Quick start guide doesn't list prerequisites before installation steps

Summary

The quick start documentation in README.md jumps directly into installation commands without mentioning prerequisites like having a terminal available, Docker installed (for Option 1), or Node.js/npm installed (for Option 2). First-time users may not know what they need before starting.

Priority

🔵 Medium - Improves first-time user experience and reduces setup friction.

Current State

The README currently shows:

## Quickstart

You can install OpenHands to run agents on any machine...

### Option 1: Docker

docker pull ghcr.io/openhands/agent-canvas:1.0.0-alpha.6
...

### Option 2: NPM

**Prerequisites**: Node.js 22.12.x or later, `uv`

npm install -g @openhands/agent-canvas
...

Issues

1. Option 1 (Docker) - No prerequisites listed

   • Users need Docker installed
   • Users need terminal/command line access
   • No links to Docker installation instructions

2. Option 2 (npm) - Prerequisites are inline, easy to miss

   • Prerequisites are mentioned but not prominently displayed
   • No link to Node.js installation instructions
   • No explanation of what uv is or how to install it

3. General - No "Before you begin" section

   • Assumes users know how to open a terminal
   • Doesn't verify users have necessary tools

Impact

From the user transcript:

Owen: "Um, so if we scroll down, so this tells you how to get started, but it doesn't tell you to like open your terminal or or install Docker or anything like that. Do you know would you know how to do that?"

User: "I have terminal and I have Docker installed."

This user happened to already have the prerequisites, but others may not.

Proposed Solution

Add a Prerequisites section before the installation options:

## Prerequisites

Before installing Agent Canvas, ensure you have:

### For All Installation Methods
- Terminal/command line access
- Basic familiarity with command line operations

### For Docker Installation (Option 1)
- Docker installed and running ([Install Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/))
- At least 2GB of free disk space

### For npm Installation (Option 2)
- Node.js 22.12.x or later ([Install Node.js](https://nodejs.org/))
- npm (comes with Node.js)
- `uv` - Python package installer ([Install uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/))
- At least 1GB of free disk space

### For Source Installation (Option 3)
- Node.js 22.12.x or later
- npm
- `uv`
- Git

## Quickstart

Choose one of the following installation methods...

Acceptance Criteria

• Add a "Prerequisites" section before the Quickstart section
• List all required software for each installation method
• Include links to installation guides for each prerequisite
• Specify system requirements (disk space, OS compatibility if relevant)
• Make it clear that users should complete prerequisites before proceeding

Related Files

• README.md (lines 28-90)

Additional Notes

This is a common pattern in software documentation. Examples:

• React's Getting Started - lists Node.js requirement upfront
• Docker's Get Started - clear prerequisites
• Kubernetes docs - detailed prerequisites

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Source: This issue was identified during a user onboarding session where the lack of prerequisites caused confusion about what was needed before installation.