diff --git a/.squad/agents/eecom/history.md b/.squad/agents/eecom/history.md
index e1b5540c1..51f9021d5 100644
--- a/.squad/agents/eecom/history.md
+++ b/.squad/agents/eecom/history.md
@@ -45,3 +45,38 @@ CLI completeness audit (2026-03-08) confirmed: 26 primary commands routed in cli
 
 **PR:** #404 opened targeting dev.
 
+### CastingEngine CLI Integration (#342) (2026-03-15T11:20:00Z)
+
+**Context:** CastingEngine class (Issue #138, M3-2) existed in SDK with curated universe templates (The Usual Suspects, Ocean's Eleven) but was completely bypassed during `squad init`. LLM picked arbitrary names, and charter generation used regex-based `personalityForRole()` instead of template backstories.
+
+**Investigation:**
+- CastingEngine.castTeam() was never called in CLI flow
+- coordinator.ts buildInitModePrompt() let LLM pick any universe without guidance
+- cast.ts generateCharter() used fallback personality logic instead of engine data
+- SDK exports two AgentRole types: broad one in casting-engine.ts, restrictive one in runtime/constants.ts
+
+**Integration Strategy (Augment, Not Replace):**
+- LLM still proposes roles and team composition (the beloved casting experience)
+- CastingEngine augments with curated names when universe is recognized
+- Mapping: "The Usual Suspects" → 'usual-suspects', "Ocean's Eleven" → 'oceans-eleven'
+- Unrecognized universes (Matrix, Alien, etc.) preserve LLM's arbitrary names
+
+**Implementation:**
+1. Added `augmentWithCastingEngine()` in cast.ts to replace LLM names with engine characters
+2. Updated coordinator prompt to suggest preferred universes (Usual Suspects, Ocean's Eleven)
+3. Extended `generateCharter()` to use engine personalities/backstories when available
+4. Attached `_personality` and `_backstory` to CastMember objects for charter generation
+5. Role mapping: CLI role strings → engine AgentRole enum (lead, developer, tester, etc.)
+
+**Type Import Pattern:**
+- Import CastingEngine from `@bradygaster/squad-sdk/casting` (not main barrel export)
+- Use casting-engine.ts AgentRole type (9 roles) not runtime/constants.ts (6 roles)
+- Partial mapping: unmapped roles log warning and skip engine casting
+
+**Tests:**
+- Created test/casting-engine-integration.test.ts (5 tests, all pass)
+- Validates augmentation for both universes, case-insensitive matching, fallback behavior
+- All 45 existing cast-parser/casting tests still pass
+
+**PR:** #417 opened targeting dev.
+
diff --git a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts
index ca6a3ee8b..0664067c6 100644
--- a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts
+++ b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,16 @@
 import { mkdir, writeFile, readFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { existsSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
-import { getRoleById, generateCharterFromRole, addAgentToConfig } from '@bradygaster/squad-sdk';
+import {
+  getRoleById,
+  generateCharterFromRole,
+  addAgentToConfig,
+} from '@bradygaster/squad-sdk';
+import {
+  CastingEngine,
+  type CastMember as EngineCastMember,
+  type AgentRole as EngineAgentRole,
+} from '@bradygaster/squad-sdk/casting';
 
 // ── Types ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
@@ -214,9 +223,106 @@ function extractFromBlock(block: string): CastProposal | null {
   return { members, universe: universe || 'Unknown', projectDescription: projectDescription || 'User project' };
 }
 
+// ── CastingEngine Integration ──────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Augment a parsed CastProposal with CastingEngine data if universe is recognized.
+ * Maps LLM-proposed universe names to engine universe IDs, then uses the engine to:
+ * - Allocate character names from the curated pool
+ * - Inject template personalities and backstories
+ *
+ * This is an "augment" strategy: LLM proposes roles, engine assigns names/personalities.
+ */
+export function augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal: CastProposal): CastProposal {
+  const engine = new CastingEngine();
+  const universeLower = proposal.universe.toLowerCase();
+
+  // Map universe name to engine universe ID
+  let universeId: 'usual-suspects' | 'oceans-eleven' | null = null;
+  if (/usual\s*suspects/i.test(universeLower)) {
+    universeId = 'usual-suspects';
+  } else if (/ocean/i.test(universeLower)) {
+    universeId = 'oceans-eleven';
+  }
+
+  // If universe not recognized, return as-is (LLM's arbitrary names preserved)
+  if (!universeId) return proposal;
+
+  // Map CLI role strings to engine AgentRole types (only valid engine roles)
+  const roleMapping: Partial<Record<string, EngineAgentRole>> = {
+    lead: 'lead',
+    'tech lead': 'lead',
+    architect: 'lead',
+    developer: 'developer',
+    'frontend dev': 'developer',
+    'backend dev': 'developer',
+    tester: 'tester',
+    qa: 'tester',
+    quality: 'tester',
+    'prompt engineer': 'prompt-engineer',
+    security: 'security',
+    devops: 'devops',
+    designer: 'designer',
+    scribe: 'scribe',
+    reviewer: 'reviewer',
+  };
+
+  // Extract roles from proposal and map them to engine roles
+  const requiredRoles: EngineAgentRole[] = [];
+  for (const member of proposal.members) {
+    const normalized = member.role.toLowerCase();
+    const engineRole = roleMapping[normalized];
+    if (engineRole) {
+      requiredRoles.push(engineRole);
+    } else {
+      // If role not mappable, skip it (will use fallback LLM name)
+      console.warn(`[cast] Unmapped role "${member.role}" — using fallback`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  // If no roles could be mapped, return as-is
+  if (requiredRoles.length === 0) return proposal;
+
+  try {
+    // Use CastingEngine to cast the team with curated names
+    const castMembers = engine.castTeam({
+      universe: universeId,
+      requiredRoles,
+      teamSize: proposal.members.length,
+    });
+
+    // Augment the original proposal members with engine data
+    const augmented = proposal.members.map((member, idx) => {
+      const engineMember = castMembers[idx];
+      if (!engineMember) return member; // fallback: preserve LLM data
+
+      return {
+        ...member,
+        name: engineMember.name, // Replace LLM name with curated name
+        // Store personality + backstory in scope for now (charter generation will use it)
+        // We'll extend CastMember interface in the next step to hold these properly
+        _personality: engineMember.personality,
+        _backstory: engineMember.backstory,
+      } as CastMember & { _personality?: string; _backstory?: string };
+    });
+
+    return {
+      ...proposal,
+      members: augmented,
+    };
+  } catch (err) {
+    // If casting fails (e.g., not enough characters), fall back to original proposal
+    console.warn(`[cast] CastingEngine failed for ${universeId}:`, err);
+    return proposal;
+  }
+}
+
 // ── Charter / history generators ───────────────────────────────────
 
-function personalityForRole(role: string): string {
+function personalityForRole(role: string, engineData?: { personality?: string }): string {
+  // If CastingEngine provided a personality, use it
+  if (engineData?.personality) return engineData.personality;
+
   // Try catalog lookup first
   const catalogRole = getRoleById(role.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '-'));
   if (catalogRole) return catalogRole.vibe;
@@ -252,16 +358,22 @@ function ownershipFromRole(role: string, scope: string): string {
   return `- ${role} domain tasks`;
 }
 
-function generateCharter(member: CastMember): string {
+
+function generateCharter(member: CastMember & { _personality?: string; _backstory?: string }): string {
   // Try catalog-based charter first
   const roleId = member.role.toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, '-');
   const catalogCharter = generateCharterFromRole(roleId, member.name);
   if (catalogCharter) return catalogCharter;
 
+  const personality = personalityForRole(member.role, { personality: member._personality });
   const nameLower = member.name.toLowerCase();
+
+  // If CastingEngine provided a backstory, use it in the charter preamble
+  const preamble = member._backstory || personality;
+
   return `# ${member.name} — ${member.role}
 
-> ${personalityForRole(member.role)}
+> ${preamble}
 
 ## Identity
 
diff --git a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/coordinator.ts b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/coordinator.ts
index 2b27d9218..a7a1d49ad 100644
--- a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/coordinator.ts
+++ b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/coordinator.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,11 @@ Your job: Propose a team of 4-5 AI agents based on what the user wants to do.
 
 ## Rules
 1. Analyze the user's message to understand the project (language, stack, scope)
-2. Pick a fictional universe for character names (e.g., Alien, The Usual Suspects, Blade Runner, The Matrix, Heat, Star Wars). Pick ONE universe and use it consistently.
+2. Pick a fictional universe for character names. **Strongly prefer:**
+   - **The Usual Suspects** (8 characters: Keyser, McManus, Fenster, Verbal, Hockney, Redfoot, Edie, Kobayashi)
+   - **Ocean's Eleven** (10 characters: Danny, Rusty, Linus, Basher, Livingston, Saul, Yen, Virgil, Turk, Reuben)
+   
+   You may also choose other film universes (Alien, The Matrix, Heat, Star Wars, Blade Runner, etc.) but the two above are preferred.
 3. Propose 4-5 agents with roles that match the project needs
 4. Scribe and Ralph are always included automatically — do NOT include them in your proposal
 
diff --git a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/index.ts b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/index.ts
index 498d0462c..0cedec3f1 100644
--- a/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/index.ts
+++ b/packages/squad-cli/src/cli/shell/index.ts
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import { loadAgentCharter, buildAgentPrompt } from './spawn.js';
 import { createSession, saveSession, loadLatestSession, type SessionData } from './session-store.js';
 import { parseDispatchTargets, type ParsedInput } from './router.js';
 import { agentSessionGuidance, genericGuidance, formatGuidance } from './error-messages.js';
-import { parseCastResponse, createTeam, formatCastSummary, type CastProposal } from '../core/cast.js';
+import { parseCastResponse, createTeam, formatCastSummary, augmentWithCastingEngine, type CastProposal } from '../core/cast.js';
 
 export { SessionRegistry } from './sessions.js';
 export { StreamBridge } from './stream-bridge.js';
@@ -896,7 +896,7 @@ export async function runShell(): Promise<void> {
       debugLog('handleInitCast: response preview', accumulated.slice(0, 500));
 
       // Parse the team proposal
-      const proposal = parseCastResponse(accumulated);
+      let proposal = parseCastResponse(accumulated);
       if (!proposal) {
         debugLog('handleInitCast: failed to parse team from response');
         debugLog('handleInitCast: full response:', accumulated);
@@ -912,6 +912,13 @@ export async function runShell(): Promise<void> {
         return;
       }
 
+      // Augment with CastingEngine if universe is recognized
+      proposal = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+      debugLog('handleInitCast: augmented proposal', {
+        universe: proposal.universe,
+        members: proposal.members.map(m => m.name),
+      });
+
       // Show the proposed team
       shellApi?.addMessage({
         role: 'agent',
diff --git a/test/casting-engine-integration.test.ts b/test/casting-engine-integration.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2eef948d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/casting-engine-integration.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+/**
+ * Integration tests for CastingEngine wiring into CLI init flow (Issue #342)
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { augmentWithCastingEngine } from '../packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.js';
+import type { CastProposal } from '../packages/squad-cli/src/cli/core/cast.js';
+
+describe('augmentWithCastingEngine', () => {
+  it('should augment proposal when universe is "The Usual Suspects"', () => {
+    const proposal: CastProposal = {
+      members: [
+        { name: 'SomeArbitraryName1', role: 'Lead', scope: 'Architecture, decisions', emoji: '🏗️' },
+        { name: 'SomeArbitraryName2', role: 'Developer', scope: 'Backend, APIs', emoji: '🔧' },
+        { name: 'SomeArbitraryName3', role: 'Tester', scope: 'QA, testing', emoji: '🧪' },
+      ],
+      universe: 'The Usual Suspects',
+      projectDescription: 'A test project',
+    };
+
+    const augmented = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+
+    // Names should be replaced with curated names from the engine
+    expect(augmented.members[0].name).not.toBe('SomeArbitraryName1');
+    expect(augmented.members[1].name).not.toBe('SomeArbitraryName2');
+    expect(augmented.members[2].name).not.toBe('SomeArbitraryName3');
+
+    // Names should come from usual-suspects pool
+    const names = augmented.members.map(m => m.name);
+    const usualSuspectsNames = ['Keyser', 'McManus', 'Fenster', 'Verbal', 'Hockney', 'Redfoot', 'Edie', 'Kobayashi'];
+    for (const name of names) {
+      expect(usualSuspectsNames).toContain(name);
+    }
+
+    // Should preserve original roles and scopes
+    expect(augmented.members[0].role).toBe('Lead');
+    expect(augmented.members[1].role).toBe('Developer');
+    expect(augmented.members[2].role).toBe('Tester');
+
+    // Should have engine personality and backstory attached
+    const member0 = augmented.members[0] as any;
+    expect(member0._personality).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(member0._backstory).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it('should augment proposal when universe is "Ocean\'s Eleven"', () => {
+    const proposal: CastProposal = {
+      members: [
+        { name: 'ArbitraryLead', role: 'Lead', scope: 'Architecture', emoji: '🏗️' },
+        { name: 'ArbitraryDev', role: 'Developer', scope: 'Coding', emoji: '🔧' },
+      ],
+      universe: "Ocean's Eleven",
+      projectDescription: 'A heist project',
+    };
+
+    const augmented = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+
+    const names = augmented.members.map(m => m.name);
+    const oceansNames = ['Danny', 'Rusty', 'Linus', 'Basher', 'Livingston', 'Saul', 'Yen', 'Virgil', 'Turk', 'Reuben'];
+    for (const name of names) {
+      expect(oceansNames).toContain(name);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('should NOT augment when universe is unrecognized', () => {
+    const proposal: CastProposal = {
+      members: [
+        { name: 'Neo', role: 'Lead', scope: 'Architecture', emoji: '🏗️' },
+        { name: 'Trinity', role: 'Developer', scope: 'Coding', emoji: '🔧' },
+      ],
+      universe: 'The Matrix',
+      projectDescription: 'A matrix project',
+    };
+
+    const augmented = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+
+    // Should preserve LLM names when universe not recognized
+    expect(augmented.members[0].name).toBe('Neo');
+    expect(augmented.members[1].name).toBe('Trinity');
+  });
+
+  it('should handle case-insensitive universe matching', () => {
+    const proposal: CastProposal = {
+      members: [
+        { name: 'X', role: 'Lead', scope: 'Arch', emoji: '🏗️' },
+      ],
+      universe: 'the usual suspects', // lowercase
+      projectDescription: 'Test',
+    };
+
+    const augmented = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+
+    expect(augmented.members[0].name).not.toBe('X');
+  });
+
+  it('should gracefully handle casting failures', () => {
+    const proposal: CastProposal = {
+      members: [
+        { name: 'A', role: 'Lead', scope: 'X', emoji: '🏗️' },
+        { name: 'B', role: 'Developer', scope: 'Y', emoji: '🔧' },
+        { name: 'C', role: 'Tester', scope: 'Z', emoji: '🧪' },
+        { name: 'D', role: 'Security', scope: 'W', emoji: '🔒' },
+        { name: 'E', role: 'DevOps', scope: 'V', emoji: '⚙️' },
+        { name: 'F', role: 'Designer', scope: 'U', emoji: '⚛️' },
+        { name: 'G', role: 'Reviewer', scope: 'T', emoji: '👤' },
+        { name: 'H', role: 'Prompt Engineer', scope: 'S', emoji: '👤' },
+        { name: 'I', role: 'Scribe', scope: 'R', emoji: '📝' },
+        { name: 'J', role: 'Extra1', scope: 'Q', emoji: '👤' },
+        { name: 'K', role: 'Extra2', scope: 'P', emoji: '👤' },
+      ],
+      universe: 'The Usual Suspects', // only has 8 characters
+      projectDescription: 'Too many roles',
+    };
+
+    // Should fall back to LLM names if engine can't cast
+    const augmented = augmentWithCastingEngine(proposal);
+    expect(augmented.members.length).toBe(11);
+    // If it fails, it should preserve original names
+  });
+});