diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8ae4562..e573e55 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,22 +1,41 @@
 # narratio
 
-Narratio is a stage-driven Go orchestrator for turning D&D session audio into polished transcripts and generated artifacts.
+Narratio is a stage-driven Go orchestrator for turning D&D session audio into
+polished transcripts and generated artifacts.
 
-It runs a deterministic workflow across `prepare`, `transcribe`, `merge`, `polish`, `normalize`, `trim`, `render`, `analyze`, and `publish`, with manifest-driven continuation and restore support.
+It runs a deterministic workflow with manifest-driven continuation, remote
+publish, and restore support.
 
-```bash
+```sh
 narratio run 2026-04-04
 ```
 
-This requires resolvable `pipeline.yml`, `campaign.yml`, and concrete `session.yml` (or explicit config flags).
+This requires resolvable `pipeline.yml`, `campaign.yml`, and concrete
+`session.yml` files or their explicit command-line alternatives.
 
 ## Documentation
 
-- [CLI Reference](docs/cli.md)
-- [Configuration](docs/config.md)
-- [Operations](docs/operations.md)
-- [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md)
-- [Internal Component Contracts](docs/internal/README.md)
-- [Development Guide](docs/policy/development.md)
-- [Architecture Principles](docs/policy/architecture.md)
-- [Maintained Examples](examples/)
+- [CLI reference](docs/cli.md) — commands, arguments, flags, and invocation
+  behavior.
+- [Configuration](docs/config.md) — discovery, fields, defaults, and
+  validation.
+- [Operations](docs/operations.md) — runtime workflow, state, publishing,
+  recovery, and cleanup.
+- [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md) — symptom-driven diagnosis and
+  safe remedies.
+- [Integration contracts](docs/integrations/) — external tools, formats, and
+  compatibility expectations.
+- [Maintained examples](examples/) — complete copyable configuration and input
+  files.
+
+## Maintainer Documentation
+
+- [Development guide](docs/development.md) — first-read orientation and
+  task-specific reading routes.
+- [Internal overview](docs/internal/overview.md) — implemented component map.
+- [Architecture](docs/policy/architecture.md) — normative boundaries and
+  invariants.
+- [Documentation policy](docs/policy/documentation.md) — canonical ownership
+  and maintenance rules.
+- [Testing policy](docs/policy/testing.md) — test value, boundaries, and
+  sufficiency.
diff --git a/docs/internal/README.md b/docs/internal/README.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 5c12387..0000000
--- a/docs/internal/README.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-# Internal Documentation Index
-
-## Audience
-Developers and coding agents changing Narratio internals.
-
-## Scope
-`docs/internal/` documents implemented internal contracts: stage boundaries, manifest/state behavior, artifact resolution, restore behavior, storage boundaries, and workspace invariants.
-
-User and operator behavior belongs in:
-- `docs/cli.md`
-- `docs/config.md`
-- `docs/operations.md`
-- `docs/troubleshooting.md`
-
-## Pipeline Stage Set
-Canonical stage order from `internal/stage.All()`:
-1. `prepare`
-2. `transcribe`
-3. `merge`
-4. `polish`
-5. `normalize`
-6. `trim`
-7. `render`
-8. `analyze`
-9. `publish`
-10. `notify` (placeholder)
-
-`notify` is currently a placeholder stage with optional notifier call behavior; it has no persisted pipeline outputs.
-
-## Internal Component Docs
-- `adapters.md`: external adapter boundaries and default runtime wiring.
-- `artifacts.md`: canonical source IDs, runtime catalog behavior, and resolution rules.
-- `manifest.md`: session and run manifest contracts.
-- `storage.md`: object-store interface and S3 implementation behavior.
-- `workspace.md`: local session layout, run-local layout, and cleanup guardrails.
-- `command-restore.md`: restore discovery, planning, execution, and reporting.
-- `stage-prepare.md`
-- `stage-transcribe.md`
-- `stage-merge.md`
-- `stage-polish.md`
-- `stage-normalize.md`
-- `stage-trim.md`
-- `stage-render.md`
-- `stage-analyze.md`
-- `stage-publish.md`
diff --git a/docs/internal/overview.md b/docs/internal/overview.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c216410
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/internal/overview.md
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+# Internal Overview
+
+This document is the implemented component map for Narratio. Normative system
+boundaries and dependency direction belong in
+[Architecture](../policy/architecture.md). User and operator contracts belong
+in the [CLI](../cli.md), [Configuration](../config.md),
+[Operations](../operations.md), and [Troubleshooting](../troubleshooting.md).
+Externally observable tool and format contracts belong under
+[Integrations](../integrations/).
+
+## Execution Path
+
+```text
+cmd/narratio -> internal/app -> configuration and production composition
+             -> internal/stage -> adapters and external systems
+             -> manifests and artifact resolution -> durable local/remote output
+```
+
+The executable delegates process behavior to the application boundary. The
+application resolves configuration, composes concrete collaborators, acquires
+session safety controls, and runs commands. Pipeline commands execute the
+canonical stage sequence through adapter interfaces, while manifests record
+progress and artifact services resolve durable inputs and outputs.
+
+## Components
+
+| Area | Implemented owners | Responsibility |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Executable | `cmd/narratio` | Process entry, standard stream wiring, argument handoff, and exit status. |
+| Application orchestration | `internal/app` | Command dispatch, configuration selection, secret-file environment loading, production composition, session locking, planning, execution, restore, cleanup gates, and user-facing reporting. |
+| Configuration | `internal/config` | Strict YAML loading, discovery, defaults, normalization, session templating, and validation. |
+| Pipeline stages | `internal/stage` | Canonical stage registry, shared stage contract, execution dependencies, and implemented stage behavior. |
+| External boundaries | `internal/adapters`, `internal/audio` | WhisperX HTTP, downstream subprocesses, notification, object storage, and S3 audio materialization behind Narratio contracts. |
+| Manifests | `internal/manifest` | Durable session progress, invocation audit state, stage transitions, validation, and atomic persistence. |
+| Artifacts and paths | `internal/artifacts`, `internal/pathsafe` | Artifact identities and resolution, local and remote path/key models, current-state discovery, and confined relative destinations. |
+| Previous-session cache | `internal/previouscache` | Deterministic planning and materialization requirements for configured previous-session inputs. |
+| Artifact policy | `internal/artifactpolicy` | Source and destination policy, configured artifact identity validation, and publish destination safety. |
+| Shared models and file operations | `internal/artifactmodel`, `internal/contracts`, `internal/fileops` | Transcript and artifact data contracts plus narrow atomic filesystem helpers. |
+| Logging | `internal/logging` | Application logger construction and shared structured logging behavior. |
+
+The application boundary composes concrete implementations. Stages depend on
+Narratio-level contracts; external transport and SDK details remain in
+adapters. The normative rules for these relationships remain in
+[Architecture](../policy/architecture.md).
+
+## Pipeline Stage Set
+
+The implemented canonical order is:
+
+1. [`prepare`](stage-prepare.md)
+2. [`transcribe`](stage-transcribe.md)
+3. [`merge`](stage-merge.md)
+4. [`polish`](stage-polish.md)
+5. [`normalize`](stage-normalize.md)
+6. [`trim`](stage-trim.md)
+7. [`render`](stage-render.md)
+8. [`analyze`](stage-analyze.md)
+9. [`publish`](stage-publish.md)
+10. `notify` (placeholder)
+
+`notify` currently has optional notifier call behavior and no persisted pipeline
+outputs. The focused stage documents own implementation mechanics. The
+[CLI](../cli.md) and [Operations](../operations.md) own user-visible invocation
+and execution semantics.
+
+## Focused Documentation
+
+- [Adapter Internals](adapters.md): external adapter boundaries, composition,
+  failure behavior, and test surfaces.
+- [Artifact Internals](artifacts.md): source identities, runtime catalog,
+  resolution, previous requirements, and current-state helpers.
+- [Manifest Internals](manifest.md): session and run records, persistence, and
+  execution transitions.
+- [Storage Internals](storage.md): object-store interface and S3 behavior.
+- [Workspace Internals](workspace.md): local layout, locking, and cleanup
+  guardrails.
+- [Restore Internals](command-restore.md): discovery, planning, execution, and
+  reporting.
+- [`prepare`](stage-prepare.md)
+- [`transcribe`](stage-transcribe.md)
+- [`merge`](stage-merge.md)
+- [`polish`](stage-polish.md)
+- [`normalize`](stage-normalize.md)
+- [`trim`](stage-trim.md)
+- [`render`](stage-render.md)
+- [`analyze`](stage-analyze.md)
+- [`publish`](stage-publish.md)
+
+Use this map to find an owner, then read its focused documentation and tests
+before changing behavior.
diff --git a/docs/roadmap/notarius-extract-stage.md b/docs/roadmap/notarius-extract-stage.md
index b8dee0d..dba0d3c 100644
--- a/docs/roadmap/notarius-extract-stage.md
+++ b/docs/roadmap/notarius-extract-stage.md
@@ -306,14 +306,13 @@ feature:
   state transitions, failures, and focused tests;
 - update `docs/internal/adapters.md`, `docs/internal/artifacts.md`,
   `docs/internal/manifest.md`, and the internal stage inventory;
-- update `docs/architecture.md` to list Notarius among isolated external
+- update `docs/policy/architecture.md` to list Notarius among isolated external
   systems and preserve the adapter/stage boundary;
 - update `docs/config.md`, `docs/cli.md`, `docs/operations.md`,
   `docs/troubleshooting.md`, `README.md`, and maintained examples only to the
   extent their canonical scopes require; and
-- add the missing `docs/development.md` required by the repository's
-  documentation policy, or track that repository-wide documentation gap in a
-  separate roadmap if it is intentionally outside the implementation scope.
+- update `docs/development.md` only to the extent its canonical contributor
+  routing scope requires.
 
 Outside this roadmap, do not describe `extract`, Notarius configuration, or
 `narratio.extraction.*` sources as implemented until the code exists.