diff --git a/.github/workflows/dbt-parse.yml b/.github/workflows/dbt-parse.yml
index 5fae286..6e4f98c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/dbt-parse.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/dbt-parse.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: dbt parse
 
 # Validates project structure and Jinja without a database connection.
-# Runs only once dbt_project.yml exists (i.e. after Task 1 is done).
+# dbt_project.yml ships with the template, so this always runs.
 # The static autograder (.hyf/test.sh) runs separately via grade-assignment.yml.
 
 on:
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
             echo "present=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           else
             echo "present=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-            echo "::warning::dbt_project.yml not found -- complete Task 1 (dbt init) first. Skipping parse."
+            echo "::warning::dbt_project.yml not found -- it ships with the template; did you delete it? Skipping parse."
           fi
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         if: steps.check.outputs.present == 'true'
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f139669..31ca7ed 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,13 +6,13 @@ HackYourFuture Data Track, Week 10. The full brief (business question, tasks, an
 
 A dbt Core project called `nyc_taxi_borough_daily` that produces a mart at the grain **one row per (pickup_borough, pickup_date)** for the NYC Green Taxi January 2024 dataset already loaded in the shared Azure PostgreSQL instance.
 
-## What this repo gives you (and what it does not)
+## What this repo gives you
 
-This repo contains the **support files** around the dbt project: templates, TODO stubs, and the autograder. It deliberately does **not** contain `dbt_project.yml`: creating the project is Task 1, and you do it yourself with `dbt init`.
+This repo is a **ready-to-run dbt project**: the project config is wired up and every model, test, and report is a TODO stub for you to fill in. You do not scaffold anything: your job is to write the models, tests, and docs.
 
 ```text
-.                                <- this repo becomes the dbt project root
-├── dbt_project.yml              <- NOT included: you create this in Task 1
+.                                <- this repo is the dbt project root
+├── dbt_project.yml              <- ready to run: staging = view, marts = table
 ├── packages.yml                 <- TODO stub: declare dbt_utils (Task 5)
 ├── profiles.yml.example         <- connection template: copy to profiles.yml
 ├── macros/
@@ -35,20 +35,9 @@ This repo contains the **support files** around the dbt project: templates, TODO
 └── AI_ASSIST.md                 <- template: document one LLM session (Task 8)
 ```
 
-## Task 1: create the dbt project into this repo
+## Task 1: connect to the shared database
 
-`dbt init` always generates a new subfolder, so create the project next to this repo and move its `dbt_project.yml` in:
-
-```bash
-# from inside this repo
-dbt init nyc_taxi_borough_daily --skip-profile-setup
-mv nyc_taxi_borough_daily/dbt_project.yml .
-rm -rf nyc_taxi_borough_daily/
-```
-
-Deleting the generated folder also removes the `models/example/` scaffolding the assignment warns about. Then open `dbt_project.yml` and remove the `example:` block under `models:`.
-
-## Connect to the shared database
+The project is already initialised, so Task 1 is just pointing it at the database with your personal schema.
 
 1. Copy the connection template and set your personal schema:
 
diff --git a/dbt_project.yml b/dbt_project.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..94eed94
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dbt_project.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+name: 'nyc_taxi_borough_daily'
+version: '1.0.0'
+config-version: 2
+
+# This project connects to the profile of the same name in profiles.yml.
+profile: 'nyc_taxi_borough_daily'
+
+model-paths: ["models"]
+macro-paths: ["macros"]
+test-paths: ["tests"]
+
+target-path: "target"
+clean-targets:
+  - "target"
+  - "dbt_packages"
+
+# Folder-level materialization defaults. Staging models stay as views (cheap,
+# always fresh); the mart is built as a table (queried repeatedly by the
+# dashboard). You can override per model with {{ config(materialized='...') }}.
+models:
+  nyc_taxi_borough_daily:
+    staging:
+      +materialized: view
+    marts:
+      +materialized: table