How do you document the local environment setup process for newly hired software engineers?

Document the local environment setup with a step-by-step guide that covers prerequisite installations, repository cloning, environment variable configuration, dependency installation, database setup, and verification steps. Include exact commands, expected outputs, and troubleshooting for common errors. A new engineer should go from a fresh laptop to a running development environment in under 2 hours.

What should a local setup guide include?

Section	Contents	Example
Prerequisites	Required software versions	Node 18+, Docker, Git, VS Code
Access requests	GitHub org, AWS, CI/CD, Slack channels	"Request access from IT using [this form]"
Repository setup	Clone, branch strategy, directory structure	git clone git@github.com:org/repo.git
Environment variables	.env file template with all required vars	Copy .env.example, fill in values from 1Password
Dependencies	Package manager and install commands	pnpm install or npm install
Database setup	Local DB creation, seed data	docker-compose up -d && pnpm db:seed
Run the app	Start command and expected output	pnpm dev → "Server running on localhost:3000"
Verification	Smoke test to confirm everything works	"Visit localhost:3000, log in with test credentials"
Troubleshooting	Top 5 setup errors and fixes	"Port 3000 in use: kill the process or use port 3001"

How do you keep this guide accurate?

The local setup guide goes stale faster than any other document because dev environments change frequently. Three practices:

1. Test with every new hire — When a new engineer follows the guide, they report every step that fails or is unclear. Fix immediately.
2. Automate what you can — Setup scripts (./setup.sh) reduce manual steps and documentation drift
3. Record browser-based setup with Glyde for web tools (GitHub, CI/CD dashboards, AWS console) and keep terminal commands in the written guide

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This answer is part of our guide to employee onboarding documentation.