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+# AGENTS.md — layer-nerdctl
+
+Standalone candy repo for the `layer-nerdctl` layer — nerdctl plus the rootless
+containerd + buildkit + CNI stack. This repo uses the multi-directory layout: the
+root `charly.yml` is the project root with `discover:` for `box/` and `candy/`,
+the candy entity lives in `candy/layer-nerdctl/charly.yml`, and the disposable
+bed image in `box/check-nerdctl-app/charly.yml`. The candy carries the embedded
+`skill:` entity projected into the marketplace corpus as
+`/charly-distros:layer-nerdctl`.
+
+Canonical files:
+
+- `charly.yml` — the project root: `discover:`, `defaults:`, and the
+  `check-nerdctl-nested:` disposable `pod:` R10 bed.
+- `candy/layer-nerdctl/charly.yml` — the `layer-nerdctl:` candy entity (the
+  `NERDCTL_FULL_VERSION` var, the `security:` posture, the plan steps, the
+  `check:` assertions) and the `layer-nerdctl-skill:` skill entity.
+- `box/check-nerdctl-app/charly.yml` — the disposable bed image composing the candy.
+- `README.md` — user overview only; never agent guidance.
+
+## Load these skills first (R0)
+
+- `/charly-distros:layer-nerdctl` — the owning skill. The nerdctl engine, the
+  `layer-nerdctl` candy, the nested-pod posture, and `engine: nerdctl` deploys.
+  Load before editing or troubleshooting the layer.
+- `/charly-internals:plugin-nerdctl` — the out-of-tree engine plugin that serves
+  `engine: nerdctl`.
+- `/charly-image:layer` — the candy authoring reference (`charly.yml` schema,
+  `plan:` step verbs incl. `mkdir:`/`write:`/`check:`, per-distro `distro:` arms,
+  package/repo sections, and service declarations). Load before editing any
+  entity field or plan step.
+
+## Build / validate / test
+
+- The merge gate is the **org-wide** `charly/pr-validator` (required check
+  `validate / validate`, defined in `opencharly/.github`); this repo has **no
+  per-repo candy gate** and ships no per-repo workflow file — the CalVer tag and
+  `CHANGELOG/` entry are written by the org-wide `tag-on-merge` dispatcher on merge.
+- The candy's `plan:` `check:` steps are the functional evidence; they must stay
+  valid on every distro arm they run on. Scope a distro-specific check in the
+  command itself — the check runner does not honour runner-level
+  `exclude-distro` fields.
+- The R10 for the nested-pod posture is the `check-nerdctl-nested:` disposable
+  `pod:` bed in the root `charly.yml` — a FRESH deploy asserting `/dev/fuse`,
+  `/dev/net/tun`, the full `CapEff` mask, the userns uid map, and `nerdctl` on
+  PATH. It fails without the `security:` block.
+
+## Modify this repo
+
+- Edit the `layer-nerdctl:` candy entity AND the `layer-nerdctl-skill:` skill
+  entity in `candy/layer-nerdctl/charly.yml` together. The skill is the projected
+  usage source, so a behaviour change not mirrored in the skill leaves the corpus
+  stale.
+- The pinned `NERDCTL_FULL_VERSION` and its sha256 verification are the contract;
+  the native-package distro arms (arch/alpine) short-circuit the tarball step —
+  preserve that split.
+- The `security:` posture is userns-scoped (`cap_add: ALL`, `/dev/fuse`,
+  `/dev/net/tun`, `unmask=/proc/*`); the inner engine's userns-root is NOT host
+  root. Keep the bed's `check:` assertions aligned with it.
+- New behaviour claims belong in the `plan:` as an observable `check:` step, and
+  in the skill body.
+
+## Landing
+
+- PR-only. Every change lands through a pull request; the org-required
+  `charly/pr-validator` validates the diff and body and arms native auto-merge
+  on PASS. Direct pushes to `main` are blocked.
+- History lives in `CHANGELOG/` (written by `tag-on-merge` at merge time); the
+  PR body IS the changelog.
+- The authoritative rulebook is the umbrella `AGENTS.md` in
+  `opencharly/opencharly` and `charly/AGENTS.md` in the charly repo. Do not
+  restate its rules here.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+# layer-nerdctl
+
+nerdctl (the containerd CLI) plus the full rootless containerd + buildkit + CNI
+stack, as a standalone OpenCharly layer repo.
+
+Composed by a box that wants the opt-in `engine: nerdctl` engine. On
+Arch/CachyOS/Omarchy and Alpine the candy uses native distro packages; on Fedora,
+Debian, and Ubuntu it installs the pinned, sha256-verified `nerdctl-full` tarball
+(which supplies nerdctl + containerd + `containerd-fuse-overlayfs-grpc` + CNI +
+buildkit + rootlesskit in one archive). It writes `/etc/nerdctl/nerdctl.toml`
+(the `charly` namespace + rootless buildkit host) and the `charly` CNI network
+conflist at `/etc/cni/net.d/charly.conflist`.
+
+## What it provides
+
+| Property | Value |
+|---|---|
+| Layer / candy | `layer-nerdctl` |
+| Pinned version | `NERDCTL_FULL_VERSION` `2.1.2` |
+| Config | `/etc/nerdctl/nerdctl.toml`, `/etc/cni/net.d/charly.conflist` |
+| Nested-pod posture | userns-scoped `cap_add: ALL`, `/dev/fuse`, `/dev/net/tun`, `unmask=/proc/*` |
+| Service / port | none |
+
+The engine word is served by `opencharly/plugin-nerdctl` (out-of-process) or
+compiled in; every engine op delegates to `container.InvokeEngineOp("nerdctl", …)`.
+
+## How to use it
+
+This repo uses the multi-directory layout: the root `charly.yml` is the project
+root with `discover:` for `box/` and `candy/`, and the candy lives in
+`candy/layer-nerdctl/charly.yml`. Compose it as a nested `candy:` list inside a
+named box body:
+
+```yaml
+my-nested-box:
+  candy:
+    base: fedora
+    candy:
+      - '@github.com/opencharly/layer-nerdctl:v2026.266.1833'
+```
+
+## Layout
+
+- `charly.yml` — the project root: `discover:`, `defaults:`, and the
+  `check-nerdctl-nested:` disposable `pod:` R10 bed.
+- `candy/layer-nerdctl/charly.yml` — the `layer-nerdctl:` candy entity, its
+  `security:` posture, and the embedded `layer-nerdctl-skill:` skill entity.
+- `box/check-nerdctl-app/charly.yml` — the disposable bed image composing the candy.
+- `README.md` — this user overview.
+
+## Related
+
+- Owning skill: `/charly-distros:layer-nerdctl` — the nerdctl engine, the
+  `layer-nerdctl` candy, and `engine: nerdctl` deploys.
+- `/charly-internals:plugin-nerdctl` — the out-of-tree engine plugin.
+- `/charly-image:layer` — candy authoring reference.
+- [`opencharly/charly`](https://github.com/opencharly/charly) — the charly CLI and image builder
+- [`opencharly/opencharly`](https://github.com/opencharly/opencharly) — the umbrella