diff --git a/openspec/changes/user-accounts/tasks.md b/openspec/changes/user-accounts/tasks.md
index d655a44..4907206 100644
--- a/openspec/changes/user-accounts/tasks.md
+++ b/openspec/changes/user-accounts/tasks.md
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 
 ## 8. Frontend Routing Restructure
 
-- [ ] 8.1 `[haiku]` Create `src/app/(public)/layout.tsx` — minimal layout for public pages (shared fonts/theme, no sidebar)
+- [x] 8.1 `[haiku]` Create `src/app/(public)/layout.tsx` — minimal layout for public pages (shared fonts/theme, no sidebar)
 - [ ] 8.2 `[haiku]` Move current `src/app/page.tsx` to `src/app/app/page.tsx` (workspace at `/app`)
 - [ ] 8.3 `[sonnet]` Create `src/app/app/layout.tsx` — protected layout with `SessionProvider`, user menu nav bar, sidebar with settings link
 - [ ] 8.4 `[haiku]` Update any hardcoded `/` links in existing components to `/app`
diff --git a/src/app/(public)/layout.tsx b/src/app/(public)/layout.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..061ddda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/(public)/layout.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+import type { Metadata } from "next";
+
+export const metadata: Metadata = {
+  title: "Candle Annotator",
+  description: "Annotate candlestick charts for ML training",
+};
+
+export default function PublicLayout({
+  children,
+}: Readonly<{
+  children: React.ReactNode;
+}>) {
+  return children;
+}