diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 93596d06f..8263c54fa 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -6,7 +6,9 @@ Contributions are welcome. This guide covers setup, testing, and PR guidelines.
 
 ## Build from Source
 
-**Prerequisites**: C compiler (gcc or clang), make, zlib, Git. Optional: Node.js 22+ (for graph UI).
+**Build prerequisites**: C compiler (gcc or clang), make, zlib, Git. Optional: Node.js 22+ (for graph UI).
+
+**Contributor check prerequisites**: `scripts/test.sh` also requires `zip`, `python3`, and `curl`. `scripts/lint.sh` requires `cppcheck`, `clang-format`, and `clang-tidy`; `scripts/lint.sh --ci`, which is what CI runs, skips `clang-tidy`.
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp.git
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a0e222d45..73e7e7f64 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -617,6 +617,8 @@ running an installer.
 
 </details>
 
+> **Contributor checks need a few extra tools.** `scripts/test.sh` requires `zip`, `python3`, and `curl`. `scripts/lint.sh` requires `cppcheck`, `clang-format`, and `clang-tidy`; `scripts/lint.sh --ci`, which is what CI runs, skips `clang-tidy`.
+
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/DeusData/codebase-memory-mcp.git
 cd codebase-memory-mcp