docs(readme): convert README.adoc -> Markdown README.md

README must be real Markdown to render in GitHub community-health, the GitHub
profile, and external MCP directories (Glama) — AsciiDoc shows as raw markup
there. pandoc asciidoc->GFM, badges fixed to clickable, SPDX header kept as an
HTML comment, duplicate README.adoc removed.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: hyperpolymath

README.adoc

@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+<!--
+SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-4.0
+SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025-2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell <j.d.a.jewell@open.ac.uk>
+-->
+
+[![OpenSSF Best Practices](https://img.shields.io/badge/OpenSSF-Best_Practices-green?logo=opensourcesecurity)](https://www.bestpractices.dev/en/projects/new?repo_url=https://{{FORGE}}/{{OWNER}}/{{REPO}})
+[![License: MPL-2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MPL_2.0-blue.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MPL-2.0) [![Green Web](https://api.thegreenwebfoundation.org/greencheckimage/{{FORGE}})](https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/green-web-check/?url={{FORGE}})
+
+{{PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}}
+
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> **This file is a template.** You are reading `README.adoc` from the
+> **RSR template repo** (or a freshly-cloned copy of it). Run `just`
+> `init` to replace every `{{PLACEHOLDER}}` token with your project’s
+> details, then delete this admonition. Until you do, the `{{…}}`
+> markers below are intentional placeholders, not content.
+
+# What this is
+
+A new repository scaffolded from the **Rhodium Standard Repository
+(RSR)** template: a batteries-included starting point that ships with
+CI/CD, machine-readable project metadata, an AI-agent gatekeeper
+protocol, a formally-typed ABI/FFI seam (Idris2 + Zig), container and
+reproducible-build scaffolding, and governance infrastructure — all
+wired and passing the RSR validators on day one.
+
+Replace this section with a description of **your** project once
+initialised.
+
+# Quick start
+
+```bash
+# 1. Create a repo from this template (or clone it), then from the repo root:
+just init                # interactive bootstrap: fills every {{PLACEHOLDER}}
+
+# 2. See the available tasks:
+just                     # lists all phases (build, test, validate, audit, ...)
+
+# 3. Check the repo still satisfies the RSR shape:
+just validate            # structure + metadata checks
+```
+
+`just` `init` prompts for the project name, owner, author, licence
+contact, and the other values listed in
+`.machine_readable/ai/PLACEHOLDERS.adoc`, substitutes them across the
+tree, validates the result, and (if available) runs the `k9-svc` checks.
+
+# What you get
+
+- **Machine-readable metadata** (`.machine_readable/6a2/`) — `STATE`,
+  `META`, `ECOSYSTEM`, `PLAYBOOK`, `AGENTIC`, `NEUROSYM`, `CLADE`, and
+  `anchors/ANCHOR`, in a2ml, so tools and agents can read the project’s
+  state and boundaries.
+
+- **AI gatekeeper protocol** — `0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml` is the universal
+  entry point that tells an AI agent how to work in this repo before it
+  touches anything.
+
+- **Typed ABI/FFI seam** — `src/interface/Abi/` (Idris2 type + layout
+  proofs) over `src/interface/ffi/` (Zig implementation), with generated
+  C headers.
+
+- **CI/CD** — GitHub Actions for quality, security (CodeQL, Scorecard,
+  secret scanning), multi-forge mirroring, and RSR anti-pattern
+  enforcement.
+
+- **Supply-chain & reproducibility** — container layering (stapeln),
+  Nix/Guix shells, SBOM, and signing hooks.
+
+- **Governance** — `GOVERNANCE.adoc`, `MAINTAINERS.adoc`, `.github/`
+  community health files, and a release `AUDIT.adoc` gate.
+
+# Repository map
+
+| Path | What lives there |
+|----|----|
+| `0-AI-MANIFEST.a2ml` | Universal entry point for AI agents (read first). |
+| `.machine_readable/` | Project metadata, policies, contractiles, AI configs. |
+| `src/interface/` | Typed ABI (Idris2) + FFI (Zig) + generated headers. |
+| `docs/` | Onboarding, status, governance, practice, decisions. |
+| `build/`, `Justfile` | Task orchestration (`just` phases delegate to `build/just/*.just`). |
+| `.github/` | Workflows + community health files. |
+| `tests/`, `benches/` | Test suites and benchmarks. |
+
+# Where to go next
+
+- `EXPLAINME.adoc` — the engineering deep-dive: how the pieces actually
+  work.
+
+- `AFFIRMATION.adoc` — the dated, signed honesty snapshot of the repo’s
+  true state.
+
+- `AUDIT.adoc` — the release audit gate.
+
+- `.machine_readable/ai/PLACEHOLDERS.adoc` — the full placeholder
+  reference.
+
+# Licence
+
+Released under the [Mozilla Public License 2.0](LICENSE) unless a
+per-file `SPDX-License-Identifier` says otherwise.