diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a912fbb67b195dfcc750ac477ccae5975cdd307f..cb74dde3bba5dc42bf90e1d228817b322cc52ec1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@
 
 To run locally (for testing purposes):
 
-- Install proxychains, configure it for Tor
+- Install virtualenv and Python 2.7
+
+- (Optional) Install proxychains, configure it for Tor
 
 - Pull in the dependencies:
 
@@ -21,9 +23,13 @@ To run locally (for testing purposes):
 - Start the webserver:
 
     ```
+    $ source env/bin/activate # activates virtualenv
     $ ./runserver.py
+    $ deactivate # ..s virtualenv
     ```
 
+    (if the shell in use is not bash, you can append its name to the activator if supported: `...ivate.fish`)
+
 - Open the site at http://localhost:5000/
 
 ## Running a mirror
diff --git a/etc/project.vars b/etc/project.vars
index da768a33f72a9362edd2df0e3069ef165de37bcf..b8c3ff77964a9c2d83a8ab82f7b134d26fc5cb26 100644
--- a/etc/project.vars
+++ b/etc/project.vars
@@ -1,2 +1,7 @@
 export venv_dir="env"
-export venv="`which virtualenv-2.7 || which virtualenv`"
+export spec=""
+export venv="`which virtualenv-2.7`"
+if [ x"$venv" = x ]; then
+	export venv="`which virtualenv`"
+	export spec="-p 2.7"
+fi
diff --git a/setup_venv.sh b/setup_venv.sh
index 9b3b3a40bd16c7fe9f9336ab0e924210f4c39d34..425e3bf8478bbd8fc10e7929d37076db9a80c46b 100755
--- a/setup_venv.sh
+++ b/setup_venv.sh
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ if [ ! $venv ]; then
     exit 1
 else
     if [ ! -d $venv_dir ] ; then
-        $venv --distribute $venv_dir
+        $venv $spec $venv_dir
     fi
 
     . $venv_dir/bin/activate