Fix README license contradiction: state GPL-3.0 to match LICENSE

[h4yfans]

Plan 003: Make the README state GPL-3.0 to match the authoritative LICENSE file and all package.json fields

Executor instructions: Follow this plan step by step. Run every
verification command and confirm the expected result before moving to the
next step. If anything in the "STOP conditions" section occurs, stop and
report — do not improvise. When done, update the status row for this plan
in plans/README.md.

Drift check (run first): git diff --stat 86ee0cd1..HEAD -- README.md LICENSE package.json
If any changed since this plan was written, re-confirm the "Current state"
facts before proceeding.

Status

• Priority: P1
• Effort: S
• Risk: LOW
• Depends on: none
• Category: docs
• Planned at: commit 86ee0cd1, 2026-06-12
• Issue:

Why this matters

The repo gives contradictory licensing signals on a public, pre-launch project. The LICENSE file is the GNU General Public License v3, and every package.json (root + all 11 workspace packages) declares "license": "GPL-3.0". But README.md shows an MIT badge and an MIT footer. A reader — or a company evaluating adoption — who trusts the README's MIT badge would make a wrong assumption about a copyleft project; the difference between permissive and copyleft is exactly the kind of thing that has legal consequences. The maintainer has confirmed GPL-3.0 is the intended license, so the fix is to correct the README to match the authoritative LICENSE file. (This is a one-directional fix: make the docs match the license, not the reverse.)

Current state

Authoritative (do NOT change): LICENSE begins with GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE / Version 3, 29 June 2007. All package.json files declare "license": "GPL-3.0".

Wrong (to fix) in README.md:

• Line 14, the badge:

  [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
  

• Line 166, the footer:

  MIT © Memry contributors
  

There may be other "MIT" mentions; Step 1 greps for them so none are missed.

SPDX note: the correct SPDX identifier is GPL-3.0-only (or GPL-3.0-or-later). The shields.io badge label should read GPL--3.0 (the double-dash renders as a single dash in shields.io). The package.json files use the older GPL-3.0 string — leave those as-is (changing them is out of scope and risks touching 12 files for no functional gain).

Commands you will need

Purpose	Command	Expected on success
Find every MIT mention in README	grep -n "MIT" README.md	lists the lines to fix
Confirm LICENSE is GPL	head -3 LICENSE	shows "GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE / Version 3"
Confirm package license	node -e "console.log(require('./package.json').license)"	prints GPL-3.0
Docs build (markdown sanity, optional)	pnpm docs:build	exit 0

Scope

In scope (modify):

• README.md — replace MIT badge and footer (and any other MIT mention found) with GPL-3.0.

Out of scope (do NOT touch):

• LICENSE — it is correct.
• Any package.json "license" field — already GPL-3.0.
• apps/docs/**, landing site footers, or any other surface — if those also say MIT, note it for a follow-up but do not change them here (keeps this plan a single-file, trivially reviewable change). Report any you find.

Git workflow

• Branch: docs/license-gpl-consistency (from origin/main).
• Commit message: docs(readme): correct license to GPL-3.0 to match LICENSE file.
• Do NOT push or open a PR unless instructed. No Co-Authored-By trailers.

Steps

Step 1: Enumerate every MIT mention

Run grep -n "MIT" README.md. Expect at least lines 14 (badge) and 166 (footer). Note every line the grep returns; all must be fixed.

Verify: command runs and you have the full list.

Step 2: Fix the badge (line 14)

Replace:

[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)

with:

[![License: GPL-3.0](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL--3.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)

Step 3: Fix the footer (line 166) and any other mentions

Replace:

MIT © Memry contributors

with:

GPL-3.0 © Memry contributors

Apply the analogous fix to any other MIT line Step 1 surfaced (e.g. a "License: MIT" heading). The "## License" body text that points to LICENSE and says "See [LICENSE] for the legal text" can stay.

Verify: grep -n "MIT" README.md → no matches (or only matches that are demonstrably unrelated to licensing, which you must call out in your report).

Step 4: Markdown sanity

Verify: pnpm docs:build → exit 0 (the docs site build also lints markdown; this catches a broken badge link). If docs:build is unrelated to README and errors for an unrelated reason, fall back to confirming the README renders by eye and note it.

Test plan

No code tests. Verification is the grep returning no MIT matches plus a clean docs build.

Done criteria

ALL must hold:

• grep -n "MIT" README.md returns no licensing-related matches.
• README badge reads GPL-3.0 and links to LICENSE.
• README footer reads GPL-3.0 © Memry contributors.
• LICENSE and all package.json license fields are unchanged.
• git status shows only README.md (plus plans/README.md) modified.
• plans/README.md status row updated.

STOP conditions

Stop and report (do not improvise) if:

• The README already says GPL-3.0 (fixed independently) — mark REJECTED in the index.
• The LICENSE file is no longer GPL-3.0, or package.json no longer says GPL-3.0 — the authoritative source changed; the intended license decision (GPL-3.0) may have been reversed. Stop and confirm before editing.

Maintenance notes

• If the landing site or apps/docs also advertises a license, align it in a follow-up so all public surfaces agree.
• A reviewer only needs to confirm the README now matches LICENSE; this is intentionally a one-file change.