diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7f04a03..232361b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,11 @@
 # Agentic-Bridle
 
+## License
+
+Agentic Bridle is licensed under the **GNU General Public License v3.0** — see [LICENSE](LICENSE).
+
+That covers this project's own source only. Everything else keeps its own license: Rust crate
+dependencies, and the services Bridle integrates with or bundles via Docker Compose — Gitea, the
+Gitea MCP server, Kanboard, Qdrant, and any embedding server — are each distributed under their
+respective terms and are **not** relicensed by this project. Check each component's own license
+before redistributing a deployment that includes them.