diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 34b48c0..3973097 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,21 +13,58 @@ See the [wiki](https://github.com/mapzen/opzworks/wiki) for more detailed inform
 
 ## Third party requirements:
 
-Aside from a recent version of ruby:
-
-* git
+* Ruby 2.3 or greater
+* Git
 * [ChefDK](https://downloads.chef.io/chef-dk/)
 
 ## Installation
 
 Install for use on the command line (requires ruby and rubygems): `gem install opzworks`
 
+If you don't want to install opzworks globally you can run `gem install --user-install opzworks`. On a Mac this will install things in `${HOME}/.gem/ruby/2.3.0/bin` and you will need to invoke opzworks explicitly or update your `${PATH}` environment variable.
+
 Then run `opzworks --help`
 
 To use the gem in a project, add `gem 'opzworks'` to your Gemfile, and then execute: `bundle`
 
 To build locally from this repository: `rake install`
 
+## Config files
+
+You will also need to ensure that you have the following config files:
+
+### AWS
+
+opzworks expects to be able to find a file at `${HOME}/.aws/credentials`. This is a standard `ini` style config file that looks like this (adjusted to your specifics):
+
+```
+[default]
+aws_access_key_id     = YOUR-AWS-KEY
+aws_secret_access_key = YOUR-AWS-SECRET
+region                = us-east-1
+output                = json
+```
+
+If that lokos kind of like [the AWS way of managing your (AWS) credentials](http://blogs.aws.amazon.com/security/post/Tx3D6U6WSFGOK2H/A-New-and-Standardized-Way-to-Manage-Credentials-in-the-AWS-SDKs) that's because it is.
+
+_Actually you also need to have a `${HOME}/.aws/config` file because computers, I guess, so I just symlink them:_
+
+```
+ln -s ${HOME}/.aws/credentials ${HOME}/.aws/config
+```
+
+### Opsworks
+
+opzworks expects to be able to find a file at `${HOME}/.opzworks/config`. This is a standard `ini` style config file that looks like this (adjusted to your specifics):
+
+```
+[default]
+ssh-user-name         = USERNAME
+berks-github-org      = mapzen
+berks-s3-bucket       = mapzen-opsworks
+berks-repository-path = /PATH/TO/BERKS-Y-THINGS
+```
+
 ## Commands
 
 #### ssh