af94604
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Orca Contributors
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..69813cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+.PHONY: build test lint fmt clean run release help
+
+BINARY := bin/orca
+GOFLAGS := -trimpath
+LDFLAGS := -s -w -X main.version=$(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || echo "dev") \
+           -X main.gitCommit=$(shell git rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown") \
+           -X main.buildTime=$(shell date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
+
+help:
+	@echo "orca — make targets"
+	@echo "  build    Build binary to $(BINARY)"
+	@echo "  test     Run tests with race detection"
+	@echo "  lint     Run gofmt + go vet"
+	@echo "  fmt      Format code"
+	@echo "  clean    Remove build artifacts"
+	@echo "  run      Build and run with args (use: make run ARGS='version')"
+	@echo "  release  Build release artifact with version injection"
+
+build:
+	@mkdir -p bin
+	go build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BINARY) ./cmd/orca
+
+test:
+	go test -race -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...
+
+lint:
+	gofmt -l .
+	go vet ./...
+
+fmt:
+	gofmt -w .
+
+clean:
+	rm -rf bin coverage.out
+
+run: build
+	./$(BINARY) $(ARGS)
+
+release:
+	@mkdir -p bin
+	go build $(GOFLAGS) -ldflags="$(LDFLAGS)" -o $(BINARY) ./cmd/orca
+	@echo "Release build complete: $(BINARY)"
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cef283f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# Orca
+
+Offline/CLI-first orchestration engine inspired by HashiCorp Nomad, far simpler than Kubernetes.
+
+## Status
+
+**v0.1: Foundation** — see [.ciagent/ROADMAP.md](.ciagent/ROADMAP.md) for the 6-phase plan.
+
+## Pillars
+
+- **Simplicity** — single binary, minimal dependencies
+- **AI-first** — CLI designed for both humans and AI agents
+- **Offline-first** — no cloud dependencies
+- **CLI-first** — primary interface is the command line
+- **Security before features** — NFRs ship before new functionality
+- **Bug fixes before features** — stability is paramount
+- **NFRs before features** — observability and auditability first
+
+## Quickstart
+
+```bash
+# Build
+make build
+
+# Run
+./bin/orca version
+./bin/orca --help
+
+# Initialize local state
+./bin/orca init
+```
+
+## Subcommands
+
+| Command | Description | Status |
+|---------|-------------|--------|
+| `orca version` | Print version info | ✅ Phase 1 |
+| `orca init` | Initialize local orca state | ✅ Phase 1 (stub) |
+| `orca status` | Show orca daemon status | ✅ Phase 1 (stub) |
+| `orca node` | Node management (`join`, `leave`, `list`) | Phase 2 |
+| `orca job` | Job management (`run`, `list`, `stop`, `logs`) | Phase 3 |
+
+## Development
+
+```bash
+make build      # Build binary to ./bin/orca
+make test       # Run tests with race detection
+make lint       # Run golangci-lint
+make fmt        # Format code
+make release    # Build + create Gitea release (Phase 6)
+```
+
+## Architecture
+
+See [.ciagent/ARCHITECTURE.md](.ciagent/ARCHITECTURE.md) for full architecture details.
+
+## License
+
+MIT — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f159fdb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+module git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca
+
+go 1.25
+
+require github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1
+
+require (
+	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 // indirect
+	github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5 // indirect
+)
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..912390a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+github.com/cpuguy83/go-md2man/v2 v2.0.4/go.mod h1:tgQtvFlXSQOSOSIRvRPT7W67SCa46tRHOmNcaadrF8o=
+github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 h1:wN+x4NVGpMsO7ErUn/mUI3vEoE6Jt13X2s0bqwp9tc8=
+github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0/go.mod h1:vpF70FUmC8bwa3OWnCshd2FqLfsEA9PFc4w1p2J65bw=
+github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
+github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1 h1:e5/vxKd/rZsfSJMUX1agtjeTDf+qv1/JdBF8gg5k9ZM=
+github.com/spf13/cobra v1.8.1/go.mod h1:wHxEcudfqmLYa8iTfL+OuZPbBZkmvliBWKIezN3kD9Y=
+github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5 h1:iy+VFUOCP1a+8yFto/drg2CJ5u0yRoB7fZw3DKv/JXA=
+github.com/spf13/pflag v1.0.5/go.mod h1:McXfInJRrz4CZXVZOBLb0bTZqETkiAhM9Iw0y3An2Bg=
+gopkg.in/check.v1 v0.0.0-20161208181325-20d25e280405/go.mod h1:Co6ibVJAznAaIkqp8huTwlJQCZ016jof/cbN4VW5Yz0=
+gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
diff --git a/internal/cli/init.go b/internal/cli/init.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a30c9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/init.go
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var initCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "init",
+	Short: "Initialize local orca state directory",
+	Long:  "Create the local orca state directory at ~/.orca/ and write a default config file.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("get home dir: %w", err)
+		}
+		orcaDir := filepath.Join(home, ".orca")
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(orcaDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("create orca dir: %w", err)
+		}
+		result := map[string]string{
+			"path":   orcaDir,
+			"status": "initialized",
+		}
+		if jsonOutput {
+			return printJSON(result)
+		}
+		printText("✓ Initialized orca state at %s\n", orcaDir)
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(initCmd)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/job.go b/internal/cli/job.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea221b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/job.go
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var jobCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "job",
+	Short: "Manage orca jobs",
+	Long:  "Run, list, stop, and inspect orca jobs.",
+}
+
+var jobRunCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "run <spec.hcl>",
+	Short: "Run a job from an HCL spec file",
+	Long:  "Submit a job spec and execute it. Implemented in Phase 3.",
+	Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca job run " + args[0])
+	},
+}
+
+var jobListCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "list",
+	Short: "List all jobs",
+	Long:  "Display all jobs and their status. Implemented in Phase 3.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca job list")
+	},
+}
+
+var jobStopCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "stop <job-id>",
+	Short: "Stop a running job",
+	Long:  "Stop a job by ID. Implemented in Phase 3.",
+	Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca job stop " + args[0])
+	},
+}
+
+var jobLogsCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "logs <job-id>",
+	Short: "Show logs for a job",
+	Long:  "Display the logs for a job by ID. Implemented in Phase 3.",
+	Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(1),
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca job logs " + args[0])
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	jobCmd.AddCommand(jobRunCmd)
+	jobCmd.AddCommand(jobListCmd)
+	jobCmd.AddCommand(jobStopCmd)
+	jobCmd.AddCommand(jobLogsCmd)
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(jobCmd)
+}
+
+func notImplemented(cmd string) error {
+	if jsonOutput {
+		return printJSON(map[string]any{
+			"command": cmd,
+			"status":  "not_implemented",
+			"phase":   "1-cli-skeleton",
+			"next":    "Phase 2-6 will implement this",
+		})
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(rootCmd.ErrOrStderr(), "✗ %s: not yet implemented (Phase 1: CLI skeleton only)\n", cmd)
+	fmt.Fprintf(rootCmd.ErrOrStderr(), "  see .ciagent/ROADMAP.md for the full 6-phase plan\n")
+	return fmt.Errorf("not implemented: %s", cmd)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/node.go b/internal/cli/node.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..518efe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/node.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var nodeCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "node",
+	Short: "Manage orca nodes",
+	Long:  "Join, leave, or list orca nodes in the cluster.",
+}
+
+var nodeJoinCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "join",
+	Short: "Join a node to the orca cluster",
+	Long:  "Register the local node with the orca cluster. Implemented in Phase 2.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca node join")
+	},
+}
+
+var nodeLeaveCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "leave",
+	Short: "Remove a node from the orca cluster",
+	Long:  "Deregister a node from the orca cluster. Implemented in Phase 2.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca node leave")
+	},
+}
+
+var nodeListCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "list",
+	Short: "List all nodes in the orca cluster",
+	Long:  "Display all registered nodes. Implemented in Phase 2.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		return notImplemented("orca node list")
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	nodeCmd.AddCommand(nodeJoinCmd)
+	nodeCmd.AddCommand(nodeLeaveCmd)
+	nodeCmd.AddCommand(nodeListCmd)
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(nodeCmd)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/root.go b/internal/cli/root.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..815d36e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/root.go
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var (
+	version   = "0.1.0-dev"
+	gitCommit = "unknown"
+	buildTime = "unknown"
+)
+
+var rootCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "orca",
+	Short: "Orca — offline/CLI-first orchestration engine",
+	Long: `Orca is a minimalist, offline-first, CLI-first orchestration engine
+inspired by HashiCorp Nomad, prioritizing stability, security, and simplicity
+over feature richness.`,
+	SilenceUsage:  true,
+	SilenceErrors: true,
+}
+
+var jsonOutput bool
+
+func init() {
+	rootCmd.PersistentFlags().BoolVar(&jsonOutput, "json", false, "output in JSON format")
+}
+
+func Execute() error {
+	return rootCmd.Execute()
+}
+
+func printJSON(v any) error {
+	enc := json.NewEncoder(rootCmd.OutOrStdout())
+	enc.SetIndent("", "  ")
+	return enc.Encode(v)
+}
+
+func printText(format string, args ...any) {
+	fmt.Fprintf(rootCmd.OutOrStdout(), format, args...)
+}
+
+func printResult(text string, jsonObj any) {
+	if jsonOutput {
+		_ = printJSON(jsonObj)
+		return
+	}
+	printText("%s\n", text)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/root_test.go b/internal/cli/root_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed072d2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/root_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestVersionCommandExists(t *testing.T) {
+	found := false
+	for _, cmd := range rootCmd.Commands() {
+		if cmd.Name() == "version" {
+			found = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !found {
+		t.Fatal("version command not registered")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRootHasAllSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
+	expected := []string{"version", "init", "status", "node", "job"}
+	registered := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, cmd := range rootCmd.Commands() {
+		registered[cmd.Name()] = true
+	}
+	for _, name := range expected {
+		if !registered[name] {
+			t.Errorf("expected subcommand %q not registered", name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNodeSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
+	expected := []string{"join", "leave", "list"}
+	registered := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, cmd := range nodeCmd.Commands() {
+		registered[cmd.Name()] = true
+	}
+	for _, name := range expected {
+		if !registered[name] {
+			t.Errorf("expected node subcommand %q not registered", name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestJobSubcommands(t *testing.T) {
+	expected := []string{"run", "list", "stop", "logs"}
+	registered := make(map[string]bool)
+	for _, cmd := range jobCmd.Commands() {
+		registered[cmd.Name()] = true
+	}
+	for _, name := range expected {
+		if !registered[name] {
+			t.Errorf("expected job subcommand %q not registered", name)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRootHelpMentionsKeyPillars(t *testing.T) {
+	help := rootCmd.Long
+	for _, pillar := range []string{"offline", "CLI", "Nomad", "simplicity"} {
+		if !strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(help), strings.ToLower(pillar)) {
+			t.Errorf("root help does not mention pillar %q", pillar)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/status.go b/internal/cli/status.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50fb7ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/status.go
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var statusCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "status",
+	Short: "Show orca daemon status",
+	Long:  "Display the current status of the local orca daemon, including version, uptime, and connection info.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		status := map[string]any{
+			"version":   version,
+			"daemon":    "stopped",
+			"uptime":    "0s",
+			"api_addr":  "https://localhost:8443",
+			"health":    "unknown",
+			"phase":     "1-cli-skeleton",
+			"milestone": "v0.1",
+		}
+		if jsonOutput {
+			return printJSON(status)
+		}
+		printText("orca daemon status\n")
+		printText("  version:   %s\n", version)
+		printText("  daemon:    %s\n", "stopped (daemon not yet implemented in Phase 1)")
+		printText("  api_addr:  %s\n", "https://localhost:8443")
+		printText("  phase:     %s\n", "1-cli-skeleton")
+		printText("  milestone: %s\n", "v0.1")
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(statusCmd)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/version.go b/internal/cli/version.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fcc382c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/version.go
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+var versionCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "version",
+	Short: "Print version information",
+	Long:  "Print the orca version, git commit, and build time.",
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		info := map[string]string{
+			"version":    version,
+			"git_commit": gitCommit,
+			"build_time": buildTime,
+		}
+		if jsonOutput {
+			return printJSON(info)
+		}
+		printText("orca version %s\n", version)
+		printText("  git commit: %s\n", gitCommit)
+		printText("  build time: %s\n", buildTime)
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(versionCmd)
+}
diff --git a/scripts/trigger_coreci.sh b/scripts/trigger_coreci.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4eb7094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/trigger_coreci.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# trigger_coreci.sh - Trigger CoreCI pipeline for the pushed branch
+# Invoked by .githooks/pre-push
+# Gracefully degrades if CoreCI API is unreachable (Gitea webhook is secondary path).
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+CORECI_URL="${CORECI_URL:-https://git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/coreci}"
+GITEA_TOKEN="${GITEA_TOKEN:-}"
+
+if [ -z "$GITEA_TOKEN" ]; then
+  echo "  (skip: GITEA_TOKEN not set)"
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+while read local_ref local_sha remote_ref remote_sha; do
+  branch="${remote_ref#refs/heads/}"
+  if [ -z "$branch" ] || [ "$branch" = "HEAD" ]; then
+    continue
+  fi
+  echo "→ Triggering CoreCI for branch: $branch (${local_sha:0:7})"
+  payload=$(printf '{"repo":"coreci/orca","branch":"%s","ref":"%s"}' "$branch" "$local_sha")
+  if command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    curl -fsS -X POST "${CORECI_URL}/api/pipeline/run" \
+      -H "Authorization: token ${GITEA_TOKEN}" \
+      -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+      -d "$payload" >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+      && echo "  ✓ CoreCI triggered" \
+      || echo "  (CoreCI trigger failed; pipeline may run via webhook)"
+  fi
+done