@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ import { FileSource } from "@metaobjectsdev/metadata/core";
 // Product lives in package "shop::commerce" → package-layout path "shop/commerce/Product".
 const FIXTURE = resolve(import.meta.dir, "fixtures", "packaged-entity.json");
 
-const model: ResolvedTarget = { name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated", outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index" };
-const web:   ResolvedTarget = { name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index" };
+const model: ResolvedTarget = { name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated", outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true };
+const web:   ResolvedTarget = { name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true };
 
 async function ctxFor(self: ResolvedTarget, em: ResolvedTarget) {
   const { root } = await new MetaDataLoader().load([new FileSource(FIXTURE)]);
 
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ import { FileSource } from "@metaobjectsdev/metadata/core";
 // Product lives in package "shop::commerce" → package-layout path "shop/commerce/Product".
 const FIXTURE = resolve(import.meta.dir, "fixtures", "packaged-grid-entity.json");
 
-const model: ResolvedTarget = { name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated", outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index" };
-const web:   ResolvedTarget = { name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index" };
+const model: ResolvedTarget = { name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated", outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true };
+const web:   ResolvedTarget = { name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true };
 
 async function ctxFor(self: ResolvedTarget, em: ResolvedTarget) {
   const { root } = await new MetaDataLoader().load([new FileSource(FIXTURE)]);
 
@@ -118,6 +118,19 @@ export interface ResolvedTarget {
   importBase: string | undefined;
   outputLayout: OutputLayout;
   dbImport: string;
+  /**
+   * Whether this target emits server runtime bindings. `true` (the default for
+   * the implicit "default" target) = a full server package: Drizzle tables/views,
+   * `runtime-ts` filter/sort allowlists, the whole DB layer. `false` = a
+   * contract-only target: Zod schemas + inferred TS types ONLY, with no
+   * `drizzle-orm` / `runtime-ts` import — for a shared wire-contract package
+   * consumed by a UI/web client that has no database. The axis is the target's
+   * AUDIENCE (server vs client), not any one artifact: in a contract target an
+   * entity drops its `pgTable`, a projection drops its `pgView`, every object
+   * renders as its plain shape. Allowlists are off here too (contract ⇒ no
+   * `runtime-ts`); the finer `allowlists` knob only applies within a runtime target.
+   */
+  runtime: boolean;
 }
 
 /** importBase + (package path when package layout) + entity, extension-less. */
 
@@ -32,6 +32,14 @@ export interface TargetConfig {
   importBase?: string;
   outputLayout?: OutputLayout;
   dbImport?: string;
+  /**
+   * Whether this target emits server runtime bindings. Defaults to `true` (a full
+   * server package: Drizzle tables/views + the DB layer). Set `false` for a
+   * contract-only target — Zod schemas + inferred TS types only, no `drizzle-orm`
+   * / `runtime-ts` import — e.g. a shared wire-contract package consumed by a web
+   * client with no database. See {@link ResolvedTarget.runtime}.
+   */
+  runtime?: boolean;
 }
 
 /** Subset of MetaobjectsGenConfig surfaced to generators via GenContext. */
@@ -195,6 +203,8 @@ export function resolveTargets(config: MetaobjectsGenConfig): Record<string, Res
       importBase: config.importBase,
       outputLayout: layout,
       dbImport: config.dbImport,
+      // The default target is the server package — runtime bindings on.
+      runtime: true,
     },
   };
   for (const [name, t] of Object.entries(config.targets ?? {})) {
@@ -204,6 +214,7 @@ export function resolveTargets(config: MetaobjectsGenConfig): Record<string, Res
       importBase: t.importBase,
       outputLayout: t.outputLayout ?? layout,
       dbImport: t.dbImport ?? config.dbImport,
+      runtime: t.runtime ?? true,
     };
   }
   return out;
 
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ export function makeRenderContext(opts: RenderContextInput): RenderContext {
     importBase: undefined,
     outputLayout,
     dbImport: opts.dbImport,
+    runtime: true,
   };
   const collectionNameOpts = {
     pluralize: opts.pluralizeCollections ?? true,
 
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ import { isAbstract } from "../instance-artifacts.js";
  * drop `@metaobjectsdev/runtime-ts` from their deps entirely. The client-side
  * `<Entity>Filter` type is always emitted — consumers still want it for typed
  * client calls regardless of how the server is wired.
+ *
+ * Whether the file emits ANY server runtime binding at all (Drizzle table/view,
+ * the allowlists) is governed by the TARGET, not this option: `ctx.selfTarget.runtime`.
+ * A contract-only target (`runtime: false`) renders every object as its plain
+ * shape (interface + Zod) and every projection as its read schema — no
+ * `drizzle-orm`, no `runtime-ts`. `allowlists` is a finer Fastify-vs-Hono opt-out
+ * that only matters within a runtime target.
  */
 export interface RenderEntityFileOpts {
   readonly allowlists?: boolean;
@@ -43,7 +50,10 @@ export function renderEntityFile(
   ctx: RenderContext,
   opts?: RenderEntityFileOpts,
 ): string {
-  const allowlists = opts?.allowlists ?? true;
+  // Contract-only target ⇒ no server runtime: no Drizzle pgView/pgTable, no
+  // runtime-ts allowlists. The read schema + inferred types still emit.
+  const runtime = ctx.selfTarget.runtime;
+  const allowlists = runtime ? (opts?.allowlists ?? true) : false;
 
   // --- Abstract path (shape only) ---
   // An abstract entity contributes shape via inheritance only — it must NEVER
@@ -65,14 +75,20 @@ export function renderEntityFile(
       columnNamingStrategy: ctx.columnNamingStrategy,
       dialect: ctx.dialect,
       apiPrefix: ctx.apiPrefix,
+      timestampMode: ctx.timestampMode,
+      allowlists,
+      ctx,
+      // Contract target drops the Drizzle .existing() view decl + drizzle-orm import.
+      includeViewDecl: runtime,
     });
   }
 
-  // --- Value-only path (no writable source.rdb: in-memory / transit shape) ---
-  // No Drizzle table, no migration footprint. Consumers that need to validate
-  // the shape (LLM tool_use input_schema, REST body parsing) use the Zod
-  // schema; consumers that need the type use the interface.
-  if (!hasWritableRdbSource(entity)) {
+  // --- Value-only / contract path (no Drizzle table) ---
+  // Reached when the entity has no writable source.rdb (in-memory / transit
+  // shape) OR the target is contract-only (a UI/wire package gets the read shape,
+  // not a DB table). Either way: interface + Zod, no migration footprint, no
+  // drizzle-orm. Consumers validate via the Zod schema and type via the interface.
+  if (!runtime || !hasWritableRdbSource(entity)) {
     return renderValueObjectFile(entity, ctx.apiPrefix, ctx);
   }
 
 
@@ -8,11 +8,17 @@
 //   - Insert/Update types
 
 import { code, imp, joinCode, type Code } from "ts-poet";
-import { MetaField, MetaObject, type MetaRoot } from "@metaobjectsdev/metadata";
+import {
+  MetaField, MetaObject, type MetaRoot,
+  FIELD_SUBTYPE_OBJECT, FIELD_ATTR_OBJECT_REF, stripPackage,
+} from "@metaobjectsdev/metadata";
 import { projectionViewName } from "../projection/extract-view-spec.js";
 import { columnNameFromField, toSnakeCase, pluralize } from "../naming.js";
 import { GENERATED_HEADER } from "../constants.js";
 import type { ColumnNamingStrategy } from "../metaobjects-config.js";
+import type { RenderContext } from "../render-context.js";
+import { mapColumnType } from "../column-mapper.js";
+import { valueObjectModuleSpecifier } from "../import-path.js";
 import { renderFilterAllowlist, renderSortAllowlist } from "./filter-allowlist.js";
 import { renderFilterType } from "./filter-type.js";
 import { inferViewKind, zodTypeFor, currencyMetaFor, labelFor } from "./field-meta.js";
@@ -25,6 +31,27 @@ export interface ProjectionDeclOpts {
   readonly columnNamingStrategy: ColumnNamingStrategy;
   readonly dialect: "postgres" | "sqlite";
   readonly apiPrefix?: string;
+  /** Drives the timestamp column TS type (Date vs string) in the view declaration. */
+  readonly timestampMode?: "date" | "string";
+  /**
+   * When false, omit the Fastify-flavored filter/sort allowlists (and their
+   * `runtime-ts` import) — mirrors entity-file's `allowlists` option so a
+   * dependency-free consumer (no runtime-ts) gets compilable output.
+   */
+  readonly allowlists?: boolean;
+  /**
+   * Render context, when available — used to resolve value-object import MODULES
+   * (`.$type<VO>()` + the VO Zod schema) in a layout/package/extStyle-aware way.
+   * Absent in bare unit-test calls, which fall back to a flat same-dir import.
+   */
+  readonly ctx?: RenderContext;
+  /**
+   * Whether to emit the Drizzle `.existing()` view declaration (and its
+   * drizzle-orm import). Default true. Set false for a contract-only output
+   * (Zod read schema + inferred type + constants, no runtime DB dependency) —
+   * e.g. a shared types package consumed by a web client that has no Drizzle.
+   */
+  readonly includeViewDecl?: boolean;
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -64,7 +91,20 @@ export function renderProjectionDecl(
   root: MetaRoot,
   opts: ProjectionDeclOpts,
 ): string {
-  const { dialect, columnNamingStrategy, apiPrefix = "" } = opts;
+  const { dialect, columnNamingStrategy, apiPrefix = "", timestampMode = "string", allowlists = true, ctx, includeViewDecl = true } = opts;
+
+  // Resolve a value-object name → its import module. Layout/package/extStyle-aware
+  // when a render context is present (so the projection's VO imports match the
+  // entity's), else a flat same-dir import — identical to zodFieldExpr's fallback.
+  const voModule = (refBase: string): string =>
+    ctx
+      ? valueObjectModuleSpecifier(refBase, ctx.packageOf, projection.package, ctx.outputLayout, ctx.extStyle)
+      : `./${refBase}.js`;
+  const objectRefOf = (f: MetaField): string | undefined => {
+    if (f.subType !== FIELD_SUBTYPE_OBJECT) return undefined;
+    const ref = f.attr(FIELD_ATTR_OBJECT_REF);
+    return typeof ref === "string" && ref.length > 0 ? stripPackage(ref) : undefined;
+  };
 
   const viewFn = dialect === "postgres" ? "pgView" : "sqliteView";
   const viewModule =
@@ -93,9 +133,45 @@ export function renderProjectionDecl(
   }
   for (const f of projection.ownFields()) allFields.push(f);
 
-  const zodLines: Code[] = allFields.map(
-    (f) => code`  ${f.name}: ${z}.${zodTypeFor(f).replace(/^z\./, "")}`,
-  );
+  // A field.object passthrough carries the value-object's Zod schema (so the
+  // view's read schema + inferred type expose the VO shape, not z.unknown()).
+  const zodLines: Code[] = allFields.map((f) => {
+    const refBase = objectRefOf(f);
+    if (refBase) {
+      const schemaSym = imp(`${refBase}InsertSchema@${voModule(refBase)}`);
+      return f.isArray
+        ? code`  ${f.name}: ${z}.array(${schemaSym})`
+        : code`  ${f.name}: ${schemaSym}`;
+    }
+    return code`  ${f.name}: ${z}.${zodTypeFor(f).replace(/^z\./, "")}`;
+  });
+
+  // Typed view column map for the Drizzle `.existing()` declaration — keyed by
+  // projection field name, valued by the column builder for the (renamed)
+  // physical view column, so `db.select().from(<view>)` is typed. Honors
+  // `@dbColumnType` (e.g. a passthrough of a jsonb column). `.existing()` views
+  // carry type + physical name only — no PK/default/notNull modifiers.
+  const viewColumnLines: Code[] = allFields.map((f) => {
+    const spec = mapColumnType(f, dialect, columnNamingStrategy, timestampMode);
+    const colSym = imp(`${spec.fnName}@${spec.importModule}`);
+    const optsArg =
+      spec.fnOptions && Object.keys(spec.fnOptions).length > 0
+        ? `, ${JSON.stringify(spec.fnOptions)}`
+        : "";
+    // Of the table modifiers, only `.notNull()` carries to an existing view (it
+    // shapes the SELECT type); `.primaryKey()`/`.default()`/`.references()` are
+    // table-DDL concerns and invalid on a `.existing()` view declaration.
+    const notNull = spec.modifiers.includes(".notNull()") ? ".notNull()" : "";
+    // Narrow a jsonb passthrough to its value-object type — `.$type<VO>()` —
+    // mirroring the entity column, so the read row is typed (not `unknown`).
+    let dollarType: Code | string = "";
+    const dtr = spec.dollarTypeRef;
+    if (dtr?.kind === "objectRef") {
+      const voTypeSym = imp(`${dtr.name}@${voModule(dtr.name)}`);
+      dollarType = dtr.array ? code`.$type<${voTypeSym}[]>()` : code`.$type<${voTypeSym}>()`;
+    }
+    return code`  ${f.name}: ${colSym}(${JSON.stringify(spec.dbName)}${optsArg})${dollarType}${notNull}`;
+  });
 
   const constFieldLines: string[] = allFields.map((f) => {
     const dbCol = columnNameFromField(f.name, columnNamingStrategy);
@@ -114,12 +190,16 @@ export function renderProjectionDecl(
   const path = pathFromProjectionName(projName);
 
   const sections: Code[] = [
-    code`
+    ...(includeViewDecl
+      ? [code`
 // View declaration — Drizzle uses this for typed SELECT queries.
 // The SQL view is created/managed by migrate-ts; .existing() tells Drizzle
 // not to attempt DDL for this declaration.
-export const ${camelName}View = ${viewSym}(${JSON.stringify(viewName)}, {}).existing();
-`,
+export const ${camelName}View = ${viewSym}(${JSON.stringify(viewName)}, {
+${joinCode(viewColumnLines, { on: ",\n" })}
+}).existing();
+`]
+      : []),
     code`
 export const ${projName}Schema = ${z}.object({
 ${joinCode(zodLines, { on: ",\n" })}
@@ -137,8 +217,9 @@ export const ${projName} = {
 ${constFieldLines.join("\n")}
 } as const;
 `,
-    renderFilterAllowlist(projection),
-    renderSortAllowlist(projection),
+    ...(allowlists
+      ? [renderFilterAllowlist(projection), renderSortAllowlist(projection)]
+      : []),
     renderFilterType(projection),
   ];
 
 
@@ -14,11 +14,11 @@ import {
 
 const model = (over: Partial<ResolvedTarget> = {}): ResolvedTarget => ({
   name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated",
-  outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", ...over,
+  outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true, ...over,
 });
 const web = (over: Partial<ResolvedTarget> = {}): ResolvedTarget => ({
   name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined,
-  outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", ...over,
+  outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true, ...over,
 });
 
 describe("entityModuleSpecifier", () => {
 
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ describe("resolveTargets", () => {
     const t = resolveTargets({ ...base, importBase: "@mf/db/generated", outputLayout: "package" });
     expect(t[DEFAULT_TARGET_NAME]).toEqual({
       name: "default", outDir: "db/gen", importBase: "@mf/db/generated",
-      outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index",
+      outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true,
     });
   });
 
@@ -27,8 +27,8 @@ describe("resolveTargets", () => {
         web: { outDir: "web/gen" },
       },
     });
-    expect(t.api).toEqual({ name: "api", outDir: "api/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "@mf/database" });
-    expect(t.web).toEqual({ name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index" });
+    expect(t.api).toEqual({ name: "api", outDir: "api/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "@mf/database", runtime: true });
+    expect(t.web).toEqual({ name: "web", outDir: "web/gen", importBase: undefined, outputLayout: "package", dbImport: "../index", runtime: true });
   });
 
   test("named target may override outputLayout + importBase", () => {
 
@@ -244,4 +244,58 @@ describe("renderEntityFile — source-aware dispatch", () => {
       expect(out).not.toContain("sqliteView");
     });
   });
+
+  // A contract-only target (selfTarget.runtime === false) is the UI/wire-package
+  // axis: no server runtime bindings at all. A projection keeps its Zod read
+  // schema + inferred type but drops the Drizzle view; a write-through entity
+  // renders as its plain shape (interface + Zod) instead of a Drizzle table.
+  // Neither imports drizzle-orm. This replaces the old per-call includeViewDecl
+  // flag — the decision now lives on the target's audience, not on each artifact.
+  describe("contract-only target (runtime: false)", () => {
+    function contractCtx(root: Parameters<typeof buildPkMap>[0]) {
+      return makeRenderContext({
+        dialect: "postgres",
+        loadedRoot: root,
+        outDir: "/x",
+        dbImport: "~/db",
+        pkMap: buildPkMap(root),
+        relationMap: buildRelationMap(root),
+        selfTarget: {
+          name: "shared", outDir: "/x", importBase: "@pkg/shared/generated",
+          outputLayout: "flat", dbImport: "~/db", runtime: false,
+        },
+      });
+    }
+
+    test("projection: keeps Zod read schema + type, drops pgView + drizzle-orm", async () => {
+      const { root, projection } = await loadProjectionFixture();
+      const out = renderEntityFile(projection, contractCtx(root));
+      // contract kept:
+      expect(out).toContain("ProgramSummarySchema");
+      expect(out).toContain("export type ProgramSummary");
+      // runtime stripped:
+      expect(out).not.toContain("pgView");
+      expect(out).not.toContain(".existing()");
+      expect(out).not.toContain("drizzle-orm");
+    });
+
+    test("write-through entity: renders plain shape, no pgTable / drizzle-orm", async () => {
+      const { root, entity } = await loadVanillaFixture();
+      const out = renderEntityFile(entity, contractCtx(root));
+      // shape kept (Zod schema + a type for the entity):
+      expect(out).toContain("z.object");
+      expect(out).toContain("Post");
+      // runtime stripped:
+      expect(out).not.toContain("pgTable");
+      expect(out).not.toContain("drizzle-orm");
+      expect(out).not.toContain("InferSelectModel");
+    });
+
+    test("no runtime-ts allowlists in a contract target", async () => {
+      const { root, projection } = await loadProjectionFixture();
+      const out = renderEntityFile(projection, contractCtx(root));
+      expect(out).not.toContain("@metaobjectsdev/runtime-ts");
+      expect(out).not.toContain("FilterAllowlist");
+    });
+  });
 });