diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c9c8edd..6881056 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,6 +2,68 @@
 
 A multi-tenant platform for hosting Nostr community relays, built on top of [zooid](https://github.com/coracle-social/zooid).
 
+## Quick Start (Local Development)
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- [Rust](https://rustup.rs/) (for the backend)
+- [Bun](https://bun.sh/) (for the frontend)
+- [just](https://github.com/casey/just) (task runner)
+- [onchange](https://www.npmjs.com/package/onchange) (`npm i -g onchange`, used by `just dev` for backend file watching)
+- [Docker](https://www.docker.com/) (for zooid)
+
+### 1. Start zooid
+
+Zooid is the relay engine that Caravel manages. The backend authenticates to zooid's API using [NIP-98](https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/98.md), signing requests with a Nostr secret key. Zooid must be configured to accept requests from the corresponding public key.
+
+Generate a keypair to use for this. The **hex secret key** goes in the backend's `ZOOID_API_SECRET`, and the **hex public key** goes in zooid's `API_WHITELIST`.
+
+```sh
+docker run -it \
+  -p 3334:3334 \
+  -e API_HOST=127.0.0.1:3334 \
+  -e API_WHITELIST=<hex-pubkey-matching-ZOOID_API_SECRET> \
+  -v ./config:/app/config \
+  -v ./media:/app/media \
+  -v ./data:/app/data \
+  ghcr.io/coracle-social/zooid
+```
+
+### 2. Configure the backend
+
+Copy the template and fill in the required values:
+
+```sh
+cp backend/.env.template backend/.env
+```
+
+At minimum for local dev, set:
+
+| Variable | Value | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| `ADMINS` | Your hex pubkey | Gives you admin access in the UI |
+| `ZOOID_API_SECRET` | Hex Nostr secret key | The keypair whose pubkey you put in `API_WHITELIST` above |
+| `RELAY_DOMAIN` | `localhost` | Base domain appended to relay subdomains |
+
+The rest of the defaults work as-is. `ROBOT_*`, `LIVEKIT_*`, billing, and Stripe vars are optional for basic local development.
+
+### 3. Configure the frontend
+
+```sh
+cp frontend/.env.template frontend/.env
+```
+
+The defaults (`VITE_API_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3000`) point at the backend and work out of the box.
+
+### 4. Install dependencies and run
+
+```sh
+cd frontend && bun install && cd ..
+just dev
+```
+
+This starts the backend (with auto-reload on file changes) at `http://127.0.0.1:3000` and the frontend at `http://127.0.0.1:5173`.
+
 ## Project docs
 
 - Frontend: [frontend/README.md](./frontend/README.md)