Update README.md to be more clear for local setup

[udogabrieludo]

This is the changes to help developers to setup Liam easily on their local environment.

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What was done

🤖 Generated by PR Agent at ee3e50e

• Added detailed local setup instructions to README.md
• Included step-by-step commands for cloning and running the project
• Clarified development and production build processes

Detailed Changes

	Relevant files
Documentation	README.md Add comprehensive local setup guide to README                        README.md Added a new section with step-by-step local setup instructions Provided explicit commands for cloning, installing, and running the project Clarified both development and production build processes Enhanced guidance for developers setting up locally +28/-0

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[hoshinotsuyoshi]

@udogabrieludo

Thanks for the update! A couple of questions about the changes:

• Is cloning the repo via git clone really necessary for most users? Since npx @liam-hq/cli init is designed to work without cloning the repo, I wonder if we might be adding extra steps here.
• Also, was there any specific issue with using just npx @liam-hq/cli init on its own? If so, could you share the context or error? That would be super helpful.

Let me know what you think! Thanks again for contributing.

[udogabrieludo]

@hoshinotsuyoshi

Thanks for the quick response and for reviewing the update!

You're right the npx @liam-hq/cli init command runs successfully. However, in my experience, it doesn’t create or visibly show any folder afterward, which can be confusing especially for new users. Additionally, there isn’t much guidance or feedback in the terminal about what to do next. The "Next Steps" command that appears in the terminal actually threw an error when I tried to run it.

In contrast, when I cloned the repo manually, the structure was clearer and I was able to set it up with more confidence. I believe many developers, particularly those exploring Liam ERD for the first time, might encounter the same uncertainty.

That’s why I thought including the repo cloning step could help bridge that initial clarity gap. That said, I’m definitely open to better solutions if there’s a more streamlined approach!

I've attached a screenshot for context.

[hoshinotsuyoshi]

@udogabrieludo

Thank you for sharing the VS Code screenshot and your thoughts!

You're right — the npx @liam-hq/cli init command runs successfully.

We appreciate the confirmation!

If that flow works, then we want to emphasize that we’re strongly against requiring Git for users who simply want to use the CLI. We’d prefer not to recommend git clone as part of the normal usage instructions (though it's fine for things like CONTRIBUTING.md !).

On the other hand, based on the error screen you shared, we agree that when the path provided via --input does not exist, the npx liam-hq/cli erd build command currently throws a stack trace — and that’s definitely something we’d like to fix. We plan to handle this in a separate issue.
Q1: Do you think fixing that problem would significantly improve the experience?

As for pnpm run build and pnpm run dev, we consider those developer-facing commands, intended for those who want to modify or contribute to the tool itself.
Q2: If you found them helpful for working on your own ER diagram, could you kindly share more details on how you used them? That might be very insightful for us!

[hoshinotsuyoshi]

However, in my experience, it doesn’t create or visibly show any folder afterward, which can be confusing especially for new users.

That’s another great point you’ve raised — I agree it could be confusing.

Open to suggestions — does anyone have thoughts on how to make this better?

[hoshinotsuyoshi]

On the other hand, based on the error screen you shared, we agree that when the path provided via --input does not exist, the npx liam-hq/cli erd build command currently throws a stack trace — and that’s definitely something we’d like to fix. We plan to handle this in a separate issue.

created an issue: #1791