diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 24cddd9..e431ecb 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ PRY_HOST=0.0.0.0
 PRY_PORT=8002
 PRY_URL=http://localhost:8002
 
+# Root directory for Pry's on-disk data (quality, monitors, sessions, etc.).
+# Defaults to ~/.pry. Override for production (e.g., /var/lib/pry) or tests (e.g., /tmp/pry-test).
+# PRY_DATA_DIR=~/.pry
+
 # ── LLM / AI ──
 # Ollama endpoint (used for summarization, categorization, extraction)
 PRY_OLLAMA_URL=http://100.100.18.18:11434
diff --git a/paths.py b/paths.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c910685
--- /dev/null
+++ b/paths.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+"""Pry - centralized data-directory resolution.
+
+Single source of truth for the on-disk data root. Override at runtime via
+the PRY_DATA_DIR environment variable.
+
+Examples:
+  PRY_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/pry         # systemd / docker production
+  PRY_DATA_DIR=/tmp/pry-test-$$     # CI scratch space
+
+All other modules should import PRY_DATA_DIR (or use subdir(name)) instead
+of hardcoding Path("~/.pry/x").
+
+Part of Pry - https://git.rugmunch.io/RugMunchMedia/pryscraper
+Licensed under MIT. See LICENSE.
+"""
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+# Copyright (c) 2026 Rug Munch Media LLC
+#
+# Part of Pry - https://git.rugmunch.io/RugMunchMedia/pryscraper
+# Licensed under MIT. See LICENSE.
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# Single source of truth. Override with PRY_DATA_DIR env var.
+PRY_DATA_DIR: Path = Path(os.getenv("PRY_DATA_DIR", "~/.pry")).expanduser().resolve()
+
+# Known subdirectories. Not enforced - subdir() accepts any name - but
+# useful for documentation and tooling that wants to enumerate them.
+SUBDIRS: tuple[str, ...] = (
+    "accounts",
+    "actors",
+    "agency",
+    "commerce",
+    "costing",
+    "freshness",
+    "gdpr",
+    "gdpr_real",
+    "intel",
+    "jobs",
+    "llm_usage",
+    "monitors",
+    "pipelines",
+    "proxies",
+    "quality",
+    "referrals",
+    "reports",
+    "reports_real",
+    "reviews",
+    "seo",
+    "sessions",
+    "structure",
+    "training",
+    "vault",
+    "webhooks",
+    "x402",
+)
+
+
+def subdir(name: str) -> Path:
+    """Get a subdirectory under PRY_DATA_DIR, creating it if needed.
+
+    Use this in modules that write files: `from paths import subdir; d = subdir("quality")`.
+    """
+    path = PRY_DATA_DIR / name
+    path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    return path
+
+
+def ensure_data_dir() -> Path:
+    """Ensure PRY_DATA_DIR itself exists. Returns the path.
+
+    Call once at process startup if you want the root created eagerly
+    (e.g., before any subdir access).
+    """
+    PRY_DATA_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    return PRY_DATA_DIR