Combined critique #16: relicense to Apache-2.0 (+jgengine.com NOTICE) & lead product voice

[Noisemaker111]

Two related changes, one PR.

Part A — product voice (critique #16)

README/keyword tagline now leads the one sentence "agent-first game framework SDK"; bare "engine" language demoted, overreaching genre-kit framing trimmed so one product voice leads. Kept truthful — still an engine-style runtime, framework is the lead framing.

• README.md H1 tagline
• packages/core + packages/jgengine description and tagline-carrying keywords (engine keywords demoted for agent-first / game-framework)

Part B — relicense AGPL-3.0-only → Apache-2.0 + NOTICE

Permissive relicense with attribution retained via the idiomatic Apache-2.0 + NOTICE mechanism (Apache §4(d) requires derivative works to keep the NOTICE — that's the jgengine.com attribution).

• Root LICENSE replaced with verbatim Apache-2.0 (boilerplate + appendix), copyright line for the JGengine authors. Same text copied into the 7 packages that carried a per-package LICENSE (core, ws, sql, react, convex, node, shell).
• New root NOTICE (project name, https://jgengine.com, copyright, §4(d) attribution line) copied alongside each of those 7 package LICENSEs so attribution travels with every tarball that shipped one.
• 11 first-party package.json license fields AGPL-3.0-only → Apache-2.0 (assets, convex, core, editor, github, jgengine, node, react, shell, sql, ws) — scripted find-replace.
• Doc/site mentions updated: CLAUDE.md, 7 package READMEs, apps/web (index.tsx, why.tsx copyleft→attribution note, Layout.tsx), and the @jgengine/github repos-mapping test fixture (repos.test.ts).
• New LICENSING.md (linked from README): what Apache-2.0 permits (commercial/closed-source OK), the jgengine.com NOTICE requirement, and that it replaces the prior AGPL copyleft.
• Not touched: third-party/ported code, asset licenses, and CREDITS.md borrowed-work entries — those keep their own licenses.

No version bumps. No stray files.

⚠️ Legal caveats (surfacing, not legal advice)

• Near-irreversible. Relicensing away from AGPL to a permissive license is effectively one-way.
• Only valid for owned copyright. External contributor commits can't be unilaterally relicensed without their consent — this assumes the maintainer holds (or has permission for) the relevant copyright.
• Third-party/ported code and assets keep their own licenses — see CREDITS.md; unaffected here.
• Interpretation taken: "permissive 2.0 with jgengine.com credit" → Apache-2.0 + NOTICE. If a different "2.0" was meant (e.g. MPL-2.0 weak copyleft), flag before merge — reviewable now.

Gate

• bun install OK
• bun run build OK
• bun scripts/check-types-all.ts — 29/29, 0 failing
• bun run test:all — 4503 pass, 1 skip, 0 fail (github license-fixture test updated to Apache-2.0)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

https://claude.ai/code/session_01Rsqgta1NfqgGj5HDcc9wAZ

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Generated by Claude Code

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
jgengine-web	Ready	Preview, Comment	Jul 16, 2026 1:29pm