diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d9d0bb4..bc3157a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ This benchmark suite is designed to:
 
 ```bash
 cd benchmark
+python -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate
 pip install -e .
 ```
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 34402d2..e07100a 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "python-socketio>=5.13.0", # WebSocket client (already in Open WebUI)
     "pydantic>=2.11.0",        # Data validation (already in Open WebUI)
     "PyYAML>=6.0",             # YAML parsing (already in Open WebUI via dependencies)
+    "python-dotenv>=1.0.0",    # Environment file loading (already in Open WebUI)
     
     # Benchmark-specific additions
     "locust>=2.32.0",          # Load testing framework