docs: improve environment setup documentation for local development

[NEXARA-oss]

##problem

The current setup instructions are missing detailed explanations for environment variables and local runtime requirements.

New contributors may struggle to start the project locally.

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Goal

Improve onboarding documentation for first-time contributors.

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Tasks

• document required environment variables
• explain local development setup
• add troubleshooting section
• improve setup examples
• verify commands work on Windows/Linux/macOS

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Acceptance Criteria

• setup instructions are easy to follow
• contributors can run the project locally
• missing env variables are documented
• troubleshooting section is added

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[Deepiga0706]

Hi @NEXARA-oss, I’d like to work on this issue under GSSoC 2026. I can improve the onboarding documentation by adding detailed environment variable explanations, setup instructions, troubleshooting guidance, and cross-platform examples for contributors.

[NEXARA-oss]

Thanks for your interest in contributing 🚀

The project admin application for GSSoC is currently under review. Once confirmation is finalized, I’ll begin assigning issues and coordinating contributions properly. Meanwhile, feel free to explore the repository and the open issues.

[PranavAgarkar07]

Hey! I'd love to work on this. I have experience with full-stack development and this seems like a great issue to start contributing. Could you assign me to this?

[NEXARA-oss]

Hey @Deepiga0706 👋

Thanks for showing interest in improving the contributor onboarding experience for PulseStack.

The approach around environment variable explanations, troubleshooting guidance, setup clarity, and cross-platform documentation aligns very well with the project’s contributor-first goals 🚀

Assigning this issue to you.
Feel free to share progress updates or draft documentation improvements during development.