diff --git a/secrets b/secrets
index 123c556..7009da4 100755
--- a/secrets
+++ b/secrets
@@ -117,6 +117,15 @@ _validate_age_recipient() {
   return 0
 }
 
+# Recipient display names become "# <name>" comment lines in recipients.txt.
+# Restrict to a safe charset so a name can't inject extra lines/metacharacters.
+_validate_recipient_name() {
+  case "$1" in
+    *[!A-Za-z0-9\ ._-]*) return 1 ;;
+    *) return 0 ;;
+  esac
+}
+
 # Populate the global RECIPIENT_ARGS array with one "-r <key>" per store
 # recipient. recipients.txt present -> validated keys from the file (the store
 # is multi-recipient). Absent -> the single pubkey derived from key.txt (legacy
@@ -2067,7 +2076,8 @@ cmd_recipients() {
   [ $# -gt 0 ] && shift
   case "$sub" in
     list) _recipients_list ;;
-    *) die "Unknown recipients subcommand: '$sub'. Usage: secrets recipients [list]" ;;
+    add)  _recipients_add "$@" ;;
+    *) die "Unknown recipients subcommand: '$sub'. Usage: secrets recipients [list|add <age1...> [--name N]]" ;;
   esac
 }
 
@@ -2088,6 +2098,42 @@ _recipients_list() {
   done < <(_recipients_dump)
 }
 
+_recipients_add() {
+  check_cmd age
+  check_cmd git
+  check_initialized
+  check_key
+  local key="" name=""
+  while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+    case "$1" in
+      --name) name="${2:-}"; shift 2 ;;
+      -*) die "Unknown flag: $1. Usage: secrets recipients add <age1...> [--name <label>]" ;;
+      *) if [ -z "$key" ]; then key="$1"; else die "Unexpected argument: $1"; fi; shift ;;
+    esac
+  done
+  [ -n "$key" ] || die "Usage: secrets recipients add <age1...> [--name <label>]"
+  _validate_age_recipient "$key" || die "Not a valid age recipient: '$key' (expected age1..., 62 chars; SSH keys unsupported)."
+  if [ -n "$name" ]; then
+    _validate_recipient_name "$name" || die "Invalid --name '$name' (allowed: letters, digits, space, . _ -)."
+  fi
+  if [ -L "$RECIPIENTS_FILE" ]; then
+    die "Refusing to write symlinked $RECIPIENTS_FILE_NAME."
+  fi
+  # Bootstrap a legacy store: seed this machine's key first so the operator
+  # stays a recipient (and can decrypt to re-encrypt).
+  if [ ! -e "$RECIPIENTS_FILE" ]; then
+    printf '# self\n%s\n' "$(get_pubkey)" > "$RECIPIENTS_FILE"
+  fi
+  local k _n
+  while IFS=$'\t' read -r k _n; do
+    [ "$k" = "$key" ] && die "Recipient already present: $key"
+  done < <(_recipients_dump)
+  { [ -n "$name" ] && printf '# %s\n' "$name"; printf '%s\n' "$key"; } >> "$RECIPIENTS_FILE"
+  info "Added recipient${name:+ ($name)}: $key"
+  _load_recipients
+  _reencrypt_all "recipients: add ${name:-$key}; re-encrypt all"
+}
+
 cmd_which() {
   resolve_store
   echo "store:  $SECRETS_DIR"
diff --git a/test/recipients.bats b/test/recipients.bats
index c5be2dd..05ff783 100644
--- a/test/recipients.bats
+++ b/test/recipients.bats
@@ -123,3 +123,45 @@ make_second_identity() {
   run age -d -i "$SECRETS_DIR/key.txt" "$SECRETS_DIR/myproj/.env.age"
   [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
 }
+
+@test "recipients add bootstraps a legacy store and re-encrypts" {
+  init_with_remote
+  create_project_dir myproj
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" push
+  make_second_identity
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients add "$BOB_PUB" --name bob
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ -e "$SECRETS_DIR/recipients.txt" ]
+  # recipients.txt now has self + bob (2 keys).
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients list
+  [[ "$output" == *"recipients: 2"* ]] || false
+  [[ "$output" == *"bob"* ]] || false
+  # Existing blob re-encrypted: bob can read it.
+  run age -d -i "$TEST_TMPDIR/bob.txt" "$SECRETS_DIR/myproj/.env.age"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "recipients add rejects a non-age key" {
+  init_with_remote
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients add "ssh-ed25519 AAAAfoo"
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"valid age recipient"* ]] || false
+}
+
+@test "recipients add rejects a duplicate" {
+  init_with_remote
+  make_second_identity
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients add "$BOB_PUB" --name bob
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients add "$BOB_PUB"
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"already present"* ]] || false
+}
+
+@test "recipients add rejects an unsafe --name" {
+  init_with_remote
+  make_second_identity
+  run "$SECRETS_BIN" recipients add "$BOB_PUB" --name 'bob; rm -rf ~'
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"Invalid --name"* ]] || false
+}