diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..129a34f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# wgautomesh
+
+`wgautomesh` is a simple utility to help configure a full-mesh wireguard network.
+It does not assume that all nodes have a publicly reachable address.  It uses a
+gossip protocol to broadcast the endpoint addresses nodes use to talk to one
+another. This way, even if nodes A and B are not able to communicate directly
+initially (both behind NAT), if they can both communicate with node C then they
+will indirectly be able to know each other's NAT-ed address and port. They will
+then try to connect to one another using those addresses, which should allow
+NAT hole punching.
+
+Features:
+
+- does not assume all nodes are publicly reachable
+- configuration very similar to `wg-quick`: each node needs a list of the credentials of all other nodes in the mesh
+- `wgautomesh` does not create a wireguard interface, it assumes it exists and merely configures the peers attached to it
+- ultra simple encrypted gossip protocol over UDP (bincode encoding + xsalsa20poly1305 symmetric encryption)
+- automatic discovery of nodes in a same LAN using UDP broadcast (if enabled, nodes will prefer connecting to one another using their LAN IP addresses when available)
+- can automatically open ports in your router using IGD/UPnP
+
+**`wgautomesh` only tries to establish connectivity to the peers specified in its config file**,
+it does not provide facilities for dynamically adding more peers like many wireguard configuration tools do.