diff --git a/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue b/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
index 1b8c72c..2837d7c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
+++ b/frontend/src/views/geenforce/ManifestEditor.vue
@@ -277,6 +277,16 @@
                 <small v-if="isPreinstallScope" class="input-hint">Preinstall runs at imaging and supports MSI/EXE only.</small>
               </label>
             </div>
+            <div class="setting-row">
+              <label>
+                <span>Tracked application (optional)</span>
+                <select v-model="entryForm.appid">
+                  <option :value="null">(not linked)</option>
+                  <option v-for="app in applications" :key="app.appid" :value="app.appid">{{ app.appname }}</option>
+                </select>
+                <small class="input-hint">Link this entry to a tracked Application in the catalog (metadata; not part of the manifest).</small>
+              </label>
+            </div>
           </div>
 
           <!-- payload fields per type -->
@@ -566,6 +576,7 @@ const newScope = ref({ scopename: '', phase: 'runtime' })
 
 const showEntry = ref(false)
 const entryForm = ref({})
+const applications = ref([])
 
 const showVersions = ref(false)
 const versions = ref([])
@@ -645,7 +656,7 @@ async function deleteScope() {
 // -- entries --
 function blankEntry() {
   return { Type: 'MSI', DetectionMethod: '', RegType: 'String',
-    inuseBehavior: '', inuseProcesses: [],
+    inuseBehavior: '', inuseProcesses: [], appid: null,
     PreEnrollment: false, KillAfterDetection: false, PCTypesStrict: false }
 }
 function openNewEntry() {
@@ -682,7 +693,9 @@ function splitList(value) {
 }
 function buildEntryPayload() {
   const form = entryForm.value
-  const out = { Name: form.Name, Type: form.Type }
+  // appid is shopdb metadata, always sent (null unlinks); the backend keeps it
+  // off the manifest JSON.
+  const out = { Name: form.Name, Type: form.Type, appid: form.appid ?? null }
   const scalars = ['Installer', 'InstallArgs', 'Script', 'Args', 'Source',
     'Destination', 'RegPath', 'RegName', 'RegType', 'DetectionPath',
     'DetectionName', 'DetectionValue', 'DetectionPattern', '_CmmVersion',
@@ -828,14 +841,20 @@ function describeEntry(entry) {
   } else if (entry.PCTypes && entry.PCTypes.length) {
     text += `; ${entry.PCTypes.length} PC type(s)`
   }
+  if (entry.appname) text += `; tracked: ${entry.appname}`
   return text
 }
 function formatDate(value) {
   return value ? new Date(value).toLocaleString() : ''
 }
 
+async function loadApplications() {
+  try { applications.value = payload(await api.get('/geenforce/applications')) } catch (e) { /* optional */ }
+}
+
 loadScopes()
 loadConfig()
+loadApplications()
 </script>
 
 <style scoped>
diff --git a/plugins/geenforce/api/routes.py b/plugins/geenforce/api/routes.py
index 1dd4edd..637397e 100644
--- a/plugins/geenforce/api/routes.py
+++ b/plugins/geenforce/api/routes.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ from sqlalchemy.exc import IntegrityError
 
 from shopdb.api import (
     db, success_response, error_response, ErrorCodes, require_permission,
-    service_token_authorized, Setting,
+    service_token_authorized, Setting, Application,
 )
 
 SHAREROOT_SETTING = 'geenforce_share_root'
@@ -160,6 +160,18 @@ def preview_scope(scopeid):
                              'manifest': scope_to_manifest(scope)})
 
 
+@geenforce_bp.route('/applications', methods=['GET'])
+@jwt_required()
+@require_permission('geenforce.manage')
+def list_applications():
+    """The core Applications catalog (id + name) for the curated entry->app link
+    picker in the entry editor."""
+    apps = Application.query.filter_by(isactive=True).order_by(
+        Application.appname).all()
+    return success_response([{'appid': a.appid, 'appname': a.appname}
+                             for a in apps])
+
+
 # -- scope CRUD (geenforce.manage) --------------------------------------------
 
 def _scope_summary(scope):
@@ -179,12 +191,32 @@ def _scope_summary(scope):
 
 
 def _entry_payload(entry):
-    """Manifest-entry dict with entryid + sortorder for the editor."""
-    data = {'entryid': entry.entryid, 'sortorder': entry.sortorder}
+    """Manifest-entry dict with entryid + sortorder + the curated app link.
+
+    appid/appname are shopdb metadata (not manifest fields), added alongside the
+    rendered manifest entry for the editor.
+    """
+    data = {'entryid': entry.entryid, 'sortorder': entry.sortorder,
+            'appid': entry.appid, 'appname': None}
+    if entry.appid:
+        app = db.session.get(Application, entry.appid)
+        data['appname'] = app.appname if app else None
     data.update(entry_to_dict(entry))
     return data
 
 
+def _apply_app_link(entry, payload):
+    """Set the optional curated appid from the payload (shopdb metadata, not a
+    manifest field, so handled outside populate_entry). Ignores an unknown id."""
+    if 'appid' not in payload:
+        return
+    appid = payload.get('appid')
+    if appid in (None, '', 0):
+        entry.appid = None
+    elif db.session.get(Application, int(appid)):
+        entry.appid = int(appid)
+
+
 @geenforce_bp.route('/scopes', methods=['POST'])
 @jwt_required()
 @require_permission('geenforce.manage')
@@ -280,6 +312,7 @@ def create_entry(scopeid):
         return error_response(ErrorCodes.VALIDATION_ERROR, invalid, http_code=400)
     nextorder = max([e.sortorder for e in scope.entries], default=-1) + 1
     entry = build_entry(payload, nextorder)
+    _apply_app_link(entry, payload)
     scope.entries.append(entry)
     try:
         db.session.commit()
@@ -309,6 +342,7 @@ def update_entry(entryid):
         entry.inusecheck = None
         db.session.flush()
     populate_entry(entry, payload)
+    _apply_app_link(entry, payload)
     try:
         db.session.commit()
     except IntegrityError:
diff --git a/plugins/geenforce/migrations/versions/0001_geenforce_baseline.py b/plugins/geenforce/migrations/versions/0001_geenforce_baseline.py
index 4906376..2c9831f 100644
--- a/plugins/geenforce/migrations/versions/0001_geenforce_baseline.py
+++ b/plugins/geenforce/migrations/versions/0001_geenforce_baseline.py
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ def upgrade():
         sa.Column('waittimeoutsec', sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
         sa.Column('applymode', sa.String(length=16), nullable=True),
         sa.Column('updatewindow', sa.String(length=11), nullable=True),
+        sa.Column('appid', sa.Integer(), nullable=True),
         sa.Column('preenrollment', sa.Boolean(), nullable=False),
         sa.Column('killafterdetection', sa.Boolean(), nullable=False),
         sa.Column('pctypesstrict', sa.Boolean(), nullable=False),
diff --git a/plugins/geenforce/models/manifest.py b/plugins/geenforce/models/manifest.py
index 55fe3cf..8e40c90 100644
--- a/plugins/geenforce/models/manifest.py
+++ b/plugins/geenforce/models/manifest.py
@@ -119,6 +119,11 @@ class ManifestEntry(BaseModel):
     applymode = db.Column(db.String(16), nullable=True)     # inert in engine today
     updatewindow = db.Column(db.String(11), nullable=True)  # 'HH:MM-HH:MM', inert
 
+    # Optional CURATED link to a core Applications catalog row (soft ref, no FK
+    # to keep the plugin decoupled). shopdb metadata only - NOT part of the
+    # manifest JSON the engine reads, so it never affects enforcement or parity.
+    appid = db.Column(db.Integer, nullable=True)
+
     # Preinstall-only flags.
     preenrollment = db.Column(db.Boolean, nullable=False, default=False)
     killafterdetection = db.Column(db.Boolean, nullable=False, default=False)
diff --git a/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_crud.py b/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_crud.py
index 573d3b0..3da987c 100644
--- a/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_crud.py
+++ b/tests/test_plugins/test_geenforce_crud.py
@@ -108,6 +108,42 @@ def test_entry_edit_preserves_full_fidelity(client, db, auth_headers):
     assert proc['GracefulCloseTimeoutSec'] == 15
 
 
+def test_entry_curated_app_link(client, db, auth_headers):
+    """An entry can be linked to an existing Application; the link is shopdb
+    metadata and must NOT leak into the manifest JSON (parity/enforcement)."""
+    from shopdb.core.models import Application
+    app_row = Application(appname='eDNC (tracked)')
+    db.session.add(app_row)
+    db.session.commit()
+    appid = app_row.appid
+
+    scopeid = _create_scope(client, auth_headers)
+    created = client.post(f'/api/geenforce/scopes/{scopeid}/entries',
+                          json={'Name': 'eDNC install', 'Type': 'MSI',
+                                'appid': appid}, headers=auth_headers)
+    assert created.status_code == 201, created.get_json()
+    data = created.get_json()['data']
+    assert data['appid'] == appid
+    assert data['appname'] == 'eDNC (tracked)'
+
+    # the link is NOT in the rendered manifest (would break the engine contract)
+    manifest = client.get(f'/api/geenforce/scopes/{scopeid}/preview',
+                          headers=auth_headers).get_json()['data']['manifest']
+    entry_json = manifest['Applications'][0]
+    assert 'appid' not in entry_json and 'appname' not in entry_json
+
+    # unlink
+    updated = client.put(f"/api/geenforce/entries/{data['entryid']}",
+                         json={'Name': 'eDNC install', 'Type': 'MSI', 'appid': None},
+                         headers=auth_headers)
+    assert updated.get_json()['data']['appid'] is None
+
+    # picker lists the app
+    picker = client.get('/api/geenforce/applications',
+                        headers=auth_headers).get_json()['data']
+    assert any(a['appname'] == 'eDNC (tracked)' for a in picker)
+
+
 def test_invalid_entry_type_rejected(client, db, auth_headers):
     scopeid = _create_scope(client, auth_headers)
     resp = client.post(f'/api/geenforce/scopes/{scopeid}/entries',