diff --git a/docs/get-started/index.md b/docs/get-started/index.md
index 221dee2f895..ffb96db26b8 100644
--- a/docs/get-started/index.md
+++ b/docs/get-started/index.md
@@ -30,10 +30,21 @@ explained through a cooking analogy:
 
 ## Prerequisites
 
-- A machine with 2+ CPU cores and 4GB+ RAM
+- A machine with 2+ CPU cores and 4GB+ RAM (ideally a separate machine or VM, not your primary dev machine)
 - Familiarity with running commands in the terminal
 - 10 minutes of your time
 
+<details>
+<summary>Why a separate machine?</summary>
+
+Coder's value comes from remote development.
+Hosting the Coder server on a separate machine, such as a cloud VM, a spare desktop, or on-premises hardware, gives you and your team infrastructure that's more powerful, always-on, and reachable from anywhere, instead of tying your dev environment to your own laptop.
+
+When you're ready to move past this tutorial, install the Coder server on a separate machine and connect to it remotely.
+Refer to the [Install guide](../install/index.md) for supported platforms and installation methods.
+
+</details>
+
 > [!TIP]
 > If you use a coding agent like Claude Code, the [coder/skills](https://github.com/coder/skills) `setup` skill can train the coding agent on the following steps (install a container runtime, install Coder, create your first template, and launch a workspace).