diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0f2fed3f0..99c13183d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -38,6 +38,15 @@ We provide several distinct methods of running Livebook,
 pick the one that best fits your use case.
 
 You will need [Elixir v1.12](https://elixir-lang.org/install.html) or later.
+Livebook also requires the following Erlang applications: `inets`,
+`os_mon`, `runtime_tools`, and `ssl`. Those applications come with
+most Erlang distributions but certain package manages may split
+them apart. For example, on Ubuntu, these Erlang applications could
+be installed as follows:
+
+```shell
+sudo apt install erlang-inets erlang-os-mon erlang-runtime-tools erlang-ssl
+```
 
 ### Escript