From 9c6c6190718d1b0d98502b365a831116e0dd7eb5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: ramforth <tech@ramforth.net>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2025 09:58:55 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] docs: Add detailed Python environment setup instructions

---
 system_monitor_overlay/README.md | 34 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 33 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/system_monitor_overlay/README.md b/system_monitor_overlay/README.md
index 6145af0..d6bf93b 100644
--- a/system_monitor_overlay/README.md
+++ b/system_monitor_overlay/README.md
@@ -6,9 +6,41 @@ This overlay displays real-time system information like CPU and memory usage. It
 
 ![Example Output](obs_example.png)
 
+## Setting up the Python Environment
+
+Before you can run the server, it's recommended to create a virtual environment to keep the dependencies for this project isolated from your system's Python installation.
+
+1.  **Create a virtual environment:**
+
+    ```bash
+    python3 -m venv venv
+    ```
+
+2.  **Activate the virtual environment:**
+
+    *   On Linux/macOS (bash/zsh):
+
+        ```bash
+        source venv/bin/activate
+        ```
+
+    *   On Linux/macOS (fish):
+
+        ```bash
+        source venv/bin/activate.fish
+        ```
+
+    *   On Windows:
+
+        ```bash
+        .\venv\Scripts\activate
+        ```
+
+    You will know the virtual environment is active when you see `(venv)` at the beginning of your command prompt.
+
 ## Installation
 
-To use this overlay, you need to run a small Python server on your computer to provide the system stats to the overlay.
+Once you have activated the virtual environment, you can install the required library and run the server.
 
 1.  **Install the required library:**