diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..829bcc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# CLAUDE.md
+
+## Project overview
+
+pyvcell is the Python interface for [Virtual Cell](https://vcell.org) — spatial modeling, simulation, and analysis of cell biological systems. It wraps the VCell finite volume solver and provides a high-level API for building models, running simulations, and analyzing results.
+
+- **Repository**: https://github.com/virtualcell/pyvcell
+- **Documentation**: https://virtualcell.github.io/pyvcell/
+- **Python**: >= 3.11
+
+## Key commands
+
+```bash
+make check          # Run all quality checks (lint, type check, deptry)
+make test           # Run pytest with coverage
+make docs           # Build and serve documentation locally
+make docs-test      # Test documentation build
+```
+
+### Verification (run after code changes)
+
+Run `make check`, which does:
+
+1. `poetry check --lock` — verify lock file consistency
+2. `poetry run pre-commit run -a` — linting (ruff, ruff-format, prettier)
+3. `poetry run mypy` — static type checking
+4. `poetry run deptry --exclude=.venv --exclude=.venv_jupyter --exclude=examples --exclude=tests .` — obsolete dependency check
+
+Then run tests: `poetry run pytest tests -v`
+
+## Project structure
+
+```
+pyvcell/
+  vcml/               # Main public API — models, reader, writer, simulation, remote
+  sbml/               # SBML spatial model support
+  sim_results/        # Result objects, plotting, VTK data
+  _internal/
+    api/              # Generated REST client (OpenAPI) — do not edit by hand
+    geometry/         # Geometry utilities (SegmentedImageGeometry)
+    simdata/          # Simulation data: zarr, mesh, field data, VTK
+    solvers/          # FV solver wrapper
+tests/
+  vcml/               # VCML reader/writer/simulation tests
+  sbml/               # SBML tests
+  sim_results/        # Result and plotting tests
+  guides/             # Notebook execution tests
+  _internal/          # Internal module tests
+  fixtures/           # Test data and fixtures
+docs/                 # mkdocs-material site with guides and API reference
+scripts/
+  generate.sh         # Regenerate OpenAPI client
+  python-fix.sh       # Post-generation fixes for known codegen bugs
+  openapi.yaml        # OpenAPI spec for VCell server
+```
+
+## Public API
+
+The main entry point is `import pyvcell.vcml as vc`. Key functions:
+
+- **Load models**: `vc.load_vcml_file()`, `vc.load_vcml_url()`, `vc.load_biomodel(id)`, `vc.load_sbml_file()`, `vc.load_antimony_str()`
+- **Simulate**: `vc.simulate(biomodel, sim_name)` (local), `vc.run_remote(...)` (server)
+- **Results**: `result.plotter.plot_concentrations()`, `result.plotter.plot_slice_3d()`
+
+## Code conventions
+
+- **Line length**: 120 characters (ruff)
+- **Type checking**: mypy strict mode; the `pyvcell._internal.api.*` module has relaxed overrides since it's auto-generated
+- **Linting**: ruff with flake8-bandit (S), bugbear (B), isort (I), pyupgrade (UP) and others enabled
+- **Pre-commit hooks exclude** `pyvcell/_internal/api/.*\.py` from ruff (generated code)
+- **Test fixtures**: defined in `tests/fixtures/` and imported via `tests/conftest.py`
+
+## Generated API client
+
+The `pyvcell/_internal/api/vcell_client/` directory is auto-generated from `scripts/openapi.yaml` using OpenAPI Generator. After regeneration:
+
+1. Run `scripts/generate.sh` (which calls `scripts/python-fix.sh` to patch known codegen bugs)
+2. Run `make check` to reformat and verify
+3. The generated code uses pydantic models with camelCase aliases — use alias names (e.g., `simulationName=`) when constructing models to satisfy mypy
+
+## Testing notes
+
+- Tests that call `plt.show()` or use VTK rendering need `matplotlib.use("Agg")` to avoid hanging on interactive display
+- CI uses `xvfb-run` for tests that need a display server (VTK/PyVista)
+- The `remote-simulations` notebook test is skipped (requires interactive auth)
+- Test expected values for `result.concentrations` use domain-masked means from the zarr writer
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 083e26b..50be058 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ results.plotter.plot_concentrations()
 
 # Documentation
 
-coming soon.
+Full documentation is available at **https://virtualcell.github.io/pyvcell/**
 
 # Examples:
 
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/installation.md b/docs/getting-started/installation.md
index 458c420..147557b 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started/installation.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started/installation.md
@@ -41,16 +41,14 @@ vc.set_workspace_dir("/path/to/my/workspace")
 
 The workspace directory is created automatically if it doesn't exist.
 
-## Optional dependencies
+## Included visualization libraries
 
-pyvcell includes visualization tools that depend on:
+pyvcell bundles several visualization libraries, all installed automatically:
 
 - **Matplotlib** — 2D plots and concentration time series
 - **VTK / PyVista** — 3D volume rendering and mesh visualization
 - **Trame** — Interactive browser-based 3D widgets (for Jupyter notebooks)
 
-All of these are installed automatically with `pip install pyvcell`.
-
 ## Next steps
 
 - [Quick Start](quickstart.md) — Load a model, simulate, and plot results
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md b/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
index 6fb842d..f9c6695 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
@@ -11,7 +11,38 @@ biomodel = vc.load_vcml_file("path/to/model.vcml")
 print(biomodel)
 ```
 
-You can also load models from a URL:
+You can also load public models directly from the VCell database by ID:
+
+```python
+biomodel = vc.load_biomodel("279851639")
+```
+
+To browse or search models by name, authenticate first:
+
+```python
+from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.auth.auth_utils import login_interactive
+
+api_client = login_interactive()  # opens a browser for login
+
+# List available models (public, shared, and your private models)
+for m in vc.list_biomodels(api_client=api_client)[:2]:
+    print(m)
+
+# Load by name and owner
+biomodel = vc.load_biomodel(name="Tutorial_MultiApp", owner="tutorial", api_client=api_client)
+
+# Load by database ID
+biomodel = vc.load_biomodel("279851639", api_client=api_client)
+```
+
+Output:
+
+```
+{'id': '117367327', 'name': ' Design dose in mammal MTB37rv', 'owner': 'mcgama88'}
+{'id': '102571573', 'name': ' Zika- denge differential test to fetus x 1', 'owner': 'mcgama88'}
+```
+
+Or from a URL:
 
 ```python
 biomodel = vc.load_vcml_url(
diff --git a/docs/index.md b/docs/index.md
index 954ce29..591e102 100644
--- a/docs/index.md
+++ b/docs/index.md
@@ -30,13 +30,9 @@ result.plotter.plot_slice_3d(time_index=3, channel_id="s1")
 
 ## Getting started
 
-<div class="grid cards" markdown>
-
 - **[Installation](getting-started/installation.md)** — Install pyvcell and set up your environment
 - **[Quick Start](getting-started/quickstart.md)** — Load a model, run a simulation, and plot results
 
-</div>
-
 ## Guides
 
 | Guide                                                    | Description                                              |
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 23f22d3..7ea2a9b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [tool.poetry]
 name = "pyvcell"
-version = "0.1.21"
+version = "0.1.22"
 description = "This is the python wrapper for vcell modeling and simulation"
 authors = ["Jim Schaff <schaff@uchc.edu>"]
 repository = "https://github.com/virtualcell/pyvcell"
diff --git a/pyvcell/vcml/__init__.py b/pyvcell/vcml/__init__.py
index 78a1c5f..793dd78 100644
--- a/pyvcell/vcml/__init__.py
+++ b/pyvcell/vcml/__init__.py
@@ -26,8 +26,10 @@
 )
 from pyvcell.vcml.utils import (
     field_data_refs,
+    list_biomodels,
     load_antimony_file,
     load_antimony_str,
+    load_biomodel,
     load_sbml_file,
     load_sbml_str,
     load_sbml_url,
@@ -98,6 +100,8 @@
     "wait_for_simulation",
     "export_n5",
     "Field",
+    "list_biomodels",
+    "load_biomodel",
     "load_vcml_url",
     "load_sbml_url",
     "suppress_stdout",
diff --git a/pyvcell/vcml/utils.py b/pyvcell/vcml/utils.py
index 197f7a7..958bca2 100644
--- a/pyvcell/vcml/utils.py
+++ b/pyvcell/vcml/utils.py
@@ -1,8 +1,14 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
 import logging
 import os
 import sys
 import tempfile
 from os import PathLike
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.api_client import ApiClient
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import sympy  # type: ignore[import-untyped]
@@ -196,12 +202,135 @@ def _download_url(url: str) -> str:
         raise ValueError(f"Failed to download file from {url}: {response.status_code}")
 
 
-def load_vcml_biomodel_id(biomodel_id: str) -> Biomodel:
+def list_biomodels(api_client: ApiClient | None = None) -> list[dict[str, str | None]]:
+    """Return a list of accessible BioModels from the VCell server.
+
+    Each entry is a dictionary with ``"id"``, ``"name"``, and ``"owner"`` keys.
+    Requires an authenticated *api_client*.
+
+    Args:
+        api_client: A pre-configured, authenticated :class:`ApiClient`.
+
+    Returns:
+        A list of dictionaries, e.g.
+        ``[{"id": "279851639", "name": "My Model", "owner": "jsmith"}, ...]``
     """
-    Load a VCML model from a VCell Biomodel ID.
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.api_client import ApiClient
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.configuration import Configuration
+
+    if api_client is None:
+        api_client = ApiClient(configuration=Configuration())
+
+    host = api_client.configuration.host
+    headers: dict[str, str] = {"Accept": "application/json"}
+    token = api_client.configuration.access_token
+    if token:
+        headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {token}"
+
+    import requests as _requests
+
+    resp = _requests.get(f"{host}/api/v1/bioModel/summaries", headers=headers, timeout=30)
+    if resp.status_code != 200:
+        raise ValueError(f"Failed to list BioModels: {resp.status_code} {resp.text[:200]}")
+
+    results: list[dict[str, str | None]] = []
+    for item in resp.json():
+        v = item.get("version")
+        if v is None:
+            continue
+        owner_info = v.get("owner")
+        results.append({
+            "id": v.get("versionKey"),
+            "name": v.get("name"),
+            "owner": owner_info.get("userName") if owner_info else None,
+        })
+    return results
+
+
+def load_biomodel(
+    biomodel_id: str | None = None,
+    *,
+    name: str | None = None,
+    owner: str | None = None,
+    api_client: ApiClient | None = None,
+) -> Biomodel:
+    """Load a VCell BioModel by database key or by name/owner lookup.
+
+    Provide either *biomodel_id* **or** *name* (optionally with *owner*)
+    to identify the model.  When searching by name, the VCell server is
+    queried for all accessible BioModel summaries and filtered
+    client-side.
+
+    For public models loaded by *biomodel_id*, no *api_client* is needed —
+    an anonymous client is created automatically.  Searching by *name*
+    requires an authenticated :class:`ApiClient`.
+
+    Args:
+        biomodel_id: The BioModel database key (e.g. ``"279851639"``).
+        name: BioModel name to search for (case-insensitive substring match).
+            Requires an authenticated *api_client*.
+        owner: Owner username to narrow the search (exact, case-insensitive).
+        api_client: Optional pre-configured :class:`ApiClient` for
+            accessing private models or searching by name.
+
+    Returns:
+        A parsed :class:`Biomodel` instance.
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If no matching model is found or if the arguments are
+            ambiguous.
     """
-    uri = f"https://vcell.cam.uchc.edu/api/v0/biomodel/{biomodel_id}/biomodel.vcml"
-    return load_vcml_url(uri)
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.api.bio_model_resource_api import BioModelResourceApi
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.api_client import ApiClient
+    from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client.configuration import Configuration
+
+    if biomodel_id is None and name is None:
+        raise ValueError("Provide either biomodel_id or name to identify the model")
+    if biomodel_id is not None and name is not None:
+        raise ValueError("Provide either biomodel_id or name, not both")
+
+    if api_client is None:
+        api_client = ApiClient(configuration=Configuration())
+
+    bm_api = BioModelResourceApi(api_client)
+
+    if biomodel_id is not None:
+        vcml_str: str = bm_api.get_bio_model_vcml(biomodel_id, _headers={"Accept": "text/xml"})
+        return load_vcml_str(vcml_str)
+
+    # Search by name (and optionally owner) — name is guaranteed non-None here
+    # because we checked (biomodel_id is None and name is None) above.
+    name_lower = name.lower()  # type: ignore[union-attr]
+    owner_lower = owner.lower() if owner else None
+
+    all_models = list_biomodels(api_client=api_client)
+    matches = []
+    for m in all_models:
+        m_name = m.get("name")
+        if m_name is None:
+            continue
+        if name_lower not in m_name.lower():
+            continue
+        if owner_lower is not None:
+            m_owner = m.get("owner")
+            if m_owner is None or m_owner.lower() != owner_lower:
+                continue
+        matches.append(m)
+
+    if len(matches) == 0:
+        msg = f"No BioModel found with name containing '{name}'"
+        if owner:
+            msg += f" owned by '{owner}'"
+        raise ValueError(msg)
+    if len(matches) > 1:
+        match_desc = ", ".join(f"'{m['name']}' (id={m['id']}, owner={m['owner']})" for m in matches)
+        raise ValueError(f"Multiple BioModels match name '{name}': {match_desc}. Use biomodel_id or owner to narrow.")
+
+    found_id = matches[0]["id"]
+    if found_id is None:
+        raise ValueError("Matched BioModel has no version key")
+    vcml_str = bm_api.get_bio_model_vcml(found_id, _headers={"Accept": "text/xml"})
+    return load_vcml_str(vcml_str)
 
 
 def load_vcml_url(vcml_url: str) -> Biomodel:
diff --git a/tests/vcml/test_load_biomodel.py b/tests/vcml/test_load_biomodel.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f5bcb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/vcml/test_load_biomodel.py
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import pyvcell.vcml as vc
+from pyvcell._internal.api.vcell_client import ApiClient, Configuration
+
+
+def test_load_biomodel_public() -> None:
+    """Load a public BioModel by ID using the default anonymous client."""
+    # Dolgitzer 2025 — a published, public model
+    bm = vc.load_biomodel("279851639")
+    assert bm.name == "Dolgitzer 2025 A Continuum Model of Mechanosensation Based on Contractility Kit Assembly"
+    assert len(bm.applications) > 0
+    assert bm.version is not None
+    assert bm.version.key == "279851639"
+
+
+def test_load_biomodel_with_explicit_client() -> None:
+    """Load a public BioModel using an explicitly provided ApiClient."""
+    client = ApiClient(configuration=Configuration(host="https://vcell.cam.uchc.edu"))
+    bm = vc.load_biomodel("279851639", api_client=client)
+    assert bm.name == "Dolgitzer 2025 A Continuum Model of Mechanosensation Based on Contractility Kit Assembly"
+    assert len(bm.applications) > 0