diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1 +1,44 @@
 # kube-prometheus
+
+This repository collects Kubernetes manifests, dashboards, and alerting rules
+combined with documentationa and scripts to deploy them to get full cluster 
+monitoring setup working.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+First, you need a running Kubernetes cluster. If you don't have one, follow
+the instructions of [bootkube](https://github.com/kubernetes-incubator/bootkube)
+or [minikube](https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube).
+
+etcd is an important component of a working Kubernetes cluster, but it's deployed
+outside of it. The monitoring setup below assumes that it is made visible from
+within the cluster through a headless Kubernetes service.
+An example for bootkube's multi-vagrant setup is [here](/manifests/etcd/etcd-bootkube-vagrant-multi.yaml).
+
+## Monitoring Kubernetes
+
+The manifests used here use the [Prometheus controller](https://github.com/coreos/kube-prometheus-controller),
+which manages Prometheus servers and their configuration in your cluster. To install the
+controller, the [node_exporter](https://github.com/prometheus/node_exporter),
+[Grafana](https://grafana.org) including default dashboards, and the Prometheus server, run:
+
+```
+export KUBECONFIG=<path>   # defaults to "~/.kube/config"
+export KUBE_NAMESPACE=<ns> # defaults to "default"
+hack/cluster-monitoring/deploy
+```
+
+To tear it all down again, run:
+
+```
+hack/cluster-monitoring/teardown
+```
+
+After all pods are ready, you can reach:
+
+* Prometheus UI on node port `30900`
+* Grafana on node port `30902`
+
+## Monitoring custom services
+
+TODO
diff --git a/hack/cluster-monitoring/deploy b/hack/cluster-monitoring/deploy
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..9c7dd8cf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/cluster-monitoring/deploy
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+if [ -z "${KUBECONFIG}" ]; then
+    KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/config
+fi
+
+if [ -z "${KUBE_NAMESPACE}" ]; then
+    KUBE_NAMESPACE=default
+fi  
+
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" create -f manifests/controllers/prometheus_controller.yaml
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" create -f manifests/exporters
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" create -f manifests/grafana
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" create -f manifests/prometheus
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diff --git a/hack/cluster-monitoring/teardown b/hack/cluster-monitoring/teardown
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..2714767d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hack/cluster-monitoring/teardown
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+if [ -z "${KUBECONFIG}" ]; then
+    KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/config
+fi
+
+if [ -z "${KUBE_NAMESPACE}" ]; then
+    KUBE_NAMESPACE=default
+fi  
+
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" delete -f manifests/exporters
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" delete -f manifests/grafana
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" delete -f manifests/prometheus
+kubectl --kubeconfig="$KUBECONFIG" -n "$KUBE_NAMESPACE" delete -f manifests/controllers/prometheus_controller.yaml
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