diff --git a/containers/libreportal/frontend/features/manifest.dev.json b/containers/libreportal/frontend/features/manifest.dev.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdd5bd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/containers/libreportal/frontend/features/manifest.dev.json
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+{
+  "version": 1,
+  "note": "Phase-0 hand-committed manifest. Mirrors spa.js setupRoutes() exactly. Will be replaced by the generated /data/webui/generated/features.json once the scan generator lands (see docs/frontend-modularization.md). 'handler' names the LibrePortalSPAClean method that still does the rendering during the strangler migration; 'navId' is the existing topbar element id for active-state highlighting.",
+  "features": [
+    {
+      "id": "dashboard",
+      "routes": ["/", "/dashboard"],
+      "handler": "handleDashboard",
+      "navId": "nav-dashboard",
+      "nav": { "label": "Dashboard", "order": 10 }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "apps",
+      "routes": ["/apps", "/apps*"],
+      "handler": "handleApps",
+      "navId": "nav-app-center",
+      "nav": { "label": "App Center", "order": 20 }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "app-detail",
+      "routes": ["/app", "/app*"],
+      "handler": "handleAppDetail",
+      "navId": "nav-app-center"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "admin",
+      "routes": ["/admin", "/admin*"],
+      "handler": "handleAdmin",
+      "navId": "nav-config",
+      "nav": { "label": "Admin", "order": 40 }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "config-redirect",
+      "routes": ["/config", "/config*"],
+      "handler": "handleConfigRedirect",
+      "navId": "nav-config"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "tasks",
+      "routes": ["/tasks", "/tasks*"],
+      "handler": "handleTasks",
+      "navId": "nav-tasks",
+      "nav": { "label": "Tasks", "order": 60 }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "backup",
+      "routes": ["/backup", "/backup*"],
+      "handler": "handleBackup",
+      "navId": "nav-backup",
+      "nav": { "label": "Backups", "order": 50 }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "peers",
+      "routes": ["/peers", "/peers*"],
+      "handler": "handlePeers",
+      "navId": "nav-config"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "ssh",
+      "routes": ["/ssh", "/ssh*"],
+      "handler": "handleSsh",
+      "navId": "nav-config"
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/containers/libreportal/frontend/index.html b/containers/libreportal/frontend/index.html
index 1d31063..d40c5ee 100755
--- a/containers/libreportal/frontend/index.html
+++ b/containers/libreportal/frontend/index.html
@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@
   <script src="/js/system/setup-wizard.js"></script>
   <script src="/js/system/setup-completion-watcher.js"></script>
   <script src="/js/system/system-orchestrator.js"></script>
+  <!-- Feature-module kernel. Currently passive: defines window.LP.features and
+       loads the page manifest; spa.js consults it for routing. See
+       docs/frontend-modularization.md. -->
+  <script src="/kernel/feature-registry.js"></script>
   <!--
     Page-specific controllers are loaded on demand by spa.js / config-manager.js
     when the user navigates to the relevant route. Keeping them out of the
diff --git a/containers/libreportal/frontend/kernel/feature-registry.js b/containers/libreportal/frontend/kernel/feature-registry.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a548589
--- /dev/null
+++ b/containers/libreportal/frontend/kernel/feature-registry.js
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+// kernel/feature-registry.js — the single source of truth for "what pages exist".
+//
+// This is the first piece of the feature-module architecture (see
+// docs/frontend-modularization.md). It replaces the four hand-maintained
+// registries the SPA grew over time:
+//   1. the eager <script> list in index.html,
+//   2. spa.js's hardcoded `routes` Map (setupRoutes),
+//   3. system-loader.js's component registry,
+//   4. config-manager.js's renderConfig() category if-chain.
+//
+// In this first phase it is deliberately *passive*: it loads a checked-in
+// manifest describing today's pages and exposes a routes Map. spa.js consults
+// it for routing; rendering still happens in the existing handleX() bodies.
+// Later phases replace handlers with self-registering feature modules that call
+// LP.features.register({...}) — the runtime registry below already supports it.
+(function () {
+  const LP = (window.LP = window.LP || {});
+
+  LP.features = {
+    // Runtime registrations (feature index.js files call register()). Unused in
+    // phase 0 — present so later phases can land without touching this file.
+    _modules: new Map(),
+
+    // The parsed manifest (the generated/checked-in description of all pages).
+    _manifest: null,
+
+    // Register a live feature module. id must be unique; last-wins with a warn
+    // so a duplicate during migration is loud, not silent.
+    register(def) {
+      if (!def || !def.id) {
+        console.error('[features] register() called without an id', def);
+        return;
+      }
+      if (this._modules.has(def.id)) {
+        console.warn(`[features] duplicate registration for "${def.id}" — last wins`);
+      }
+      this._modules.set(def.id, def);
+      return def;
+    },
+
+    get(id) {
+      return this._modules.get(id) || null;
+    },
+
+    // Fetch + cache the manifest. Read-only GET of a static/generated file,
+    // same pattern as DataLoader.loadApps(). Returns the manifest or null on
+    // failure (callers fall back to their built-in defaults).
+    async loadManifest(url = '/features/manifest.dev.json') {
+      if (this._manifest) return this._manifest;
+      try {
+        const res = await fetch(url, { cache: 'no-cache' });
+        if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`HTTP ${res.status}`);
+        const data = await res.json();
+        this._manifest = Array.isArray(data.features) ? data : { version: 0, features: [] };
+        return this._manifest;
+      } catch (err) {
+        console.warn('[features] manifest load failed, callers will fall back:', err.message);
+        return null;
+      }
+    },
+
+    // The manifest entries, or [] if not loaded.
+    list() {
+      return (this._manifest && this._manifest.features) || [];
+    },
+
+    // Build a route-pattern -> entry Map from the manifest. The pattern strings
+    // (including the trailing-'*' wildcards) are kept verbatim so the consumer's
+    // matching logic is unchanged from spa.js's findRouteHandler.
+    buildRouteTable() {
+      const table = new Map();
+      for (const f of this.list()) {
+        for (const route of (f.routes || [])) {
+          if (table.has(route)) {
+            console.warn(`[features] duplicate route "${route}" (feature "${f.id}") — last wins`);
+          }
+          table.set(route, f);
+        }
+      }
+      return table;
+    },
+
+    // Nav entries (topbar) derived from the manifest, sorted by nav.order.
+    // Phase 0 keeps topbar.html authoritative; this is here for the nav kernel
+    // that lands with the topbar migration.
+    navItems() {
+      return this.list()
+        .filter(f => f.nav && f.nav.label)
+        .sort((a, b) => (a.nav.order || 0) - (b.nav.order || 0))
+        .map(f => ({ id: f.id, ...f.nav, routes: f.routes }));
+    },
+  };
+})();