diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6f4eb88..0b26e62 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     "start": "next start",
     "lint": "next lint",
     "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
-    "test": "node --test tests/bootstrap.test.mjs && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/parser.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/pathing.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/kanban.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/read-text-retry.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/bd-path.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/bridge.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/mutations.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/writeback.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/realtime.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/coalescer.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/watcher.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/api/mutations-routes.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/api/events-route.test.ts && node --test tests/guards/no-direct-jsonl-write.test.mjs && node --test tests/guards/no-inline-style-in-kanban.test.mjs && node --test tests/guards/kanban-responsive-contract.test.mjs"
+    "test": "node --test tests/bootstrap.test.mjs && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/parser.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/pathing.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/project-context.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/kanban.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/read-text-retry.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/bd-path.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/bridge.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/mutations.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/writeback.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/realtime.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/coalescer.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/watcher.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/registry.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/lib/scanner.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/api/projects-route.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/api/mutations-routes.test.ts && node --import tsx --test tests/api/events-route.test.ts && node --test tests/guards/no-direct-jsonl-write.test.mjs && node --test tests/guards/no-inline-style-in-kanban.test.mjs && node --test tests/guards/kanban-responsive-contract.test.mjs"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "chokidar": "^5.0.0",
diff --git a/src/app/api/projects/route.ts b/src/app/api/projects/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..240c7c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/api/projects/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
+
+import { addProject, listProjects, RegistryValidationError, removeProject } from '../../../lib/registry';
+
+export const runtime = 'nodejs';
+
+function projectsPayload(projects: Array<{ path: string }>): { projects: Array<{ path: string }> } {
+  return {
+    projects: projects.map((project) => ({ path: project.path })),
+  };
+}
+
+async function readPathFromBody(request: Request): Promise<string> {
+  let body: unknown;
+  try {
+    body = await request.json();
+  } catch {
+    throw new RegistryValidationError('Request body must be valid JSON.');
+  }
+
+  const path = (body as { path?: unknown }).path;
+  if (typeof path !== 'string' || path.trim().length === 0) {
+    throw new RegistryValidationError('`path` is required and must be a non-empty string.');
+  }
+
+  return path;
+}
+
+export async function GET(): Promise<Response> {
+  const projects = await listProjects();
+  return NextResponse.json(projectsPayload(projects), { status: 200 });
+}
+
+export async function POST(request: Request): Promise<Response> {
+  try {
+    const projectPath = await readPathFromBody(request);
+    const result = await addProject(projectPath);
+    return NextResponse.json(projectsPayload(result.projects), { status: result.added ? 201 : 200 });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (error instanceof RegistryValidationError) {
+      return NextResponse.json({ error: error.message }, { status: 400 });
+    }
+
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Failed to add project.' }, { status: 500 });
+  }
+}
+
+export async function DELETE(request: Request): Promise<Response> {
+  try {
+    const projectPath = await readPathFromBody(request);
+    const result = await removeProject(projectPath);
+    return NextResponse.json({ removed: result.removed, ...projectsPayload(result.projects) }, { status: 200 });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (error instanceof RegistryValidationError) {
+      return NextResponse.json({ error: error.message }, { status: 400 });
+    }
+
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: 'Failed to remove project.' }, { status: 500 });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/app/api/scan/route.ts b/src/app/api/scan/route.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..390f122
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/api/scan/route.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+import { NextResponse } from 'next/server';
+
+import { scanForProjects } from '../../../lib/scanner';
+import type { ScanMode } from '../../../lib/scanner';
+
+export const runtime = 'nodejs';
+
+function parseMode(value: string | null): ScanMode {
+  if (!value || value === 'default') {
+    return 'default';
+  }
+
+  if (value === 'full-drive') {
+    return 'full-drive';
+  }
+
+  throw new Error('Invalid scan mode. Use mode=default or mode=full-drive.');
+}
+
+function parseDepth(value: string | null): number | undefined {
+  if (!value) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  const parsed = Number.parseInt(value, 10);
+  if (!Number.isFinite(parsed) || parsed < 0) {
+    throw new Error('Depth must be a non-negative integer.');
+  }
+
+  return parsed;
+}
+
+export async function GET(request: Request): Promise<Response> {
+  try {
+    const url = new URL(request.url);
+    const mode = parseMode(url.searchParams.get('mode'));
+    const maxDepth = parseDepth(url.searchParams.get('depth'));
+    const result = await scanForProjects({ mode, maxDepth });
+    return NextResponse.json(result, { status: 200 });
+  } catch (error) {
+    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Failed to scan projects.';
+    return NextResponse.json({ error: message }, { status: 400 });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/project-context.ts b/src/lib/project-context.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e885c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/project-context.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { canonicalizeWindowsPath, toDisplayPath, windowsPathKey } from './pathing';
+import type { ProjectContext, ProjectSource } from './types';
+
+interface BuildProjectContextOptions {
+  source?: ProjectSource;
+  addedAt?: string | null;
+}
+
+export function buildProjectContext(root: string, options: BuildProjectContextOptions = {}): ProjectContext {
+  if (!root) {
+    throw new Error('Project root is required to build project context.');
+  }
+
+  const normalizedRoot = canonicalizeWindowsPath(root);
+  return {
+    key: windowsPathKey(normalizedRoot),
+    root: normalizedRoot,
+    displayPath: toDisplayPath(normalizedRoot),
+    name: path.basename(normalizedRoot),
+    source: options.source ?? 'local',
+    addedAt: options.addedAt ?? null,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/read-issues.ts b/src/lib/read-issues.ts
index 820f18e..5639578 100644
--- a/src/lib/read-issues.ts
+++ b/src/lib/read-issues.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,14 @@ import path from 'node:path';
 import { parseIssuesJsonl } from './parser';
 import { canonicalizeWindowsPath } from './pathing';
 import { readTextFileWithRetry } from './read-text-retry';
-import type { BeadIssue } from './types';
+import { buildProjectContext } from './project-context';
+import type { BeadIssueWithProject, ProjectSource } from './types';
 
 export interface ReadIssuesOptions {
   projectRoot?: string;
   includeTombstones?: boolean;
+  projectSource?: ProjectSource;
+  projectAddedAt?: string | null;
 }
 
 export function resolveIssuesJsonlPathCandidates(projectRoot: string = process.cwd()): string[] {
@@ -21,15 +24,23 @@ export function resolveIssuesJsonlPath(projectRoot: string = process.cwd()): str
   return resolveIssuesJsonlPathCandidates(projectRoot)[0];
 }
 
-export async function readIssuesFromDisk(options: ReadIssuesOptions = {}): Promise<BeadIssue[]> {
-  const candidates = resolveIssuesJsonlPathCandidates(options.projectRoot);
+export async function readIssuesFromDisk(options: ReadIssuesOptions = {}): Promise<BeadIssueWithProject[]> {
+  const projectRoot = options.projectRoot ?? process.cwd();
+  const candidates = resolveIssuesJsonlPathCandidates(projectRoot);
+  const project = buildProjectContext(projectRoot, {
+    source: options.projectSource ?? 'local',
+    addedAt: options.projectAddedAt ?? null,
+  });
 
   for (const issuesPath of candidates) {
     try {
       const jsonl = await readTextFileWithRetry(issuesPath);
       return parseIssuesJsonl(jsonl, {
         includeTombstones: options.includeTombstones ?? false,
-      });
+      }).map((issue) => ({
+        ...issue,
+        project,
+      }));
     } catch (error) {
       if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ENOENT') {
         continue;
diff --git a/src/lib/registry.ts b/src/lib/registry.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eacd45b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/registry.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { canonicalizeWindowsPath, toDisplayPath, windowsPathKey } from './pathing';
+
+export interface RegistryProject {
+  path: string;
+  key: string;
+}
+
+interface RegistryDocument {
+  version: 1;
+  projects: RegistryProject[];
+}
+
+export class RegistryValidationError extends Error {
+  constructor(message: string) {
+    super(message);
+    this.name = 'RegistryValidationError';
+  }
+}
+
+function userProfileRoot(): string {
+  return process.env.USERPROFILE?.trim() || os.homedir();
+}
+
+export function registryFilePath(): string {
+  return path.join(userProfileRoot(), '.beadboard', 'projects.json');
+}
+
+function ensureWindowsAbsolutePath(input: string): string {
+  const normalized = canonicalizeWindowsPath(input.trim());
+  if (!/^[A-Za-z]:\\/.test(normalized)) {
+    throw new RegistryValidationError('Project path must be a Windows absolute path (e.g. C:\\Repos\\Project).');
+  }
+
+  return normalized;
+}
+
+function normalizeProject(input: string): RegistryProject {
+  const normalized = ensureWindowsAbsolutePath(input);
+  return {
+    path: toDisplayPath(normalized),
+    key: windowsPathKey(normalized),
+  };
+}
+
+function normalizeProjects(input: unknown): RegistryProject[] {
+  if (!Array.isArray(input)) {
+    return [];
+  }
+
+  const seen = new Set<string>();
+  const normalized: RegistryProject[] = [];
+
+  for (const item of input) {
+    if (!item || typeof item !== 'object') {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const candidate = item as { path?: unknown };
+    if (typeof candidate.path !== 'string') {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const project = normalizeProject(candidate.path);
+      if (!seen.has(project.key)) {
+        seen.add(project.key);
+        normalized.push(project);
+      }
+    } catch {
+      continue;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return normalized;
+}
+
+async function readRegistryDocument(): Promise<RegistryDocument> {
+  const filePath = registryFilePath();
+
+  try {
+    const raw = await fs.readFile(filePath, 'utf8');
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as { projects?: unknown };
+    return {
+      version: 1,
+      projects: normalizeProjects(parsed.projects),
+    };
+  } catch (error) {
+    if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code === 'ENOENT') {
+      return { version: 1, projects: [] };
+    }
+
+    throw error;
+  }
+}
+
+async function writeRegistryDocument(document: RegistryDocument): Promise<void> {
+  const filePath = registryFilePath();
+  await fs.mkdir(path.dirname(filePath), { recursive: true });
+  await fs.writeFile(filePath, `${JSON.stringify(document, null, 2)}\n`, 'utf8');
+}
+
+export async function listProjects(): Promise<RegistryProject[]> {
+  const document = await readRegistryDocument();
+  return document.projects;
+}
+
+export async function addProject(projectPath: string): Promise<{ added: boolean; projects: RegistryProject[] }> {
+  const document = await readRegistryDocument();
+  const project = normalizeProject(projectPath);
+
+  if (document.projects.some((entry) => entry.key === project.key)) {
+    return { added: false, projects: document.projects };
+  }
+
+  document.projects.push(project);
+  await writeRegistryDocument(document);
+  return { added: true, projects: document.projects };
+}
+
+export async function removeProject(projectPath: string): Promise<{ removed: boolean; projects: RegistryProject[] }> {
+  const document = await readRegistryDocument();
+  const project = normalizeProject(projectPath);
+  const nextProjects = document.projects.filter((entry) => entry.key !== project.key);
+
+  if (nextProjects.length === document.projects.length) {
+    return { removed: false, projects: document.projects };
+  }
+
+  const nextDocument: RegistryDocument = {
+    version: 1,
+    projects: nextProjects,
+  };
+
+  await writeRegistryDocument(nextDocument);
+  return { removed: true, projects: nextDocument.projects };
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/scanner.ts b/src/lib/scanner.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa24225
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/scanner.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,223 @@
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { canonicalizeWindowsPath, toDisplayPath, windowsPathKey } from './pathing';
+import { listProjects } from './registry';
+
+export type ScanMode = 'default' | 'full-drive';
+
+export interface ScannerProject {
+  root: string;
+  key: string;
+  displayPath: string;
+}
+
+export interface ScanStats {
+  scannedDirectories: number;
+  ignoredDirectories: number;
+  skippedDirectories: number;
+  elapsedMs: number;
+}
+
+export interface ScanOptions {
+  mode?: ScanMode;
+  maxDepth?: number;
+  roots?: string[];
+  ignoreDirectories?: string[];
+}
+
+export interface ScanResult {
+  mode: ScanMode;
+  roots: string[];
+  projects: ScannerProject[];
+  stats: ScanStats;
+}
+
+const DEFAULT_MAX_DEPTH = 6;
+const DEFAULT_IGNORE_DIRECTORIES = [
+  'node_modules',
+  '.git',
+  '.next',
+  'dist',
+  'build',
+  'out',
+  'coverage',
+  'artifacts',
+  'logs',
+  '.worktrees', // TODO: confirm whether worktrees should be scan targets.
+];
+
+function userProfileRoot(): string {
+  return process.env.USERPROFILE?.trim() || os.homedir();
+}
+
+function toCanonicalRoot(input: string): string {
+  return canonicalizeWindowsPath(input);
+}
+
+function shouldSkipFsError(error: NodeJS.ErrnoException): boolean {
+  return error.code === 'ENOENT' || error.code === 'ENOTDIR' || error.code === 'EACCES' || error.code === 'EPERM';
+}
+
+async function ensureDirectoryExists(input: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  try {
+    const stat = await fs.stat(input);
+    return stat.isDirectory() ? input : null;
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (shouldSkipFsError(error as NodeJS.ErrnoException)) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    throw error;
+  }
+}
+
+async function resolveFullDriveRoots(): Promise<string[]> {
+  const candidates = ['C:\\', 'D:\\'];
+  const roots: string[] = [];
+
+  for (const candidate of candidates) {
+    const existing = await ensureDirectoryExists(candidate);
+    if (existing) {
+      roots.push(existing);
+    }
+  }
+
+  return roots;
+}
+
+export async function resolveScanRoots(options: ScanOptions = {}): Promise<string[]> {
+  const mode: ScanMode = options.mode ?? 'default';
+  const registryProjects = await listProjects();
+  const roots = [
+    userProfileRoot(),
+    ...registryProjects.map((project) => project.path),
+    ...(options.roots ?? []),
+  ];
+
+  if (mode === 'full-drive') {
+    roots.push(...(await resolveFullDriveRoots()));
+  }
+
+  const seen = new Set<string>();
+  const normalizedRoots: string[] = [];
+
+  for (const root of roots) {
+    const normalized = toCanonicalRoot(root);
+    const key = windowsPathKey(normalized);
+    if (seen.has(key)) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    const existing = await ensureDirectoryExists(normalized);
+    if (!existing) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    seen.add(key);
+    normalizedRoots.push(existing);
+  }
+
+  return normalizedRoots;
+}
+
+function buildIgnoreSet(additional: string[] = []): Set<string> {
+  return new Set(
+    [...DEFAULT_IGNORE_DIRECTORIES, ...additional].map((entry) => entry.trim().toLowerCase()).filter(Boolean),
+  );
+}
+
+function recordProject(projects: Map<string, ScannerProject>, root: string): void {
+  const normalized = toCanonicalRoot(root);
+  const key = windowsPathKey(normalized);
+  if (!projects.has(key)) {
+    projects.set(key, {
+      root: normalized,
+      key,
+      displayPath: toDisplayPath(normalized),
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+async function scanRoot(
+  root: string,
+  maxDepth: number,
+  ignoreSet: Set<string>,
+  projects: Map<string, ScannerProject>,
+  stats: ScanStats,
+): Promise<void> {
+  const queue: Array<{ dir: string; depth: number }> = [{ dir: root, depth: 0 }];
+
+  while (queue.length > 0) {
+    const current = queue.shift();
+    if (!current) {
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    stats.scannedDirectories += 1;
+    let entries: fs.Dirent[];
+    try {
+      entries = await fs.readdir(current.dir, { withFileTypes: true });
+    } catch (error) {
+      if (shouldSkipFsError(error as NodeJS.ErrnoException)) {
+        stats.skippedDirectories += 1;
+        continue;
+      }
+      throw error;
+    }
+
+    let hasBeads = false;
+    for (const entry of entries) {
+      if (!entry.isDirectory()) {
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (entry.name === '.beads') {
+        hasBeads = true;
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      const entryName = entry.name.toLowerCase();
+      if (ignoreSet.has(entryName)) {
+        stats.ignoredDirectories += 1;
+        continue;
+      }
+
+      if (current.depth < maxDepth) {
+        queue.push({ dir: path.join(current.dir, entry.name), depth: current.depth + 1 });
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (hasBeads) {
+      recordProject(projects, current.dir);
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export async function scanForProjects(options: ScanOptions = {}): Promise<ScanResult> {
+  const mode: ScanMode = options.mode ?? 'default';
+  const maxDepth = options.maxDepth ?? DEFAULT_MAX_DEPTH;
+  const ignoreSet = buildIgnoreSet(options.ignoreDirectories);
+  const roots = await resolveScanRoots(options);
+  const projects = new Map<string, ScannerProject>();
+  const stats: ScanStats = {
+    scannedDirectories: 0,
+    ignoredDirectories: 0,
+    skippedDirectories: 0,
+    elapsedMs: 0,
+  };
+  const start = Date.now();
+
+  for (const root of roots) {
+    await scanRoot(root, maxDepth, ignoreSet, projects, stats);
+  }
+
+  stats.elapsedMs = Date.now() - start;
+
+  return {
+    mode,
+    roots,
+    projects: Array.from(projects.values()),
+    stats,
+  };
+}
diff --git a/src/lib/types.ts b/src/lib/types.ts
index 06f2567..46a9d4f 100644
--- a/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -59,3 +59,16 @@ export interface ParseableBeadIssue extends Partial<BeadIssue> {
   id: string;
   title: string;
 }
+
+export type ProjectSource = 'local' | 'registry' | 'scanner';
+
+export interface ProjectContext {
+  key: string;
+  root: string;
+  displayPath: string;
+  name: string;
+  source: ProjectSource;
+  addedAt: string | null;
+}
+
+export type BeadIssueWithProject = BeadIssue & { project: ProjectContext };
diff --git a/tests/api/projects-route.test.ts b/tests/api/projects-route.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f4d77e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/api/projects-route.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { DELETE, GET, POST } from '../../src/app/api/projects/route';
+
+async function withTempUserProfile(run: (userProfile: string) => Promise<void>): Promise<void> {
+  const previous = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+  const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'beadboard-api-'));
+  process.env.USERPROFILE = tempDir;
+
+  try {
+    await run(tempDir);
+  } finally {
+    if (previous === undefined) {
+      delete process.env.USERPROFILE;
+    } else {
+      process.env.USERPROFILE = previous;
+    }
+
+    await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+async function readJson(response: Response): Promise<unknown> {
+  return response.json();
+}
+
+test('GET /api/projects returns empty list initially', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const response = await GET();
+    assert.equal(response.status, 200);
+
+    const body = (await readJson(response)) as { projects: unknown[] };
+    assert.deepEqual(body.projects, []);
+  });
+});
+
+test('POST /api/projects validates payload and path', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const missing = await POST(new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', { method: 'POST', body: '{}' }));
+    assert.equal(missing.status, 400);
+
+    const missingBody = (await readJson(missing)) as { error: string };
+    assert.match(missingBody.error, /path/i);
+
+    const invalidPath = await POST(
+      new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        body: JSON.stringify({ path: '/tmp/project' }),
+        headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      }),
+    );
+    assert.equal(invalidPath.status, 400);
+  });
+});
+
+test('POST deduplicates and GET returns normalized path', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const first = await POST(
+      new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        body: JSON.stringify({ path: 'c:/Users/Zenchant/codex/beadboard/' }),
+        headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      }),
+    );
+    assert.equal(first.status, 201);
+
+    const dup = await POST(
+      new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        body: JSON.stringify({ path: 'C:\\users\\zenchant\\codex\\beadboard' }),
+        headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      }),
+    );
+    assert.equal(dup.status, 200);
+
+    const list = await GET();
+    const body = (await readJson(list)) as { projects: Array<{ path: string }> };
+    assert.deepEqual(body.projects, [{ path: 'C:/Users/Zenchant/codex/beadboard' }]);
+  });
+});
+
+test('DELETE /api/projects removes by normalized path', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    await POST(
+      new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', {
+        method: 'POST',
+        body: JSON.stringify({ path: 'D:/Repos/One' }),
+        headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      }),
+    );
+
+    const removed = await DELETE(
+      new Request('http://localhost/api/projects', {
+        method: 'DELETE',
+        body: JSON.stringify({ path: 'd:\\repos\\one\\' }),
+        headers: { 'content-type': 'application/json' },
+      }),
+    );
+    assert.equal(removed.status, 200);
+
+    const list = await GET();
+    const body = (await readJson(list)) as { projects: unknown[] };
+    assert.deepEqual(body.projects, []);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/lib/project-context.test.ts b/tests/lib/project-context.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5ecd3c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/project-context.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+
+import { buildProjectContext } from '../../src/lib/project-context';
+
+test('buildProjectContext derives normalized project identity', () => {
+  const project = buildProjectContext('C:/Repo/Project');
+
+  assert.equal(project.root, 'C:\\Repo\\Project');
+  assert.equal(project.key, 'c:\\repo\\project');
+  assert.equal(project.displayPath, 'C:/Repo/Project');
+  assert.equal(project.name, 'Project');
+  assert.equal(project.source, 'local');
+  assert.equal(project.addedAt, null);
+});
diff --git a/tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts b/tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts
index 1aa4b70..586c703 100644
--- a/tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts
+++ b/tests/lib/read-issues.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import os from 'node:os';
 import path from 'node:path';
 
 import { readIssuesFromDisk, resolveIssuesJsonlPath, resolveIssuesJsonlPathCandidates } from '../../src/lib/read-issues';
-import { sameWindowsPath } from '../../src/lib/pathing';
+import { canonicalizeWindowsPath, sameWindowsPath, toDisplayPath, windowsPathKey } from '../../src/lib/pathing';
 
 test('resolveIssuesJsonlPath appends .beads/issues.jsonl using windows-safe pathing', () => {
   const resolved = resolveIssuesJsonlPath('C:/Repo/Project');
@@ -38,6 +38,12 @@ test('readIssuesFromDisk parses JSONL issues from disk', async () => {
   assert.equal(issues.length, 1);
   assert.equal(issues[0].id, 'bb-1');
   assert.equal(issues[0].priority, 0);
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.root, canonicalizeWindowsPath(root));
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.key, windowsPathKey(root));
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.displayPath, toDisplayPath(root));
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.name, path.basename(canonicalizeWindowsPath(root)));
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.source, 'local');
+  assert.equal(issues[0].project.addedAt, null);
 });
 
 test('readIssuesFromDisk returns empty list when issues file does not exist', async () => {
diff --git a/tests/lib/registry.test.ts b/tests/lib/registry.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15537df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/registry.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import {
+  addProject,
+  listProjects,
+  removeProject,
+  registryFilePath,
+  type RegistryProject,
+} from '../../src/lib/registry';
+
+async function withTempUserProfile(run: (userProfile: string) => Promise<void>): Promise<void> {
+  const previous = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+  const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'beadboard-registry-'));
+  process.env.USERPROFILE = tempDir;
+
+  try {
+    await run(tempDir);
+  } finally {
+    if (previous === undefined) {
+      delete process.env.USERPROFILE;
+    } else {
+      process.env.USERPROFILE = previous;
+    }
+
+    await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+test('registryFilePath resolves under %USERPROFILE%/.beadboard/projects.json', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async (userProfile) => {
+    const result = registryFilePath();
+    assert.equal(result, path.join(userProfile, '.beadboard', 'projects.json'));
+  });
+});
+
+test('listProjects returns empty when registry does not exist', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const result = await listProjects();
+    assert.deepEqual(result, []);
+  });
+});
+
+test('addProject persists normalized path and deduplicates case/separators', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const first = await addProject('c:/Work/Alpha/');
+    assert.equal(first.added, true);
+
+    const second = await addProject('C:\\work\\alpha');
+    assert.equal(second.added, false);
+
+    const listed = await listProjects();
+    assert.equal(listed.length, 1);
+    assert.equal(listed[0].path, 'C:/Work/Alpha');
+
+    const file = await fs.readFile(registryFilePath(), 'utf8');
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(file) as { projects: RegistryProject[] };
+    assert.equal(parsed.projects.length, 1);
+  });
+});
+
+test('removeProject removes matching normalized path', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    await addProject('D:/Repos/One');
+    await addProject('D:/Repos/Two');
+
+    const removed = await removeProject('d:\\repos\\one\\');
+    assert.equal(removed.removed, true);
+
+    const listed = await listProjects();
+    assert.deepEqual(
+      listed.map((project) => project.path),
+      ['D:/Repos/Two'],
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+test('addProject rejects non-Windows absolute paths', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    await assert.rejects(() => addProject('/tmp/project'), /Windows absolute path/i);
+    await assert.rejects(() => addProject('relative/path'), /Windows absolute path/i);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/lib/scanner.test.ts b/tests/lib/scanner.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3b3a1c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib/scanner.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+import test from 'node:test';
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import fs from 'node:fs/promises';
+import os from 'node:os';
+import path from 'node:path';
+
+import { addProject } from '../../src/lib/registry';
+import { scanForProjects, resolveScanRoots } from '../../src/lib/scanner';
+import { canonicalizeWindowsPath, sameWindowsPath, windowsPathKey } from '../../src/lib/pathing';
+
+async function withTempUserProfile(run: (userProfile: string) => Promise<void>): Promise<void> {
+  const previous = process.env.USERPROFILE;
+  const tempDir = await fs.mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'beadboard-scan-'));
+  process.env.USERPROFILE = tempDir;
+
+  try {
+    await run(tempDir);
+  } finally {
+    if (previous === undefined) {
+      delete process.env.USERPROFILE;
+    } else {
+      process.env.USERPROFILE = previous;
+    }
+
+    await fs.rm(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+}
+
+test('resolveScanRoots includes profile and registry roots by default', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async (userProfile) => {
+    const registryRoot = path.join(userProfile, 'Registered');
+    await fs.mkdir(registryRoot, { recursive: true });
+    await addProject(registryRoot);
+
+    const roots = await resolveScanRoots();
+
+    assert.equal(roots.some((root) => sameWindowsPath(root, userProfile)), true);
+    assert.equal(roots.some((root) => sameWindowsPath(root, registryRoot)), true);
+    assert.equal(roots.some((root) => windowsPathKey(root) === windowsPathKey('C:\\')), false);
+  });
+});
+
+test('resolveScanRoots includes full-drive roots only when requested', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async () => {
+    const roots = await resolveScanRoots({ mode: 'full-drive' });
+    assert.equal(roots.some((root) => windowsPathKey(root) === windowsPathKey('C:\\')), true);
+  });
+});
+
+test('scanForProjects respects depth limits and ignore list', async () => {
+  await withTempUserProfile(async (userProfile) => {
+    const projectRoot = path.join(userProfile, 'ProjectA');
+    await fs.mkdir(path.join(projectRoot, '.beads'), { recursive: true });
+
+    const ignoredRoot = path.join(userProfile, 'node_modules', 'Ignored');
+    await fs.mkdir(path.join(ignoredRoot, '.beads'), { recursive: true });
+
+    const deepRoot = path.join(userProfile, 'Deep', 'Level1', 'Level2', 'ProjectDeep');
+    await fs.mkdir(path.join(deepRoot, '.beads'), { recursive: true });
+
+    const result = await scanForProjects({ maxDepth: 1 });
+    const keys = result.projects.map((project) => project.key);
+
+    assert.equal(keys.includes(windowsPathKey(canonicalizeWindowsPath(projectRoot))), true);
+    assert.equal(keys.includes(windowsPathKey(canonicalizeWindowsPath(ignoredRoot))), false);
+    assert.equal(keys.includes(windowsPathKey(canonicalizeWindowsPath(deepRoot))), false);
+  });
+});