diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 544c36b..96a71d2 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -15,13 +15,16 @@ sethLabels is a thin deployment fork of [glabels-qt](https://github.com/j-evins/
 
 ## Current State
 
-- **Phase:** ideation (just scaffolded — no code, no upstream pull yet)
-- **Repo:** not yet (will live at `git.sethpc.xyz/Seth/sethLabels` once first commit lands)
-- **Deploy target:** steel141 (Debian 13) — primary; CT for headless print serving optional/later
-- **Upstream:** https://github.com/j-evins/glabels-qt (GPL-3.0, Qt + CMake + C++)
+- **Phase:** design-approved, pre-implementation. Spec written and committed; no scripts/packaging code yet.
+- **Repo:** live at `git.sethpc.xyz/Seth/sethLabels` (default branch `main`). Upstream `j-evins/glabels-qt` configured as `upstream` remote for periodic rebases. Eventually-public on GitHub once battle-tested.
+- **Deploy target:** Debian-family Linux (`.deb` + AppImage) + macOS via Homebrew tap (build-from-source). Steel141 is a build host, not a deploy target. Windows deferred.
+- **Upstream:** https://github.com/j-evins/glabels-qt (GPL-3.0, Qt6 6.2 + CMake + C++)
+- **Design spec:** `sethlabels-docs/specs/2026-04-29-packaging-design.md` — all packaging decisions (artifacts, versioning, build pipeline, release flow, brew tap) live here. Read this before touching `scripts/` or `packaging/`.
 
 ## Conventions
 
-- This is a **fork**, not a from-scratch rewrite. Pull upstream first; only patch what we need to change. Keep diffs surgical.
-- Preserve upstream license (GPL-3.0) and copyright headers.
+- This is a **deployment fork**, not a real fork. The discipline is **strict zero source patches** — no upstream-tracked file is ever edited. All sethLabels content lives in NEW top-level dirs (`scripts/`, `packaging/`, `sethlabels-docs/`, `.claude/`). Allowlist exception: `.gitignore` (one-time scaffold-time touch).
+- Enforced by `scripts/check-no-upstream-edits.sh` (to be implemented per spec §5.5).
+- Preserve upstream license (GPL-3.0) and copyright headers — strict-zero handles this automatically by never touching upstream files.
+- Versioning: `<upstream-tag>-seth<N>` (e.g., `3.99-master618-seth1`). See spec §D4 + §5.4.
 - See `~/bin/CLAUDE.md` for global homelab conventions (gitea CLI, conventional commits, credentials handling).
diff --git a/IDEA.md b/IDEA.md
index af28c9b..97d3bcc 100644
--- a/IDEA.md
+++ b/IDEA.md
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ Need a reliable, scriptable label designer/printer for homelab + household use (
 
 ## Constraints / preferences
 
-- **Upstream:** https://github.com/j-evins/glabels-qt (track this, don't drift)
-- **Stack:** Qt (5 or 6 — TBD based on upstream's current state), CMake, C++
-- **Target hosts:** steel141 primarily (Debian 13). Maybe a CT for headless print serving later.
-- **Branding/customization:** minimal — this is for personal use, not a product
-- **License:** glabels-qt is GPL-3.0 — preserve it; any contributions stay GPL-3.0
-- **Repo:** Gitea at `git.sethpc.xyz/Seth/sethLabels` (TBD until first push)
+- **Upstream:** https://github.com/j-evins/glabels-qt (track this, don't drift). The glabels.org team are the real authors — strict-zero source-patch policy preserves their attribution end-to-end.
+- **Stack:** Qt6 6.2 + CMake + C++ (confirmed by reading upstream `CMakeLists.txt:119`).
+- **Target install hosts:** any Debian-family Linux (Debian 13 / Ubuntu LTS) for `.deb` + AppImage; any macOS for Homebrew tap. Steel141 is a *build host*, not a deploy target. CT for headless print serving optional/later. Windows deferred.
+- **Branding/customization:** zero — this is a packaging fork, not a rebrand. Strict-zero policy forbids icon/string/UI edits.
+- **License:** glabels-qt is GPL-3.0 — preserved automatically (we never touch upstream files).
+- **Repo:** live at `git.sethpc.xyz/Seth/sethLabels`. Eventually-public on GitHub once the build/release pipeline is battle-tested.
+- **Eventual public-flip:** when promoted to a formal public fork on GitHub, brew tap source URL flips Gitea→GitHub (one-line tap formula edit), and CI is added via GitHub Actions calling the same `scripts/` shell scripts unmodified.