docs: add comprehensive README for sample projects

packages/cli/src/projects/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+# Elide Sample Projects
+
+This directory contains sample projects demonstrating Elide's capabilities across different languages and use cases.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+Initialize a sample project using `elide init`:
+
+```bash
+# Interactive mode - choose from available templates
+elide init
+
+# Or specify a template directly
+elide init ktjvm
+```
+
+## Available Samples
+
+| Sample | Description | Languages |
+|--------|-------------|-----------|
+| [`ktjvm`](./ktjvm) | Kotlin/JVM project with tests | Kotlin |
+| [`java`](./java) | Pure Java project with tests | Java |
+| [`mavenjvm`](./mavenjvm) | Maven-based Java project | Java |
+| [`containers`](./containers) | JARs, Native Image, and containers | Kotlin |
+| [`flask`](./flask) | Python Flask web server | Python |
+| [`flask-react`](./flask-react) | Polyglot Flask + React app | Python, TypeScript |
+| [`web-static-worker`](./web-static-worker) | Static site with Cloudflare Workers | Markdown, TypeScript |
+
+## Sample Details
+
+### Kotlin/JVM (`ktjvm`)
+
+Basic Kotlin project using Elide's built-in toolchain.
+
+```bash
+elide init ktjvm my-kotlin-app
+cd my-kotlin-app
+elide build
+elide test
+```
+
+### Java (`java`)
+
+Pure Java project compiled with Elide's embedded `javac`.
+
+```bash
+elide init java my-java-app
+cd my-java-app
+elide build
+elide test
+```
+
+### Flask (`flask`)
+
+Python Flask server running on Elide's Python engine.
+
+```bash
+elide init flask my-flask-app
+cd my-flask-app
+elide serve
+```
+
+### Flask + React (`flask-react`)
+
+Polyglot application combining Python backend with React frontend - demonstrates cross-language interoperability.
+
+```bash
+elide init flask-react my-fullstack-app
+cd my-fullstack-app
+elide install
+elide serve
+```
+
+## Project Structure
+
+Each sample uses `elide.pkl` as its manifest file (Elide's equivalent of `package.json` or `pom.xml`):
+
+```pkl
+amends "elide:project.pkl"
+
+name = "my-project"
+description = "Project description"
+
+dependencies {
+  maven {
+    packages {
+      "com.google.guava:guava"
+    }
+  }
+  npm {
+    packages {
+      "react@18"
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+## Running Samples
+
+```bash
+# Build the project
+elide build
+
+# Run tests
+elide test
+
+# Start a server (for web projects)
+elide serve
+
+# Run a specific file
+elide run ./src/main.kt
+```
+
+## Learn More
+
+- [Elide Documentation](https://docs.elide.dev)
+- [Project Guide](https://docs.elide.dev/guides/projects)
+- [CLI Reference](https://docs.elide.dev/cli)