diff --git a/GOVERNANCE.md b/GOVERNANCE.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a300451
--- /dev/null
+++ b/GOVERNANCE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# Project Governance & Community Principles
+
+CrossPoint Reader is a community-driven, open-source project. Our goal is to provide a high-quality, open-source
+firmware alternative for the Xteink X4 hardware. To keep this project productive and welcoming as we grow, we ask all
+contributors to follow these principles.
+
+### 1. The "Human First" Rule
+Technical discussions can get heated, but they should never be personal.
+- **Assume good intent:** We are all volunteers working on this in our free time. If a comment seems abrasive, assume
+  it’s a language barrier or a misunderstanding before taking offense.
+- **Focus on the code, not the person:** Critique the implementation, the performance, or the UX. Never the intelligence
+  or character of the contributor.
+- **Inflammatory language:** Personal attacks, trolling, or exclusionary language (based on race, gender, background,
+  etc.) are not welcome here and will be moderated.
+
+### 2. A "Do-ocracy" with Guidance
+CrossPoint thrives because people step up to build what they want to see.
+- If you want a feature, the best way to get it is to start an 
+  [Idea Discussion](https://github.com/crosspoint-reader/crosspoint-reader/discussions/categories/ideas) or open a PR.
+- While we encourage experimentation, the maintainers reserve the right to guide the project’s technical direction to
+  ensure stability on the ESP32-C3’s constrained hardware.
+- For more guidance on the scope of the project, see the [SCOPE.md](SCOPE.md) document.
+
+### 3. Transparent Communication
+To keep the project healthy, we keep our "work" in the open.
+- **Public by Default:** All technical decisions and project management discussions happen in GitHub Issues, Pull
+  Requests, or the public Discussions tab.
+- **Clarity in Writing:** Because we have a global community with different levels of English proficiency, please be as
+  explicit and clear as possible in your PR descriptions and bug reports.
+
+### 4. Moderation & Safety
+The maintainers are responsible for keeping the community a safe place to contribute.
+- We reserve the right to hide comments, lock threads, or block users who repeatedly violate these principles or engage
+  in harassment.
+- **Reporting:** If you feel you are being harassed or see behavior that is damaging the community, please reach out
+  privately to @daveallie.
diff --git a/SCOPE.md b/SCOPE.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bac53dae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/SCOPE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Project Vision & Scope: CrossPoint Reader
+
+The goal of CrossPoint Reader is to create an efficient, open-source reading experience for the Xteink X4. We believe a
+dedicated e-reader should do one thing exceptionally well: **facilitate focused reading.**
+
+## 1. Core Mission
+
+To provide a lightweight, high-performance firmware that maximizes the potential of the X4, prioritizing legibility and
+usability over "swiss-army-knife" functionality.
+
+## 2. Scope
+
+### In-Scope: The "Core Reading Experience"
+
+*These are features that directly improve the primary purpose of the device.*
+
+* **Document Rendering:** E.g. Support for rendering documents (primarily EPUB) and improvements to the rendering 
+  engine.
+* **Format Optimization:** E.g. Efficiently parsing EPUB (CSS/Images) and other documents within the device's 
+  capabilities.
+* **Typography & Legibility:** E.g. Custom font support, hyphenation engines, and adjustable line spacing.
+* **E-Ink Driver Refinement:** E.g. Reducing full-screen flashes (ghosting management) and improving general rendering.
+* **Library Management:** E.g. Simple, intuitive ways to organize and navigate a collection of books.
+* **Local Transfer:** E.g. Simple, "pull" based book loading via a basic web-server or public and widely-used standards.
+
+### Out-of-Scope: The "Feature Creep" Guardrail
+
+*These items are rejected because they compromise the device's stability or mission.*
+
+* **Interactive Apps:** No Notepads, Calculators, or Games. This is a reader, not a PDA.
+* **Active Connectivity:** No RSS readers, News aggregators, or Web browsers. Background Wi-Fi tasks drain the battery 
+  and complicate the single-core CPU's execution.
+* **Media Playback:** No Audio players or Audio-books
+
+## 3. Idea Evaluation
+
+While I appreciate the desire to add new and exciting features to CrossPoint Reader, CrossPoint Reader is designed to be 
+a lightweight, reliable, and performant e-reader. Things which distract or compromise the device's core mission will not
+be accepted. As a guiding question, consider if your idea improve the "core reading experience" for the average user, 
+and, critically, not distract from that reading experience.
+
+> **Note to Contributors:** If you are unsure if your idea fits the scope, please open a **Discussion** before you start
+> coding!