diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 233b088..0c1537e 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ name = "dotmend"
 version = "0.2.0"
 edition = "2024"
 publish = false
+license = "MIT"
 
 [features]
 default = ["native"]
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e9362ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 mcpads
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 9b23404..d9dcc71 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -39,3 +39,7 @@ Give your agent this repository and ask:
 > Install Dotmend from https://github.com/mcpads/dotmend. Follow `INSTALL.md`, connect it to my MCP client, and verify that it works. Then help me open an asset to edit.
 
 Your agent handles the download, setup, and connection checks. Releases provide native builds for Windows, macOS, and Linux. You do not need to build the app or run terminal commands yourself.
+
+## License
+
+[MIT](LICENSE) © 2026 mcpads.
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 8b6bcb1..cc69dc6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "dotmend-ui-tests",
+      "license": "MIT",
       "devDependencies": {
         "@playwright/test": "1.63.0"
       },
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 71e5997..27e1fa6 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "dotmend-ui-tests",
   "private": true,
+  "license": "MIT",
   "engines": { "node": ">=20" },
   "scripts": { "pretest:ui": "cargo build --locked", "test:ui": "playwright test" },
   "devDependencies": { "@playwright/test": "1.63.0" }
diff --git a/scripts/package_release.py b/scripts/package_release.py
index 183ff65..a7a8921 100644
--- a/scripts/package_release.py
+++ b/scripts/package_release.py
@@ -22,9 +22,11 @@ def package(target):
     if windows:
         with zipfile.ZipFile(archive, "w", zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as bundle:
             bundle.write(binary, name)
+            bundle.write("LICENSE", "LICENSE")
     else:
         with tarfile.open(archive, "w:gz") as bundle:
             bundle.add(binary, arcname=name)
+            bundle.add("LICENSE", arcname="LICENSE")
     with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix="dotmend-package-") as directory:
         if windows:
             with zipfile.ZipFile(archive) as bundle: