diff --git a/.forgejo/template b/.forgejo/template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b43bf86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.forgejo/template
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+README.md
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..582be7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Add globs to files you don't want tracked to this file. Common examples
+# include "**/node_modules", "*.secret", and ".env*".
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c663a82..35843d7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,28 @@
-# template
+# $REPO_NAME_TITLE
+
+$REPO_DESCRIPTION
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+**TODO:** note any prerequisites here or delete this section
+
+## Installation
+
+**TODO:** write instructions for compiling from source and/or downloading
+
+## Development
+
+**TODO:** add any development-specific notes here
+
+## Contributing
+
+1. Fork it, if you don't have push access to this repo.
+2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b my-new-feature`)
+3. Commit your changes (`git commit -am 'Add some feature'`)
+4. Push to the branch (`git push origin my-new-feature`)
+5. Create a new Pull Request
+
+## Contributors
+
+ - [$REPO_OWNER_TITLE](https://git.tams.tech/$REPO_OWNER)
 
-A template to use when creating new repositories.
\ No newline at end of file