Docs: reconcile existing README/About rewrite with capability-first positioning and optional Git #1590

Scope and existing owner

Use the existing pm-69vv message-surface feature under pm-wjfa; this issue is GitHub coordination for that work, not a second positioning program or a new PM item.

Reconcile its copy constraints before implementation. The linked pm-7hye ADR is still open and explicitly proposed: its “repository-native project context engine” category and coding-only audience must not be treated as already accepted. Preserve the PM CLI name, package, binaries and SDK import paths; no rename or expansion of the initials is required.

Current evidence

Static review at main dc10f63f671456b5d50d31d802126656fc22896c:

• README opening calls PM a “git-native project management CLI for humans and coding agents” and describes “reviewable repository files.”
• package.json description is “Git-native project management CLI for humans and agents.”
• Quickstart starts from “a clean repository” and immediately requires claim/implementation/files/tests framing.
• The public GitHub About text observed through the web reader is “Agent-friendly, git-native project management for humans and coding agents.” That reader's page was cached; refresh repository metadata before changing it.
• pm-69vv's proposed replacement still says “stored in Git” and ends its basic demo with git diff. Shipping that text unchanged would retain the same repository-only positioning.

The accepted context-management ADR centers customizable SDK primitives and durable shared context. #1363 and its Git-optional clarification explicitly preserve ordinary non-Git use. The native-backend roadmap extends that direction; it is not evidence that database backends have shipped.

Impact: a visitor cannot readily distinguish the tool's reusable work/context primitives from one supported coding/Git workflow. This is a documentation/positioning mismatch, not a new runtime failure.

Implementation direction

Lead with concrete capabilities rather than a storage choice. Suggested factual starting copy, not a newly ratified brand slogan:

PM CLI helps people and agents organize work and project context: tasks, decisions, dependencies, notes, evidence and history. Use the CLI directly or build integrations with its TypeScript SDK and configurable packages.

Then describe the current implementation separately: local item files and append-only history, usable in ordinary folders, with Git integration for repository workflows. Explain actual current init/setup behavior and limitations; do not imply that all persisted Git-policy work in #1363 is complete.

Offer a short non-coding, non-Git create/find/update/close example alongside an optional coding/evidence workflow. Keep SDK/package entry points easy to find. Do not replace specific capabilities with unsupported “universal,” zero-configuration, safety or token-saving guarantees.

Acceptance

• Reuse pm-69vv; reconcile pm-7hye's proposed repository-only copy with the current direction without falsely closing/accepting the entire historical branding ADR.
• README lead, package description and refreshed GitHub About consistently explain capabilities first; Git is a supported integration, not a prerequisite or the whole identity.
• Retain PM CLI naming and all technical identifiers.
• A documented ordinary-folder example is verified against the exact artifact/revision being documented, with no Git prerequisite; advanced coding/claims/tests guidance is clearly scoped.
• SDK, customization and package workflows remain discoverable and accurately bounded.
• Clearly separate current filesystem-backed storage from future native backends. Do not advertise SQLite/Postgres/MySQL support, seamless migrations, universal provider parity or published versions from merged roadmap work.
• Check docs links and actual example commands; preserve useful technical Git documentation rather than deleting it.

Limits / deduplication

Read-only source and documentation review; no new runtime tests, branding rewrite, metadata update, merge or release performed. All-status GitHub searches covered README, description, positioning, Git-centric, the exact category phrase and pm-69vv/pm-7hye/pm-wjfa. Existing PM records were inspected: pm-69vv owns the rewrite; #1363 owns runtime Git-policy behavior; #1399/#1587–#1589 own native backend implementation. This issue supplies the current documentation reconciliation and does not duplicate those implementations.