diff --git a/cmd/projax-snapshot/main.go b/cmd/projax-snapshot/main.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3eb98c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/projax-snapshot/main.go
@@ -0,0 +1,349 @@
+// projax-snapshot dumps the current projax.items + projax.item_links state
+// to a JSON file so the mBrian-side migration script (m/mBrian#73) can
+// consume it. Read-only; no schema changes; idempotent across runs.
+//
+// Phase 6 Slice 0 — first projax-side step in the mBrian-backend migration.
+// See docs/plans/mbrian-backend-migration.md §7 + §8 for the surrounding
+// context. The file shape is documented in the m/mBrian#73 issue body
+// (the two-pass node-then-edge layout the migration script expects).
+//
+// Usage:
+//
+//	projax-snapshot                          # write ./projax_snapshot.json
+//	projax-snapshot --out path/to/file.json  # custom output path
+//
+// Env: PROJAX_DB_URL or SUPABASE_DATABASE_URL — direct postgres URL into
+// msupabase (same conventions as the main projax binary).
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"flag"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"sort"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5/pgxpool"
+)
+
+// Snapshot is the top-level JSON shape mBrian-side consumes.
+type Snapshot struct {
+	Version    string      `json:"version"`     // doc-evolution marker; bump on shape changes
+	GeneratedAt time.Time  `json:"generated_at"`
+	GitCommit  string      `json:"git_commit,omitempty"` // optional build-time injection
+	Items      []Item      `json:"items"`
+	Links      []ItemLink  `json:"links"`
+	SpotChecks []SpotCheck `json:"spot_checks"` // 5 representative items per m/mBrian#73 §3
+}
+
+// Item mirrors every column on projax.items as of this commit. Field
+// order matches the SQL projection; types are JSON-friendly (uuid →
+// string, jsonb → map). Anything nullable surfaces as omitempty / *T.
+type Item struct {
+	ID                string         `json:"id"`
+	Kind              []string       `json:"kind"`
+	Title             string         `json:"title"`
+	Slug              string         `json:"slug"`
+	Paths             []string       `json:"paths"`
+	ParentIDs         []string       `json:"parent_ids"`
+	ContentMD         string         `json:"content_md"`
+	Aliases           []string       `json:"aliases"`
+	Metadata          map[string]any `json:"metadata"`
+	Status            string         `json:"status"`
+	Pinned            bool           `json:"pinned"`
+	Archived          bool           `json:"archived"`
+	StartTime         *time.Time     `json:"start_time,omitempty"`
+	EndTime           *time.Time     `json:"end_time,omitempty"`
+	Tags              []string       `json:"tags"`
+	Management        []string       `json:"management"`
+	Public            bool           `json:"public"`
+	PublicDescription string         `json:"public_description,omitempty"`
+	PublicLiveURL     string         `json:"public_live_url,omitempty"`
+	PublicSourceURL   string         `json:"public_source_url,omitempty"`
+	PublicScreenshots []string       `json:"public_screenshots,omitempty"`
+	TimelineExclude   []string       `json:"timeline_exclude,omitempty"`
+	CreatedAt         time.Time      `json:"created_at"`
+	UpdatedAt         time.Time      `json:"updated_at"`
+}
+
+// ItemLink mirrors projax.item_links. ref_type values become projax-*
+// edge rel names on the mBrian side; the payload lands in edges.metadata
+// per the issue body §1.
+type ItemLink struct {
+	ID        string         `json:"id"`
+	ItemID    string         `json:"item_id"`
+	RefType   string         `json:"ref_type"`
+	RefID     string         `json:"ref_id"`
+	Rel       string         `json:"rel"`
+	Note      *string        `json:"note,omitempty"`
+	Metadata  map[string]any `json:"metadata"`
+	EventDate *time.Time     `json:"event_date,omitempty"`
+	CreatedAt time.Time      `json:"created_at"`
+}
+
+// SpotCheck names one of the 5 representative items the mBrian-side
+// script verifies post-migration. The reason text is mirrored from
+// m/mBrian#73 §3 so future readers don't need to cross-reference.
+type SpotCheck struct {
+	ItemID string `json:"item_id"`
+	Slug   string `json:"slug"`
+	Title  string `json:"title"`
+	Reason string `json:"reason"`
+}
+
+func main() {
+	out := flag.String("out", "projax_snapshot.json", "output JSON path")
+	flag.Parse()
+
+	dbURL := os.Getenv("PROJAX_DB_URL")
+	if dbURL == "" {
+		dbURL = os.Getenv("SUPABASE_DATABASE_URL")
+	}
+	if dbURL == "" {
+		die("set PROJAX_DB_URL or SUPABASE_DATABASE_URL")
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
+	defer cancel()
+	pool, err := pgxpool.New(ctx, dbURL)
+	if err != nil {
+		die("pool: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer pool.Close()
+
+	items, err := loadItems(ctx, pool)
+	if err != nil {
+		die("load items: %v", err)
+	}
+	links, err := loadLinks(ctx, pool)
+	if err != nil {
+		die("load links: %v", err)
+	}
+	spots := pickSpotChecks(items, links)
+
+	snap := Snapshot{
+		Version:     "1",
+		GeneratedAt: time.Now().UTC(),
+		Items:       items,
+		Links:       links,
+		SpotChecks:  spots,
+	}
+
+	buf, err := json.MarshalIndent(snap, "", "  ")
+	if err != nil {
+		die("marshal: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(*out, buf, 0644); err != nil {
+		die("write %s: %v", *out, err)
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr,
+		"wrote %s — %d items, %d links, %d spot-checks\n",
+		*out, len(items), len(links), len(spots))
+}
+
+func loadItems(ctx context.Context, pool *pgxpool.Pool) ([]Item, error) {
+	rows, err := pool.Query(ctx, `
+SELECT id, kind, title, slug, paths, parent_ids, content_md, aliases,
+       metadata, status, pinned, archived, start_time, end_time,
+       tags, management,
+       public, coalesce(public_description, ''),
+       coalesce(public_live_url, ''),
+       coalesce(public_source_url, ''),
+       public_screenshots,
+       timeline_exclude,
+       created_at, updated_at
+FROM projax.items
+WHERE deleted_at IS NULL
+ORDER BY paths NULLS FIRST, slug`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	out := []Item{}
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var it Item
+		if err := rows.Scan(
+			&it.ID, &it.Kind, &it.Title, &it.Slug, &it.Paths, &it.ParentIDs,
+			&it.ContentMD, &it.Aliases, &it.Metadata, &it.Status, &it.Pinned, &it.Archived,
+			&it.StartTime, &it.EndTime, &it.Tags, &it.Management,
+			&it.Public, &it.PublicDescription, &it.PublicLiveURL, &it.PublicSourceURL,
+			&it.PublicScreenshots, &it.TimelineExclude, &it.CreatedAt, &it.UpdatedAt,
+		); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		// Normalise empty slices: pgx hands back nil for empty array
+		// columns, which renders as `null` in JSON. Coerce to [] for
+		// downstream-script ergonomics.
+		if it.Kind == nil {
+			it.Kind = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.Paths == nil {
+			it.Paths = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.ParentIDs == nil {
+			it.ParentIDs = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.Aliases == nil {
+			it.Aliases = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.Tags == nil {
+			it.Tags = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.Management == nil {
+			it.Management = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.PublicScreenshots == nil {
+			it.PublicScreenshots = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.TimelineExclude == nil {
+			it.TimelineExclude = []string{}
+		}
+		if it.Metadata == nil {
+			it.Metadata = map[string]any{}
+		}
+		out = append(out, it)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+func loadLinks(ctx context.Context, pool *pgxpool.Pool) ([]ItemLink, error) {
+	rows, err := pool.Query(ctx, `
+SELECT id, item_id, ref_type, ref_id, rel, note, metadata,
+       event_date, created_at
+FROM projax.item_links
+ORDER BY item_id, ref_type, created_at`)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	out := []ItemLink{}
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var l ItemLink
+		if err := rows.Scan(
+			&l.ID, &l.ItemID, &l.RefType, &l.RefID, &l.Rel, &l.Note,
+			&l.Metadata, &l.EventDate, &l.CreatedAt,
+		); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if l.Metadata == nil {
+			l.Metadata = map[string]any{}
+		}
+		out = append(out, l)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+// pickSpotChecks selects the 5 representative items the mBrian-side
+// migration script verifies post-migration, per m/mBrian#73 §3:
+//
+//  1. A simple root area (dev).
+//  2. A single-parent project (dev.paliad — or whichever single-parent
+//     project we can find).
+//  3. A multi-parent project (any item with >1 parent_id).
+//  4. A project with a caldav-list link.
+//  5. A project with public=true and public_description / public_live_url
+//     populated.
+//
+// Failures to find any one of the 5 are non-fatal — the SpotChecks slice
+// just shrinks. mBrian-side script logs whatever's missing.
+func pickSpotChecks(items []Item, links []ItemLink) []SpotCheck {
+	byID := map[string]*Item{}
+	for i := range items {
+		byID[items[i].ID] = &items[i]
+	}
+	caldavItems := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, l := range links {
+		if l.RefType == "caldav-list" {
+			caldavItems[l.ItemID] = true
+		}
+	}
+	out := []SpotCheck{}
+
+	// 1. Root area "dev" if present.
+	for _, it := range items {
+		if it.Slug == "dev" && len(it.ParentIDs) == 0 {
+			out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+				ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+				Reason: "root area (dev) — verify type=['project'] + metadata.projax.kind='area' round-trip",
+			})
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 2. Single-parent project — prefer dev.paliad if present, else any.
+	added2 := false
+	for _, it := range items {
+		if it.Slug == "paliad" && len(it.ParentIDs) == 1 {
+			out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+				ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+				Reason: "single-parent project (dev.paliad) — verify one child_of edge",
+			})
+			added2 = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !added2 {
+		for _, it := range items {
+			if len(it.ParentIDs) == 1 && !containsString(it.Kind, "mai-managed") {
+				out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+					ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+					Reason: "single-parent project — verify one child_of edge",
+				})
+				break
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 3. Multi-parent project — any item with cardinality(parent_ids) > 1.
+	for _, it := range items {
+		if len(it.ParentIDs) > 1 {
+			out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+				ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+				Reason: fmt.Sprintf("multi-parent project (%d parents) — verify all child_of edges land", len(it.ParentIDs)),
+			})
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 4. Project with a caldav-list link.
+	for _, it := range items {
+		if caldavItems[it.ID] {
+			out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+				ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+				Reason: "caldav-list-linked project — verify edges.metadata.url payload round-trip",
+			})
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 5. Project with public=true + public_description populated.
+	for _, it := range items {
+		if it.Public && it.PublicDescription != "" {
+			out = append(out, SpotCheck{
+				ItemID: it.ID, Slug: it.Slug, Title: it.Title,
+				Reason: "public-listing project — verify metadata.projax.public.* bundle preserved for flexsiebels renderer",
+			})
+			break
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Stable order for deterministic output.
+	sort.SliceStable(out, func(i, j int) bool { return out[i].Slug < out[j].Slug })
+	return out
+}
+
+func containsString(haystack []string, needle string) bool {
+	for _, s := range haystack {
+		if s == needle {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func die(format string, args ...any) {
+	fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, format+"\n", args...)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}