diff --git a/.changeset/salty-mugs-judge.md b/.changeset/salty-mugs-judge.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..febf9381
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/salty-mugs-judge.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@react-native-node-api/test-app': patch
+'react-native-node-api': patch
+---
+
+Improvements to setup scripts, updated docs
diff --git a/.nvmrc b/.nvmrc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2bd5a0a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nvmrc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+22
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 34af256b..550d2acd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -27,6 +27,10 @@
 
 See the document on ["how it works"](./docs/HOW-IT-WORKS.md) for a detailed description of what it's like to write native modules using this package.
 
+### Quick start
+
+To get started, first install the dependencies with `npm i` and then build all packages using `npm run build`.
+
 ## Packages
 
 This mono-repository hosts the development of a few packages:
diff --git a/apps/test-app/android/settings.gradle b/apps/test-app/android/settings.gradle
index 04d27aae..ec4aeb3e 100644
--- a/apps/test-app/android/settings.gradle
+++ b/apps/test-app/android/settings.gradle
@@ -19,3 +19,7 @@ apply(from: {
     throw new GradleException("Could not find `react-native-test-app`");
 }())
 applyTestAppSettings(settings)
+
+// customize the path to match your node_modules location
+apply(from: "../../../node_modules/react-native-node-api/android/app-settings.gradle")
+applyNodeAPISettings(settings)
diff --git a/docs/ANDROID.md b/docs/ANDROID.md
index d946cf29..4745d1bf 100644
--- a/docs/ANDROID.md
+++ b/docs/ANDROID.md
@@ -2,11 +2,32 @@
 
 ## Building Hermes from source
 
-Because we're using a version of Hermes patched with Node-API support, we need to build React Native from source.
+### Step 1: `settings.gradle`
 
+Gradle needs specific configuration to build React Native from source: dependency substitutions for React Native & Hermes modules, and modifications to default logic in RN build scripts, which is done by setting an environment variable, as described in this section.
+
+In your app's `settings.gradle` please include the below:
+
+```groovy
+// customize the path to match your node_modules location
+apply(from: "../../../node_modules/react-native-node-api/android/app-settings.gradle")
+applyNodeAPISettings(settings)
 ```
-export REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR=`npx react-native-node-api vendor-hermes --silent`
+
+### Step 2: script for adjusting environment variables
+
+> [!IMPORTANT]
+> Each time you run Android Studio or build the Android app from a terminal, make sure the below is in place.
+
+Because we're using a version of Hermes patched with Node-API support, we need to build React Native from source. A special environment variable (`REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR`) must be set to the path of a Hermes engine with Node-API support. Since Gradle does not support loading `.env` files directly, this must be automated by the consumer. We provide the `react-native-node-api vendor-hermes --silent` command, which will download Hermes and output the path to Hermes directory path as its only output.
+
+You can configure the environment variable using the following command:
+
 ```
+export REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR="$(npx react-native-node-api vendor-hermes --silent)"
+```
+
+This either needs to be done each time before Gradle / Android Studio invocation, or permanently in a shell init script such as `~/.zshrc` on Zsh (MacOS) or `~/.bashrc` on Bash (Linux).
 
 ## Cleaning your React Native build folders
 
diff --git a/docs/IOS.md b/docs/IOS.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..23bce4a9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/IOS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# iOS support
+
+Because we're using a version of Hermes patched with Node-API support, we need to build React Native from source. Special environment variables (`REACT_NATIVE_OVERRIDE_HERMES_DIR`, `BUILD_FROM_SOURCE`) must be set to the path of a Hermes engine with Node-API support. The podspec of the iOS Pod already includes instrumentation to configure React Native appropriately via [`patch-hermes.rb`](../packages/host/scripts/patch-hermes.rb).
diff --git a/packages/host/android/app-settings.gradle b/packages/host/android/app-settings.gradle
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..071727d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/host/android/app-settings.gradle
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+import org.gradle.initialization.DefaultSettings
+
+
+ext.applyNodeAPISettings = { DefaultSettings settings ->
+    def searchDirectory = rootDir.toPath()
+    do {
+        def p = searchDirectory.resolve("node_modules/react-native")
+        if (p.toFile().exists()) {
+            println "[Node-API] !!! PATCHING HERMES WITH NODE-API SUPPORT !!! Found React Native in ${p.toRealPath().toString()}"
+
+            includeBuild(p.toRealPath().toString()) {
+                dependencySubstitution {
+                    substitute(module("com.facebook.react:react-android")).using(project(":packages:react-native:ReactAndroid"))
+                    substitute(module("com.facebook.react:react-native")).using(project(":packages:react-native:ReactAndroid"))
+                    substitute(module("com.facebook.react:hermes-android")).using(project(":packages:react-native:ReactAndroid:hermes-engine"))
+                    substitute(module("com.facebook.react:hermes-engine")).using(project(":packages:react-native:ReactAndroid:hermes-engine"))
+                }
+            }
+            break
+        }
+    } while (searchDirectory = searchDirectory.getParent())
+}
diff --git a/packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts b/packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts
index a7c875a5..869b2972 100644
--- a/packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts
+++ b/packages/host/src/node/cli/hermes.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export const command = new Command("vendor-hermes")
             successText: "Removed existing Hermes clone",
             failText: (error) =>
               `Failed to remove existing Hermes clone: ${error.message}`,
-            isEnabled: !silent,
+            isSilent: silent,
           }
         );
       }
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ export const command = new Command("vendor-hermes")
               successText: "Cloned custom Hermes",
               failText: (err) =>
                 `Failed to clone custom Hermes: ${err.message}`,
-              isEnabled: !silent,
+              isSilent: silent,
             }
           );
         } catch (error) {
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ export const command = new Command("vendor-hermes")
           successText: "Copied JSI from patched Hermes to React Native",
           failText: (err) =>
             `Failed to copy JSI from Hermes to React Native: ${err.message}`,
-          isEnabled: !silent,
+          isSilent: silent,
         }
       );
       console.log(hermesPath);