diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fc5cf57..2f65d3a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ Gitea connection directly, request
 `user`, `repos`, `issues`, and `pull_requests`. Never commit the token or place
 it in a tracked configuration file.
 
+For service monitoring, GET `/healthz` is a liveness check that confirms the
+API process is running and does not contact Gitea. GET `/readyz` is the
+readiness check: it validates the configured Gitea credentials and returns
+HTTP 503 with an error when Gitea is unavailable or authentication fails.
+
 Run the test suite with:
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/tests/test_readme.py b/tests/test_readme.py
index f5b6914..f0374d1 100644
--- a/tests/test_readme.py
+++ b/tests/test_readme.py
@@ -23,3 +23,12 @@ def test_readme_documents_a_complete_local_quickstart():
     assert "uvicorn src.main:app" in text
     assert "http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/v1/context" in text
     assert "uvicorn==" in REQUIREMENTS.read_text()
+
+
+def test_readme_documents_liveness_and_gitea_readiness_checks():
+    text = README.read_text()
+
+    assert "`/healthz`" in text
+    assert "`/readyz`" in text
+    assert "does not contact Gitea" in text
+    assert "HTTP 503" in text