diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ff46a86..2b24ffc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -3,26 +3,67 @@
 [![Tests](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-plugin-runtime/actions/workflows/run-tests.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-plugin-runtime/actions/workflows/run-tests.yml)
 [![Node.js](https://img.shields.io/badge/node.js-20+-339933?logo=node.js&logoColor=white)](https://nodejs.org/)
 [![TypeScript](https://img.shields.io/badge/typescript-5.x-3178C6?logo=typescript&logoColor=white)](https://www.typescriptlang.org/)
+[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)
 
-Runtime host for Escalated plugins. Loads plugins, communicates with the host framework via JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio.
+Runtime host for [Escalated](https://escalated.dev) plugins. Loads plugins built with the [Plugin SDK](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-plugin-sdk) and communicates with the host framework (Laravel, Rails, Django, AdonisJS) via JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio.
+
+> **[escalated.dev](https://escalated.dev)** — Learn more, view demos, and compare Cloud vs Self-Hosted options.
+
+## Installation
+
+```bash
+npm install @escalated-dev/plugin-runtime
+```
+
+This package is installed alongside any SDK plugins you want to use. The host framework's bridge spawns it automatically — you do not need to run it manually.
 
 ## Usage
 
-This package is used internally by Escalated framework bridges. You don't typically use it directly.
+The runtime is started by the framework bridge (e.g., `escalated-laravel`, `escalated-rails`, `escalated-django`). You typically do not invoke it directly. The bridge spawns it as:
 
 ```bash
-# The bridge spawns this automatically:
-npx escalated-plugins /path/to/project
+node node_modules/@escalated-dev/plugin-runtime/dist/index.js
 ```
 
 ## Architecture
 
 The runtime is a long-lived Node.js process that:
+
 1. Discovers and loads installed plugins from `node_modules/@escalated-dev/plugin-*`
 2. Responds to JSON-RPC messages from the host framework
 3. Routes hooks (actions, filters) to registered plugin handlers
 4. Proxies `ctx.*` calls back to the host for data operations
 
+```
+Host Framework (PHP/Ruby/Python)         Plugin Runtime (Node.js)
+┌──────────────────────────┐   stdio    ┌──────────────────────────┐
+│  Bridge                  │◄──────────►│  @escalated-dev/          │
+│  - spawns subprocess     │  JSON-     │    plugin-runtime         │
+│  - dispatches hooks      │  RPC 2.0  │  ┌────────────────────┐   │
+│  - handles ctx.* calls   │           │  │ plugin-slack        │   │
+│                          │           │  │ plugin-jira         │   │
+│                          │           │  │ your-custom-plugin  │   │
+└──────────────────────────┘           │  └────────────────────┘   │
+                                       └──────────────────────────┘
+```
+
+### Resilience
+
+- Spawned lazily on first hook dispatch
+- Automatic restart with exponential backoff if the process crashes
+- Action hooks degrade gracefully when the runtime is unavailable
+- Filter hooks return unmodified values when the runtime is down
+
 ## Protocol
 
 Communication uses JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdin/stdout. See the [Plugin SDK docs](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-plugin-sdk) for the full protocol specification.
+
+## Related Packages
+
+- **[Plugin SDK](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-plugin-sdk)** — TypeScript SDK for building plugins
+- **[Escalated](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated)** — Shared frontend (Vue 3 + Inertia.js)
+- **[Escalated Docs](https://github.com/escalated-dev/escalated-docs)** — Full documentation
+
+## License
+
+MIT