diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 078afb4..9efc9b6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 # eventkit
 
-Event ingestion and processing primitives for Python.
+Event ingestion and processing kit for Python.
 
 ## Overview
 
-`eventkit` is a high-performance, type-safe library for building event collection pipelines. It provides the core infrastructure for customer data platforms, product analytics, and event-driven architectures.
+`eventkit` is a production-ready **kit** for building event collection pipelines. Clone it, customize it, make it yours.
+
+**Philosophy**: Provide a solid starting point with battle-tested patterns, then get out of your way. Customize for your specific needs.
 
 ### Key Features
 
@@ -27,13 +29,15 @@ Event ingestion and processing primitives for Python.
 
 ## Quick Start
 
-Install from PyPI:
+Clone and customize:
 
 ```bash
-pip install eventkit
+git clone https://github.com/prosdevlab/eventkit.git my-event-pipeline
+cd my-event-pipeline
+uv sync
 ```
 
-Add to your FastAPI application:
+Customize for your needs:
 
 ```python
 from fastapi import FastAPI
@@ -181,25 +185,31 @@ Inspired by open-source CDP architectures:
 - [PostHog](https://github.com/PostHog/posthog) - Modern Python stack (FastAPI, async)
 - [Snowplow](https://github.com/snowplow/snowplow) - Schema-first validation (optional)
 
-## Installation
+## Getting Started
 
-**Basic:**
-```bash
-pip install eventkit
-```
+**EventKit is a kit**, not a library. Clone and make it your own:
 
-**With ClickHouse support:**
 ```bash
-pip install eventkit[clickhouse]
-```
+# 1. Clone the repo
+git clone https://github.com/prosdevlab/eventkit.git my-event-pipeline
+cd my-event-pipeline
 
-**Development:**
-```bash
-git clone https://github.com/prosdev/eventkit.git
-cd eventkit
-pip install -e ".[dev]"
+# 2. Install dependencies
+uv sync
+
+# 3. Start local dev
+docker-compose up -d  # GCS + PubSub emulators
+uv run uvicorn eventkit.api.app:app --reload
+
+# 4. Customize for your needs
+# - Modify validation rules in src/eventkit/adapters/
+# - Add custom storage backends in src/eventkit/stores/
+# - Adjust queue behavior in src/eventkit/queues/
+# - Make it yours!
 ```
 
+See [LOCAL_DEV.md](LOCAL_DEV.md) for detailed setup.
+
 ## API Endpoints
 
 ### Collection Endpoints
@@ -340,62 +350,6 @@ python -m scripts.run_bigquery_loader
 
 See `scripts/bigquery/README.md` and `specs/gcs-bigquery-storage/` for full details.
 
-### Error Store (Dead Letter Queue)
-
-All failed events are stored in a GCS-based dead letter queue for debugging and retry:
-
-**Two Error Types:**
-- **Validation Errors**: Missing required fields, invalid schema
-- **Processing Errors**: Storage failures, unexpected exceptions
-
-**Storage Structure:**
-```
-gs://bucket/errors/
-  date=2026-01-15/
-    error_type=validation/
-      error-20260115-100000-abc123.parquet
-    error_type=processing/
-      error-20260115-100500-def456.parquet
-```
-
-**Create BigQuery Errors Table:**
-```bash
-cd scripts/bigquery
-export PROJECT_ID=my-project DATASET=events
-cat create_errors_table.sql | sed "s/{PROJECT_ID}/$PROJECT_ID/g" | sed "s/{DATASET}/$DATASET/g" | bq query --use_legacy_sql=false
-```
-
-**Query Errors:**
-```sql
--- Find validation errors in last 24 hours
-SELECT
-  error_message,
-  stream,
-  COUNT(*) as count
-FROM `project.dataset.errors`
-WHERE date >= CURRENT_DATE() - 1
-  AND error_type = 'validation_error'
-GROUP BY error_message, stream
-ORDER BY count DESC;
-
--- Get processing errors with stack traces
-SELECT
-  timestamp,
-  error_message,
-  JSON_EXTRACT_SCALAR(error_details, '$.exception_type') as exception,
-  JSON_EXTRACT_SCALAR(error_details, '$.stack_trace') as stack_trace
-FROM `project.dataset.errors`
-WHERE error_type = 'processing_error'
-ORDER BY timestamp DESC
-LIMIT 10;
-```
-
-**Key Features:**
-- Never loses events - all failures stored for debugging
-- Automatic 30-day retention (GCS lifecycle rules)
-- Full event context (payload, error, timestamp, stream)
-- Queryable via BigQuery for pattern analysis
-
 ### Custom Storage
 
 Implement the `EventStore` protocol for any backend:
@@ -531,7 +485,7 @@ uv run ruff format src/
 
 ## Roadmap
 
-### Core (v0.x)
+### Core Kit (v0.x) ✅
 - [x] Composable validators (required fields, types, timestamps)
 - [x] Segment-compatible adapter with ValidationPipeline
 - [x] Collection API with stream routing
@@ -542,24 +496,25 @@ uv run ruff format src/
 - [x] Prometheus metrics
 - [x] EventSubscriptionCoordinator (dual-path architecture)
 - [x] Hash-based sequencer for consistent ordering
-- [x] Error store with dead letter queue (GCS-based)
-- [ ] Performance benchmarks (10k+ events/sec)
+- [x] Performance benchmarks (10k+ events/sec validated)
+- [ ] Error handling and dead letter queue (ErrorStore protocol exists, needs implementation)
 
-### v1.0
-- [ ] OpenAPI spec and generated clients
-- [ ] Comprehensive examples and documentation
+### v1.0 - Production Ready
+- [ ] Comprehensive examples and use cases
 - [ ] Production deployment guides (Cloud Run, GKE, ECS)
 - [ ] S3 + Snowflake/Redshift storage adapters
+- [ ] Nextra documentation site
+
+### Future: Extract Focused Libraries
 
-### Future Ecosystem
+As patterns stabilize, we may extract reusable components:
 
-These capabilities are intentionally scoped as separate packages to keep the core focused:
+- **eventkit-ring-buffer** - SQLite WAL durability layer (could be used standalone)
+- **eventkit-queues** - Queue abstractions (AsyncQueue, PubSub patterns)
+- **eventkit-validators** - Composable validation framework
+- **eventkit-storage** - Storage backend protocols and implementations
 
-- **eventkit-profiles** - Profile building and field-level merge strategies
-- **eventkit-identity** - Graph-based identity resolution across devices
-- **eventkit-enrichment** - IP geolocation, user agent parsing, company enrichment
-- **eventkit-destinations** - Activate data to marketing and analytics tools
-- **eventkit-privacy** - GDPR/CCPA compliance utilities (deletion, anonymization)
+These would be pip-installable libraries while the kit remains a starting point.
 
 ## Contributing