diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 21c69ac..2400030 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -25,3 +25,8 @@
 - [ ] Root commands still work, or the PR explains the migration path.
 - [ ] No root npm dependencies were added.
 - [ ] Generated files are ignored or intentionally committed.
+
+## Sign-off
+
+- [ ] Every commit is signed off (`git commit -s`) per the
+      [Developer Certificate of Origin](https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake/blob/main/DCO).
diff --git a/.github/scripts/check-dco-test.sh b/.github/scripts/check-dco-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6d17a9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/check-dco-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Proves check-dco.sh accepts signed work and rejects unsigned work, including
+# the bot, merge-commit, and moved-base cases the gate has to get right.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+check="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/check-dco.sh"
+tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT
+
+expect_ok() {
+  local label=$1 base_ref=$2 out
+  if ! out="$(bash "$check" "$base_ref" HEAD 2>&1)"; then
+    echo "DCO check test: ${label} — a valid branch was rejected" >&2
+    printf '%s\n' "$out" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  printf '%s\n' "$out"
+}
+
+expect_reject() {
+  local label=$1 base_ref=$2 out
+  if out="$(bash "$check" "$base_ref" HEAD 2>&1)"; then
+    echo "DCO check test: ${label} — an unsigned branch was accepted" >&2
+    printf '%s\n' "$out" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  printf '%s\n' "$out"
+}
+
+assert_contains() {
+  local label=$1 needle=$2 haystack=$3
+  if ! printf '%s\n' "$haystack" | grep -qF -e "$needle"; then
+    echo "DCO check test: ${label} — output missing '${needle}'" >&2
+    printf '%s\n' "$haystack" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+mkdir -p "$tmpdir/repo"
+cd "$tmpdir/repo"
+git init --quiet -b main
+git config user.name "Ada Contributor"
+git config user.email "ada@example.com"
+git config commit.gpgsign false
+
+echo base > file.txt
+git add file.txt
+git commit --quiet -s -m "base commit"
+base="$(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+
+branch() { git checkout --quiet -B "$1" "$base"; }
+
+# A signed commit passes.
+branch signed
+echo signed >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -s -m "signed change"
+out="$(expect_ok "signed commit" "$base")"
+assert_contains "signed commit" "DCO OK" "$out"
+
+# An unsigned commit is rejected, with the expected trailer in the message.
+branch unsigned
+echo unsigned >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -m "unsigned change"
+out="$(expect_reject "unsigned commit" "$base")"
+assert_contains "unsigned commit" \
+  "Signed-off-by: Ada Contributor <ada@example.com>" "$out"
+assert_contains "unsigned commit" "git rebase --signoff" "$out"
+
+# A sign-off that does not match the commit author is rejected.
+branch mismatch
+echo mismatch >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -s --author="Bo Other <bo@example.com>" -m "mismatched sign-off"
+out="$(expect_reject "mismatched sign-off" "$base")"
+assert_contains "mismatched sign-off" \
+  "Signed-off-by: Bo Other <bo@example.com>" "$out"
+
+# Trailer matching is case-insensitive.
+branch lowercase
+echo lowercase >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -m "lowercase trailer
+
+signed-off-by: Ada Contributor <ada@example.com>"
+expect_ok "lowercase trailer" "$base" > /dev/null
+
+# A bot cannot run `git commit -s`, so bot-authored commits are skipped in the
+# unenforced local-heuristic mode (no DCO_BOT_SHAS set).
+branch bot
+echo bot >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a \
+  --author="dependabot[bot] <49699333+dependabot[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>" \
+  -m "bump a dependency"
+out="$(expect_ok "bot author" "$base")"
+assert_contains "bot author" "(bot author)" "$out"
+
+# CI mode (DCO_BOT_SHAS set): a local author name is attacker-controlled
+# before push — a human faking "[bot]" in their own commit must NOT skip the
+# check just because the name heuristic would have matched it.
+branch spoofed_bot
+echo spoofed >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a \
+  --author="attacker[bot] <attacker@example.com>" \
+  -m "unsigned commit pretending to be a bot"
+if out=$(DCO_BOT_SHAS="" bash "$check" "$base" HEAD 2>&1); then
+  echo "DCO check test: spoofed bot author — an unsigned branch was accepted" >&2
+  printf '%s\n' "$out" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+assert_contains "spoofed bot author" \
+  "Signed-off-by: attacker[bot] <attacker@example.com>" "$out"
+
+# CI mode: a commit whose SHA the caller verified via the GitHub API skips,
+# regardless of what its local author name says.
+branch verified_bot
+echo verified >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a --author="Some Human <human@example.com>" \
+  -m "commit the API says is bot-authored"
+verified_sha="$(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+if ! out=$(DCO_BOT_SHAS="$verified_sha" bash "$check" "$base" HEAD 2>&1); then
+  echo "DCO check test: API-verified bot sha — a verified bot commit was rejected" >&2
+  printf '%s\n' "$out" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+assert_contains "API-verified bot sha" "(bot author)" "$out"
+
+# Merge commits are generated, not authored, so they are skipped.
+branch feature
+echo feature >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -s -m "feature work"
+branch merged
+echo parallel > other.txt
+git add other.txt
+git commit --quiet -s -m "parallel work"
+git merge --quiet --no-ff --no-edit feature
+expect_ok "unsigned merge commit" "$base" > /dev/null
+
+# When the base branch has moved ahead, its own commits are not re-checked.
+git checkout --quiet -B main "$base"
+echo main-only > main-only.txt
+git add main-only.txt
+git commit --quiet -m "unsigned commit on the base branch"
+branch behind-base
+echo behind >> file.txt
+git commit --quiet -a -s -m "signed work off an older base"
+expect_ok "base branch ahead" main > /dev/null
+
+echo "DCO check-script test passed"
diff --git a/.github/scripts/check-dco.sh b/.github/scripts/check-dco.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..22f0c1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/scripts/check-dco.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Verify that every commit in a range carries a Developer Certificate of Origin
+# sign-off trailer matching its author. Plain bash + git, no third-party action:
+# the contributor gate should not add a supply-chain surface the engine refuses
+# to add for itself.
+#
+# Usage: check-dco.sh <base-ref> [head-ref]
+#
+# Merge commits are skipped — they are generated, not authored.
+#
+# Commits authored by a bot are skipped because a bot cannot execute
+# `git commit -s`, matching the default behavior of GitHub's DCO app and
+# keeping Dependabot PRs mergeable. Which commits count as "bot" depends on
+# whether DCO_BOT_SHAS is set:
+#   - Set (CI): a space-separated allowlist of full SHAs the caller already
+#     verified via the GitHub API (commit author.type == "Bot"). Only those
+#     exact commits skip. A contributor's local git author name is theirs to
+#     set to anything before they ever push — `git config user.name
+#     'x[bot]'` costs nothing — so trusting a name pattern here would let
+#     anyone opt their own commits out of certification.
+#   - Unset (local/manual runs): falls back to an "ends with [bot]" name
+#     heuristic, for developer convenience only. Nothing is enforced by a
+#     local run, so the spoofability doesn't matter there.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+base=${1:?usage: check-dco.sh <base-ref> [head-ref]}
+head=${2:-HEAD}
+
+# A PR-merge or shallow checkout may not contain the base commit yet.
+if ! git cat-file -e "${base}^{commit}" 2>/dev/null; then
+  git fetch --no-tags --quiet origin "$base" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+if ! git cat-file -e "${base}^{commit}" 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo "Could not resolve base commit ${base}." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Compare against the fork point so commits already on the base branch are not
+# re-checked when the base has moved ahead.
+range_start="$(git merge-base "$base" "$head" 2>/dev/null || echo "$base")"
+
+is_bot_commit() {
+  local sha=$1 author_name=$2
+
+  if [ -n "${DCO_BOT_SHAS+set}" ]; then
+    case " ${DCO_BOT_SHAS} " in
+      *" ${sha} "*) return 0 ;;
+      *) return 1 ;;
+    esac
+  fi
+
+  case "$author_name" in
+    *'[bot]') return 0 ;;
+    *) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+failed=0
+checked=0
+skipped=0
+
+while IFS= read -r sha; do
+  [ -n "$sha" ] || continue
+
+  author_name="$(git show -s --format='%an' "$sha")"
+  author_email="$(git show -s --format='%ae' "$sha")"
+  subject="$(git show -s --format='%s' "$sha")"
+  short="$(git rev-parse --short "$sha")"
+
+  if is_bot_commit "$sha" "$author_name"; then
+    echo "skip  ${short}  ${subject}  (bot author)"
+    skipped=$((skipped + 1))
+    continue
+  fi
+
+  checked=$((checked + 1))
+  expected="Signed-off-by: ${author_name} <${author_email}>"
+
+  if git show -s --format='%B' "$sha" | grep -qiF -e "$expected"; then
+    echo "ok    ${short}  ${subject}"
+  else
+    echo "FAIL  ${short}  ${subject}"
+    echo "      missing trailer: ${expected}"
+    failed=$((failed + 1))
+  fi
+done < <(git rev-list --no-merges "${range_start}..${head}")
+
+if [ "$failed" -gt 0 ]; then
+  echo >&2
+  echo "${failed} commit(s) are missing a sign-off matching their author." >&2
+  echo >&2
+  echo "Every commit must certify the Developer Certificate of Origin (see ./DCO)" >&2
+  echo "with a trailer that matches the commit author exactly:" >&2
+  echo >&2
+  echo "  Signed-off-by: Your Name <your@email>" >&2
+  echo >&2
+  echo "To fix the most recent commit:" >&2
+  echo "  git commit --amend --signoff --no-edit" >&2
+  echo >&2
+  echo "To fix every commit on this branch:" >&2
+  echo "  git rebase --signoff ${base}" >&2
+  echo >&2
+  echo "Then update the pull request:" >&2
+  echo "  git push --force-with-lease" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "DCO OK — ${checked} commit(s) signed off, ${skipped} skipped."
diff --git a/.github/workflows/dco.yml b/.github/workflows/dco.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e56bbcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/dco.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+name: DCO
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+
+concurrency:
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  sign-off:
+    name: sign-off
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v7
+        with:
+          # Full history: the check compares against the fork point with the base
+          # branch, so both parents of the pull request merge ref must be
+          # reachable.
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Test the check script
+        run: bash .github/scripts/check-dco-test.sh
+
+      - name: Identify GitHub-verified bot commits
+        id: bots
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
+        run: |
+          # A commit's local git author name is whatever the contributor set
+          # before pushing — never trust it for a security decision. The API's
+          # per-commit `author` object instead reflects GitHub's own account
+          # lookup, so `author.type == "Bot"` cannot be spoofed the same way.
+          shas="$(gh api "repos/${REPO}/pulls/${PR_NUMBER}/commits" --paginate \
+            --jq '.[] | select(.author != null and .author.type == "Bot") | .sha' \
+            | tr '\n' ' ')"
+          echo "shas=${shas}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Verify sign-off on every commit
+        env:
+          BASE_SHA: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
+          HEAD_SHA: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
+          DCO_BOT_SHAS: ${{ steps.bots.outputs.shas }}
+        run: bash .github/scripts/check-dco.sh "$BASE_SHA" "$HEAD_SHA"
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index abbf5db..e60017a 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -61,6 +61,46 @@ npm --prefix apps/site run build
   manifest.
 - Keep generated files out of Git unless a spec says otherwise.
 
+## Sign Your Work
+
+ContextCake uses the [Developer Certificate of Origin](DCO) (DCO). Signing off
+is how you certify that you wrote the contribution, or otherwise have the right
+to submit it under this project's MIT license. There is no CLA to sign and no
+copyright assignment.
+
+Add the trailer by committing with `-s`:
+
+```bash
+git commit -s -m "fix(core): date sections from git history"
+```
+
+That appends a line matching your Git identity:
+
+```text
+Signed-off-by: Your Name <your@email>
+```
+
+Every commit in a pull request needs one, and it must match that commit's
+author. Use your real name and an address you can be reached at; the sign-off
+becomes a permanent part of the public history.
+
+To sign off work you already committed:
+
+```bash
+git commit --amend --signoff --no-edit   # the most recent commit
+git rebase --signoff main                # every commit on the branch
+git push --force-with-lease
+```
+
+CI enforces this on every pull request. To check a branch before pushing:
+
+```bash
+bash .github/scripts/check-dco.sh main
+```
+
+Merge commits are skipped, as are commits authored by bots — Dependabot cannot
+run `git commit -s`.
+
 ## Validation
 
 Run the smallest relevant checks while developing, then run the broader gates
@@ -68,4 +108,6 @@ before opening a PR. `npm test` starts a local playground server, so it needs a
 local environment where binding to `127.0.0.1` is allowed.
 
 For AI contributors: state which commands you ran, include failures honestly,
-and avoid broad rewrites unrelated to the issue.
+and avoid broad rewrites unrelated to the issue. Agent-assisted commits are
+signed off by the person submitting them — the DCO is a human certification,
+so use the submitter's identity, not the agent's.
diff --git a/DCO b/DCO
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fed7119
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DCO
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+Developer Certificate of Origin
+Version 1.1
+
+Copyright (C) 2004, 2006 The Linux Foundation and its contributors.
+
+1 Letterman Drive
+Suite D4700
+San Francisco, CA, 94129
+
+Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
+license document, but changing it is not allowed.
+
+
+Developer's Certificate of Origin 1.1
+
+By making a contribution to this project, I certify that:
+
+(a) The contribution was created in whole or in part by me and I
+    have the right to submit it under the open source license
+    indicated in the file; or
+
+(b) The contribution is based upon previous work that, to the best
+    of my knowledge, is covered under an appropriate open source
+    license and I have the right under that license to submit that
+    work with modifications, whether created in whole or in part
+    by me, under the same open source license (unless I am
+    permitted to submit under a different license), as indicated
+    in the file; or
+
+(c) The contribution was provided directly to me by some other
+    person who certified (a), (b) or (c) and I have not modified
+    it.
+
+(d) I understand and agree that this project and the contribution
+    are public and that a record of the contribution (including all
+    personal information I submit with it, including my sign-off) is
+    maintained indefinitely and may be redistributed consistent with
+    this project or the open source license(s) involved.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dde4ea4..6d373fc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ npm --prefix apps/desktop run smoke:bootfail
 
 ## Contributing
 
-Contributions are welcome. Before opening a pull request, please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md), keep `packages/core/` dependency-free, and run the checks relevant to the surface you changed. For security issues, use [private vulnerability reporting](https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake/security/advisories/new) rather than a public issue.
+Contributions are welcome. Before opening a pull request, please read [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md), keep `packages/core/` dependency-free, and run the checks relevant to the surface you changed. Commits must be signed off with `git commit -s` to certify the [Developer Certificate of Origin](DCO) — there is no CLA. For security issues, use [private vulnerability reporting](https://github.com/ContextCake/context-cake/security/advisories/new) rather than a public issue.
 
 ## License