diff --git a/shortfin/README.md b/shortfin/README.md
index 9818e05d3..13ee20966 100644
--- a/shortfin/README.md
+++ b/shortfin/README.md
@@ -1,20 +1,52 @@
 # shortfin - SHARK inference library and serving engine
 
-## Simple User Installation
+The shortfin project is SHARK's open source, high performance inference library
+and serving engine. Shortfin consists of these major components:
 
-Install:
+* The "libshortfin" inference library written in C/C++ and built on
+  [IREE](https://github.com/iree-org/iree)
+* Python bindings for the underlying inference library
+* Example applications in
+  ['shortfin_apps'](https://github.com/nod-ai/SHARK-Platform/tree/main/shortfin/python/shortfin_apps)
+  built using the python bindings
 
+## Prerequisites
+
+* Python 3.11+
+
+## Simple user installation
+
+Install the latest stable version:
+
+```bash
+pip install shortfin
 ```
-python -m pip install .
+
+## Developer guides
+
+### Quick start: install local packages and run tests
+
+After cloning this repository, from the `shortfin/` directory:
+
+```bash
+pip install -e .
 ```
 
-Run tests:
+Install test requirements:
 
+```bash
+pip install -r requirements-tests.txt
 ```
-python -m pytest -s tests/
+
+Run tests:
+
+```bash
+pytest -s tests/
 ```
 
-## Simple Dev Setup
+### Simple dev setup
+
+We recommend this development setup for core contributors:
 
 1. Check out this repository as a sibling to [IREE](https://github.com/iree-org/iree)
    if you already have an IREE source checkout. Otherwise, a pinned version will
@@ -36,7 +68,7 @@ python -m pytest -s tests/
 
 Refer to the advanced build options below for other scenarios.
 
-## Advanced Build Options
+### Advanced build options
 
 1. Native C++ build
 2. Local Python release build
@@ -48,7 +80,7 @@ Prerequisites
 * A modern C/C++ compiler, such as clang 18 or gcc 12
 * A modern Python, such as Python 3.12
 
-### Native C++ Builds
+#### Native C++ builds
 
 ```bash
 cmake -GNinja -S. -Bbuild \
@@ -61,13 +93,7 @@ If Python bindings are enabled in this mode (`-DSHORTFIN_BUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS=O
 then `pip install -e build/` will install from the build dir (and support
 build/continue).
 
-### Local Python Release Builds
-
-```bash
-pip install -v -e .
-```
-
-### Package Python Release Builds
+#### Package Python release builds
 
 * To build wheels for Linux using a manylinux Docker container:
 
@@ -86,7 +112,7 @@ pip install -v -e .
     python3 -m pip install dist/*.whl
     ```
 
-### Python Dev Builds
+#### Python dev builds
 
 ```bash
 # Install build system pre-reqs (since we are building in dev mode, this
@@ -124,7 +150,7 @@ Several optional environment variables can be used with setup.py:
 * `SHORTFIN_RUN_CTESTS=ON` : Runs `ctest` as part of the build. Useful for CI
   as it uses the version of ctest installed in the pip venv.
 
-### Running Tests
+### Running tests
 
 The project uses a combination of ctest for native C++ tests and pytest. Much
 of the functionality is only tested via the Python tests, using the
@@ -156,7 +182,7 @@ pytest tests/ --system amdgpu \
     --compile-flags="--iree-hal-target-backends=rocm --iree-hip-target=gfx1100"
 ```
 
-# Production Library Building
+## Production library building
 
 In order to build a production library, additional build steps are typically
 recommended:
@@ -167,23 +193,23 @@ recommended:
 * Enable LTO builds of libshortfin
 * Set flags to enable symbol versioning
 
-# Miscellaneous Build Topics
+## Miscellaneous build topics
 
-## Free-threaded Python
+### Free-threaded Python
 
 Support for free-threaded Python builds (aka. "nogil") is in progress. It
-is currently being tested via dev builds of CPython 3.13 with the
-`--disable-gil` option set. There are multiple ways to acquire such an
-environment. If using `pyenv`, here is a way:
+is currently being tested via CPython 3.13 with the `--disable-gil` option set.
+There are multiple ways to acquire such an environment:
 
-```
-# Build a free-threaded 3.13 version.
-pyenv install --debug 3.13t-dev
+* Generally, see the documentation at
+  <https://py-free-threading.github.io/installing_cpython/>
+* If using `pyenv`:
 
-# Test (should print "False").
-pyenv shell 3.13t-dev
-python -c 'import sys; print(sys._is_gil_enabled())'
-```
+    ```bash
+    # Install a free-threaded 3.13 version.
+    pyenv install 3.13t
 
-Further ways of installing a free-threaded CPython interpreter are documented at
-[py-free-threading.github.io](https://py-free-threading.github.io/installing_cpython/).
+    # Test (should print "False").
+    pyenv shell 3.13t
+    python -c 'import sys; print(sys._is_gil_enabled())'
+    ```