diff --git a/codex-rs/app-server/README.md b/codex-rs/app-server/README.md
index 2efd52a0f..3ec5b4517 100644
--- a/codex-rs/app-server/README.md
+++ b/codex-rs/app-server/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,16 @@
 
 `codex app-server` is the interface Codex uses to power rich interfaces such as the [Codex VS Code extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=openai.chatgpt). The message schema is currently unstable, but those who wish to build experimental UIs on top of Codex may find it valuable.
 
+## Table of Contents
+- [Protocol](#protocol)
+- [Message Schema](#message-schema)
+- [Lifecycle Overview](#lifecycle-overview)
+- [Initialization](#initialization)
+- [Core primitives](#core-primitives)
+- [Thread & turn endpoints](#thread--turn-endpoints)
+- [Auth endpoints](#auth-endpoints)
+- [Events (work-in-progress)](#v2-streaming-events-work-in-progress)
+
 ## Protocol
 
 Similar to [MCP](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/), `codex app-server` supports bidirectional communication, streaming JSONL over stdio. The protocol is JSON-RPC 2.0, though the `"jsonrpc":"2.0"` header is omitted.
@@ -15,6 +25,14 @@ codex app-server generate-ts --out DIR
 codex app-server generate-json-schema --out DIR
 ```
 
+## Lifecycle Overview
+
+- Initialize once: Immediately after launching the codex app-server process, send an `initialize` request with your client metadata, then emit an `initialized` notification. Any other request before this handshake gets rejected.
+- Start (or resume) a thread: Call `thread/start` to open a fresh conversation. The response returns the thread object and you’ll also get a `thread/started` notification. If you’re continuing an existing conversation, call `thread/resume` with its ID instead.
+- Begin a turn: To send user input, call `turn/start` with the target `threadId` and the user's input. Optional fields let you override model, cwd, sandbox policy, etc. This immediately returns the new turn object and triggers a `turn/started` notification.
+- Stream events: After `turn/start`, keep reading JSON-RPC notifications on stdout. You’ll see `item/started`, `item/completed`, deltas like `item/agentMessage/delta`, tool progress, etc. These represent streaming model output plus any side effects (commands, tool calls, reasoning notes).
+- Finish the turn: When the model is done (or the turn is interrupted via making the `turn/interrupt` call), the server sends `turn/completed` with the final turn state and token usage.
+
 ## Initialization
 
 Clients must send a single `initialize` request before invoking any other method, then acknowledge with an `initialized` notification. The server returns the user agent string it will present to upstream services; subsequent requests issued before initialization receive a `"Not initialized"` error, and repeated `initialize` calls receive an `"Already initialized"` error.
@@ -258,3 +276,33 @@ Field notes:
 - `codex app-server generate-ts --out <dir>` emits v2 types under `v2/`.
 - `codex app-server generate-json-schema --out <dir>` outputs `codex_app_server_protocol.schemas.json`.
 - See [“Authentication and authorization” in the config docs](../../docs/config.md#authentication-and-authorization) for configuration knobs.
+
+
+## Events (work-in-progress)
+
+Event notifications are the server-initiated event stream for thread lifecycles, turn lifecycles, and the items within them. After you start or resume a thread, keep reading stdout for `thread/started`, `turn/*`, and `item/*` notifications.
+
+### Turn events
+
+The app-server streams JSON-RPC notifications while a turn is running. Each turn starts with `turn/started` (initial `turn`) and ends with `turn/completed` (final `turn` plus token `usage`), and clients subscribe to the events they care about, rendering each item incrementally as updates arrive. The per-item lifecycle is always: `item/started` → zero or more item-specific deltas → `item/completed`.
+
+#### Thread items
+
+`ThreadItem` is the tagged union carried in turn responses and `item/*` notifications. Currently we support events for the following items:
+- `userMessage` — `{id, content}` where `content` is a list of user inputs (`text`, `image`, or `localImage`).
+- `agentMessage` — `{id, text}` containing the accumulated agent reply.
+- `reasoning` — `{id, summary, content}` where `summary` holds streamed reasoning summaries (applicable for most OpenAI models) and `content` holds raw reasoning blocks (applicable for e.g. open source models).
+- `mcpToolCall` — `{id, server, tool, status, arguments, result?, error?}` describing MCP calls; `status` is `inProgress`, `completed`, or `failed`.
+- `webSearch` — `{id, query}` for a web search request issued by the agent.
+
+All items emit two shared lifecycle events:
+- `item/started` — emits the full `item` when a new unit of work begins so the UI can render it immediately; the `item.id` in this payload matches the `itemId` used by deltas.
+- `item/completed` — sends the final `item` once that work finishes (e.g., after a tool call or message completes); treat this as the authoritative state.
+
+There are additional item-specific events:
+#### agentMessage
+- `item/agentMessage/delta` — appends streamed text for the agent message; concatenate `delta` values for the same `itemId` in order to reconstruct the full reply.
+#### reasoning
+- `item/reasoning/summaryTextDelta` — streams readable reasoning summaries; `summaryIndex` increments when a new summary section opens.
+- `item/reasoning/summaryPartAdded` — marks the boundary between reasoning summary sections for an `itemId`; subsequent `summaryTextDelta` entries share the same `summaryIndex`.
+- `item/reasoning/textDelta` — streams raw reasoning text (only applicable for e.g. open source models); use `contentIndex` to group deltas that belong together before showing them in the UI.