diff --git a/.changeset/public-page-context-breadcrumbs.md b/.changeset/public-page-context-breadcrumbs.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6b6adf8b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/public-page-context-breadcrumbs.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"emdash": minor
+---
+
+Adds `breadcrumbs?: BreadcrumbItem[]` to `PublicPageContext` so themes can publish a breadcrumb trail as part of the page context, and SEO plugins (or any other `page:metadata` consumer) can read it without having to invent their own per-theme override mechanism. `BreadcrumbItem` is also exported from the `emdash` package root. The field is optional and non-breaking — existing themes and plugins work unchanged, and consumers can adopt it incrementally. Empty array (`breadcrumbs: []`) is an explicit opt-out signal (e.g. for homepages); `undefined` means "no opinion, fall back to consumer's own derivation".
diff --git a/packages/core/src/index.ts b/packages/core/src/index.ts
index 119277c11..a85d181b8 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/index.ts
@@ -359,6 +359,7 @@ export type { SeoMeta, SeoMetaOptions } from "./seo/index.js";
 export type {
 	PagePlacement,
 	PublicPageContext,
+	BreadcrumbItem,
 	PageMetadataEvent,
 	PageMetadataContribution,
 	PageMetadataHandler,
diff --git a/packages/core/src/page/context.ts b/packages/core/src/page/context.ts
index f1cb1595b..c35194b0e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/page/context.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/page/context.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  * The resulting context is passed to EmDashHead / EmDashBodyStart / EmDashBodyEnd.
  */
 
-import type { PublicPageContext } from "../plugins/types.js";
+import type { BreadcrumbItem, PublicPageContext } from "../plugins/types.js";
 
 /** Fields shared by both input forms */
 interface PageContextFields {
@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@ interface PageContextFields {
 	};
 	/** Site name for structured data and og:site_name */
 	siteName?: string;
+	/**
+	 * Breadcrumb trail for this page, root first. Pass an empty array
+	 * to explicitly opt out of breadcrumbs (e.g. homepage), or omit the
+	 * field to let consumers fall back to their own derivation.
+	 */
+	breadcrumbs?: BreadcrumbItem[];
 	/** Public-facing site URL (origin) for structured data */
 	siteUrl?: string;
 }
@@ -91,6 +97,7 @@ export function createPublicPageContext(input: CreatePublicPageContextInput): Pu
 		seo: input.seo,
 		articleMeta: input.articleMeta,
 		siteName: input.siteName,
+		breadcrumbs: input.breadcrumbs,
 		siteUrl: input.siteUrl,
 	};
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/src/plugins/types.ts b/packages/core/src/plugins/types.ts
index c4a8fee82..e1b71c6a4 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/plugins/types.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/plugins/types.ts
@@ -747,6 +747,17 @@ export type UninstallHandler = (event: UninstallEvent, ctx: PluginContext) => Pr
 /** Placement targets for page fragment contributions */
 export type PagePlacement = "head" | "body:start" | "body:end";
 
+/**
+ * A single breadcrumb trail item. Used by `PublicPageContext.breadcrumbs`
+ * so themes can publish breadcrumb trails that SEO plugins consume.
+ */
+export interface BreadcrumbItem {
+	/** Display name for this crumb (e.g. "Home", "Blog", "My Post"). */
+	name: string;
+	/** Absolute or root-relative URL for this crumb. */
+	url: string;
+}
+
 /**
  * Describes the page being rendered. Passed to page hooks so plugins
  * can decide what to contribute without fetching content themselves.
@@ -781,6 +792,21 @@ export interface PublicPageContext {
 	};
 	/** Site name for structured data and og:site_name */
 	siteName?: string;
+	/**
+	 * Optional breadcrumb trail for this page, root first. When set,
+	 * SEO plugins should use this verbatim rather than deriving a trail
+	 * from `path`. Themes typically populate this at the point they
+	 * build the context (e.g. from a content hierarchy walk, taxonomy
+	 * lookup, or per-`pageType` routing logic).
+	 *
+	 * Semantics for consumers:
+	 *   - `undefined` — theme has no opinion; consumer falls back to
+	 *     its own derivation.
+	 *   - `[]` — this page has no breadcrumbs (e.g. homepage); consumer
+	 *     should skip `BreadcrumbList` emission entirely.
+	 *   - Non-empty array — used verbatim for `BreadcrumbList` output.
+	 */
+	breadcrumbs?: BreadcrumbItem[];
 	/** Public-facing site URL (origin) for structured data */
 	siteUrl?: string;
 }
diff --git a/packages/core/tests/unit/plugins/page-context.test.ts b/packages/core/tests/unit/plugins/page-context.test.ts
index d184fc691..4ed507435 100644
--- a/packages/core/tests/unit/plugins/page-context.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/tests/unit/plugins/page-context.test.ts
@@ -104,4 +104,41 @@ describe("createPublicPageContext", () => {
 
 		expect(result.content).toBeUndefined();
 	});
+
+	it("passes breadcrumbs through verbatim when provided", () => {
+		const result = createPublicPageContext({
+			url: "https://example.com/blog/hello",
+			kind: "content",
+			breadcrumbs: [
+				{ name: "Home", url: "/" },
+				{ name: "Blog", url: "/blog/" },
+				{ name: "Hello", url: "/blog/hello" },
+			],
+		});
+
+		expect(result.breadcrumbs).toEqual([
+			{ name: "Home", url: "/" },
+			{ name: "Blog", url: "/blog/" },
+			{ name: "Hello", url: "/blog/hello" },
+		]);
+	});
+
+	it("leaves breadcrumbs undefined when not provided", () => {
+		const result = createPublicPageContext({
+			url: "https://example.com/about",
+			kind: "custom",
+		});
+
+		expect(result.breadcrumbs).toBeUndefined();
+	});
+
+	it("preserves explicit empty breadcrumbs array (opt-out signal)", () => {
+		const result = createPublicPageContext({
+			url: "https://example.com/",
+			kind: "custom",
+			breadcrumbs: [],
+		});
+
+		expect(result.breadcrumbs).toEqual([]);
+	});
 });