diff --git a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/cli.rs b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/cli.rs
index ab49f5e..d21df73 100644
--- a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/cli.rs
+++ b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/cli.rs
@@ -147,4 +147,25 @@ pub enum Command {
         #[arg(long, default_value_t = false)]
         dry_run: bool,
     },
+
+    /// Cross-cutting status dashboard: blocks per type, registered path
+    /// atoms, local git branches with ahead/behind, and agent forks from
+    /// `kei-ledger` (if present).
+    Status {
+        /// Registry SQLite path (default: `$KEI_REGISTRY_DB` or
+        /// `~/.claude/registry.sqlite`).
+        #[arg(long)]
+        db: Option<PathBuf>,
+        /// Local git repo to scan for branches (default: current dir).
+        #[arg(long, default_value = ".")]
+        git_repo: PathBuf,
+        /// kei-ledger SQLite path (default: `$KEI_LEDGER_DB` or
+        /// `~/.claude/agents/ledger.sqlite`). Missing file → agent
+        /// section is skipped, never an error.
+        #[arg(long)]
+        ledger_db: Option<PathBuf>,
+        /// Output format: `ascii` (default) or `json`.
+        #[arg(long, default_value = "ascii")]
+        format: String,
+    },
 }
diff --git a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/handlers.rs b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/handlers.rs
index 32f72b3..3c2ab67 100644
--- a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/handlers.rs
+++ b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/handlers.rs
@@ -68,9 +68,37 @@ pub fn dispatch(cmd: Command) -> Result<Outcome> {
         Command::IndexSubstrate { kit_root, db, dry_run } => {
             index_substrate::handle_index_substrate(Some(kit_root), db, dry_run)
         }
+        Command::Status {
+            db,
+            git_repo,
+            ledger_db,
+            format,
+        } => handle_status(db, git_repo, ledger_db, format),
     }
 }
 
+fn handle_status(
+    db: Option<PathBuf>,
+    git_repo: PathBuf,
+    ledger_db: Option<PathBuf>,
+    format: String,
+) -> Result<Outcome> {
+    let db_path = resolve_db(db);
+    let conn = open_db(&db_path)?;
+    let ledger = ledger_db.unwrap_or_else(crate::status::default_ledger_path);
+    let snap = crate::status::compute_status(&conn, Some(&git_repo), Some(&ledger))?;
+    match format.as_str() {
+        "json" => {
+            println!("{}", serde_json::to_string_pretty(&snap)?);
+        }
+        "ascii" | "" => {
+            print!("{}", crate::status::render_ascii(&snap));
+        }
+        other => anyhow::bail!("unknown --format '{other}' (use ascii or json)"),
+    }
+    Ok(Outcome::Ok)
+}
+
 fn handle_init(db: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<Outcome> {
     let path = resolve_db(db);
     if let Some(parent) = path.parent() {
diff --git a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/lib.rs b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/lib.rs
index 36ee366..aea3073 100644
--- a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/lib.rs
+++ b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/lib.rs
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ pub mod related;
 pub mod scan_orchestrator;
 pub mod scanners;
 pub mod stats;
+pub mod status;
 pub mod store;
 
 pub use block::{Block, BlockType};
@@ -35,4 +36,5 @@ pub use dna_block::{compose_for_block, compose_for_block_with_nonce};
 pub use registry::{find_by_path, get, list, list_by_type, mark_superseded, register};
 pub use related::{find_related, RelatedHit};
 pub use stats::{compute_stats, Stats};
+pub use status::{compute_status, render_ascii, Status};
 pub use store::{open_db, SCHEMA_VERSION};
diff --git a/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/status.rs b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/status.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9a7ead1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/_primitives/_rust/kei-registry/src/status.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,341 @@
+//! Cross-cutting "what is alive right now" view.
+//!
+//! Constructor Pattern: pure read-side cube. Joins three sources for a
+//! single dashboard:
+//!   1. `blocks` table from kei-registry — atoms, skills, rules, hooks,
+//!      primitives, plus path-atoms (atoms whose source file is
+//!      `_blocks/path-*.md`).
+//!   2. `agents` table from `~/.claude/agents/ledger.sqlite` if present —
+//!      agent forks per RULE 0.12, with status (running / done / failed /
+//!      merged / rejected).
+//!   3. `git for-each-ref refs/heads` shell-out — local branches with
+//!      `ahead`, `behind` and `dirty` flags relative to their upstream.
+//!
+//! No I/O beyond DB reads + one git invocation. No writes. The handler
+//! formats the gathered struct into either an ASCII table (default) or
+//! JSON (`--format json`).
+
+use anyhow::{Context, Result};
+use rusqlite::Connection;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
+use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::process::Command;
+
+use crate::block::BlockType;
+
+/// Aggregate snapshot returned by `compute_status`.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct Status {
+    pub blocks_by_type: BTreeMap<String, u64>,
+    pub path_atoms: Vec<PathAtomRow>,
+    pub branches: Vec<BranchRow>,
+    pub agents: Option<AgentSummary>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct PathAtomRow {
+    pub name: String,
+    pub dna_prefix: String,
+    pub body_sha8: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
+pub struct BranchRow {
+    pub name: String,
+    pub current: bool,
+    pub upstream: Option<String>,
+    pub ahead: u32,
+    pub behind: u32,
+    pub last_commit: String,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize, Default)]
+pub struct AgentSummary {
+    pub running: u64,
+    pub done: u64,
+    pub failed: u64,
+    pub merged: u64,
+    pub rejected: u64,
+}
+
+/// Compute the full status snapshot. `git_repo` is the path to scan for
+/// branches (typically the current working directory). `ledger_db` is
+/// the optional path to `~/.claude/agents/ledger.sqlite`; if it doesn't
+/// exist, `agents` field is `None`.
+pub fn compute_status(
+    conn: &Connection,
+    git_repo: Option<&Path>,
+    ledger_db: Option<&Path>,
+) -> Result<Status> {
+    let mut s = Status::default();
+    s.blocks_by_type = block_counts(conn)?;
+    s.path_atoms = path_atom_rows(conn)?;
+    if let Some(repo) = git_repo {
+        s.branches = git_branches(repo).unwrap_or_default();
+    }
+    if let Some(db) = ledger_db {
+        if db.exists() {
+            s.agents = ledger_agent_summary(db).ok();
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(s)
+}
+
+fn block_counts(conn: &Connection) -> Result<BTreeMap<String, u64>> {
+    let mut out = BTreeMap::new();
+    for bt in BlockType::all() {
+        let mut stmt = conn
+            .prepare(
+                "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM blocks \
+                 WHERE block_type = ?1 AND superseded_by IS NULL",
+            )
+            .context("prepare block_counts")?;
+        let n: i64 = stmt
+            .query_row(rusqlite::params![bt.as_str()], |r| r.get(0))
+            .context("query block_counts")?;
+        out.insert(bt.as_str().to_string(), n as u64);
+    }
+    Ok(out)
+}
+
+fn path_atom_rows(conn: &Connection) -> Result<Vec<PathAtomRow>> {
+    // Convention: path-atoms are atoms whose source file matches
+    // `_blocks/path-<name>.md`. SQL LIKE keeps it server-side; the
+    // resulting rows are sorted by name for stable output.
+    let mut stmt = conn
+        .prepare(
+            "SELECT name, dna, body_sha FROM blocks \
+             WHERE block_type = 'atom' \
+             AND superseded_by IS NULL \
+             AND path LIKE '%/_blocks/path-%.md' \
+             ORDER BY name",
+        )
+        .context("prepare path_atom_rows")?;
+    let rows = stmt
+        .query_map([], |r| {
+            let dna: String = r.get(1)?;
+            let dna_prefix = dna_prefix(&dna);
+            Ok(PathAtomRow {
+                name: r.get(0)?,
+                dna_prefix,
+                body_sha8: r.get(2)?,
+            })
+        })?
+        .filter_map(Result::ok)
+        .collect();
+    Ok(rows)
+}
+
+/// Take the first three segments of a `<role>::<caps>::<scope_sha8>::...`
+/// DNA so the displayed prefix is readable but identifying.
+fn dna_prefix(dna: &str) -> String {
+    let mut parts = dna.split("::").take(3).collect::<Vec<_>>();
+    if parts.len() < 3 {
+        return dna.to_string();
+    }
+    parts.push("…");
+    parts.join("::")
+}
+
+fn git_branches(repo: &Path) -> Result<Vec<BranchRow>> {
+    let current_branch = run_git(repo, &["rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"]).ok();
+    let out = run_git(
+        repo,
+        &[
+            "for-each-ref",
+            "--format=%(refname:short)\t%(upstream:short)\t%(upstream:track,nobracket)\t%(objectname:short)",
+            "refs/heads",
+        ],
+    )?;
+    let mut rows = Vec::new();
+    for line in out.lines() {
+        let parts: Vec<&str> = line.split('\t').collect();
+        if parts.len() < 4 {
+            continue;
+        }
+        let name = parts[0].to_string();
+        let upstream = if parts[1].is_empty() {
+            None
+        } else {
+            Some(parts[1].to_string())
+        };
+        let (ahead, behind) = parse_track(parts[2]);
+        rows.push(BranchRow {
+            current: current_branch.as_deref() == Some(&name),
+            name,
+            upstream,
+            ahead,
+            behind,
+            last_commit: parts[3].to_string(),
+        });
+    }
+    Ok(rows)
+}
+
+/// Parse `upstream:track,nobracket` output. Examples:
+/// `""` (in sync), `"ahead 3"`, `"behind 1"`, `"ahead 3, behind 1"`,
+/// `"gone"` (upstream deleted).
+fn parse_track(s: &str) -> (u32, u32) {
+    let mut ahead = 0u32;
+    let mut behind = 0u32;
+    for part in s.split(',') {
+        let part = part.trim();
+        if let Some(n) = part.strip_prefix("ahead ") {
+            ahead = n.parse().unwrap_or(0);
+        } else if let Some(n) = part.strip_prefix("behind ") {
+            behind = n.parse().unwrap_or(0);
+        }
+    }
+    (ahead, behind)
+}
+
+fn run_git(repo: &Path, args: &[&str]) -> Result<String> {
+    let out = Command::new("git")
+        .arg("-C")
+        .arg(repo)
+        .args(args)
+        .output()
+        .context("spawn git")?;
+    if !out.status.success() {
+        anyhow::bail!(
+            "git {:?} failed: {}",
+            args,
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+        );
+    }
+    Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout).trim_end().to_string())
+}
+
+fn ledger_agent_summary(db: &Path) -> Result<AgentSummary> {
+    let conn = rusqlite::Connection::open_with_flags(
+        db,
+        rusqlite::OpenFlags::SQLITE_OPEN_READ_ONLY,
+    )
+    .context("open ledger DB read-only")?;
+    let mut s = AgentSummary::default();
+    for (status, slot) in [
+        ("running", &mut s.running),
+        ("done", &mut s.done),
+        ("failed", &mut s.failed),
+        ("merged", &mut s.merged),
+        ("rejected", &mut s.rejected),
+    ] {
+        let mut stmt = conn.prepare("SELECT COUNT(*) FROM agents WHERE status = ?1")?;
+        let n: i64 = stmt.query_row(rusqlite::params![status], |r| r.get(0))?;
+        *slot = n as u64;
+    }
+    Ok(s)
+}
+
+/// Render `Status` as a multi-section ASCII report.
+pub fn render_ascii(s: &Status) -> String {
+    let mut out = String::new();
+    out.push_str("=== Substrate Status ===\n\n");
+    out.push_str("[Blocks — active count by type]\n");
+    for (k, v) in &s.blocks_by_type {
+        out.push_str(&format!("  {:<14} {}\n", k, v));
+    }
+    out.push('\n');
+
+    out.push_str(&format!("[Path Atoms — {}]\n", s.path_atoms.len()));
+    for p in &s.path_atoms {
+        out.push_str(&format!(
+            "  {:<14} {:<28} body:{}\n",
+            p.name, p.dna_prefix, p.body_sha8
+        ));
+    }
+    if s.path_atoms.is_empty() {
+        out.push_str("  (none registered)\n");
+    }
+    out.push('\n');
+
+    out.push_str(&format!("[Local Branches — {}]\n", s.branches.len()));
+    for b in &s.branches {
+        let marker = if b.current { "*" } else { " " };
+        let track = match (b.ahead, b.behind) {
+            (0, 0) => "in sync".to_string(),
+            (a, 0) => format!("ahead {a}"),
+            (0, b_) => format!("behind {b_}"),
+            (a, b_) => format!("ahead {a}, behind {b_}"),
+        };
+        let upstream = b.upstream.as_deref().unwrap_or("(none)");
+        out.push_str(&format!(
+            "  {} {:<40} → {:<25} {} @ {}\n",
+            marker, b.name, upstream, track, b.last_commit
+        ));
+    }
+    out.push('\n');
+
+    if let Some(a) = &s.agents {
+        out.push_str("[Agent Forks — kei-ledger]\n");
+        out.push_str(&format!(
+            "  running:{}  done:{}  merged:{}  failed:{}  rejected:{}\n",
+            a.running, a.done, a.merged, a.failed, a.rejected
+        ));
+    } else {
+        out.push_str("[Agent Forks]\n  (no kei-ledger DB found)\n");
+    }
+    out.push('\n');
+    out
+}
+
+/// Default ledger path: `$KEI_LEDGER_DB` or `~/.claude/agents/ledger.sqlite`.
+pub fn default_ledger_path() -> PathBuf {
+    if let Some(v) = std::env::var_os("KEI_LEDGER_DB") {
+        return PathBuf::from(v);
+    }
+    let home = std::env::var_os("HOME").unwrap_or_default();
+    PathBuf::from(home).join(".claude/agents/ledger.sqlite")
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_track_in_sync() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_track(""), (0, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_track_ahead() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_track("ahead 3"), (3, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_track_behind() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_track("behind 7"), (0, 7));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_track_both() {
+        assert_eq!(parse_track("ahead 3, behind 1"), (3, 1));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn parse_track_gone_treated_as_zero() {
+        // Upstream deleted — git emits "gone"; we don't surface it as
+        // ahead/behind, so callers see (0, 0). Acceptable for a status
+        // dashboard; a future field could carry it explicitly.
+        assert_eq!(parse_track("gone"), (0, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn dna_prefix_three_segments() {
+        let dna = "atom::md::1a771d51::b8f9e85f-abc12345";
+        assert_eq!(dna_prefix(dna), "atom::md::1a771d51::…");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn render_ascii_empty_status_has_all_sections() {
+        let s = Status::default();
+        let out = render_ascii(&s);
+        assert!(out.contains("Blocks"));
+        assert!(out.contains("Path Atoms"));
+        assert!(out.contains("Local Branches"));
+        assert!(out.contains("Agent Forks"));
+        assert!(out.contains("(none registered)"));
+        assert!(out.contains("(no kei-ledger DB found)"));
+    }
+}