diff --git a/app/handoff/page.tsx b/app/handoff/page.tsx
index 5711024..58b9dbe 100644
--- a/app/handoff/page.tsx
+++ b/app/handoff/page.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { getHandoffWorkspace } from '@/lib/server/demo-data';
 import { getServerTranslator } from '@/lib/i18n/server';
 import { SubmitButton } from '@/components/submit-button';
 import Link from 'next/link';
-import { CheckIcon, HandoffIcon, PrinterIcon } from '@/components/ui-icons';
+import { CheckIcon, HandoffIcon, OrdersIcon, PrinterIcon, ProductionIcon } from '@/components/ui-icons';
 
 const shiftOptions = ['night', 'morning', 'afternoon'] as const;
 const stageOptions = ['prepared', 'shaped', 'baked', 'ready'] as const;
@@ -45,10 +45,20 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
           <h1>{t('handoff.title')}</h1>
           <p>{t('handoff.description')}</p>
         </div>
-        <Link href="/handoff/print" className="button-secondary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">
-          <PrinterIcon className="button-icon" />
-          <span>{t('printing.actions.handoffSlip')}</span>
-        </Link>
+        <div className="action-cluster">
+          <Link href="/orders/new" className="button-primary">
+            <OrdersIcon className="button-icon" />
+            <span>Create order</span>
+          </Link>
+          <Link href="/production" className="button-secondary">
+            <ProductionIcon className="button-icon" />
+            <span>Production board</span>
+          </Link>
+          <Link href="/handoff/print" className="button-secondary" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">
+            <PrinterIcon className="button-icon" />
+            <span>{t('printing.actions.handoffSlip')}</span>
+          </Link>
+        </div>
       </section>
 
       {params?.saved ? <p className="inline-success"><CheckIcon className="button-icon" />{t('handoff.savedUpdate', { item: params.saved })}</p> : null}
@@ -102,6 +112,7 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
             <span className="summary-pill">{focusWip.length} {t('common.entries')}</span>
           </div>
           <ul className="stack-list muted-list">
+            {focusWip.length === 0 ? <li><strong>No WIP recorded yet</strong><span>Use the WIP form below when prep, baked items, or packed items need to cross a shift.</span></li> : null}
             {focusWip.map((entry) => (
               <li key={entry.id}>
                 <strong>{entry.referenceLabel} · {entry.quantity} {entry.unit}</strong>
@@ -122,6 +133,7 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
             <span className="summary-pill">{view.packingWatch.length}</span>
           </div>
           <ul className="stack-list muted-list">
+            {view.packingWatch.length === 0 ? <li><strong>No packing watch items</strong><span>Orders appear here when delivery or app-delivery work still has remaining quantity.</span></li> : null}
             {view.packingWatch.map((order) => {
               const providerLabel = getProviderLabel(order, t);
               return (
@@ -152,6 +164,7 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
             <span className="summary-pill">{view.assignmentWatch.length}</span>
           </div>
           <ul className="stack-list muted-list">
+            {view.assignmentWatch.length === 0 ? <li><strong>No assignment watch items</strong><span>Own-delivery orders without an assignee appear here.</span></li> : null}
             {view.assignmentWatch.map((order) => (
               <li key={order.id}>
                   <strong>{order.customerLabel}</strong>
@@ -178,6 +191,7 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
             <span className="summary-pill">{view.pickupWatch.length}</span>
           </div>
           <ul className="stack-list muted-list">
+            {view.pickupWatch.length === 0 ? <li><strong>No pickup-ready items</strong><span>Pickup orders appear here after their quantities are completed.</span></li> : null}
             {view.pickupWatch.map((order) => (
               <li key={order.id}>
                   <strong>{order.customerLabel}</strong>
@@ -201,6 +215,7 @@ export default async function HandoffPage({
             <span className="summary-pill">{view.focusOrders.length} {t('common.orders')}</span>
           </div>
           <ul className="stack-list muted-list">
+            {view.focusOrders.length === 0 ? <li><strong>No focus-day orders</strong><span>Create an order to make handoff fulfillment checks useful.</span></li> : null}
             {view.focusOrders.map((order) => (
               <li key={order.id}>
                 <strong>{order.customerLabel}</strong>
diff --git a/app/orders/page.tsx b/app/orders/page.tsx
index 0bf0294..14bdc68 100644
--- a/app/orders/page.tsx
+++ b/app/orders/page.tsx
@@ -160,6 +160,9 @@ export default async function OrdersPage({
           <span className="summary-pill">{view.recurringTemplates.length} {t('common.templates')}</span>
         </div>
         <div className="card-grid recurring-grid">
+          {view.recurringTemplates.length === 0 ? (
+            <p className="empty-state">No recurring templates yet. Start with one-time orders; recurring demand can be added after the daily flow is working.</p>
+          ) : null}
           {view.recurringTemplates.map((template) => (
             <article key={template.id} className="subpanel page-stack">
               <div className="order-card-header">
@@ -187,6 +190,20 @@ export default async function OrdersPage({
         </div>
       </section>
 
+      {view.orderGroups.length === 0 ? (
+        <section className="page-context-card">
+          <OrdersIcon className="callout-icon" />
+          <div>
+            <strong>No orders yet</strong>
+            <p className="helper-text no-margin">Create the first real order to make the production board and handoff views useful.</p>
+            <div className="inline-action-row top-gap-small">
+              <Link href="/orders/new" className="button-primary compact-button">Create first order</Link>
+              <Link href="/customers" className="button-secondary compact-button">Confirm customers</Link>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </section>
+      ) : null}
+
       {view.orderGroups.map((group) => (
         <section key={group.productionDate} className="panel page-stack">
           <div className="table-header-row">
diff --git a/app/page.tsx b/app/page.tsx
index 11e50e0..fa3ed3b 100644
--- a/app/page.tsx
+++ b/app/page.tsx
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { detectInstanceGatewayState, shouldRouteToEntryGateway } from '@/lib/ser
 import { getServerTranslator } from '@/lib/i18n/server';
 import { readAppData } from '@/lib/server/persistence';
 import { skossBootstrapRoutes, skossCoreRoutes, skossinaRoutes, type AppPlaneRoute } from '@/lib/application-planes';
+import { getRuntimeModeLabel } from '@/lib/server/runtime-mode';
 import { ArrowRightIcon, CustomersIcon, HandoffIcon, OrdersIcon, ProductionIcon, SetupIcon, SparklesIcon, TimelineIcon } from '@/components/ui-icons';
 
 type QuickLink = {
@@ -27,6 +28,7 @@ export default async function HomePage() {
   const summary = buildWorkspaceSummary(data);
   const { currentUser, visibleWorkspaces, homeWorkspace } = userContext;
   const gatewayState = await detectInstanceGatewayState(data);
+  const runtimeModeLabel = getRuntimeModeLabel();
 
   if (shouldRouteToEntryGateway(gatewayState, Boolean(currentUser))) {
     redirect('/entry');
@@ -110,6 +112,8 @@ export default async function HomePage() {
           <span className="summary-pill">{t(`operatingModes.${summary.preferences.operatingMode}.label`)}</span>
           {currentUser ? <span className="summary-pill">{currentUser.displayName} · {t(`roles.${currentUser.role}.label`)}</span> : null}
           <span className="summary-pill">{t(`nav.${recommendedWorkspace}`)} · {t('home.recommendedFirst')}</span>
+          <span className="summary-pill">{runtimeModeLabel}</span>
+          {gatewayState.demoModeActive ? <span className="summary-pill">Demo data active</span> : null}
         </div>
         <div className="stats-grid">
           <div className="stat-card">
@@ -145,6 +149,26 @@ export default async function HomePage() {
         </div>
       </section>
 
+      <section className="panel page-stack">
+        <div className="table-header-row">
+          <div>
+            <h2>First deploy workflow</h2>
+            <p className="helper-text">For a real first test, start with customers and order capture, then use production and handoff as the daily operating loop.</p>
+          </div>
+          <span className="summary-pill">MWP path</span>
+        </div>
+        <div className="inline-action-row">
+          <Link href={skossinaRoutes.customers} className="button-secondary compact-button">Confirm customers</Link>
+          <Link href={skossinaRoutes.orders} className="button-primary compact-button">Create orders</Link>
+          <Link href={skossinaRoutes.production} className="button-secondary compact-button">Track production</Link>
+          <Link href={skossinaRoutes.handoff} className="button-secondary compact-button">Record handoff</Link>
+          <Link href={skossCoreRoutes.adminSetup} className="button-secondary compact-button">Basic setup</Link>
+        </div>
+        {gatewayState.demoModeActive ? (
+          <p className="inline-warning">This workspace is marked as demo data. Do not treat records here as live operational data.</p>
+        ) : null}
+      </section>
+
       <section className="grid-two">
         <article className="panel page-stack">
           <div className="table-header-row">
diff --git a/app/production/page.tsx b/app/production/page.tsx
index 90d3527..a426f2a 100644
--- a/app/production/page.tsx
+++ b/app/production/page.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import { SubmitButton } from '@/components/submit-button';
 import {
   CheckIcon,
   HandoffIcon,
+  OrdersIcon,
   PrinterIcon,
   ProductionIcon,
 } from '@/components/ui-icons';
@@ -56,10 +57,16 @@ export default async function ProductionPage() {
           <h1>{t('production.title')}</h1>
           <p>{t('production.description')}</p>
         </div>
-        <Link href="/handoff" className="button-secondary">
-          <HandoffIcon className="button-icon" />
-          <span>{t('production.recordWip')}</span>
-        </Link>
+        <div className="action-cluster">
+          <Link href="/orders/new" className="button-primary">
+            <OrdersIcon className="button-icon" />
+            <span>Create order</span>
+          </Link>
+          <Link href="/handoff" className="button-secondary">
+            <HandoffIcon className="button-icon" />
+            <span>{t('production.recordWip')}</span>
+          </Link>
+        </div>
       </section>
 
       {view.boards.map((board) => {
@@ -108,6 +115,20 @@ export default async function ProductionPage() {
               ))}
             </div>
 
+            {board.boardOrders.length === 0 ? (
+              <section className="page-context-card">
+                <ProductionIcon className="callout-icon" />
+                <div>
+                  <strong>No visible orders on this production board</strong>
+                  <p className="helper-text no-margin">Create an order or make sure existing orders are set to show on the production board.</p>
+                  <div className="inline-action-row top-gap-small">
+                    <Link href="/orders/new" className="button-primary compact-button">Create order</Link>
+                    <Link href="/orders" className="button-secondary compact-button">Review orders</Link>
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+              </section>
+            ) : null}
+
             <div
               className="stats-grid compact-stats-grid"
               id={`${sectionIdBase}-demand`}
@@ -404,6 +425,7 @@ export default async function ProductionPage() {
                 </span>
               </div>
               <div className="line-grid-stack">
+                {board.boardOrders.length === 0 ? <p className="empty-state">No order lines are ready for production updates yet.</p> : null}
                 {board.boardOrders.map((order) => {
                   const progress = getOrderProgress(order);
                   return (
diff --git a/docs/mwp-readiness-audit.md b/docs/mwp-readiness-audit.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ca6a3a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/mwp-readiness-audit.md
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+# MWP Readiness Audit
+
+This audit captures the minimum real workflow needed before a first deploy/test of SKOSS with a small food business. It is intentionally focused on operational readiness, not feature expansion.
+
+## Current workflow map
+
+1. `/entry` is the instance gateway. It separates new activation, existing instance sign-in, restore, demo launch, and non-production recovery tools.
+2. `/bootstrap` handles first-time activation. Required steps are admin account and workspace basics; team, rhythm, starter product, and imports are optional.
+3. `/login` opens an existing initialized workspace for active users.
+4. `/` is the SKOSSina operator home. It summarizes today, shows role-shaped workspaces, and now exposes the first-deploy workflow path: customers, orders, production, handoff, and basic setup.
+5. `/admin` and `/admin/setup` are SKOSS Core/admin surfaces for structural setup, users, imports, basic catalog/procurement memory, preferences, and module framing.
+6. `/customers` supports customer memory, customer edit/create, customer-linked order creation, and recent customer order context.
+7. `/orders` supports recurring demand review, one-time order creation, order cards by production date, and links into order editing.
+8. `/orders/new` captures orders with draft customer/product support and a default visible-on-production-board path.
+9. `/production` groups visible order demand, tracks line progress, exposes fulfillment queues, WIP snapshots, and print-friendly production output.
+10. `/handoff` records WIP and shift handoff notes, monitors fulfillment watches, and exposes print-friendly handoff output.
+
+## Blockers found
+
+No hard blocker was found in the basic route path: a user can bootstrap, sign in, add customers, create an order, see it on production, update line progress, and record handoff/WIP.
+
+The main blockers are readiness and clarity issues rather than missing infrastructure:
+
+- Empty operational states did not always tell a first-time user what to do next.
+- Runtime/demo state was clearer on `/entry` and `/admin/setup` than on the operator home.
+- Production and handoff could look empty or broken before the first order exists.
+- Product setup is still indirect. Operators can type draft products in orders and create a starter product in bootstrap, but dedicated product confirmation remains thin.
+- The app still contains demo-seed-oriented copy and example setup surfaces that could be mistaken for real operational readiness.
+
+## Rough edges
+
+- `/bootstrap` has an optional starter product step, but product/catalog management after launch is still mostly implied through order capture and setup recipe links.
+- `/orders` showed an empty recurring-demand grid even when recurring templates did not exist.
+- `/production` had good empty handling when there were no boards, but not enough guidance when a board date exists with no visible orders.
+- `/handoff` showed several empty lists without explaining what makes items appear.
+- `/admin` describes setup with suppliers/materials/recipes before customers/orders, which may overemphasize later procurement foundations for an MWP user.
+
+## Demo/dev/real-data risks
+
+- `SKOSS_RUNTIME_MODE=demo` enables destructive local reset tools and demo launch. This is useful for development but dangerous if confused with a live workspace.
+- `demoModeActive` is stored in instance state, but before this pass it was most visible at entry rather than in the operator loop.
+- Demo seed data can make the product look more complete than a fresh instance. A real first deploy needs obvious messaging when demo data is active.
+- Pilot mode is currently the default for production builds unless `SKOSS_RUNTIME_MODE=production` is set. That should be documented and verified before any hosted live use.
+
+## Must-fix before first deploy
+
+- Confirm production runtime configuration: explicitly set and verify `SKOSS_RUNTIME_MODE` for the target environment.
+- Ensure a fresh instance does not ship with demo records unless the deploy is explicitly a demo/pilot training workspace.
+- Confirm backup/restore behavior for the chosen persistence adapter and document the manual recovery path.
+- Add a product/basic catalog confirmation path or make the draft-product flow intentionally documented as the MWP path.
+- Validate login/session behavior on the actual target host with at least owner admin and one operator role.
+- Run a real scenario: create customer, create order, update production quantities, record WIP, record handoff, print/review output.
+
+## Nice-to-have after first deploy
+
+- Dedicated basic product management outside procurement/recipe setup.
+- Better guided first-run checklist on the operator home after bootstrap.
+- More complete product/catalog import or quick-add affordances.
+- More precise role onboarding for sales, kitchen, and shift lead users.
+- Better correction flows for supplier prices and recipes.
+- First lightweight backup export UI.
+
+## Explicit non-goals for first deploy
+
+Do not include these in the first deploy readiness scope:
+
+- procurement workflows
+- inventory deduction, stock ledgers, or valuation
+- WhatsApp integration
+- delivery logistics workflows
+- printing system integrations beyond browser-print output already present
+- full module marketplace behavior
+- complex permissions framework
+- deploy scripts or infrastructure automation
+
+## Stabilization applied in this pass
+
+- Added operator-home runtime/demo visibility and a first-deploy workflow card.
+- Added empty-state guidance to `/orders` for missing recurring templates and missing first orders.
+- Added production entry links and clearer empty guidance for production boards with no visible orders.
+- Added handoff entry links and empty-list guidance for WIP, packing, assignment, pickup, and focus-day order watches.
+
+## Recommended next PR
+
+Add a narrow basic product/catalog confirmation path for the MWP. Keep it separate from recipes, costing, procurement, and inventory: just enough to confirm product names, default units, active state, and variants so first deploy users are not forced to rely only on draft product text in order lines.