diff --git a/adapters/afd_plugin/manifest.yaml b/adapters/afd_plugin/manifest.yaml
index 23245337..ba9e0329 100644
--- a/adapters/afd_plugin/manifest.yaml
+++ b/adapters/afd_plugin/manifest.yaml
@@ -234,3 +234,23 @@ knowledge_lifecycle:
   release:
     trigger: none
   upstream_visibility: public
+  # kb init (doc/design: kb-init-design.md §3). Read by `kb init afd-plugin`
+  # only; the service ignores it. Values checked against upstream
+  # vllm-project/afd-plugin main on 2026-09-30.
+  init:
+    seeds:
+      # linked, never copied: the repo-neutral review rules every vLLM-plugin
+      # review applies (design reuse, compatibility, tests-with-the-change)
+      - general/review/rules.md
+      # linked: afd-plugin wraps vLLM workers/model runners; algorithm-level
+      # choices must be checked against upstream vLLM first
+      - general/review/guides/upstream-first-for-algorithm.md
+      # adapt-copied: afd_plugin/compat/** and the v1 worker subclasses track
+      # vLLM releases, so the vLLM upstream API-drift patterns (renamed
+      # params, constructor migrations, subclass missing new fields) transfer;
+      # claims that do not resolve in afd-plugin are dropped by kb init
+      - repos/vllm-omni/rebase/upstream-api-drift.md
+    # the Python package only: csrc/ is C++/CUDA, which the Python module scan
+    # does not read (its knowledge stays with the execution-platforms owner)
+    source_roots: [afd_plugin/]
+    exclude: ["*/__init__.py", "*/py.typed"]
diff --git a/test/test_kb_init_pilot_afd.py b/test/test_kb_init_pilot_afd.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a1c7f91d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test_kb_init_pilot_afd.py
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+"""kb init pilot 1: the real afd-plugin adapter's init block parses and its
+seeds exist in the real knowledge tree (design kb-init §12)."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from infermatrix_copilot.kb_service.config import load_registry, validate_seeds
+from infermatrix_copilot.sdk._resources import adapters_root, knowledge_root
+
+
+def test_afd_plugin_init_block_is_valid_on_the_real_tree():
+    lifecycle = load_registry(adapters_root())["afd-plugin"]
+    assert lifecycle.enabled is False and lifecycle.mode == "shadow"  # init flips it, not this PR
+    init = lifecycle.init
+    assert init is not None
+    assert init.source_roots == ("afd_plugin/",)
+    assert init.seeds, "the pilot seeds from existing knowledge"
+    assert all(seed.startswith(("general/", "repos/vllm-omni/")) for seed in init.seeds)
+    assert validate_seeds(init, knowledge_root()) == []