diff --git a/peptide-news-plugin.php b/peptide-news-plugin.php
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/peptide-news-plugin.php
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * Plugin Name:       Peptide News Aggregator
+ * Plugin URI:        https://github.com/peptiderepo/peptide-news-plugin
+ * Description:       Aggregates and displays the latest peptide research news from multiple sources with click analytics and trend reporting.
+ * Version:           1.1.0
+ * Author:            Peptide News Team
+ * Author URI:        https://github.com/peptiderepo
+ * License:           GPL-2.0+
+ * License URI:       http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.txt
+ * Text Domain:       peptide-news
+ * Domain Path:       /languages
+ * Requires at least: 5.8
+ * Requires PHP:      7.4
+ */
+
+// Abort if called directly.
+if ( ! defined( 'WPINC' ) ) {
+    die;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Current plugin version — follows SemVer.
+ */
+define( 'PEPTIDE_NEWS_VERSION', '1.1.0' );
+define( 'PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_DIR', plugin_dir_path( __FILE__ ) );
+define( 'PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_URL', plugin_dir_url( __FILE__ ) );
+define( 'PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_BASENAME', plugin_basename( __FILE__ ) );
+
+/**
+ * Runs during plugin activation.
+ */
+function peptide_news_activate() {
+    require_once PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'includes/class-peptide-news-activator.php';
+    Peptide_News_Activator::activate();
+}
+
+/**
+ * Runs during plugin deactivation.
+ */
+function peptide_news_deactivate() {
+    require_once PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'includes/class-peptide-news-deactivator.php';
+    Peptide_News_Deactivator::deactivate();
+}
+
+register_activation_hook( __FILE__, 'peptide_news_activate' );
+register_deactivation_hook( __FILE__, 'peptide_news_deactivate' );
+
+/**
+ * Core plugin class that orchestrates all hooks and dependencies.
+ */
+require_once PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'includes/class-peptide-news.php';
+
+/**
+ * Check for database upgrades on every admin load.
+ * This handles existing installs that upgrade from 1.0.0 to 1.1.0
+ * without re-activating the plugin.
+ */
+function peptide_news_check_db_upgrade() {
+    $installed_version = get_option( 'peptide_news_db_version', '1.0.0' );
+    if ( version_compare( $installed_version, PEPTIDE_NEWS_VERSION, '<' ) ) {
+        require_once PEPTIDE_NEWS_PLUGIN_DIR . 'includes/class-peptide-news-activator.php';
+        Peptide_News_Activator::activate();
+    }
+}
+add_action( 'plugins_loaded', 'peptide_news_check_db_upgrade' );
+
+/**
+ * Begins execution of the plugin.
+ */
+function peptide_news_run() {
+    $plugin = new Peptide_News();
+    $plugin->run();
+}
+
+peptide_news_run();