diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 30951f1..0dd6ce3 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -10,6 +10,41 @@ Otherwise, you can of course always open an issue for us to look into.
 Please open a new issue for any feature requests you have in mind.
 Since most of the behavior comes from upstream (`deps/`), new features are usually best discussed (and landed) upstream first.
 
+## Project scope
+
+This repository packages Unix-style command-line utilities for native Windows.
+Most commands should come from one of the bundled upstream projects:
+
+* `deps/coreutils`: GNU coreutils-compatible utilities.
+* `deps/findutils`: `find` and `xargs`.
+* `deps/grep`: `grep`, `egrep`, and `fgrep`.
+
+We are not limited to GNU coreutils only. Small Windows-native commands can be
+accepted when they make the Unix-like command set more useful on Windows.
+
+The usual bar is:
+
+* It has a close equivalent on Linux or macOS.
+* That equivalent is commonly installed by default.
+* People commonly use it in scripts or ordinary shell sessions.
+* The Windows implementation is small enough to maintain here.
+* Any Windows-specific behavior can be explained clearly.
+
+For example, a small command such as `which` may fit this repository. So may a
+Windows backend for a command that already exists upstream but is currently
+Unix-only.
+
+Commands are usually out of scope when they are not installed by default on
+common Unix-like systems, are rarely used, depend on POSIX-only concepts that do
+not translate to Windows, or require a large interactive terminal UI. `top`, for
+example, is out of scope for now: it is mostly an interactive TUI, not a
+scripting utility.
+
+When a utility already belongs to an upstream uutils project, prefer adding or
+fixing the Windows backend upstream first. Code in this repository should be for
+Windows-specific glue, packaging, the multi-call wrapper, or small native
+commands that do not have a better upstream home.
+
 ## Code changes
 
 This repository is a Microsoft-maintained Windows build of upstream coreutils.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d7241d5..0de4f9d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 <h3 align="center">
   <a href="#install">Install</a>
   <span> · </span>
+  <a href="#project-scope">Project scope</a>
+  <span> · </span>
   <a href="#shell-conflicts">Shell conflicts</a>
   <span> · </span>
   <a href="#windows-caveats">Windows caveats</a>
@@ -26,6 +28,19 @@ Each command supports the standard `--help` flag for full syntax and options.
 
 <br/>
 
+## Project scope
+
+This project ships Unix-style command-line utilities for native Windows use,
+mostly from `uutils/coreutils`, `uutils/findutils`, and `uutils/grep`. We may
+also include small Windows-native commands when they match tools that are
+commonly available by default on Linux or macOS and are useful in scripts or
+normal shell use. Large interactive tools are out of scope for now.
+
+See [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](./CONTRIBUTING.md#project-scope) for the full scope
+guidelines.
+
+<br/>
+
 ## Install
 
 Install Coreutils for Windows with WinGet: