diff --git a/app/init_wizard.py b/app/init_wizard.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6d385db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/init_wizard.py
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+"""
+HarborForge initialization via AbstractWizard.
+
+On startup, reads config from AbstractWizard and creates:
+- Admin user (if not exists)
+- Default project (if configured)
+"""
+import os
+import logging
+import httpx
+from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
+
+from app.models import models
+from app.api.deps import get_password_hash
+
+logger = logging.getLogger("harborforge.init")
+
+WIZARD_URL = os.getenv("WIZARD_URL", "http://wizard:8080")
+WIZARD_CONFIG = os.getenv("WIZARD_CONFIG", "harborforge.json")
+
+
+def fetch_wizard_config() -> dict | None:
+    """Fetch initialization config from AbstractWizard."""
+    url = f"{WIZARD_URL}/api/v1/config/{WIZARD_CONFIG}"
+    try:
+        resp = httpx.get(url, timeout=10)
+        if resp.status_code == 200:
+            data = resp.json()
+            # AbstractWizard wraps in {"data": ...}
+            return data.get("data", data)
+        elif resp.status_code == 404:
+            logger.info("No wizard config found at %s, skipping initialization", url)
+            return None
+        else:
+            logger.warning("Wizard returned %d: %s", resp.status_code, resp.text)
+            return None
+    except httpx.ConnectError:
+        logger.info("AbstractWizard not available at %s, skipping", WIZARD_URL)
+        return None
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.warning("Failed to fetch wizard config: %s", e)
+        return None
+
+
+def init_admin_user(db: Session, admin_cfg: dict) -> None:
+    """Create admin user if not exists."""
+    username = admin_cfg.get("username", "admin")
+    existing = db.query(models.User).filter(models.User.username == username).first()
+    if existing:
+        logger.info("Admin user '%s' already exists (id=%d), skipping", username, existing.id)
+        return
+
+    password = admin_cfg.get("password", "changeme")
+    user = models.User(
+        username=username,
+        email=admin_cfg.get("email", f"{username}@harborforge.local"),
+        full_name=admin_cfg.get("full_name", "Admin"),
+        hashed_password=get_password_hash(password),
+        is_admin=True,
+        is_active=True,
+    )
+    db.add(user)
+    db.commit()
+    db.refresh(user)
+    logger.info("Created admin user '%s' (id=%d)", username, user.id)
+
+
+def init_default_project(db: Session, project_cfg: dict, admin_user_id: int) -> None:
+    """Create default project if configured and not exists."""
+    name = project_cfg.get("name", "Default")
+    existing = db.query(models.Project).filter(models.Project.name == name).first()
+    if existing:
+        logger.info("Project '%s' already exists (id=%d), skipping", name, existing.id)
+        return
+
+    project = models.Project(
+        name=name,
+        description=project_cfg.get("description", ""),
+        owner_id=admin_user_id,
+    )
+    db.add(project)
+    db.commit()
+    db.refresh(project)
+    logger.info("Created default project '%s' (id=%d)", name, project.id)
+
+
+def run_init(db: Session) -> None:
+    """Main initialization entry point."""
+    config = fetch_wizard_config()
+    if not config:
+        return
+
+    logger.info("Running HarborForge initialization from AbstractWizard")
+
+    # Admin user
+    admin_cfg = config.get("admin")
+    if admin_cfg:
+        init_admin_user(db, admin_cfg)
+
+    # Default project
+    project_cfg = config.get("default_project")
+    if project_cfg:
+        admin = db.query(models.User).filter(models.User.is_admin == True).first()
+        if admin:
+            init_default_project(db, project_cfg, admin.id)
+
+    logger.info("Initialization complete")
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index fb15eb6..f43e6d4 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ app.include_router(misc_router)
 # Run database migration on startup
 @app.on_event("startup")
 def startup():
-    from app.core.config import Base, engine
+    from app.core.config import Base, engine, SessionLocal
     from app.models import webhook, apikey, activity, milestone, notification, worklog
     Base.metadata.create_all(bind=engine)
+
+    # Initialize from AbstractWizard (admin user, default project, etc.)
+    from app.init_wizard import run_init
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        run_init(db)
+    finally:
+        db.close()