diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2462b3c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+.env
+.env.*
+*.key
+tskey-*
+authkey*
+tailscale/tailscale-data/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 421f25e..159395b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ ts-{{service}}/
     mkdir -p tailscale/tailscale-data
     ```
 3. Configure Tailscale
-    - Replace `{{YOUR_TAILSCALE_AUTHKEY}}` in the docker-compose.yml with your actual Tailscale auth key
+    - Make sure `TS_AUTHKEY` and `TS_LOGIN_SERVER` are set in your environment (or a local .env file) before running docker compose.
     - Optionally, update the file in `tailscale/config/serve.json` if you need specific Tailscale serve configurations
         - CAUTION: Changing `"${TS_CERT_DOMAIN}:443": false` to `true` will expose the service to the internet