diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8dc557d..154f5dd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,11 +46,15 @@ node ~/.gradata/plugin/setup/doctor.js
 
 ## Privacy
 
-- Gradata does not collect telemetry. No data leaves your machine. Local files only.
+- Telemetry is **opt-in only** via `GRADATA_TELEMETRY=1` (default is off).
+- Opt-in telemetry sends only aggregate counters (`wau_ping`, `corrections_captured`, `rules_graduated`), plugin version, UTC timestamp, and an anonymous `user_id` (sha256 of local install ID).
+- No prompt text, file paths, emails, API keys, lesson content, or correction payloads are sent.
 - All data stays local under `~/.gradata/`.
 - The daemon binds to `127.0.0.1` only — no network exposure.
 - Cloud sync is optional and only runs when you configure an API key.
 
+Telemetry endpoint defaults to `https://api.gradata.ai/telemetry/plugin` and can be overridden for testing with `GRADATA_TELEMETRY_ENDPOINT`.
+
 ## Supported agent CLIs
 
 - **Claude Code** — installer also creates `~/.claude/plugins/gradata`
diff --git a/hooks/lib/telemetry.js b/hooks/lib/telemetry.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4bacef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hooks/lib/telemetry.js
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+const crypto = require('crypto');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const https = require('https');
+const os = require('os');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const GRADATA_HOME = process.env.GRADATA_HOME || path.join(os.homedir(), '.gradata');
+const INSTALL_ID_PATH = path.join(GRADATA_HOME, 'install_id');
+const TELEMETRY_ENDPOINT = process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY_ENDPOINT || 'https://api.gradata.ai/telemetry/plugin';
+const TELEMETRY_TIMEOUT_MS = 1500;
+
+let cachedAnonUserId = null;
+let cachedPluginVersion = null;
+
+function telemetryEnabled() {
+  return process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY === '1';
+}
+
+function ensureInstallId() {
+  try {
+    if (fs.existsSync(INSTALL_ID_PATH)) {
+      return fs.readFileSync(INSTALL_ID_PATH, 'utf8').trim();
+    }
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(INSTALL_ID_PATH), { recursive: true });
+    const installId = crypto.randomUUID();
+    fs.writeFileSync(INSTALL_ID_PATH, `${installId}\n`, { mode: 0o600 });
+    return installId;
+  } catch {
+    return '';
+  }
+}
+
+function getAnonymousUserId() {
+  if (cachedAnonUserId) return cachedAnonUserId;
+  const installId = ensureInstallId();
+  if (!installId) return '';
+  cachedAnonUserId = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(installId).digest('hex');
+  return cachedAnonUserId;
+}
+
+function getPluginVersion() {
+  if (cachedPluginVersion) return cachedPluginVersion;
+  try {
+    const pluginJsonPath = path.resolve(__dirname, '../../.claude-plugin/plugin.json');
+    const raw = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(pluginJsonPath, 'utf8'));
+    cachedPluginVersion = typeof raw.version === 'string' ? raw.version : 'unknown';
+  } catch {
+    cachedPluginVersion = 'unknown';
+  }
+  return cachedPluginVersion;
+}
+
+function postJson(url, payload) {
+  return new Promise((resolve) => {
+    let requestUrl;
+    try {
+      requestUrl = new URL(url);
+    } catch {
+      resolve(false);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const body = JSON.stringify(payload);
+    const req = https.request(
+      {
+        protocol: requestUrl.protocol,
+        hostname: requestUrl.hostname,
+        port: requestUrl.port || 443,
+        path: `${requestUrl.pathname}${requestUrl.search}`,
+        method: 'POST',
+        headers: {
+          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+          'Content-Length': Buffer.byteLength(body),
+        },
+        timeout: TELEMETRY_TIMEOUT_MS,
+      },
+      (res) => {
+        res.resume();
+        resolve(res.statusCode >= 200 && res.statusCode < 300);
+      }
+    );
+
+    req.on('error', () => resolve(false));
+    req.on('timeout', () => {
+      req.destroy();
+      resolve(false);
+    });
+    req.write(body);
+    req.end();
+  });
+}
+
+async function sendTelemetryMetric(metric, count = 1) {
+  if (!telemetryEnabled()) return false;
+  const userId = getAnonymousUserId();
+  if (!userId) return false;
+  if (typeof metric !== 'string' || !metric.trim()) return false;
+  if (!Number.isFinite(count) || count <= 0) return false;
+
+  return postJson(TELEMETRY_ENDPOINT, {
+    event: 'plugin_metric',
+    metric,
+    count: Math.floor(count),
+    user_id: userId,
+    ts: new Date().toISOString(),
+    plugin_version: getPluginVersion(),
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  telemetryEnabled,
+  getAnonymousUserId,
+  sendTelemetryMetric,
+};
diff --git a/hooks/post-edit.js b/hooks/post-edit.js
index d46ff3f..e4f1267 100644
--- a/hooks/post-edit.js
+++ b/hooks/post-edit.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 const { callDaemon } = require('./lib/daemon-client.js');
 const { readHookInput, WRITE_TOOLS } = require('./lib/hook-input.js');
+const { sendTelemetryMetric } = require('./lib/telemetry.js');
 (async () => {
   try {
     const eventData = readHookInput();
@@ -17,5 +18,6 @@ const { readHookInput, WRITE_TOOLS } = require('./lib/hook-input.js');
       old_string: oldStr, new_string: newStr,
       file_path: filePath, session_id: sessionId,
     }, 1000);
+    await sendTelemetryMetric('corrections_captured', 1);
   } catch (e) { /* Best-effort — never block editing */ }
 })();
diff --git a/hooks/session-start.js b/hooks/session-start.js
index 6f3912c..c752e78 100644
--- a/hooks/session-start.js
+++ b/hooks/session-start.js
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 const { callDaemon } = require('./lib/daemon-client.js');
 const { readHookInput } = require('./lib/hook-input.js');
+const { sendTelemetryMetric } = require('./lib/telemetry.js');
 (async () => {
   try {
     const eventData = readHookInput();
     const sessionId = eventData.session_id || `s_${Date.now()}`;
+    await sendTelemetryMetric('wau_ping', 1);
     const result = await callDaemon('/apply-rules', { prompt: '', session_id: sessionId }, 3000);
     if (!result) {
       process.stderr.write('[gradata] Daemon not available — corrections will not be captured this session\n');
diff --git a/hooks/session-stop.js b/hooks/session-stop.js
index 4b852d3..9b1aa9b 100644
--- a/hooks/session-stop.js
+++ b/hooks/session-stop.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env node
 const { callDaemon } = require('./lib/daemon-client.js');
 const { readHookInput } = require('./lib/hook-input.js');
+const { sendTelemetryMetric } = require('./lib/telemetry.js');
 (async () => {
   try {
     const eventData = readHookInput();
@@ -14,6 +15,7 @@ const { readHookInput } = require('./lib/hook-input.js');
       if (c > 0 || g > 0) {
         process.stderr.write(`[gradata] Session end: ${c} corrections, ${i} instructions, ${g} graduated\n`);
       }
+      if (g > 0) await sendTelemetryMetric('rules_graduated', g);
     }
 
     const maintainResult = await callDaemon('/maintain', { tasks: ['manifest', 'patterns'] }, 10000);
diff --git a/setup/install.js b/setup/install.js
index 4aeed4a..9350494 100644
--- a/setup/install.js
+++ b/setup/install.js
@@ -116,6 +116,122 @@ async function ask(question) {
   return new Promise(resolve => rl.question(question, ans => { rl.close(); resolve(ans); }));
 }
 
+// --- Starter brain seeding ---------------------------------------------------
+
+// Feature flag: check env GRADATA_STARTER_BRAIN=true or config.toml
+// [starter_brain] section with enabled = true. Default: false.
+function isStarterBrainEnabled() {
+  if (process.env.GRADATA_STARTER_BRAIN === 'true') return true;
+  if (process.env.GRADATA_STARTER_BRAIN === '1') return true;
+  const configPath = path.join(GRADATA_HOME, 'config.toml');
+  if (!fs.existsSync(configPath)) return false;
+  try {
+    const lines = fs.readFileSync(configPath, 'utf8').split('\n');
+    let inSection = false;
+    for (const line of lines) {
+      const trimmed = line.trim();
+      if (trimmed === '[starter_brain]') { inSection = true; continue; }
+      if (trimmed.startsWith('[') && trimmed.endsWith(']')) { inSection = false; continue; }
+      if (inSection && /^enabled\s*=\s*true\s*$/.test(trimmed)) return true;
+    }
+    return false;
+  } catch { return false; }
+}
+
+// 10 safe starter rules. Id, title, description, tier.
+// All rules are safe defaults: no dangerous file ops, no PII, no production mutators.
+const STARTER_RULES = [
+  {
+    id: 'starter-01',
+    title: 'Always run tests before committing code',
+    description: 'Run the full test suite before every commit to catch regressions early.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-02',
+    title: "Don't use default exports in TypeScript files",
+    description: 'Prefer named exports over default exports for better IDE support and tree-shaking.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-03',
+    title: 'Wrap HTTP fetch calls in try/catch blocks',
+    description: 'Always handle network errors by wrapping fetch, axios, or other HTTP calls in try/catch.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-04',
+    title: "Don't push directly to main — use feature branches",
+    description: 'All work must ship via feature branches and pull requests. Never push to main directly.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-05',
+    title: 'Run the formatter before committing',
+    description: 'Run the project formatter (e.g., prettier, biome) before every commit.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-06',
+    title: "Don't commit secrets or API keys to the repository",
+    description: 'Never commit credentials, tokens, or API keys. Use environment variables or a secrets manager.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-07',
+    title: 'Use descriptive variable names — no single-letter vars except loop counters',
+    description: 'Variable names should clearly describe their purpose. Reserve single-letter names for loop indices only.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-08',
+    title: 'Keep functions under 50 lines — break up larger ones',
+    description: 'Functions longer than 50 lines should be split into smaller, focused functions.',
+    tier: 'PATTERN'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-09',
+    title: 'Write tests for new features before implementing them',
+    description: 'Follow test-driven development: write failing tests first, then implement to make them pass.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  },
+  {
+    id: 'starter-10',
+    title: "Don't leave console.log statements in production code",
+    description: 'Remove debug logging before merging. Use a proper logger for intentional production logging.',
+    tier: 'RULE'
+  }
+];
+
+function seedStarterBrain() {
+  if (!isStarterBrainEnabled()) {
+    console.log('Starter brain not enabled — skipping seed.');
+    return;
+  }
+  const brainRulesDir = path.join(GRADATA_HOME, 'brain', 'rules');
+  fs.mkdirSync(brainRulesDir, { recursive: true });
+  const starterPath = path.join(brainRulesDir, 'starter.json');
+
+  // Idempotency: if file exists with the expected rule IDs, skip.
+  if (fs.existsSync(starterPath)) {
+    try {
+      const existing = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(starterPath, 'utf8'));
+      if (Array.isArray(existing)) {
+        const existingIds = new Set(existing.map(r => r.id));
+        const expectedIds = new Set(STARTER_RULES.map(r => r.id));
+        const allPresent = [...expectedIds].every(id => existingIds.has(id));
+        if (allPresent && existing.length >= STARTER_RULES.length) {
+          console.log('Starter brain rules already seeded — skipping.');
+          return;
+        }
+      }
+    } catch { /* corrupt or empty file — reseed below */ }
+  }
+
+  fs.writeFileSync(starterPath, JSON.stringify(STARTER_RULES, null, 2) + '\n', 'utf8');
+  console.log(`Starter brain rules seeded: ${starterPath}`);
+}
+
 // --- AGENTS.md patching -----------------------------------------------------
 
 const BEGIN_MARKER = '<!-- BEGIN GRADATA -->';
@@ -277,6 +393,9 @@ async function main() {
     console.log(`AGENTS.md patch skipped: ${e.message}`);
   }
 
+  // Seed starter brain rules (gated by feature flag)
+  seedStarterBrain();
+
   console.log('\nReady.');
   if (AUTO) {
     const doctor = path.join(GRADATA_HOME, 'plugin', 'setup', 'doctor.js');
diff --git a/tests/telemetry.test.js b/tests/telemetry.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e2a5ce2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/telemetry.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+const { test } = require('node:test');
+const assert = require('node:assert');
+
+test('telemetry disabled by default', () => {
+  const prev = process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY;
+  delete process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+  const { telemetryEnabled } = require('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js');
+  assert.strictEqual(telemetryEnabled(), false);
+  if (prev === undefined) delete process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY; else process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY = prev;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+});
+
+test('telemetry enabled with GRADATA_TELEMETRY=1', () => {
+  const prev = process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY;
+  process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY = '1';
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+  const { telemetryEnabled } = require('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js');
+  assert.strictEqual(telemetryEnabled(), true);
+  if (prev === undefined) delete process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY; else process.env.GRADATA_TELEMETRY = prev;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+});
+
+test('anonymous user id is stable 64-char lowercase hex hash', () => {
+  const prevHome = process.env.GRADATA_HOME;
+  const os = require('node:os');
+  const path = require('node:path');
+  const fs = require('node:fs');
+  const dir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gradata-telemetry-'));
+  process.env.GRADATA_HOME = dir;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+  const { getAnonymousUserId } = require('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js');
+  const a = getAnonymousUserId();
+  const b = getAnonymousUserId();
+  assert.strictEqual(a, b);
+  assert.match(a, /^[0-9a-f]{64}$/);
+  if (prevHome === undefined) delete process.env.GRADATA_HOME; else process.env.GRADATA_HOME = prevHome;
+  delete require.cache[require.resolve('../hooks/lib/telemetry.js')];
+});