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+# License
+
+Serena is **licensed per component**. The authoritative overview is the
+[`LICENSE`](https://github.com/oraios/serena/blob/main/LICENSE) file in the repository,
+and the full license texts are in [`LICENSES/`](https://github.com/oraios/serena/tree/main/LICENSES).
+
+| Component | Location | License |
+|---|---|---|
+| **SolidLSP** – language-server client library, the basis of Serena's free code-intelligence backend | `src/solidlsp`, `test/solidlsp`, `test/resources` | [MIT](https://github.com/oraios/serena/blob/main/LICENSES/MIT.txt) |
+| **Serena application** – everything else (agent, tools, MCP server, prompts, scripts, tests, docs) | `src/serena`, `src/interprompt`, `test/serena`, `scripts`, … | [GPL-3.0-or-later](https://github.com/oraios/serena/blob/main/LICENSES/GPL-3.0-or-later.txt) |
+
+Every source file carries an `SPDX-License-Identifier` line stating which license applies to it.
+
+Because MIT is compatible with the GPL, a distribution that combines both — such as the `serena-agent` package —
+is **as a whole subject to GPL-3.0-or-later**. This does not change the license of the SolidLSP files themselves:
+they remain MIT-licensed and can be extracted and used separately under MIT terms.
+
+## SolidLSP: permissive, reusable infrastructure
+
+SolidLSP is deliberately kept under the permissive MIT license so that it can be reused independently of Serena,
+in any project and under any license. Serena's licensing does not affect SolidLSP.
+
+## Serena: an application that stays free
+
+Starting with the **v2 licensing transition**, the Serena application is licensed under the
+GNU General Public License, version 3 or (at your option) any later version.
+
+### Why the change?
+
+Serena originally began under the GPL. It was later changed to MIT following community requests.
+We have come to consider that change a mistake.
+
+Version 2 introduces substantial architectural and code changes, which made this the appropriate time to reconsider.
+The central principle behind the decision is simple:
+
+> **We want the best version of Serena to remain free.**
+
+The GPL ensures that anyone who redistributes a derivative version of Serena must preserve the same software freedoms
+for its users that they received themselves.
+
+### The change is not retroactive
+
+* All Serena releases and commits up to the historical cutoff documented in `LICENSE` were released under MIT and
+  remain available under MIT.
+* Serena v2 and later application code are GPL-3.0-or-later.
+* Contributions that entered the application under MIT before the cutoff remain incorporated in the GPL-licensed
+  application; the MIT notice continues to apply to that historical code as required by its terms.
+
+## Contributing
+
+Contributions require acceptance of our
+[Contributor License Agreement](https://github.com/oraios/serena/blob/main/CLA.md), which lets you keep your
+copyright while granting the maintainers the rights needed to maintain and relicense Serena (including under
+commercial terms) in the future. Acceptance is a one-time click via the CLA assistant bot on your first pull request.
+See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/oraios/serena/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for details.