diff --git a/.claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh b/.claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh
index 04eb4c3..d13d103 100755
--- a/.claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh
+++ b/.claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh
@@ -8,6 +8,19 @@
 # Idempotent: existing labels are reused; an issue whose exact title already
 # exists is skipped, so re-running won't create duplicates.
 #
+# NOTE — this is the anti-drift mechanism for module:* labels: the label block
+# below derives label names straight from gates.json.modules[], so the labels
+# the /pr-loop ADVANCE step looks for can never drift out of sync with the
+# module map (see docs/USAGE.md → "Autonomous loop & the issue queue").
+#
+# NOTE — this script uses bare `gh` and runs as the OWNER (fine for a one-time,
+# interactive backlog seed you run yourself). Per this project's `gh` rule,
+# anything the AGENTS/loop do must go through the bot instead. If you want to
+# (re)bootstrap just the module:* labels as the bot — e.g. to hand that step to
+# an agent — use bot-gh.sh directly:
+#   node -e "require('./.claude/gates.json').modules.forEach(m=>console.log(m.name))" | \
+#     while read -r m; do bash .claude/scripts/bot-gh.sh label create "module:$m" --force; done
+#
 # Prereq: `gh auth login` completed for this repo, and `node` on PATH.
 # Usage:  bash .claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh
 set -uo pipefail
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d5bf9bb..9d34f3f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ config edit, not a rebuild.
 1. Click **“Use this template”** on GitHub → create your repo.
 2. Open it in Claude Code and follow **[`docs/GETTING_STARTED.md`](docs/GETTING_STARTED.md)** (fill `CLAUDE.md`
    and `.claude/gates.json` — there are copy-paste prompts in [`docs/PROMPTS.md`](docs/PROMPTS.md) that draft
-   them for you).
+   them for you), then work through the **[new-project configuration
+   checklist](docs/GETTING_STARTED.md#new-project-configuration-checklist)** to wire it into the autonomous loop.
 3. Drive it: see **[`docs/USAGE.md`](docs/USAGE.md)**.
 
 ## What's in here
diff --git a/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md b/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md
index 554c79d..b3f10d4 100644
--- a/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md
+++ b/docs/GETTING_STARTED.md
@@ -129,6 +129,29 @@ adapter-driven — you configure `gates.json`, not the YAML.
    > still run and are visible on every PR, and `merge-ready.sh` only merges a PR once the owner has approved
    > it *and* CI is green — so the approval+green gate holds even though GitHub doesn't hard-block the button.
 
+## New-project configuration checklist
+A copy-pasteable checklist for wiring a new project into the autonomous loop. See
+[`USAGE.md` → "Autonomous loop & the issue queue"](USAGE.md#autonomous-loop--the-issue-queue) for the mental
+model (the `module:*` opt-in queue + the owner-approval merge gate) that this checklist wires up.
+
+1. **`.claude/gates.json`** — the only per-project file that must be filled: `project.{name,language,packageManager}`;
+   `modules[]` (one entry per independently-ownable area, each with a non-overlapping `path` — these become
+   both the worker boundaries and the `module:<name>` labels the loop understands; include non-code areas
+   like `docs` if you want them automatable); `gates.*` (real shell commands, `""` = skip); `coverage_threshold`;
+   `review.{lenses,consensus}`; `budget.*` (model routing, `max_parallel_workers`); `merge.{policy,baseBranch}`.
+2. **`CLAUDE.md`** — project context, conventions, definition of done, merge policy.
+3. **Bot machine account** — create it, add as a write collaborator, put `GH_BOT_TOKEN` in `.env` (gitignored).
+   All agent/loop `gh` calls run as the bot via `bot-gh.sh`; only `git` commits/pushes stay on the owner's
+   auth, so the owner can approve bot PRs. Setup notes live at the top of `.claude/scripts/bot-gh.sh`.
+4. **Create the `module:*` labels** matching your `modules[]` names — see the bootstrap note at the top of
+   `.claude/scripts/seed-issues.sh`. Without the label, ADVANCE can never queue the issue.
+5. **Server-side gates** — confirm `.github/workflows/gates.yml` runs your gate commands (Step 7 above), and
+   set branch protection / required status checks on `merge.baseBranch` if your plan supports it.
+6. **Arm the loop** — run **`/pr-loop`**. It self-adjusts cadence (FAST when there's ≥1 open PR or ≥1 open
+   `module:*` issue, else IDLE) but the cron is session-scoped, so re-run it at the start of each session.
+7. *(optional)* **Hardening** — `/harden` for the bypass + strict-sandbox profile, see
+   [`HARDENING.md`](HARDENING.md).
+
 ## Verification checklist
 - [ ] `CLAUDE.md` describes the project and lists modules.
 - [ ] `.claude/gates.json` has real commands; `gate.sh build|lint|test` behave correctly.
diff --git a/docs/PROMPTS.md b/docs/PROMPTS.md
index 496631f..e09e8c7 100644
--- a/docs/PROMPTS.md
+++ b/docs/PROMPTS.md
@@ -5,6 +5,12 @@ Copy-paste these into Claude Code. The first two populate the files you must fil
 > **Shortcut:** the **`/setup-orchestrator`** command runs an interactive interview that covers prompts 1–2
 > (draft `CLAUDE.md`, fill `gates.json`) *and* the rest of onboarding (labels, bot check, CI, arming the loop,
 > hardening). Use it for a fresh project; reach for the individual prompts below when you want to redo one piece.
+>
+> **Brand-new project?** Read the **[new-project configuration
+> checklist](GETTING_STARTED.md#new-project-configuration-checklist)** and **[USAGE.md → "Autonomous loop &
+> the issue queue"](USAGE.md#autonomous-loop--the-issue-queue)** first — they explain what `/setup-orchestrator`
+> (and prompts 1–2 below) are actually wiring up, and the one convention that trips people up: only issues
+> labelled `module:*` are ever picked up automatically.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/docs/USAGE.md b/docs/USAGE.md
index 450c439..9b32ccf 100644
--- a/docs/USAGE.md
+++ b/docs/USAGE.md
@@ -119,6 +119,30 @@ run unattended (Claude Code `bypassPermissions`), first harden the environment s
 by always-enforced guardrails — see **[`HARDENING.md`](HARDENING.md)** (deny list + OS sandbox + host
 isolation). Don't enable bypass without it.
 
+## Autonomous loop & the issue queue
+Each `/pr-loop` tick runs, in order: **poll → merge → address-feedback → advance** — this per-tick order,
+canonically defined in `.claude/commands/pr-loop.md`, is authoritative; the poll / address-feedback /
+merge scripts described above are the mechanism it runs. Two human control points
+decide what the loop actually touches:
+
+- **The `module:*` label is an explicit opt-in work queue.** The ADVANCE step only picks up **open issues
+  labelled `module:<name>`** — lowest-numbered first, one at a time, and only when there are zero open PRs.
+  An unlabelled issue is never touched, no matter what its title or body say. Two reasons:
+  - **Intent gate** — most issues are discussions, questions, or half-scoped bugs; a bot shouldn't
+    auto-implement them. The label is you saying "this is scoped and ready for an autonomous worker."
+  - **Mechanism** — the label maps issue → module → the worker's `path` boundary (`gates.json.modules[]`).
+    No module ⇒ no boundary ⇒ nothing safe to hand a worker.
+- **Owner-approval merge gate.** Workers author PRs as the **bot** (`bot-gh.sh`); the MERGE step (above)
+  only merges PRs the repo **owner** has Approved on GitHub that are CI-green and mergeable. It never
+  approves on the owner's behalf.
+
+**Corollary:** non-module (docs/infra) work is not loop-eligible until (a) its area exists as a module in
+`gates.json.modules[]`, and (b) the issue carries the matching `module:*` label. Commenting "approved" on an
+issue does nothing — nothing watches issue text.
+
+New project? Wire this up with the **[new-project configuration
+checklist](GETTING_STARTED.md#new-project-configuration-checklist)**.
+
 ## Merge discipline
 - **`pr-per-agent`** (default): each worker → branch → PR. You (or a merge step) integrate; conflicts surface
   at PR time. Cleanest/auditable.