diff --git a/crates/blockchain/src/lib.rs b/crates/blockchain/src/lib.rs
index 4360377d..46f99899 100644
--- a/crates/blockchain/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/blockchain/src/lib.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ pub const INTERVALS_PER_SLOT: u64 = 5;
 /// Milliseconds in a slot (derived from interval duration and count).
 pub const MILLISECONDS_PER_SLOT: u64 = MILLISECONDS_PER_INTERVAL * INTERVALS_PER_SLOT;
 pub use ethlambda_types::block::MAX_ATTESTATIONS_DATA;
+/// Slots of head-vs-wall-clock lag above which a node is considered syncing.
+pub use sync_status::SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD;
 /// Future-slot tolerance for gossip attestations, expressed in intervals.
 ///
 /// Bounds the clock skew the time check is willing to absorb when admitting a
diff --git a/crates/blockchain/src/sync_status.rs b/crates/blockchain/src/sync_status.rs
index 02c71c9f..9130e278 100644
--- a/crates/blockchain/src/sync_status.rs
+++ b/crates/blockchain/src/sync_status.rs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ use crate::metrics::SyncStatus;
 /// Local head lag beyond which the node is considered to be syncing.
 ///
 /// See: leanSpec PR #708.
-const SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD: u64 = 4;
+pub const SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD: u64 = 4;
 /// Freshest-known block lag beyond which the network is considered stalled.
 ///
 /// During a network-wide stall the node remains synced so validators can help
diff --git a/crates/net/rpc/src/lib.rs b/crates/net/rpc/src/lib.rs
index 09268765..9df8c810 100644
--- a/crates/net/rpc/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/net/rpc/src/lib.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ mod blocks;
 mod fork_choice;
 mod heap_profiling;
 pub mod metrics;
+mod node;
 pub mod test_driver;
 
 pub(crate) use base::json_response;
@@ -100,6 +101,7 @@ fn build_api_router(store: Store) -> Router {
         .merge(blocks::routes())
         .merge(fork_choice::routes())
         .merge(admin::routes())
+        .merge(node::routes())
         .with_state(store)
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/net/rpc/src/node.rs b/crates/net/rpc/src/node.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b0103b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/net/rpc/src/node.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+use axum::{Router, extract::State, response::IntoResponse, routing::get};
+use ethlambda_blockchain::{MILLISECONDS_PER_SLOT, SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD};
+use ethlambda_storage::Store;
+use serde::Serialize;
+
+use crate::json_response;
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct SyncingResponse {
+    is_syncing: bool,
+    head_slot: u64,
+    sync_distance: u64,
+    finalized_slot: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct IdentityResponse {
+    version: &'static str,
+}
+
+/// Simplified sync status: head-vs-wall-clock lag only. Unlike `SyncStatusTracker`
+/// it has no hysteresis or stall-override (it is stateless). Sync distance is the
+/// number of slots between the node's current head and the current wall-clock slot.
+async fn get_syncing(State(store): State<Store>) -> impl IntoResponse {
+    let genesis_ms = store.config().genesis_time.saturating_mul(1000);
+    let now_ms = std::time::SystemTime::now()
+        .duration_since(std::time::UNIX_EPOCH)
+        .map(|d| d.as_millis() as u64)
+        .unwrap_or(genesis_ms);
+    let wall_slot = now_ms.saturating_sub(genesis_ms) / MILLISECONDS_PER_SLOT;
+    let head_slot = store.head_slot();
+    let sync_distance = wall_slot.saturating_sub(head_slot);
+    let finalized_slot = store.latest_finalized().slot;
+    json_response(SyncingResponse {
+        is_syncing: sync_distance > SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD,
+        head_slot,
+        sync_distance,
+        finalized_slot,
+    })
+}
+
+async fn get_identity() -> impl IntoResponse {
+    json_response(IdentityResponse {
+        version: env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"),
+    })
+}
+
+pub(crate) fn routes() -> Router<Store> {
+    Router::new()
+        .route("/lean/v0/node/syncing", get(get_syncing))
+        .route("/lean/v0/node/identity", get(get_identity))
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use axum::{
+        body::Body,
+        http::{Request, StatusCode},
+    };
+    use ethlambda_blockchain::SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD;
+    use ethlambda_storage::{Store, backend::InMemoryBackend};
+    use ethlambda_types::state::ChainConfig;
+    use http_body_util::BodyExt;
+    use std::sync::Arc;
+    use tower::ServiceExt;
+
+    use crate::test_utils::create_test_state;
+
+    /// Helper: GET /lean/v0/node/syncing and parse JSON body.
+    async fn get_syncing_json(store: Store) -> serde_json::Value {
+        let app = crate::build_api_router(store);
+        let resp = app
+            .oneshot(
+                Request::builder()
+                    .uri("/lean/v0/node/syncing")
+                    .body(Body::empty())
+                    .unwrap(),
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+        let body = resp.into_body().collect().await.unwrap().to_bytes();
+        serde_json::from_slice(&body).unwrap()
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn node_syncing_far_behind_wall_clock() {
+        // create_test_state() has genesis_time=1000 (year 1970), so wall_slot is huge.
+        // head_slot=0 → sync_distance is large → is_syncing=true.
+        let store = Store::from_anchor_state(Arc::new(InMemoryBackend::new()), create_test_state());
+        let json = get_syncing_json(store).await;
+        assert_eq!(json["head_slot"], 0);
+        assert_eq!(json["finalized_slot"], 0);
+        assert!(
+            json["sync_distance"].as_u64().unwrap() > SYNC_LAG_THRESHOLD,
+            "expected large sync_distance, got {}",
+            json["sync_distance"]
+        );
+        assert_eq!(json["is_syncing"], true);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn node_syncing_up_to_date() {
+        // Set genesis_time to far future so wall_slot=0 and head_slot=0 → not syncing.
+        let mut state = create_test_state();
+        // Unix timestamp ~year 2100 (4102444800 seconds), well beyond any test run.
+        state.config = ChainConfig {
+            genesis_time: 4_102_444_800,
+        };
+        let store = Store::from_anchor_state(Arc::new(InMemoryBackend::new()), state);
+        let json = get_syncing_json(store).await;
+        assert_eq!(json["head_slot"], 0);
+        assert_eq!(json["finalized_slot"], 0);
+        assert_eq!(json["sync_distance"], 0);
+        assert_eq!(json["is_syncing"], false);
+    }
+
+    #[tokio::test]
+    async fn node_identity_reports_version() {
+        let store = Store::from_anchor_state(Arc::new(InMemoryBackend::new()), create_test_state());
+        let app = crate::build_api_router(store);
+        let resp = app
+            .oneshot(
+                Request::builder()
+                    .uri("/lean/v0/node/identity")
+                    .body(Body::empty())
+                    .unwrap(),
+            )
+            .await
+            .unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(resp.status(), StatusCode::OK);
+        let body = resp.into_body().collect().await.unwrap().to_bytes();
+        let json: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_slice(&body).unwrap();
+        assert!(json["version"].is_string());
+    }
+}