diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7cc7ea4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2023-2026 quoije
+
+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/readme.md b/readme.md
index 6cf0488..69769ba 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ serves a web UI over the car's own WiFi hotspot. The dashboard and pre-cached ma
 offline, while trip data and dashcam footage sync to a self-hosted remote server whenever an
 internet uplink is available.
 
+**Open source** — released under the [MIT License](LICENSE). Contributions welcome.
+
+[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](LICENSE)
+
 <table>
 <tr>
 <td width="120">
@@ -179,11 +183,18 @@ rm db/sql/quoije_Yaris2013.db
 
 ## Project status
 
-The Pi app, remote server, device sync, and the Android companion app are implemented and
-verified on real hardware. Phase 25 (road test) ✅, Phase 26 (road-test bug fixes — 13 bugs) ✅,
-Phase 27 (feature additions — DTC history sync, manual odometer, hotspot settings + 5GHz WiFi
-swap, trip-history odometer) ✅. Phase 28 (Android companion app) 🚧 in progress — networking
-gate + dashcam browser/download done, cellular upload queue in progress.
+The Pi app, remote server, device sync, and the Android companion app are all implemented and
+verified on real hardware:
+
+- **Phase 25** — real-car road test ✅
+- **Phase 26** — road-test bug fixes (14 bugs) ✅
+- **Phase 27** — feature additions: DTC history sync, manual odometer, hotspot settings +
+  5GHz WiFi swap, trip-history odometer ✅
+- **Phase 28** — Android companion app ✅ — networking gate, dashcam browser/download,
+  cellular upload, live dashboard, trip history, remote portal, UI redesign, and signed APK
+  distribution. End-to-end cellular upload on the owner's Pixel is the last item pending final
+  verification.
+- **Phase 29** — round-2 road-test bug fixes 🚧 in progress.
 
 Full phase history and verification notes live in [PLAN.md](./PLAN.md). Open issues in
 [BUGS.md](./BUGS.md). Feature requests in [FEATURES.md](./FEATURES.md).
@@ -203,3 +214,7 @@ prints a cheatsheet of recovery commands. Exit code = number of critical issues
 ## Hardware photo
 
 ![Yaris OBD hardware build](./pics/yaris-obd-hardware.jpg)
+
+## License
+
+This project is open source and released under the [MIT License](LICENSE).