diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f44bf7750..3283ee35c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ an invalid setup.
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/HeyPuter/puter
 cd puter
+cp .env.example .env
 npm install
 npm start
 ```