diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3412291
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+FROM node:20-alpine
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY package.json ./
+RUN npm install --production
+COPY server.js ./
+COPY public ./public
+EXPOSE 3000
+CMD ["node", "server.js"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a3000d8..96dd0fc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1 +1,46 @@
 # MacAI
+
+AI-powered search assistant using Cerebras LLM and SearXNG.
+
+## Quick Start (Docker)
+
+Run both the Node server and SearXNG together:
+
+```bash
+# Create a .env file with your API key
+echo "CEREBRAS_API_KEY=your-key-here" > .env
+
+# Start everything
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) in your browser.
+
+Inside Docker Compose the Node server reaches SearXNG via `http://searxng:8080`
+(the Docker service name and internal port). This is set automatically by
+`docker-compose.yml`.
+
+## Running the Node Server on the Host
+
+If you prefer to run the Node server directly on your machine while SearXNG
+stays in Docker:
+
+```bash
+# Start only SearXNG
+docker compose up -d searxng
+
+# Install dependencies and start the server
+npm install
+npm start
+```
+
+When running on the host, the default `SEARXNG_URL` is `http://localhost:8888`,
+which maps to the container's port 8080 via the published Docker port.
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+| Variable           | Default                  | Description                     |
+| ------------------ | ------------------------ | ------------------------------- |
+| `CEREBRAS_API_KEY` | *(required)*             | API key for Cerebras            |
+| `SEARXNG_URL`      | `http://localhost:8888`  | SearXNG base URL                |
+| `PORT`             | `3000`                   | Port for the Express server     |
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index c63c14b..fc1f7ae 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -8,5 +8,26 @@ services:
       - ./searxng/settings.yml:/etc/searxng/settings.yml:ro
       - ./searxng/limiter.toml:/etc/searxng/limiter.toml:ro
     environment:
-      - SEARXNG_BASE_URL=http://localhost:8888/
+      - SEARXNG_BASE_URL=http://searxng:8080/
     restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - macai-net
+
+  server:
+    build: .
+    container_name: macai-server
+    ports:
+      - "3000:3000"
+    environment:
+      - SEARXNG_URL=http://searxng:8080
+    env_file:
+      - .env
+    depends_on:
+      - searxng
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - macai-net
+
+networks:
+  macai-net:
+    driver: bridge
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 1bf4064..6996915 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -324,15 +324,27 @@ app.listen(PORT, async () => {
   console.log(`✓ http://localhost:${PORT}`);
   if (!CEREBRAS_KEY_RESOLVED) console.warn('⚠  CEREBRAS_API_KEY not set');
 
-  // Check SearXNG connectivity on startup
-  try {
-    const ctrl = new AbortController();
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => ctrl.abort(), 3000);
-    const resp = await fetch(`${SEARXNG_URL}/healthz`, { signal: ctrl.signal });
-    clearTimeout(timer);
-    if (resp.ok) console.log(`✓ SearXNG reachable at ${SEARXNG_URL}`);
-    else console.warn(`⚠  SearXNG returned HTTP ${resp.status} at ${SEARXNG_URL}`);
-  } catch (_) {
-    console.warn(`⚠  SearXNG not reachable at ${SEARXNG_URL} — run: docker compose up -d`);
+  // Check SearXNG connectivity on startup (retry up to 5 times for Docker cold-start)
+  const maxRetries = 5;
+  for (let attempt = 1; attempt <= maxRetries; attempt++) {
+    try {
+      const ctrl = new AbortController();
+      const timer = setTimeout(() => ctrl.abort(), 5000);
+      const resp = await fetch(`${SEARXNG_URL}/healthz`, { signal: ctrl.signal });
+      clearTimeout(timer);
+      if (resp.ok) {
+        console.log(`✓ SearXNG reachable at ${SEARXNG_URL}`);
+        break;
+      }
+      console.warn(`⚠  SearXNG returned HTTP ${resp.status} at ${SEARXNG_URL}`);
+      break;
+    } catch (_) {
+      if (attempt < maxRetries) {
+        console.warn(`⚠  SearXNG not reachable at ${SEARXNG_URL} (attempt ${attempt}/${maxRetries}), retrying in 3s…`);
+        await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 3000));
+      } else {
+        console.warn(`⚠  SearXNG not reachable at ${SEARXNG_URL} after ${maxRetries} attempts — run: docker compose up -d`);
+      }
+    }
   }
 });