diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c8cbe5d0a..844852eb4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -131,6 +131,8 @@ pnpm run start-deps
 
 # Start the dev server
 pnpm run dev
+# For systems with limited resources, you can run a minimal development setup with just the backend and dashboard
+# pnpm run dev:basic
 
 # In a different terminal, run tests in watch mode
 pnpm run test
diff --git a/docs/fern/docs/pages/others/self-host.mdx b/docs/fern/docs/pages/others/self-host.mdx
index b18528cc7..23ae9512d 100644
--- a/docs/fern/docs/pages/others/self-host.mdx
+++ b/docs/fern/docs/pages/others/self-host.mdx
@@ -64,46 +64,38 @@ git clone git@github.com:stack-auth/stack.git
 cd stack
 ```
 
-Pre-populated `.env` files for the setup below are available and used by default in `.env.development` in each package. Copy all the `.env.development` files to `.env.local` in the respective packages for local development.
+Pre-populated .env files for the setup below are available and used by default in `.env.development` in each of the packages. (Note: If you're creating a production build (eg. with `pnpm run build`), you must supply the environment variables manually.)
 
-In a terminal, start the dependencies (Postgres and Inbucket) as Docker containers:
-
-```sh
-docker compose -f dependencies.compose.yaml up
-```
-
-Then open a new terminal:
+In a new terminal:
 
 ```sh
 pnpm install
 
-# Build everything once
-pnpm run build
+# Run build to build everything once
+pnpm run build:dev
 
-# Initialize the database and seed it with some data
-pnpm prisma db push
-pnpm prisma db seed
-
-# Run code generation (repeat this after e.g., changing the Prisma schema). This is part of the build script but faster.
-pnpm run codegen
+# reset & start the dependencies (DB, Inbucket, etc.) as Docker containers, seeding the DB with the Prisma schema
+pnpm run start-deps
+# pnpm run restart-deps
+# pnpm run stop-deps
 
 # Start the dev server
 pnpm run dev
+# For systems with limited resources, you can run a minimal development setup with just the backend and dashboard
+# pnpm run dev:basic
 
 # In a different terminal, run tests in watch mode
 pnpm run test
 ```
 
-You can now open the dashboard at [http://localhost:8101](http://localhost:8101), the API on port 8102, a demo on port 8103, docs on port 8104, Inbucket (emails) on port 8105, and Prisma Studio on port 8106.
+You can now open the dev launchpad at [http://localhost:8100](http://localhost:8100). From there, you can navigate to the dashboard at [http://localhost:8101](http://localhost:8101), API on port 8102, demo on port 8103, docs on port 8104, Inbucket (e-mails) on port 8105, and Prisma Studio on port 8106. See the dev launchpad for a list of all running services.
 
-Your IDE may show errors on all `@stackframe/XYZ` imports. To fix this, restart the TypeScript language server; for example, in VSCode, you can open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run `Developer: Reload Window` or `TypeScript: Restart TS server`.
+Your IDE may show an error on all `@stackframe/XYZ` imports. To fix this, simply restart the TypeScript language server; for example, in VSCode you can open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run `Developer: Reload Window` or `TypeScript: Restart TS server`.
 
-### Database migrations
-
-If you make changes to the Prisma schema, you need to run the following command to create a migration:
+You can also open Prisma Studio to see the database interface and edit data directly:
 
 ```sh
-pnpm run prisma migrate dev
+pnpm run prisma studio
 ```
 
 ## Run individual services
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 297f9c5cb..88a807f3a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
     "prisma": "only-allow pnpm && pnpm run --filter=@stackframe/stack-backend prisma",
     "fern": "only-allow pnpm && pnpm run --filter=@stackframe/docs fern",
     "dev": "only-allow pnpm && turbo run dev --concurrency 99999",
+    "dev:basic": "only-allow pnpm && turbo run dev --concurrency 99999 --filter=@stackframe/stack-backend --filter=@stackframe/stack-dashboard --filter=@stackframe/oauth-mock-server",
     "start": "only-allow pnpm && turbo run start --concurrency 99999",
     "start:backend": "only-allow pnpm && turbo run start --concurrency 99999 --filter=@stackframe/stack-backend",
     "start:dashboard": "only-allow pnpm && turbo run start --concurrency 99999 --filter=@stackframe/stack-dashboard",