Rewrite the README in plain English and move the technical reference to TECH.md #69

Merged

xicv merged 4 commits from docs/plain-readme into main

2026-09-23 10:34:29 +00:00

xicv commented

2026-09-23 07:41:31 +00:00

(Migrated from github.com)

Summary

Stacked on #68. The README had grown to 788 lines of technical detail.

README.md → TECH.md. The old README moves unchanged to TECH.md in a commit that only renames it, so git log --follow TECH.md keeps its history. The only edits are the title and one line linking back to the overview.
New README.md. 144 lines in plain English:
- what Ego Chat does, with a small diagram;
- what it can do;
- five everyday examples: a second opinion on a plan, a pull request reviewed overnight, a chat started on a phone, a long think without waiting cost, a daily scheduled job;
- what it does not do;
- requirements, a four-line install, and how to ask for it;
- where data goes;
- honest caveats, including that the "chat is full" limit has not been seen live yet;
- that the main chat (ego-chat-main) stays one chat until it is actually full.
Cargo.toml includes TECH.md in the crate, because the README links to it.
Release checklist. The version paragraph and the pinned install line now live in TECH.md under "Release verification". The README's install line has no version, so it needs no edit per release.

Verification

cargo package --list includes README.md and TECH.md.
Link targets exist: TECH.md#judgments-opt-in-advisory, docs/eagle-monitor.md, LICENSE.
README claims checked against the code:
- notifications are on by default;
- only review loops remove secrets;
- rotation happens at 120 messages;
- the pre-Send budget is 90 minutes;
- ego-chat ui-check exists.

## Summary Stacked on #68. The README had grown to 788 lines of technical detail. - **README.md → TECH.md.** The old README moves unchanged to `TECH.md` in a commit that only renames it, so `git log --follow TECH.md` keeps its history. The only edits are the title and one line linking back to the overview. - **New README.md.** 144 lines in plain English: - what Ego Chat does, with a small diagram; - what it can do; - five everyday examples: a second opinion on a plan, a pull request reviewed overnight, a chat started on a phone, a long think without waiting cost, a daily scheduled job; - what it does not do; - requirements, a four-line install, and how to ask for it; - where data goes; - honest caveats, including that the "chat is full" limit has not been seen live yet; - that the main chat (`ego-chat-main`) stays one chat until it is actually full. - **`Cargo.toml`** includes `TECH.md` in the crate, because the README links to it. - **Release checklist.** The version paragraph and the pinned install line now live in `TECH.md` under "Release verification". The README's install line has no version, so it needs no edit per release. ## Verification - `cargo package --list` includes `README.md` and `TECH.md`. - Link targets exist: `TECH.md#judgments-opt-in-advisory`, `docs/eagle-monitor.md`, `LICENSE`. - README claims checked against the code: - notifications are on by default; - only review loops remove secrets; - rotation happens at 120 messages; - the pre-Send budget is 90 minutes; - `ego-chat ui-check` exists.