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 # mcp-843
 
-Civic AI portal for Charleston, SC — Holy City history, Gullah Geechee culture, and the Carolina Lowcountry.
\ No newline at end of file
+**843 Lowcountry South Carolina — WellSpr.ing Civic MCP Portal**
+
+> Civic AI portal for Charleston, SC — Holy City history, Gullah Geechee culture, and the Carolina Lowcountry.
+
+[![WellSpr.ing Network](https://img.shields.io/badge/network-WellSpr.ing-blue)](https://wellspr.ing)
+[![Federation v2.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/federation-v2.0-green)](https://wellspr.ing/mcp/federation.json)
+[![Covenant Governed](https://img.shields.io/badge/governance-covenant-amber)](https://wellspr.ing/constitution)
+[![MCP Protocol](https://img.shields.io/badge/protocol-MCP-purple)](https://modelcontextprotocol.io)
+
+---
+
+## Quick Start
+
+Connect any MCP-compatible AI assistant to the Charleston civic portal:
+
+```bash
+# Claude Desktop, Cursor, Continue, or any MCP client:
+npx @modelcontextprotocol/cli connect https://mcp.843.today/mcp
+```
+
+Or in `claude_desktop_config.json`:
+
+```json
+{
+  "mcpServers": {
+    "843-civic": {
+      "command": "npx",
+      "args": ["@modelcontextprotocol/cli", "connect", "https://mcp.843.today/mcp"]
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+## About Charleston
+
+This repository is the sovereign source configuration for the **843.today** civic MCP portal — a [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) endpoint exposing community-scoped civic AI tools for 843 Lowcountry South Carolina.
+
+| Property | Value |
+|----------|-------|
+| **Area code** | 843 |
+| **Primary city** | Charleston |
+| **State** | SC |
+| **Live portal** | [843.today](https://843.today) |
+| **MCP endpoint** | [mcp.843.today/mcp](https://mcp.843.today/mcp) |
+| **Sovereign repo** | [git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-843](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-843) |
+| **Federation** | [wellspr.ing/mcp/federation.json](https://wellspr.ing/mcp/federation.json) |
+
+## Civic Tools
+
+| Tool | Description |
+|------|-------------|
+| `get_local_news` | Latest civic news for Charleston |
+| `get_free_items` | Community free-item exchange — hyperlocal mutual aid |
+| `get_businesses` | Local business directory for Charleston |
+| `submit_civic_idea` | Submit a civic idea or community proposal |
+| `get_civic_services` | Local government services and contact information |
+| `ody_chat` | Conversational civic AI (Ody) — covenant-governed |
+
+## Network Traversal
+
+Adjacent area-code portals (connected via `get_adjacent_nodes`):
+[`912`](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-912), [`803`](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-803), [`864`](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-864), [`910`](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-910)
+
+Any MCP-capable agent connected to this portal can traverse the WellSpr.ing network hop-by-hop using `get_adjacent_nodes` — no central directory required.
+
+## Governance
+
+This portal operates under the **WellSpr.ing Eight Principles** — a covenant governance model that all portals, tools, and AI agents in the network attest to.
+
+- [Eight Principles](https://wellspr.ing/constitution)
+- [VCAP Attestation](https://wellspr.ing/vault/ody/attestation-2026-04-17.json)
+- [Sovereignty Statement](https://wellspr.ing/sovereignty)
+
+*Freely given, so freely given.*
+
+## Infrastructure
+
+This repository is the **primary source of truth**. GitHub and Codeberg are push-mirrors only.
+
+| Layer | URL | Role |
+|-------|-----|------|
+| **Sovereign primary** | [git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-843](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-843) | Source of truth |
+| **Community mirror** | [codeberg.org/wellspring/mcp-843](https://codeberg.org/wellspring/mcp-843) | Discovery |
+| **GitHub mirror** | github.com/WellBuilder/mcp-843 | Discovery (if restored) |
+
+See [NotGit.org/formula](https://notgit.org/formula) for the three-mirror architecture.
+
+## Contributing
+
+WellSpr.ing covenanted developers are welcome to contribute to this portal's configuration. Open an issue or pull request on the [sovereign git](https://git.wellspr.ing/WellBuilder/mcp-843).
+
+All contributions are reviewed against the [Eight Principles](https://wellspr.ing/constitution).
+
+---
+
+*Part of the [WellSpr.ing NNN.today](https://wellspr.ing) civic AI network — 191 area-code portals, covenant governed, architecturally sovereign.*