diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 062aba7..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,45 +0,0 @@
-name: Build and publish wiki
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]
-  workflow_dispatch:
-
-permissions:
-  contents: write
-  pages: write
-  id-token: write
-
-jobs:
-  build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up Python
-        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
-        with:
-          python-version: "3.11"
-          cache: pip
-
-      - name: Install dependencies
-        run: pip install -r requirements.txt
-
-      - name: Build site
-        run: mkdocs build --strict
-
-      - name: Upload Pages artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-pages-artifact@v3
-        with:
-          path: site
-
-  deploy:
-    needs: build
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    environment:
-      name: github-pages
-      url: ${{ steps.deployment.outputs.page_url }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Deploy to GitHub Pages
-        id: deployment
-        uses: actions/deploy-pages@v4
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 2362433..0000000
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-# GitLab Pages: build the MkDocs site and publish to GitLab Pages.
-# Triggered on every push to the default branch.
-#
-# Requirements on the GitLab project:
-#   - GitLab Pages enabled (Settings → Pages).
-#   - The default branch matches the `rules:` clause below (main).
-
-image: python:3.11-slim
-
-stages:
-  - build
-
-pages:
-  stage: build
-  before_script:
-    - pip install --quiet --upgrade pip
-    - pip install --quiet -r requirements.txt
-  script:
-    # GitLab Pages requires the published directory to be named `public/`.
-    - mkdocs build --strict --site-dir public
-  artifacts:
-    paths:
-      - public
-  rules:
-    - if: $CI_COMMIT_BRANCH == $CI_DEFAULT_BRANCH
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d880c56..effb8bc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,32 +27,24 @@ xly-wiki/
 └── .venv/                      ← gitignored Python venv
 ```
 
-## Quick start
+## Reading the wiki — localhost
+
+Two ways, both equivalent:
 
 ```bash
+# Live reload while editing (recommended)
 source .venv/bin/activate          # if .venv missing: python3 -m venv .venv && pip install -r requirements.txt
-mkdocs serve                       # http://127.0.0.1:8000 with live reload
+mkdocs serve                       # http://127.0.0.1:8000
 ```
 
-## Publishing
-
-The repo is initialised but not yet pushed to a remote. To publish:
-
 ```bash
-git remote add origin <your-remote-url>
-git push -u origin main
+# One-off build, then open the static HTML directly
+mkdocs build                       # writes site/
+open site/index.html               # macOS — or just double-click in Finder
 ```
 
-CI configs are included for both hosts — push to whichever you use:
-
-- **GitLab:** `.gitlab-ci.yml` builds and publishes to GitLab Pages
-  on every push to the default branch. Enable Pages in
-  *Project → Settings → Pages*.
-- **GitHub:** `.github/workflows/publish.yml` builds and publishes to
-  GitHub Pages. Enable in *Settings → Pages → Source: GitHub Actions*.
-
-The unused config can stay — it's harmless and keeps the wiki portable
-between hosts.
+That's the entire publish story. No CI, no remote hosting, no Pages.
+The wiki lives on this machine.
 
 ## Out-of-scope