diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 62f1888..32ae66e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,12 +16,71 @@ biological memory consolidates during rest.
 | **Notification daemon** | Activity-aware message routing from IRC and Telegram | [docs/notifications.md](docs/notifications.md) |
 | **Hooks** | Claude Code integration: memory recall and notification delivery | [docs/hooks.md](docs/hooks.md) |
 
-## Quick start
+## Getting started
+
+### Install
 
 ```bash
-cargo install --path .    # Builds: poc-memory, memory-search, poc-daemon, poc-hook
-poc-memory init           # Initialize the store
-poc-memory daemon install # Install systemd service + hooks
+cargo install --path .
+```
+
+This builds four binaries:
+- `poc-memory` — memory store CLI (search, journal, consolidation)
+- `memory-search` — Claude Code hook for memory recall
+- `poc-daemon` — notification daemon (IRC, Telegram, idle tracking)
+- `poc-hook` — Claude Code hook for session lifecycle events
+
+### Initialize
+
+```bash
+poc-memory init
+```
+
+Creates the store at `~/.claude/memory/nodes.capnp` and a default
+config at `~/.config/poc-memory/config.jsonl`. Edit the config to
+set your name, configure context groups, and point at your projects
+directory.
+
+### Set up hooks
+
+Add to `~/.claude/settings.json` (see [docs/hooks.md](docs/hooks.md)
+for full details):
+
+```json
+{
+  "hooks": {
+    "UserPromptSubmit": [{"hooks": [
+      {"type": "command", "command": "memory-search", "timeout": 10},
+      {"type": "command", "command": "poc-hook", "timeout": 5}
+    ]}],
+    "Stop": [{"hooks": [
+      {"type": "command", "command": "poc-hook", "timeout": 5}
+    ]}]
+  }
+}
+```
+
+This gives your AI assistant persistent memory across sessions —
+relevant memories are recalled on each prompt, and experiences are
+extracted from transcripts after sessions end.
+
+### Start the background daemon
+
+```bash
+poc-memory daemon
+```
+
+The daemon watches for completed session transcripts and
+automatically extracts experiences and facts into the knowledge
+graph. See [docs/daemon.md](docs/daemon.md) for pipeline details
+and diagnostics.
+
+### Basic usage
+
+```bash
+poc-memory journal-write "learned that X does Y"  # Write to journal
+poc-memory search "some topic"                     # Search the graph
+poc-memory status                                  # Store overview
 ```
 
 ## For AI assistants