diff --git a/remarkbox/__init__.py b/remarkbox/__init__.py
index 92cbc40..a146f33 100644
--- a/remarkbox/__init__.py
+++ b/remarkbox/__init__.py
@@ -1,3 +1,13 @@
+# Vendored pkg_resources shim: setuptools 81 dropped pkg_resources, but pyramid
+# still imports it. Inject our _vendor dir into sys.path BEFORE the pyramid
+# import below so `import pkg_resources` finds our shim. See
+# remarkbox/_vendor/pkg_resources/__init__.py.
+import os as _rb_os
+import sys as _rb_sys
+_rb_vendor = _rb_os.path.join(_rb_os.path.dirname(__file__), "_vendor")
+if _rb_vendor not in _rb_sys.path:
+    _rb_sys.path.insert(0, _rb_vendor)
+
 from pyramid.config import Configurator
 
 from sqlalchemy import engine_from_config
diff --git a/remarkbox/_vendor/__init__.py b/remarkbox/_vendor/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/remarkbox/_vendor/pkg_resources/__init__.py b/remarkbox/_vendor/pkg_resources/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eaaaaf2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/remarkbox/_vendor/pkg_resources/__init__.py
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+"""
+Minimal vendored pkg_resources shim for Remarkbox.
+
+setuptools 81 dropped pkg_resources from its distribution. Pyramid (and a
+handful of other libraries) still import it. This shim provides the narrow
+surface pyramid actually uses, backed entirely by stdlib (importlib.resources,
+importlib.import_module). No setuptools coupling, no jaraco.text, no
+platformdirs. Bleeding-edge friendly.
+
+Surface (only what pyramid touches):
+    resource_filename(package, name)  -> str
+    resource_stream(package, name)    -> IO[bytes]
+    resource_string(package, name)    -> bytes
+    resource_exists(package, name)    -> bool
+    resource_isdir(package, name)     -> bool
+    resource_listdir(package, name)   -> list[str]
+    DefaultProvider                   -- class, subclassable
+    register_loader_type              -- no-op registry stub
+
+If a future dependency needs more of the legacy pkg_resources API, extend
+this file. Do not pull in upstream setuptools' pkg_resources/__init__.py
+(3700 lines + jaraco.text + platformdirs); that defeats the point.
+"""
+
+import os
+from importlib.resources import files
+
+
+def _ref(package, name=""):
+    if not isinstance(package, str):
+        package = package.__name__
+    ref = files(package)
+    if name:
+        ref = ref / name
+    return ref
+
+
+def resource_filename(package, name):
+    return str(_ref(package, name))
+
+
+def resource_stream(package, name):
+    return _ref(package, name).open("rb")
+
+
+def resource_string(package, name):
+    return _ref(package, name).read_bytes()
+
+
+def resource_exists(package, name):
+    try:
+        ref = _ref(package, name)
+    except (FileNotFoundError, ModuleNotFoundError):
+        return False
+    try:
+        return ref.is_file() or ref.is_dir()
+    except (FileNotFoundError, NotADirectoryError):
+        return False
+
+
+def resource_isdir(package, name):
+    try:
+        return _ref(package, name).is_dir()
+    except (FileNotFoundError, ModuleNotFoundError, NotADirectoryError):
+        return False
+
+
+def resource_listdir(package, name):
+    try:
+        return [child.name for child in _ref(package, name).iterdir()]
+    except (FileNotFoundError, ModuleNotFoundError, NotADirectoryError):
+        return []
+
+
+class DefaultProvider:
+    """Minimal stand-in for pkg_resources.DefaultProvider.
+
+    Pyramid subclasses this to wire its asset-override system. The `manager`
+    arg in get_resource_* (originally a ResourceManager for zip-egg cache
+    extraction) is unused — modern pip installs are unpacked directories.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, module):
+        self.module = module
+        self.module_path = None
+        if getattr(module, "__file__", None):
+            self.module_path = os.path.dirname(module.__file__)
+
+    def _name(self):
+        return self.module.__name__
+
+    def get_resource_filename(self, manager, resource_name):
+        return resource_filename(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+    def get_resource_stream(self, manager, resource_name):
+        return resource_stream(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+    def get_resource_string(self, manager, resource_name):
+        return resource_string(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+    def has_resource(self, resource_name):
+        return resource_exists(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+    def resource_isdir(self, resource_name):
+        return resource_isdir(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+    def resource_listdir(self, resource_name):
+        return resource_listdir(self._name(), resource_name)
+
+
+_LOADER_TYPES = {}
+
+
+def register_loader_type(loader_class, provider_class):
+    _LOADER_TYPES[loader_class] = provider_class