diff --git a/.vscode/extensions.json b/.vscode/extensions.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d38138a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/extensions.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "recommendations": [
+    "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
+    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
+    "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss",
+    "editorconfig.editorconfig",
+    "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
+    "yoavbls.pretty-ts-errors",
+    "anthropic.claude-code"
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json.example b/.vscode/settings.json.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e10bf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.vscode/settings.json.example
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
+  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
+  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
+    "source.fixAll.eslint": "explicit"
+  },
+  "eslint.useFlatConfig": true,
+  "eslint.workingDirectories": [{ "mode": "auto" }],
+  "typescript.tsdk": "node_modules/typescript/lib",
+  "typescript.enablePromptUseWorkspaceTsdk": true,
+  "files.eol": "\n",
+  "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
+  "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
+  "search.exclude": {
+    "**/node_modules": true,
+    "**/.next": true,
+    "**/pnpm-lock.yaml": true
+  }
+}
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5d264ec..9d12c58 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,5 +3,6 @@
 Self-hosted family coordination: shared calendar, lists, notes.
 
 - **Plan & architecture:** [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md)
+- **Current progress:** [`STATUS.md`](STATUS.md)
 - **Task briefs (for sub-sessions):** [`docs/tasks/`](docs/tasks/)
 - **Architecture decisions:** [`docs/decisions/`](docs/decisions/)
diff --git a/STATUS.md b/STATUS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ba0901a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/STATUS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Status
+
+Living progress tracker. Update at the end of each task. The canonical brief is [`CLAUDE.md`](CLAUDE.md); task briefs live in [`docs/tasks/`](docs/tasks/).
+
+## Done
+
+- **01 — Repo init & tooling** (commit `b89690a`). pnpm 10 + TS strict + ESLint flat + Prettier. All acceptance criteria green.
+
+## Next up
+
+- **02 — Next.js app skeleton** ([brief](docs/tasks/02-nextjs-skeleton.md)). Sequential — must finish before 03.
+
+## How to resume in a fresh session
+
+1. Open the repo root in VS Code.
+2. Tell Claude: *"Read [CLAUDE.md](CLAUDE.md) and [STATUS.md](STATUS.md), then complete [docs/tasks/02-nextjs-skeleton.md](docs/tasks/02-nextjs-skeleton.md). Stop at the acceptance criteria."*
+3. After it lands, append the result to the **Done** section here, bump **Next up**, and commit.
+
+## Environment notes
+
+- Repo: https://github.com/ginnoir/famapp (HTTPS remote on `origin`).
+- Local dev tooling installed: Node 22+, pnpm 10.33.3.
+- `.env` is **not** committed; copy `.env.example` → `.env` when needed.
+- VS Code recommended extensions in `.vscode/extensions.json`; copy `.vscode/settings.json.example` → `.vscode/settings.json` for the workspace defaults.
+- Memory files (cross-session, only seen by Claude): `C:\Users\MattC\.claude\projects\C--Users-MattC-Documents-famapp\memory\`.