diff --git a/.github/cspell.json b/.github/cspell.json
index 91833ce..6d5023d 100644
--- a/.github/cspell.json
+++ b/.github/cspell.json
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     "libglib",
     "libgstreamer",
     "libinput",
+    "libnl",
     "libpipewire",
     "libsecret",
     "libsystemd",
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b3545ec..9a38fd1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -589,6 +589,54 @@ emb cross . --target local     # …the same, explicit (or --target host)
 emb cross . --target rpi5 --build
 ```
 
+#### Layered manifests: `extends` (board → project → app)
+
+emb ships a **board library** — hardware/OS definitions for known boards under
+its own `boards/` directory (e.g. `rpi5-bookworm`: triple, toolchain version,
+sysroot image, partition, cpu tuning, the base GUI stack). A manifest pulls one
+in with `cross.extends` so a project never re-spells hardware facts:
+
+```yaml
+# ivi-homescreen/.emb/raspberry-pi.emb.yaml — the PROJECT layer
+cross:
+  targets:
+    rpi5-bookworm:
+      extends: rpi5-bookworm          # ← emb board (hardware/OS)
+      backends: { drm-kms-egl: { BUILD_BACKEND_DRM_KMS_EGL: 'ON' } }
+      augment:  [ { pkg: libdisplay-info, min: "0.2.0", build: meson } ]
+      sysroot:  { dev_packages: [ libgstreamer1.0-dev ] }   # added to the board's
+```
+
+`extends` takes two forms:
+
+| Form | Resolves to |
+|---|---|
+| `<board>` | a target in emb's board library (the **hardware** layer) |
+| `<dir>#<target>` | a target in another emb project at `<dir>` (the **project** layer) |
+
+The second form lets an **app** build on a project (e.g. ivi-homescreen) and add
+only what is app-specific — typically **plugin configuration**, which depends on
+the plugins the app ships, not on the embedder or the board:
+
+```yaml
+# my-flutter-app/.emb/app.emb.yaml — the APP layer
+#   (ivi-homescreen checked out alongside the app)
+cross:
+  targets:
+    rpi5-bookworm:
+      extends: '../ivi-homescreen#rpi5-bookworm'   # ← project target (→ board)
+      defines: { DISABLE_PLUGINS: 'OFF', PLUGINS_DIR: '../ivi-homescreen-plugins/plugins' }
+      sysroot: { dev_packages: [ libnl-3-dev ] }
+```
+
+The chain collapses **app ⊕ project ⊕ board** with the same merge rules at every
+layer: nested maps deep-merge; `cpu_flags` and `backends` **replace** (each is a
+complete statement); `sysroot.dev_packages` **union** (each layer adds to the
+stack below it). `<dir>` is resolved relative to the extending manifest's project
+root (the `.emb/` parent, else the file's directory); cross-project reference
+cycles are rejected. The board library location can be overridden with
+`EMB_BOARDS_DIR` (it otherwise ships with emb).
+
 #### Reproducible builds (`emb.lock`)
 
 A cross resolve pins what it actually used to **`emb.lock`** at the project root,
diff --git a/examples/cross/app-extends.emb.yaml b/examples/cross/app-extends.emb.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b57677
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/cross/app-extends.emb.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# App layer demo — a Flutter app that builds on a project (board → project → app).
+#
+# `extends: <ref>#<target>` pulls in raspberry-pi-family.emb.yaml's rpi5-bookworm
+# target — which itself `extends` the rpi5-bookworm board — then overlays only
+# what is app-specific. Here that's one extra plugin -dev package, merged onto
+# the project + board sysroot stack; a real app would typically also set its own
+# plugin config (DISABLE_PLUGINS / PLUGINS_DIR). Hardware (toolchain, image, cpu)
+# comes from the board; backends/augment from the project.
+#
+#   emb cross app-extends.emb.yaml --target rpi5-bookworm --dry-run
+#
+# In a real layout the app and the project live in separate repos checked out
+# side by side, so the ref is a directory, e.g.:
+#   extends: '../ivi-homescreen#rpi5-bookworm'
+id: my-flutter-app
+type: app
+supported_archs: [arm64]
+supported_host_types: [ubuntu, fedora]
+
+cross:
+  targets:
+    rpi5-bookworm:
+      extends: 'raspberry-pi-family.emb.yaml#rpi5-bookworm'
+      sysroot:
+        dev_packages: [libnl-3-dev]   # an app plugin dep, added to the stack
diff --git a/test/src/commands/cross_command_test.dart b/test/src/commands/cross_command_test.dart
index bbe3a93..bfec31f 100644
--- a/test/src/commands/cross_command_test.dart
+++ b/test/src/commands/cross_command_test.dart
@@ -326,6 +326,21 @@ void main() {
     }
   });
 
+  test(
+    '--dry-run plans the app-extends example (app → project → board)',
+    () async {
+      final app = p.join('examples', 'cross', 'app-extends.emb.yaml');
+      final code = await run([
+        'cross',
+        '--dry-run',
+        '--target',
+        'rpi5-bookworm',
+        app,
+      ]);
+      expect(code, ExitCode.success.code);
+    },
+  );
+
   // Every shipped example must parse -> dispatch -> plan with no side effects:
   // this validates all of the listed use cases hermetically.
   test('--dry-run plans every example manifest', () async {