diff --git a/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs b/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
index 7cfebf3..db711ea 100644
--- a/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -3760,6 +3760,8 @@ enum Command {
     Runs(RunsCmd),
     /// Reproduce a recorded family by content id.
     Reproduce(ReproduceCmd),
+    /// Scaffold a new research project crate.
+    New(NewCmd),
 }
 
 #[derive(Args)]
@@ -3774,6 +3776,19 @@ struct ChartCmd {
     panels: bool,
 }
 
+#[derive(Args)]
+struct NewCmd {
+    /// Directory / crate name to create.
+    name: String,
+    /// Engine checkout the project depends on (path deps). Default: the
+    /// engine root this binary was built from.
+    #[arg(long)]
+    engine_path: Option<std::path::PathBuf>,
+    /// Vocabulary namespace (default: the name with dashes as underscores).
+    #[arg(long)]
+    namespace: Option<String>,
+}
+
 #[derive(Args)]
 struct GraphCmd {
     #[command(subcommand)]
@@ -4348,6 +4363,31 @@ fn dispatch_reproduce(a: ReproduceCmd, env: &project::Env) {
     reproduce_family(&a.id, env);
 }
 
+fn dispatch_new(a: NewCmd, _env: &project::Env) {
+    let cwd = std::env::current_dir().unwrap_or_else(|e| {
+        eprintln!("aura: {e}");
+        std::process::exit(1);
+    });
+    let spec = scaffold::scaffold_spec(
+        &a.name,
+        a.engine_path.as_deref(),
+        a.namespace.as_deref(),
+        &cwd,
+    )
+    .unwrap_or_else(|m| {
+        eprintln!("aura: {m}");
+        std::process::exit(2);
+    });
+    scaffold::scaffold(&spec).unwrap_or_else(|m| {
+        eprintln!("aura: {m}");
+        std::process::exit(1);
+    });
+    println!(
+        "created project `{}` (namespace `{}`)",
+        spec.name, spec.namespace
+    );
+}
+
 /// `aura sweep`: loaded-blueprint by-name axis sweep (or `--list-axes` probe) when the
 /// first-positional is an existing `.json`, else the built-in `--strategy` grid sweep.
 fn dispatch_sweep(a: SweepCmd, env: &project::Env) {
@@ -4637,18 +4677,24 @@ fn main() {
         libc::signal(libc::SIGPIPE, libc::SIG_DFL);
     }
     let cli = Cli::parse();
-    let env = match std::env::current_dir()
-        .ok()
-        .and_then(|d| project::discover_from(&d))
-    {
-        Some(root) => match project::load(&root, cli.release) {
-            Ok(p) => project::Env::with_project(p),
-            Err(e) => {
-                eprintln!("aura: {e}");
-                std::process::exit(1);
-            }
-        },
-        None => project::Env::std(),
+    // `aura new` scaffolds; it must not require a loadable project even
+    // when invoked inside one (e.g. an unbuilt tree).
+    let env = if matches!(cli.command, Command::New(_)) {
+        project::Env::std()
+    } else {
+        match std::env::current_dir()
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|d| project::discover_from(&d))
+        {
+            Some(root) => match project::load(&root, cli.release) {
+                Ok(p) => project::Env::with_project(p),
+                Err(e) => {
+                    eprintln!("aura: {e}");
+                    std::process::exit(1);
+                }
+            },
+            None => project::Env::std(),
+        }
     };
     match cli.command {
         Command::Run(a) => dispatch_run(a, &env),
@@ -4660,6 +4706,7 @@ fn main() {
         Command::Mc(a) => dispatch_mc(a, &env),
         Command::Runs(a) => dispatch_runs(a, &env),
         Command::Reproduce(a) => dispatch_reproduce(a, &env),
+        Command::New(a) => dispatch_new(a, &env),
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/aura-cli/tests/project_new.rs b/crates/aura-cli/tests/project_new.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ea0fcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/aura-cli/tests/project_new.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+//! E2E: the `aura new` scaffolder (cycle 0103). Proves the full authoring
+//! loop — scaffold → cargo build → aura run — with zero hand-editing, plus
+//! the refusal contract. Scaffolded projects live in per-test temp dirs;
+//! their path-deps resolve into this checkout (the baked engine root).
+
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::process::{Command, Output};
+
+fn aura(args: &[&str], cwd: &Path) -> Output {
+    Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_aura"))
+        .args(args)
+        .current_dir(cwd)
+        .output()
+        .expect("run aura")
+}
+
+fn tmp(tag: &str) -> PathBuf {
+    let d = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("aura-new-{tag}-{}", std::process::id()));
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&d);
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&d).unwrap();
+    d
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn new_scaffold_builds_and_runs_the_authoring_loop() {
+    let base = tmp("loop");
+    let out = aura(&["new", "demo-lab"], &base);
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "aura new failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+    let proj = base.join("demo-lab");
+    for f in [
+        "Cargo.toml",
+        "Aura.toml",
+        ".gitignore",
+        "src/lib.rs",
+        "blueprints/signal.json",
+        "CLAUDE.md",
+    ] {
+        assert!(proj.join(f).is_file(), "missing scaffolded file {f}");
+    }
+    let build = Command::new("cargo")
+        .arg("build")
+        .current_dir(&proj)
+        .output()
+        .expect("cargo build scaffolded project");
+    assert!(
+        build.status.success(),
+        "scaffolded build failed:\n{}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&build.stderr)
+    );
+    let a = aura(&["run", "blueprints/signal.json"], &proj);
+    assert!(
+        a.status.success(),
+        "run failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&a.stderr)
+    );
+    let b = aura(&["run", "blueprints/signal.json"], &proj);
+    assert_eq!(a.stdout, b.stdout, "two runs must be byte-identical (C1)");
+    let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&a.stdout).expect("report is JSON");
+    assert_eq!(v["manifest"]["project"]["namespace"], "demo_lab");
+    let introspect = aura(&["graph", "introspect", "--vocabulary"], &proj);
+    assert!(introspect.status.success());
+    let text = String::from_utf8_lossy(&introspect.stdout);
+    assert!(text.contains("demo_lab::Identity"), "project id listed");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn new_refuses_an_existing_destination() {
+    let base = tmp("exists");
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(base.join("taken")).unwrap();
+    let out = aura(&["new", "taken"], &base);
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "runtime refusal");
+    let err = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+    assert!(err.contains("already exists"), "stderr: {err}");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn new_rejects_invalid_names_as_usage_faults() {
+    let base = tmp("badname");
+    for bad in ["bad/name", "9lives"] {
+        let out = aura(&["new", bad], &base);
+        assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(2), "usage fault for {bad}");
+        let err = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+        assert!(err.contains("invalid project name"), "stderr: {err}");
+    }
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn new_refuses_a_missing_engine_path_with_hint() {
+    let base = tmp("noengine");
+    let out = aura(&["new", "x", "--engine-path", "/nonexistent-engine"], &base);
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "runtime refusal");
+    let err = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr);
+    assert!(err.contains("--engine-path"), "stderr: {err}");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}
+
+/// Property: an explicit `--namespace` override actually reaches the
+/// runtime vocabulary (not just the `ScaffoldSpec` struct field checked at
+/// the unit layer) — a scaffolded, built, run project registers its node
+/// under the caller-chosen namespace, and the manifest records it too.
+#[test]
+fn new_namespace_override_reaches_the_built_vocabulary() {
+    let base = tmp("customns");
+    let out = aura(&["new", "demo-lab", "--namespace", "custom_ns"], &base);
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "aura new failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+    let proj = base.join("demo-lab");
+    let build = Command::new("cargo")
+        .arg("build")
+        .current_dir(&proj)
+        .output()
+        .expect("cargo build scaffolded project");
+    assert!(
+        build.status.success(),
+        "scaffolded build failed:\n{}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&build.stderr)
+    );
+    let run = aura(&["run", "blueprints/signal.json"], &proj);
+    assert!(
+        run.status.success(),
+        "run failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&run.stderr)
+    );
+    let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&run.stdout).expect("report is JSON");
+    assert_eq!(v["manifest"]["project"]["namespace"], "custom_ns");
+    let introspect = aura(&["graph", "introspect", "--vocabulary"], &proj);
+    assert!(introspect.status.success());
+    let text = String::from_utf8_lossy(&introspect.stdout);
+    assert!(text.contains("custom_ns::Identity"), "overridden namespace listed: {text}");
+    assert!(!text.contains("demo_lab::Identity"), "default-derived namespace must not leak");
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn new_works_inside_an_unbuilt_project_tree() {
+    // Scaffold once (unbuilt), then scaffold AGAIN from inside that tree:
+    // the load-bypass guard must keep aura new from trying to load the
+    // enclosing project's (absent) dylib.
+    let base = tmp("nested");
+    let out = aura(&["new", "outer"], &base);
+    assert!(out.status.success());
+    let inner_cwd = base.join("outer");
+    let out = aura(&["new", "inner"], &inner_cwd);
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "aura new inside an unbuilt project tree must succeed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+    assert!(inner_cwd.join("inner/Cargo.toml").is_file());
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&base);
+}