diff --git a/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.agent.md b/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.agent.md
index 4faafbb58..280f90ff7 100644
--- a/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.agent.md
+++ b/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.agent.md
@@ -1,52 +1,107 @@
 ---
 title: "Project Meta Sync Agent Spec"
-version: "v1.0"
-last_updated: "2025-10-21"
+version: "v1.1"
+last_updated: "2025-11-13"
 author: "LightSpeed"
 maintainer: "Ash Shaw"
-description: "Spec for the Project Meta Sync Agent."
-tags: ["lightspeed","project","meta","agents"]
+description: "Spec for the Project Meta Sync Agent that maps labels and branch conventions to GitHub ProjectV2 fields."
+tags: ["lightspeed","project","meta","agents","automation"]
 type: "agent"
+references:
+  - ".github/automation/project-fields.yml"
+  - ".github/automation/project-labeler.yml"
+  - ".github/automation/labels.yml"
+  - "schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json"
+  - ".github/workflows/project-meta-sync.yml"
+  - ".github/agents/project-meta-sync.js"
 ---
 
 # Role
-Sync project board meta fields (Status, Priority, Type) from labels and branch names.
+Sync GitHub ProjectV2 fields (Status, Priority, Type, Area, etc.) from labels and branch name conventions.
 
 # Purpose
-- Keep GitHub Projects and issues/PRs in sync.
-- Automate project field updates based on repo activity.
+- Keep GitHub Projects V2 and issues/PRs in sync automatically.
+- Automate project field updates based on repository activity.
+- Provide a single source of truth for project field mappings via `.github/automation/project-fields.yml`.
 
 # Type of Task
-- Add new items to project on issue/PR events.
-- Map labels/branches to project fields.
+- Add new items to project board on issue/PR events.
+- Map labels and branch patterns to ProjectV2 fields using canonical mapping.
+- Sync field values non-destructively (preserve manual changes unless override flag present).
 
 # Process
-- Trigger on issue/PR open/edit/label.
-- Use mapping rules to set Status, Priority, Type.
-- Update project fields via API.
+1. Trigger on issue/PR open/edit/label/unlabel/close events.
+2. Load canonical field mappings from `.github/automation/project-fields.yml`.
+3. Derive field values using:
+   - Label-based mapping (e.g., `status:in-progress` → Status: "In progress")
+   - Branch-based mapping (e.g., `feat/*` → Type: "Feature")
+   - Event-based mapping (e.g., closed + merged → Status: "Done")
+4. Update ProjectV2 fields via GraphQL API.
+5. Log all changes for audit trail.
 
 # Constraints
-- Must not overwrite manual changes without warning.
-- Support per-project mapping config.
+- Must not overwrite manual field changes without explicit override (via `meta:auto-sync` label).
+- Support per-project field mapping configurations (via `types` in project-fields.yml).
+- Enforce single status label per issue/PR (warn or auto-tidy multiple status labels).
+- Validate all mappings against JSON schema (`schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json`).
 
 # What to do
-- Ensure project fields are always up to date with labels.
+- Ensure ProjectV2 fields are always synchronized with canonical labels and branch conventions.
+- Use `.github/automation/project-fields.yml` as the single source of truth for field definitions.
+- Reference `.github/automation/project-labeler.yml` for label-to-field mapping rules.
+- Log all field updates with timestamps and triggering events.
 
-# What not do
-- Do not remove items from project without confirmation.
+# What not to do
+- Do not remove items from project board without explicit confirmation.
+- Do not bypass manual field changes unless `meta:auto-sync` label is present.
+- Do not create duplicate status labels (enforce single status label rule).
 
 # Best Practices
-- Log all changes.
-- Allow per-repo/project config.
+- Log all changes with event context (issue/PR number, triggering action, old/new values).
+- Allow per-repository and per-project configuration overrides.
+- Validate project-fields.yml against schema before applying changes.
+- Use GraphQL batching for efficient field updates.
+- Provide clear error messages and warnings for mapping conflicts.
 
 # Guardrails
-- Notify maintainers on mapping conflicts.
-- Provide rollback/audit if possible.
+- Notify maintainers on mapping conflicts or schema validation failures.
+- Provide rollback capability via audit log.
+- Rate-limit API calls to prevent quota exhaustion.
+- Skip updates if field values haven't changed (idempotent operations).
 
 # Checklist
-- [ ] Items added to project.
-- [ ] Meta fields synced.
+- [ ] Items added to project board for new issues/PRs.
+- [ ] Status field synced from labels and event state.
+- [ ] Priority field synced from labels and branch patterns.
+- [ ] Type field synced from branch prefix or labels.
+- [ ] Area field synced from file changes (if configured).
+- [ ] Manual changes preserved (unless override present).
+- [ ] Single status label enforced.
+- [ ] All changes logged for audit.
 
 # Outputs
-- Project board updates.
-- Sync logs.
\ No newline at end of file
+- ProjectV2 field updates via GraphQL API.
+- Audit logs (JSON format) with timestamps, event context, and field changes.
+- Warnings for mapping conflicts or validation errors.
+
+# Configuration Files
+- **`.github/automation/project-fields.yml`**: Canonical project field definitions (source of truth)
+- **`.github/automation/project-labeler.yml`**: Label mapping rules (harmonised with labels.yml)
+- **`.github/automation/labels.yml`**: Canonical label definitions
+- **`schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json`**: JSON Schema for field validation
+- **`.github/workflows/project-meta-sync.yml`**: Workflow trigger configuration
+- **`.github/agents/project-meta-sync.js`**: Agent implementation (Node.js)
+
+# Field Mapping Examples
+| Label/Branch | Field | Value |
+|--------------|-------|-------|
+| `status:in-progress` | Status | "In progress" |
+| `status:needs-review` | Status | "In review" |
+| `priority:critical` | Priority | "Critical" |
+| `feat/*` branch | Type | "Feature" |
+| `fix/*` branch | Type | "Bug" |
+| `hotfix/*` branch | Priority | "Critical" |
+| closed + merged | Status | "Done" |
+
+# Override Mechanism
+Add the `meta:auto-sync` label to allow the agent to overwrite manual field changes. Without this label, the agent will only update empty fields or fields set to default values.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.js b/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.js
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..969b38a2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/agents/project-meta-sync.js
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * Project Meta Sync Agent
+ *
+ * Maps labels/branch conventions to ProjectV2 fields (Status, Priority, Type)
+ * and updates the corresponding item. Non-destructive by default.
+ *
+ * @author LightSpeed
+ * @requires @octokit/graphql, js-yaml, fs
+ * @see .github/agents/project-meta-sync.agent.md
+ */
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const { graphql } = require('@octokit/graphql');
+const yaml = require('js-yaml');
+
+// Parse CLI args
+const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+const eventName = args.find(a => a.startsWith('--event'))?.split('=')[1];
+const payloadPath = args.find(a => a.startsWith('--payload'))?.split('=')[1];
+
+if (
+  !eventName || typeof eventName !== 'string' || eventName.trim() === '' ||
+  !payloadPath || typeof payloadPath !== 'string' || payloadPath.trim() === ''
+) {
+  console.error('Usage: project-meta-sync.js --event=<event_name> --payload=<path_to_payload>');
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// Load event payload
+let event;
+try {
+  event = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(payloadPath, 'utf8'));
+} catch (e) {
+  console.error('Failed to parse event payload:', e.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// Environment
+const GITHUB_TOKEN = process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN;
+
+if (!GITHUB_TOKEN) {
+  console.error('❌ GITHUB_TOKEN not set');
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// GraphQL client
+
+/**
+ * Load canonical project fields mapping (if present)
+ * TODO: Implement loading of normalized mapping dictionary
+ */
+function loadFieldsMapping() {
+  const fieldsPath = path.resolve('.github/automation/project-fields.yml');
+  if (fs.existsSync(fieldsPath)) {
+    return yaml.load(fs.readFileSync(fieldsPath, 'utf8'));
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Derive Status from labels and event
+ */
+function deriveStatus(labels, eventName, eventAction, isMerged = false) {
+  const labelNames = labels.map(l => l.name || l);
+
+  // Check status labels
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'status:in-progress')) return 'In progress';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'status:needs-review')) return 'In review';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'status:needs-qa')) return 'In QA';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'status:blocked')) return 'Blocked';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'status:ready')) return 'Ready';
+
+  // Check closed/merged events
+  if (eventAction === 'closed') {
+    if (eventName === 'issues') return 'Done';
+    if (eventName === 'pull_request' && isMerged) return 'Done';
+  }
+
+  // Default to Triage
+  return 'Triage';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Derive Priority from labels
+ */
+function derivePriority(labels) {
+  const labelNames = labels.map(l => l.name || l);
+
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'priority:critical')) return 'Critical';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'priority:important')) return 'Important';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'priority:normal')) return 'Normal';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'priority:minor')) return 'Minor';
+
+  return null; // No priority set
+}
+
+/**
+ * Derive Type from branch name or labels
+ */
+function deriveType(branchName, labels) {
+  // Try branch conventions first
+  if (branchName) {
+    if (branchName.startsWith('feat/')) return 'Feature';
+    if (branchName.startsWith('fix/')) return 'Bug';
+    if (branchName.startsWith('doc/') || branchName.startsWith('docs/')) return 'Documentation';
+    if (branchName.startsWith('chore/') || branchName.startsWith('build/')) return 'Task';
+  }
+
+  // Try labels
+  const labelNames = labels.map(l => l.name || l);
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'type:feature')) return 'Feature';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'type:bug')) return 'Bug';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'type:documentation')) return 'Documentation';
+  if (labelNames.some(l => l === 'type:task')) return 'Task';
+
+  return null; // No type set
+}
+
+/**
+ * Main sync logic
+ */
+async function sync() {
+  console.log(`project-meta-sync: handling ${eventName} event`);
+
+  // Extract item details from event
+  const item = event.issue || event.pull_request;
+  if (!item) {
+    console.log('No issue or PR in event payload');
+    return;
+  }
+
+  const labels = item.labels || [];
+  const branchName = event.pull_request?.head?.ref || null;
+  const eventAction = event.action;
+  const isMerged = event.pull_request?.merged || false;
+
+  // Derive field values
+  const status = deriveStatus(labels, eventName, eventAction, isMerged);
+  const priority = derivePriority(labels);
+  const type = deriveType(branchName, labels);
+
+  console.log(`Derived fields:`, { status, priority, type });
+
+  // TODO: Enforce single status:* label (warn or auto-tidy)
+  const statusLabels = labels.filter(l => (l.name || l).startsWith('status:'));
+  if (statusLabels.length > 1) {
+    console.warn(`[WARN] Multiple status labels found: ${statusLabels.map(l => l.name || l).join(', ')}`);
+    console.warn('Consider using label-sync to enforce single status label');
+  }
+
+  // TODO: Use GraphQL to upsert ProjectV2 item & fields
+  // For now, just log what would be updated
+  console.log(`Would update ProjectV2 item for ${item.html_url}:`);
+  console.log(`  Status: ${status}`);
+  if (priority) console.log(`  Priority: ${priority}`);
+  if (type) console.log(`  Type: ${type}`);
+
+  // TODO: Guard against overwriting manual fields unless override label present
+  const hasOverride = labels.some(l => (l.name || l) === 'meta:auto-sync');
+  if (!hasOverride) {
+    console.log('ℹ️  No override label (meta:auto-sync) - would check for manual changes');
+  }
+
+  // TODO: Load normalized mapping dictionary if present
+  const fieldsMapping = loadFieldsMapping();
+  if (fieldsMapping) {
+    console.log('✅ Loaded project fields mapping');
+  }
+}
+
+// Run
+sync().catch(err => {
+  console.error('❌ Error:', err.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+});
diff --git a/.github/automation/project-fields.yml b/.github/automation/project-fields.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..55f30bf10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/automation/project-fields.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,228 @@
+schema: 1
+types:
+  product-development:
+    project_name: product-development
+    fields:
+      - key: Theme
+        slug: theme
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Design System
+          - Content Management
+          - Commerce (WooCommerce)
+          - Editorial UX (Authoring)
+          - Performance
+          - Accessibility (A11y)
+          - Security & Privacy
+          - Integrations & APIs
+          - Internationalisation (i18n)
+          - Analytics & Measurement
+          - SEO
+          - Release & Deployment
+      - key: Area
+        slug: area
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Frontend
+          - Backend
+          - Build & CI
+          - Deployment/DevOps
+          - Design System
+          - Analytics
+          - A11y
+      - key: Priority
+        slug: priority
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - High
+          - Medium
+          - Low
+      - key: Severity
+        slug: severity
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - S0  Blocker
+          - S1  Critical
+          - S2  Major
+          - S3  Minor
+          - S4  Trivial
+      - key: Size
+        slug: size
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - 0  Unknown
+          - 1  XS
+          - 2  S
+          - 3  M
+          - 4  L
+          - 5  XL
+          - 6  XXL
+      - key: Release type
+        slug: release-type
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Major
+          - Minor
+          - Patch
+          - Hotfix
+      - key: Story Points
+        slug: story-points
+        type: number
+      - key: Due Date
+        slug: due-date
+        type: date
+      - key: Assignee
+        slug: assignee
+        type: text
+  client-delivery:
+    project_name: client-delivery
+    fields:
+      - key: Theme
+        slug: theme
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Design System
+          - Content Management
+          - Commerce (WooCommerce)
+          - Editorial UX (Authoring)
+          - Performance
+          - Accessibility (A11y)
+          - Security & Privacy
+          - Integrations & APIs
+          - Internationalisation (i18n)
+          - Analytics & Measurement
+          - SEO
+          - Release & Deployment
+      - key: Area
+        slug: area
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Frontend
+          - Backend
+          - Build & CI
+          - Deployment/DevOps
+          - Design System
+          - Content
+          - Analytics
+          - A11y
+      - key: Priority
+        slug: priority
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - High
+          - Medium
+          - Low
+      - key: Severity
+        slug: severity
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - S0  Blocker
+          - S1  Critical
+          - S2  Major
+          - S3  Minor
+          - S4  Trivial
+      - key: Size
+        slug: size
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - 0  Unknown
+          - 1  XS
+          - 2  S
+          - 3  M
+          - 4  L
+          - 5  XL
+          - 6  XXL
+      - key: Phase
+        slug: phase
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Pre-launch
+          - Post-launch
+      - key: Story Points
+        slug: story-points
+        type: number
+      - key: Due Date
+        slug: due-date
+        type: date
+      - key: Assignee
+        slug: assignee
+        type: text
+  project-dev:
+    project_name: project-dev
+    fields:
+      - key: Theme
+        slug: theme
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Design System
+          - Content Management
+          - Commerce (WooCommerce)
+          - Editorial UX (Authoring)
+          - Performance
+          - Accessibility (A11y)
+          - Security & Privacy
+          - Integrations & APIs
+          - Internationalisation (i18n)
+          - Analytics & Measurement
+          - SEO
+          - Release & Deployment
+      - key: Area
+        slug: area
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Frontend
+          - Backend
+          - Build & CI
+          - Deployment/DevOps
+          - Design System
+          - Analytics
+          - A11y
+      - key: Priority
+        slug: priority
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - High
+          - Medium
+          - Low
+      - key: Severity
+        slug: severity
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - S0  Blocker
+          - S1  Critical
+          - S2  Major
+          - S3  Minor
+          - S4  Trivial
+      - key: Size
+        slug: size
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - 0  Unknown
+          - 1  XS
+          - 2  S
+          - 3  M
+          - 4  L
+          - 5  XL
+          - 6  XXL
+      - key: Release type
+        slug: release-type
+        type: single_select
+        options:
+          - Minor
+          - Patch
+          - Hotfix
+      - key: Milestone
+        slug: milestone
+        type: text
+      - key: Estimate
+        slug: estimate
+        type: number
+      - key: Start Date
+        slug: start-date
+        type: date
+      - key: Deadline
+        slug: deadline
+        type: date
+      - key: Assignee
+        slug: assignee
+        type: text
diff --git a/.github/automation/project-labeler.yml b/.github/automation/project-labeler.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5cdf856ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/automation/project-labeler.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
+# Canonical Project Labeler (Issues + PRs)
+# Maps branch patterns, file changes, and content patterns to canonical labels
+# Harmonised with labels.yml and replaces project-pr-labeler.yml
+# All labels reference the canonical definitions in labels.yml
+
+# Status labels (map to Status field in ProjectV2)
+"status:needs-review":
+  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*', '^fix/.*', '^docs?/.*', '^(chore|build|refactor|test|perf|ci|release|hotfix|design|a11y|qa|content|seo|config|migrate|uat|proto|ds|api|schema|telemetry)/.*']
+
+# Priority labels (map to Priority field in ProjectV2)
+"priority:critical":
+  - head-branch: ['^hotfix/.*']
+"priority:normal":
+  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*', '^fix/.*', '^docs/.*', '^chore/.*']
+
+# Type labels (map to Type field in ProjectV2)
+"type:feature":
+  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*']
+"type:bug":
+  - head-branch: ['^fix/.*', '^hotfix/.*']
+"type:documentation":
+  - head-branch: ['^docs/.*']
+"type:chore":
+  - head-branch: ['^chore/.*', '^build/.*', '^ci/.*']
+"type:refactor":
+  - head-branch: ['^refactor/.*']
+"type:test":
+  - head-branch: ['^test/.*']
+"type:performance":
+  - head-branch: ['^perf/.*']
+"type:design":
+  - head-branch: ['^design/.*']
+"type:a11y":
+  - head-branch: ['^a11y/.*']
+"type:qa":
+  - head-branch: ['^qa/.*', '^uat/.*']
+"type:security":
+  - head-branch: ['^security/.*']
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['security/**/*']
+"type:release":
+  - head-branch: ['^release/.*']
+"type:content-modelling":
+  - head-branch: ['^content/.*', '^schema/.*']
+"type:ai-ops":
+  - head-branch: ['^telemetry/.*', '^analytics/.*']
+"type:integration":
+  - head-branch: ['^api/.*', '^integration/.*']
+"type:research":
+  - head-branch: ['^research/.*', '^proto/.*']
+
+# Area labels (map to Area field in ProjectV2)
+"area:block-editor":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['src/blocks/**', 'src/block-editor/**', '**/block.json', 'comp:block-editor/**']
+"area:theme":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/theme.json', '**/templates/**', '**/patterns/**', '**/parts/**', 'theme/**/*', 'style.css', 'functions.php', 'assets/**/*', 'design-system/**/*']
+"area:ci":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['.github/workflows/**', '.github/actions/**', 'ci/**/*']
+"area:documentation":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*.md', '**/*.txt', 'docs/**', 'README.md', '**/README.md', 'CHANGELOG.md', '**/CHANGELOG.md']
+"area:tests":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['tests/**/*', '**/*.test.*', '**/*.spec.*', '**/__tests__/**', 'playwright.config.js', '.github/linters/phpunit.xml']
+"area:scripts":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['scripts/**/*', '**/*.sh', '**/*.bash', 'utility/**/*']
+"area:assets":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['assets/**/*', 'images/**/*', '**/*.png', '**/*.jpg', '**/*.jpeg', '**/*.gif', '**/*.svg', '**/*.ico', '**/*.webp']
+"area:woocommerce":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['woocommerce/**/*', '**/woocommerce*.css', '**/woocommerce*.php', '**/woocommerce*.js']
+"area:core":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['src/core/**', 'core/**/*']
+
+# Language labels
+"lang:php":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*.php', 'composer.json', 'composer.lock', 'phpunit.xml']
+"lang:javascript":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*.{js,jsx,ts,tsx}', 'package.json', 'package-lock.json', 'tsconfig.json']
+"lang:css":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*.{css,scss,sass,less}']
+
+# Release type labels (map to Release Type field in ProjectV2)
+"release:major":
+  - head-branch: ['^release/major/.*', '^release/v?[0-9]+\\.0\\.0.*']
+"release:minor":
+  - head-branch: ['^release/minor/.*', '^release/v?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.0.*']
+"release:patch":
+  - head-branch: ['^release/patch/.*', '^patch/.*', '^release/v?[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[1-9].*']
+
+# Meta labels
+"meta:needs-changelog":
+  - changed-files:
+      all-globs-to-any-file: ['!CHANGELOG.md', '!**/CHANGELOG.md', '**/*.{php,js,jsx,ts,tsx,css,scss}']
+"meta:changelog":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['CHANGELOG.md', '**/CHANGELOG.md']
+
+# Contributor labels
+"contrib:good-first-issue":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"contrib:help-wanted":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+
+# Additional area/component labels from project-pr-labeler
+"area:analytics":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['analytics/**/*']
+"area:forms":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['forms/**/*']
+"area:gallery":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['gallery/**/*']
+"area:emails":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['emails/**/*']
+"area:navigation":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['navigation/**/*']
+"area:configuration":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['.github/**/*.yml', '.github/**/*.yaml', '.github/linters/**/*', '.stylelintrc.json', '.eslintrc.json', 'phpcs.xml', 'phpunit.xml', 'webpack.config.js', '*.json', '*.yml', '*.yaml', '.editorconfig', '.gitignore']
+"area:monitoring":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['monitoring/**/*']
+
+# Pattern, Template, Block labels
+"pattern":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['patterns/**/*']
+"template":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['templates/**/*', 'parts/**/*']
+"template-part":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['template-parts/**/*']
+"block":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['src/blocks/**/*', '**/block.json']
+
+# Theme tokens
+"theme:tokens":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['theme.json', 'tokens/*.json', 'design-system/tokens/**/*']
+
+# Build
+"build":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['build/**/*']
+
+# Device, Environment, Phase, Page labels
+"device:mobile":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*mobile*.*']
+"device:desktop":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*desktop*.*']
+"device:tablet-landscape":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*tablet-landscape*.*']
+"device:tablet-portrait":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*tablet-portrait*.*']
+"layout:grid":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/grid*.*']
+"env:staging":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*staging*.*']
+"env:live":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*live*.*']
+"phase:post-launch":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*post-launch*.*']
+"phase:pre-launch":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*pre-launch*.*']
+"page:home":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*home*.*']
+"page:faq":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['**/*faq*.*']
+
+# Additional type labels
+"type:compliance":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['compliance/**/*']
+"type:accessibility-audit":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['a11y/**/*', 'accessibility/**/*']
+"type:deprecation":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['deprecate/**/*']
+"type:audit":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['audit/**/*']
+
+# Additional release labels
+"release:hotfix":
+  - head-branch: ['^hotfix/.*']
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['hotfix/**/*']
+"release:beta":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['beta/**/*']
+"release:rc":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: ['rc/**/*']
+
+# Discussion labels (for reference/documentation)
+"discussion:announcement":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:showcase":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:community":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:feedback":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:support":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:sponsorship":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+"discussion:partnership":
+  - changed-files:
+      any-glob-to-any-file: []
+
+# Note: Status labels like 'status:in-progress', 'status:blocked', 'status:needs-qa'
+# are better managed through the project-meta-sync workflow based on label changes
+# and issue/PR state, rather than file patterns.
diff --git a/.github/automation/project-pr-labeler.yml b/.github/automation/project-pr-labeler.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index b6f3dba25..000000000
--- a/.github/automation/project-pr-labeler.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,257 +0,0 @@
-# Expanded PR labeler config for documented workflow
-
-# Documentation
-area:documentation:
-  - '**/*.md'
-  - '**/*.txt'
-  - 'docs/**/*'
-  - 'README.md'
-  - 'CHANGELOG.md'
-  - '**/README.md'
-  - '**/CHANGELOG.md'
-
-# Theme & Design System
-area:theme:
-  - 'style.css'
-  - 'theme.json'
-  - 'functions.php'
-  - 'assets/**/*'
-  - 'theme/**/*'
-  - 'design-system/**/*'
-
-theme:tokens:
-  - 'theme.json'
-  - 'tokens/*.json'
-  - 'design-system/tokens/**/*'
-
-# Patterns & Templates
-pattern:
-  - 'patterns/**/*'
-template:
-  - 'templates/**/*'
-  - 'parts/**/*'
-template-part:
-  - 'template-parts/**/*'
-block:
-  - 'src/blocks/**/*'
-  - '**/block.json'
-
-# CSS & JS
-lang:css:
-  - '**/*.css'
-  - '**/*.scss'
-  - '**/*.sass'
-  - '**/*.less'
-lang:js:
-  - '**/*.js'
-  - '**/*.jsx'
-  - '**/*.ts'
-  - '**/*.tsx'
-  - 'package.json'
-  - 'package-lock.json'
-  - 'tsconfig.json'
-
-# PHP & Test Files
-lang:php:
-  - '**/*.php'
-  - 'composer.json'
-  - 'composer.lock'
-  - 'phpunit.xml'
-test:
-  - 'tests/**/*'
-  - 'playwright.config.js'
-  - '.github/linters/phpunit.xml'
-  - '**/*.spec.*'
-  - '**/*.test.*'
-  - '**/__tests__/**'
-
-# Build, Scripts, Utility
-build:
-  - 'build/**/*'
-area:scripts:
-  - 'scripts/**/*'
-  - '**/*.sh'
-  - '**/*.bash'
-  - 'utility/**/*'
-
-# Configuration & Ops
-area:configuration:
-  - '.github/**/*.yml'
-  - '.github/**/*.yaml'
-  - '.github/linters/**/*'
-  - '.stylelintrc.json'
-  - '.eslintrc.json'
-  - 'phpcs.xml'
-  - 'phpunit.xml'
-  - 'webpack.config.js'
-  - '*.json'
-  - '*.yml'
-  - '*.yaml'
-  - '.editorconfig'
-  - '.gitignore'
-  - 'package.json'
-  - 'package-lock.json'
-  - 'composer.json'
-  - 'composer.lock'
-
-area:ci:
-  - '.github/workflows/**'
-  - '.github/actions/**'
-  - 'ci/**/*'
-
-# Assets
-area:assets:
-  - 'assets/**/*'
-  - 'images/**/*'
-  - '**/*.png'
-  - '**/*.jpg'
-  - '**/*.jpeg'
-  - '**/*.gif'
-  - '**/*.svg'
-  - '**/*.ico'
-  - '**/*.webp'
-
-# WooCommerce
-area:woocommerce:
-  - 'woocommerce/**/*'
-  - '**/woocommerce*.css'
-  - '**/woocommerce*.php'
-  - '**/woocommerce*.js'
-
-# Milestones, Changelog, Release
-meta:changelog:
-  - 'CHANGELOG.md'
-  - '**/CHANGELOG.md'
-release:patch:
-  - 'patch/**/*'
-release:hotfix:
-  - 'hotfix/**/*'
-release:beta:
-  - 'beta/**/*'
-release:rc:
-  - 'rc/**/*'
-
-# Security, Compliance, Accessibility, Deprecation
-type:security:
-  - 'security/**/*'
-type:compliance:
-  - 'compliance/**/*'
-type:accessibility-audit:
-  - 'a11y/**/*'
-  - 'accessibility/**/*'
-type:deprecation:
-  - 'deprecate/**/*'
-
-# Monitoring, Audit, QA
-area:monitoring:
-  - 'monitoring/**/*'
-type:audit:
-  - 'audit/**/*'
-type:qa:
-  - 'qa/**/*'
-
-# Device, Layout, Environment, Phase, Page
-device:mobile:
-  - '**/*mobile*.*'
-device:desktop:
-  - '**/*desktop*.*'
-device:tablet-landscape:
-  - '**/*tablet-landscape*.*'
-device:tablet-portrait:
-  - '**/*tablet-portrait*.*'
-layout:grid:
-  - '**/grid*.*'
-env:staging:
-  - '**/staging*.*'
-env:live:
-  - '**/live*.*'
-phase:post-launch:
-  - '**/post-launch*.*'
-phase:pre-launch:
-  - '**/pre-launch*.*'
-page:home:
-  - '**/home*.*'
-page:faq:
-  - '**/faq*.*'
-
-# Add comp:*/area:* for routing
-comp:block-editor:
-  - 'src/block-editor/**/*'
-comp:theme-json:
-  - 'theme.json'
-comp:template-parts:
-  - 'template-parts/**/*'
-area:analytics:
-  - 'analytics/**/*'
-area:forms:
-  - 'forms/**/*'
-area:gallery:
-  - 'gallery/**/*'
-area:integration:
-  - 'integration/**/*'
-area:emails:
-  - 'emails/**/*'
-area:navigation:
-  - 'navigation/**/*'
-area:slider:
-  - 'slider/**/*'
-area:testimonials:
-  - 'testimonials/**/*'
-
-# Priority, Status, Type (via branch)
-priority:critical:
-  - head-branch: ['^hotfix/.*']
-priority:normal:
-  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*', '^fix/.*', '^docs/.*', '^chore/.*']
-
-status:needs-review:
-  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*', '^fix/.*', '^docs?/.*', '^(chore|build|refactor|test|perf|ci|release|hotfix|design|a11y|qa|content|seo|config|migrate|uat|proto|ds|api|schema|telemetry)/.*']
-
-type:feature:
-  - head-branch: ['^feat/.*']
-type:bug:
-  - head-branch: ['^fix/.*', '^hotfix/.*']
-type:chore:
-  - head-branch: ['^chore/.*', '^build/.*', '^ci/.*']
-type:refactor:
-  - head-branch: ['^refactor/.*']
-type:test:
-  - head-branch: ['^test/.*']
-type:documentation:
-  - head-branch: ['^docs/.*']
-type:performance:
-  - head-branch: ['^perf/.*']
-type:design:
-  - head-branch: ['^design/.*']
-type:a11y:
-  - head-branch: ['^a11y/.*']
-type:qa:
-  - head-branch: ['^qa/.*', '^uat/.*']
-type:content:
-  - head-branch: ['^content/.*']
-type:seo:
-  - head-branch: ['^seo/.*']
-type:config:
-  - head-branch: ['^config/.*']
-type:migrate:
-  - head-branch: ['^migrate/.*']
-type:proto:
-  - head-branch: ['^proto/.*']
-type:ds:
-  - head-branch: ['^ds/.*']
-type:api:
-  - head-branch: ['^api/.*']
-type:schema:
-  - head-branch: ['^schema/.*']
-type:telemetry:
-  - head-branch: ['^telemetry/.*', '^analytics/.*']
-type:i18n:
-  - head-branch: ['^i18n/.*']
-type:ops:
-  - head-branch: ['^ops/.*']
-type:ux:
-  - head-branch: ['^ux/.*']
-
-# For product-specific prefixes from your workflow (optional)
-type:research:
-  - head-branch: ['^research/.*']
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update-project-fields.yml b/.github/workflows/update-project-fields.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f028c5b07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/update-project-fields.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+---
+name: Update Project Fields
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [develop]
+    paths:
+      - 'scripts/projects/fixtures/**'
+      - 'scripts/projects/build-project-fields-yml.sh'
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: develop
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: |
+          sudo apt-get update
+          sudo apt-get install -y jq
+
+      - name: Install yq
+        uses: mikefarah/yq@6d4e6c6e0e2e2c1e2b7bde7cba1cc7a1c1b1c1b1
+
+      - name: Build canonical YAML
+        run: bash scripts/projects/build-project-fields-yml.sh
+
+      - name: Check for changes
+        id: check
+        run: |
+          if [[ -n "$(git status --porcelain .github/automation/project-fields.yml)" ]]; then
+            echo "has_changes=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "has_changes=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Commit updated YAML
+        if: steps.check.outputs.has_changes == 'true'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+          git add .github/automation/project-fields.yml
+          cat > commit-message.txt <<'EOF'
+          chore: rebuild project-fields.yml from fixtures
+
+          Automated rebuild triggered by changes to CSV fixtures in scripts/projects/fixtures/
+
+          Co-authored-by: github-actions[bot] <41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
+          EOF
+          git commit -F commit-message.txt
+          git push
+
+      - name: Summary
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ steps.check.outputs.has_changes }}" == "true" ]]; then
+            echo "✅ Updated project-fields.yml"
+          else
+            echo "✅ No changes detected"
+          fi
diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate-project-fields.yml b/.github/workflows/validate-project-fields.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..229452757
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate-project-fields.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+---
+name: Validate Project Fields
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [develop]
+    paths:
+      - '.github/automation/project-fields.yml'
+      - 'schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json'
+      - 'scripts/projects/**'
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: read
+jobs:
+  validate:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20'
+
+      - name: Check for package.json
+        id: check_package
+        run: |
+          if [[ -f package.json ]]; then
+            echo "has_package=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "has_package=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Install dependencies (npm ci)
+        if: steps.check_package.outputs.has_package == 'true'
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Install dependencies (manual)
+        if: steps.check_package.outputs.has_package == 'false'
+        run: |
+          npm init -y
+          npm install js-yaml ajv
+
+      - name: Validate YAML against schema
+        run: node scripts/projects/validate-project-fields.js
+
+      - name: Summary
+        run: echo "✅ Project fields validation passed"
diff --git a/schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json b/schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9ce7be0ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
+  "title": "Project Fields",
+  "type": "object",
+  "required": ["schema", "types"],
+  "properties": {
+    "schema": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 1 },
+    "types": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "required": ["project_name", "fields"],
+        "properties": {
+          "project_name": { "type": "string", "minLength": 1 },
+          "fields": {
+            "type": "array",
+            "items": {
+              "type": "object",
+              "required": ["key", "slug", "type"],
+              "properties": {
+                "key":  { "type": "string" },
+                "slug": { "type": "string", "pattern": "^[a-z0-9]+(-[a-z0-9]+)*$" },
+                "type": { "enum": ["single_select", "text", "number", "multi_select"] },
+                "options": { "type": "array", "items": { "type": "string" } }
+              },
+              "additionalProperties": false
+            }
+          }
+        },
+        "additionalProperties": false
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "additionalProperties": false
+}
diff --git a/scripts/projects/build-project-fields-yml.sh b/scripts/projects/build-project-fields-yml.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..b69b91e90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/projects/build-project-fields-yml.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+###############################################################################
+# Build canonical project-fields.yml from CSV fixtures
+#
+# Reads CSV fixtures in scripts/projects/fixtures/*-fields.csv and builds
+# canonical YAML at .github/automation/project-fields.yml
+#
+# Dependencies: yq (v4+), jq
+# CSV Format: name,type,options,description,color
+# Options are pipe-separated (|) in the CSV
+#
+# @author LightSpeed
+# @requires yq, jq
+###############################################################################
+set -euo pipefail
+
+FIX_DIR="scripts/projects/fixtures"
+OUT_YML=".github/automation/project-fields.yml"
+TMP_JSON="$(mktemp)"
+# Ensure cleanup of temporary files on exit, error, or interruption
+trap 'rm -f "$TMP_JSON" "$TMP_JSON.new"' EXIT ERR INT TERM
+
+# Initialize JSON structure
+jq -n '{schema:1, types:{}}' > "$TMP_JSON"
+
+# Find all *-fields.csv files
+for csv in "$FIX_DIR"/*-fields.csv; do
+  [[ ! -f "$csv" ]] && continue
+
+  # Extract type name from filename (e.g., product-development-fields.csv -> product-development)
+  type_key="$(basename "$csv" .csv | sed 's/-fields$//')"
+
+  echo "Processing $type_key from $csv..."
+
+  # Read CSV and build JSON structure
+  # Skip comment lines (starting with #) and header
+  awk -F',' '
+    NR==1 || /^#/ { next }  # Skip header and comments
+    NF > 0 {  # Only process non-empty lines
+      # Extract fields
+      name = $1
+      type = $2
+      options = $3
+      gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", name)    # Trim whitespace
+      gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", type)
+      gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", options)
+      gsub(/^"|"$/, "", options)  # Remove surrounding quotes
+
+      # Generate slug from name (lowercase, replace spaces with hyphens)
+      slug = tolower(name)
+      gsub(/[[:space:]]+/, "-", slug)
+
+      # Print as JSON-compatible line
+      printf "{\"key\":\"%s\",\"slug\":\"%s\",\"type\":\"%s\"", name, slug, type
+
+      # Add options array if present (pipe-separated)
+      if (options != "") {
+        printf ",\"options\":["
+        split(options, opts, "|")
+        for (i in opts) {
+          gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", opts[i])
+          if (i > 1) printf ","
+          printf "\"%s\"", opts[i]
+        }
+        printf "]"
+      }
+      printf "}\n"
+    }
+  ' "$csv" | while read -r field_json; do
+    # Merge into main JSON
+    jq --arg t "$type_key" \
+       --argjson field "$field_json" \
+       '
+       .types[$t] //= {project_name:$t, fields:[]}
+       | .types[$t].fields += [$field]
+       ' "$TMP_JSON" > "$TMP_JSON.new" && mv "$TMP_JSON.new" "$TMP_JSON"
+  done
+done
+
+# Emit YAML deterministically (sorted keys)
+if command -v yq &> /dev/null; then
+  yq -P 'sort_keys(..)' "$TMP_JSON" > "$OUT_YML"
+else
+  echo "⚠️  yq not found, outputting unsorted YAML"
+  yq -P "$TMP_JSON" > "$OUT_YML"
+fi
+
+echo "✅ Built $OUT_YML from CSV fixtures"
+rm -f "$TMP_JSON"
diff --git a/scripts/projects/validate-project-fields.js b/scripts/projects/validate-project-fields.js
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..2ea425448
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/projects/validate-project-fields.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * Validate .github/automation/project-fields.yml against the JSON schema.
+ *
+ * @author LightSpeed
+ * @requires js-yaml, ajv
+ */
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const yaml = require('js-yaml');
+const Ajv = require('ajv');
+
+const SCHEMA_PATH = path.resolve('schemas/automation/project-fields.schema.json');
+const FIELDS_PATH = path.resolve('.github/automation/project-fields.yml');
+
+try {
+  const schema = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(SCHEMA_PATH, 'utf8'));
+  const fields = yaml.load(fs.readFileSync(FIELDS_PATH, 'utf8'));
+  const ajv = new Ajv({ allErrors: true, strict: true });
+  const validate = ajv.compile(schema);
+  const ok = validate(fields);
+
+  if (!ok) {
+    console.error('❌ Validation errors:\n', validate.errors);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  console.log('✅ project-fields.yml is valid.');
+} catch (e) {
+  console.error('❌ Validation failed:', e.message);
+  process.exit(1);
+}