From e5af8e40d6d2b4460d798f39bcf5b46bcae0a13d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Daulet Amirkhanov <damirkhanov01@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2025 11:18:08 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add more details to README on how to run cognee ui
 (#1414)

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## Description
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Please provide a clear, human-generated description of the changes in
this PR.
DO NOT use AI-generated descriptions. We want to understand your thought
process and reasoning.
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Add more details to README.md on how to install cognee to be able to run
`cognee-cli -ui`

## Type of Change
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- [ ] Bug fix (non-breaking change that fixes an issue)
- [ ] New feature (non-breaking change that adds functionality)
- [ ] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing
functionality to change)
- [X] Documentation update
- [ ] Code refactoring
- [ ] Performance improvement
- [ ] Other (please specify):

## Changes Made
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-
-
-

## Testing
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## Screenshots/Videos (if applicable)
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## Pre-submission Checklist
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- [ ] **I have tested my changes thoroughly before submitting this PR**
- [ ] **This PR contains minimal changes necessary to address the
issue/feature**
- [ ] My code follows the project's coding standards and style
guidelines
- [ ] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my
feature works
- [ ] I have added necessary documentation (if applicable)
- [ ] All new and existing tests pass
- [ ] I have searched existing PRs to ensure this change hasn't been
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## Related Issues
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## DCO Affirmation
I affirm that all code in every commit of this pull request conforms to
the terms of the Topoteretes Developer Certificate of Origin.

Co-authored-by: Boris <boris@topoteretes.com>
---
 README.md | 14 +++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b9aa9994a..ae1f5f365 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -176,7 +176,19 @@ You can also cognify your files and query using cognee UI.
 
 <img src="assets/cognee-new-ui.webp" width="100%" alt="Cognee UI 2"></a>
 
-Try cognee UI by runnning ``` cognee-cli -ui ``` command on your terminal.
+### Installation for UI
+
+To use the cognee UI with full functionality, you need to install cognee with API dependencies:
+
+```bash
+pip install 'cognee[api]'
+```
+
+The UI requires backend server functionality (uvicorn and other API dependencies) which are not included in the default cognee installation to keep it lightweight.
+
+### Running the UI
+
+Try cognee UI by running ``` cognee-cli -ui ``` command on your terminal.
 
 ## Understand our architecture