diff --git a/app.py b/app.py
index ca00df1..4282a92 100644
--- a/app.py
+++ b/app.py
@@ -772,6 +772,17 @@ async def get_version():
 async def health_check() -> Dict[str, str]:
     return {"status": "healthy", "timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat()}
 
+@app.get("/api/ready")
+async def readiness_check() -> JSONResponse:
+    """Readiness / integrity self-check — DB, data dir, local-first storage.
+
+    Unlike /api/health (liveness), this returns 503 unless every critical
+    subsystem is whole, so an orchestrator can gate traffic on real readiness.
+    """
+    from src.readiness import check_readiness
+    result = check_readiness()
+    return JSONResponse(status_code=200 if result.get("ready") else 503, content=result)
+
 @app.get("/api/runtime")
 async def runtime_info() -> Dict[str, object]:
     in_docker = os.path.exists("/.dockerenv")
diff --git a/src/readiness.py b/src/readiness.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c5baa0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/readiness.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+"""Ithaca anchor — local-instance readiness / integrity self-check.
+
+Beyond ``/api/health``'s liveness ping, this confirms the self-hosted instance is
+whole and at home: the database is reachable, the data directory is present and
+writable, and storage is local-first. Served by ``GET /api/ready`` and suitable
+for an orchestrator readiness probe (200 only when every critical check passes).
+"""
+
+import os
+import uuid
+from datetime import datetime
+from typing import Dict
+
+
+def check_readiness() -> Dict[str, object]:
+    """Run the readiness checks and return a JSON-serialisable report.
+
+    ``ready`` is True only when every critical check (database, data_dir) passes.
+    ``local_first`` is informational — a remote database is a valid deployment, so
+    it never fails readiness, it only reports whether storage stays on this host.
+    """
+    from core.constants import APP_VERSION, DATA_DIR
+    from core.database import DATABASE_URL, engine
+    from sqlalchemy import text as sql_text
+
+    checks: Dict[str, Dict[str, object]] = {}
+
+    # Database reachable — the simplest honest probe that the engine is live.
+    try:
+        with engine.connect() as conn:
+            conn.execute(sql_text("SELECT 1"))
+        checks["database"] = {"ok": True}
+    except Exception as e:
+        checks["database"] = {"ok": False, "error": str(e)}
+
+    # Data directory present and writable — home must be able to hold its own data.
+    try:
+        os.makedirs(DATA_DIR, exist_ok=True)
+        probe = os.path.join(DATA_DIR, f".ready_probe_{uuid.uuid4().hex}")
+        with open(probe, "w", encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+            fh.write("ok")
+        os.remove(probe)
+        checks["data_dir"] = {"ok": True, "path": DATA_DIR}
+    except Exception as e:
+        checks["data_dir"] = {"ok": False, "error": str(e)}
+
+    # Local-first: storage stays on the home machine (informational, never fatal).
+    local_first = (
+        DATABASE_URL.startswith("sqlite")
+        or "localhost" in DATABASE_URL
+        or "127.0.0.1" in DATABASE_URL
+    )
+    checks["local_first"] = {"ok": True, "local": local_first}
+
+    ready = all(bool(c.get("ok")) for c in checks.values())
+    return {
+        "ready": ready,
+        "version": APP_VERSION,
+        "checks": checks,
+        "timestamp": datetime.utcnow().isoformat(),
+    }
diff --git a/tests/test_readiness.py b/tests/test_readiness.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1dc8288
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_readiness.py
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+"""Tests for the readiness / integrity self-check (src/readiness.py)."""
+
+from src.readiness import check_readiness
+
+
+def test_readiness_reports_core_subsystems():
+    result = check_readiness()
+
+    assert {"ready", "version", "checks", "timestamp"}.issubset(result.keys())
+    checks = result["checks"]
+    for name in ("database", "data_dir", "local_first"):
+        assert name in checks, f"missing check: {name}"
+
+    # In the dev/test environment the local SQLite DB and data dir are present,
+    # so the critical checks must pass and overall readiness must be True.
+    assert checks["database"]["ok"] is True, checks["database"]
+    assert checks["data_dir"]["ok"] is True, checks["data_dir"]
+    assert result["ready"] is True, result
+
+
+def test_local_first_check_is_informational_never_fatal():
+    result = check_readiness()
+    lf = result["checks"]["local_first"]
+    # local_first reports whether storage stays on-host but must never gate
+    # readiness — a remote database is a valid deployment.
+    assert lf["ok"] is True
+    assert "local" in lf