diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 9db3884..5b228d2 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -6,10 +6,55 @@ The Nexus is a Three.js environment — Timmy's sovereign home in 3D space. It s
 
 ## Architecture
 
+**app.js is a thin orchestrator. It should almost never change.**
+
+All logic lives in ES modules under `modules/`. app.js only imports modules, wires them to the ticker, and starts the loop. New features go in new modules — not in app.js.
+
 ```
-index.html    # Entry point: HUD, chat panel, loading screen, live-reload script
-style.css     # Design system: dark space theme, holographic panels
-app.js        # Three.js scene, shaders, controls, game loop (~all logic)
+index.html              # Entry point: HUD, chat panel, loading screen
+style.css               # Design system: dark space theme, holographic panels
+app.js                  # THIN ORCHESTRATOR — imports + init + ticker start (~200 lines)
+modules/
+  core/
+    scene.js            # THREE.Scene, camera, renderer, controls, resize
+    ticker.js           # Global Animation Clock — the single RAF loop
+    theme.js            # NEXUS.theme — colors, fonts, line weights, glow params
+    state.js            # Shared data bus (activity, weather, BTC, agents)
+    audio.js            # Web Audio: reverb, panner, ambient, portal hums
+  data/
+    gitea.js            # All Gitea API calls (commits, PRs, agents)
+    weather.js          # Open-Meteo weather fetch
+    bitcoin.js          # Blockstream BTC block height
+    loaders.js          # JSON file loaders (portals, sovereignty, SOUL)
+  panels/
+    heatmap.js          # Commit heatmap + zone rendering
+    agent-board.js      # Agent status board (Gitea API)
+    dual-brain.js       # Dual-brain panel (honest offline)
+    lora-panel.js       # LoRA adapter panel (honest empty)
+    sovereignty.js      # Sovereignty meter + score arc
+    earth.js            # Holographic earth (activity-tethered)
+  effects/
+    matrix-rain.js      # Matrix rain (commit-tethered)
+    lightning.js        # Lightning arcs between zones
+    energy-beam.js      # Energy beam (agent-count-tethered)
+    rune-ring.js        # Rune ring (portal-tethered)
+    gravity-zones.js    # Gravity anomaly zones
+    shockwave.js        # Shockwave, fireworks, merge flash
+  terrain/
+    island.js           # Floating island + crystals
+    clouds.js           # Cloud layer (weather-tethered)
+    stars.js            # Star field + constellations (BTC-tethered)
+  portals/
+    portal-system.js    # Portal creation, warp, health checks
+    commit-banners.js   # Floating commit banners
+  narrative/
+    bookshelves.js      # Floating bookshelves (SOUL.md)
+    oath.js             # Oath display + enter/exit
+    chat.js             # Chat panel, speech bubbles, NPC dialog
+  utils/
+    perlin.js           # Perlin noise generator
+    geometry.js         # Shared geometry helpers
+    canvas-utils.js     # Canvas texture creation helpers
 ```
 
 No build step. Served as static files. Import maps in `index.html` handle Three.js resolution.
@@ -17,11 +62,16 @@ No build step. Served as static files. Import maps in `index.html` handle Three.
 ## Conventions
 
 - **ES modules only** — no CommonJS, no bundler
-- **Single-file app** — logic lives in `app.js`; don't split without good reason
-- **Color palette** — defined in `NEXUS.colors` at top of `app.js`
+- **Modular architecture** — all logic in `modules/`. app.js is the orchestrator and should almost never change.
+- **Module contract** — every module exports `init(scene, state, theme)` and `update(elapsed, delta)`. Optional: `dispose()`
+- **Single animation clock** — one `requestAnimationFrame` in `ticker.js`. No module may call RAF directly. All subscribe to the ticker.
+- **Theme is law** — all colors, fonts, line weights come from `NEXUS.theme` in `theme.js`. No inline hex codes, no hardcoded font strings.
+- **Data flows through state** — data modules write to `state.js`, visual modules read from it. No `fetch()` outside `data/` modules.
 - **Conventional commits**: `feat:`, `fix:`, `refactor:`, `test:`, `chore:`
 - **Branch naming**: `claude/issue-{N}` (e.g. `claude/issue-5`)
 - **One PR at a time** — wait for merge-bot before opening the next
+- **Atomic PRs** — target <150 lines changed per PR. Commit by concern: data, logic, or visuals. If a change needs >200 lines, split into sequential PRs.
+- **No new code in app.js** — new features go in a new module or extend an existing module. The only reason to touch app.js is to add an import line for a new module.
 
 ## Validation (merge-bot checks)