diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8177596..2080f11 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -196,6 +196,15 @@ The bump level is computed by Commitizen with this repo's policy:
 down; cut the major deliberately via the Release workflow's *Run workflow*
 button (`increment = MAJOR`). Releases publish to GitHub Releases only (no PyPI).
 
+## Governance
+
+Most of the quality bar is enforced in code (the `check-ci` gates, the
+`repo_audit.py` self-checks, and the SonarCloud PR gate). A few protections live
+only in GitHub settings — required status checks, a release-PR token, the Code
+Quality preview, and tag protection. Those owner actions are listed in
+[docs/repository-governance.md](docs/repository-governance.md); an adopter should
+work through them once per repository.
+
 ## Practice Surface
 
 - Agent entry point: `.agent/directives/AGENT.md`
diff --git a/docs/repository-governance.md b/docs/repository-governance.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3f2cf69
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/repository-governance.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# Repository Governance
+
+This repository enforces most of its quality bar **in code** — the `check-ci`
+gate sequence, the `repo_audit.py` self-checks (including `audit_supply_chain`,
+which pins every workflow action to a SHA and keeps Dependabot watching both
+ecosystems), and the SonarCloud pull-request gate. Those need no manual setup.
+
+A few protections can only be set in **GitHub repository/organisation settings**
+and cannot be expressed in the repo. This page is the canonical owner-action
+checklist for them. An adopter of this template should work through it once for
+their own repository.
+
+## Already enforced by the `main` ruleset
+
+The active "Protect default branch" ruleset already requires:
+
+- a **pull request** to change `main` (no direct pushes);
+- the **CodeQL `code_quality`** check to pass before merge;
+- **no branch deletion** and **no force-push** (non-fast-forward) on `main`.
+
+## Owner actions outstanding
+
+These are settings changes a repository owner must make by hand. Each closes a
+gap the in-repo gates structurally cannot.
+
+1. **Make CI a real merge gate (highest priority).**
+   Add **`Quality gates`** and **`Secret scanning (gitleaks)`** to the `main`
+   ruleset's *required status checks*. Today the ruleset requires a PR and the
+   CodeQL check, but **not** these two — so `main` can go red and a PR can still
+   merge. This is the single biggest enforcement gap.
+
+2. **Give the release PR a token.**
+   The standing release PR is opened by `GITHUB_TOKEN`, so `ci.yml` does not run
+   on it and it sits `UNSTABLE` indefinitely (merge it with
+   `gh pr merge <n> --squash --auto`). Provide `create-pull-request` with a PAT
+   or GitHub App token so `ci.yml` runs on the release PR; it then goes `CLEAN`
+   and merges without `--auto`. See [Releases](dev-tooling.md#releases).
+
+3. **Enable GitHub Code Quality (organisation preview).**
+   Coverage is uploaded as Cobertura on every PR, but the upload runs with
+   `fail-on-error: false`, so until the org enables the Code Quality preview it
+   is a harmless no-op rather than a visible PR signal. See
+   [Coverage reporting](dev-tooling.md#coverage-reporting).
+
+4. **Protect release tags.**
+   Add a tag ruleset for `v*` so release tags cannot be force-moved or deleted.
+   There is currently no tag ruleset; only the branch ruleset above exists.
+
+## Why these stay manual
+
+Repository and organisation settings are owner-controlled and live outside the
+tree, so the repo cannot assert them the way it asserts code and config. Keeping
+the list here — rather than only in session notes — means a future owner or an
+adopter can audit governance against reality without replaying project history.