diff --git a/docs/demos/starting-with-map.md b/docs/demos/starting-with-map.md
index f83b95a6..9ca7a5fa 100644
--- a/docs/demos/starting-with-map.md
+++ b/docs/demos/starting-with-map.md
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ Checkout the complete code for this step
 
 ## 1. Start with a bare React Component
 
-Checkout the starting code here
-[here](https://github.com/uber-common/vis-tutorial/tree/master/demos/starting-code).
+**HOLD UP!!!** If you got here without reading the **Setup** step, it is
+highly recommended that you do so, or your application might not work.
+[GO HERE](/#/setup) and go through it now.
 
 The app component in the starting code above currently looks like this:
 ```js
diff --git a/docs/setup.md b/docs/setup.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..027c4c61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/setup.md
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+Before we go through the tutorial, let's make sure we have everything necessary
+in order to make this as smooth as possible.
+
+## 1. Getting a Mapbox Token
+
+You need a free Mapbox token in order to get the map to load.
+Head over to [Mapbox](https://www.mapbox.com/help/define-access-token/) and get
+one now.
+
+Once you have it, set the token in your environment (whichever terminal you will
+use to run the tutorial from).
+```
+export MapboxAccessToken=<token>
+```
+
+## 2. Cloning and Running Starting Code
+
+In order to do live coding, you can use the example starting code we provide.
+Clone our tutorial repository and go through the usual setup steps. NOTE: you
+need to be running node **>=v6** locally.
+```
+git clone https://github.com/uber-common/vis-tutorial.git
+...
+cd vis-tutorial
+npm install OR yarn
+...
+npm run start
+```
+
+A page should automatically be opened in your browser, which looks very similar
+to the page you see now.
+
+**But with a caveat**
+
+There should now be a new link called **Live Code Playground** right after
+**Welcome!**. This is rendering our starting code, which we will build into
+a nice visualization app as the tutorial progresses. Every change you make will
+be rendered on this page (assuming you keep the local node instance running).
+
+## 3. Open Starting Code in your Text Editor
+
+You can now point your text editor to the following file:
+
+```
+vis-tutorial/demos/starting-code/app.js
+```
+
+It's an empty component! `starting-code` will be the folder that holds all your
+changes as you go through the tutorial. You can now head to the next step:
+[Starting With A Map](/#/react-map/starting-with-map).
diff --git a/src/constants/pages.js b/src/constants/pages.js
index 1ccefccd..45fabfef 100644
--- a/src/constants/pages.js
+++ b/src/constants/pages.js
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@ export const docPages = generatePath([
     env: 'development',
     content: getDocUrl('demos/live-code.md')
   },
+  {
+    name: 'Setup - READ ME FIRST',
+    content: getDocUrl('setup.md')
+  },
   {
     name: 'React Map GL',
     children: [