diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 92248513..a4ed4977 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -18,10 +18,15 @@ curl -fsSL https://gitea.dlw.la/dissimulo/drunkendotfiles/raw/branch/drunkendotf
 Or clone first:
 
 ```sh
-git clone https://gitea.dlw.la/dissimulo/drunkendotfiles.git ~/.yadr
+git clone --recurse-submodules https://gitea.dlw.la/dissimulo/drunkendotfiles.git ~/.yadr
 ~/.yadr/install.sh
 ```
 
+`--recurse-submodules` matters: Prezto lives in `zsh/prezto` as a git
+submodule. Without it, `~/.zshrc` fails on startup with a missing
+`~/.zprezto/runcoms/zshrc`. (If you already cloned without it,
+`cd ~/.yadr && git submodule update --init --recursive` catches you up.)
+
 The installer:
 
 1. Clones this repo to `~/.yadr`
@@ -38,12 +43,12 @@ Two things can be refreshed independently.
 ### Pull new drunkendotfiles changes
 
 ```sh
-cd ~/.yadr && git pull
+cd ~/.yadr && git pull --recurse-submodules
 ```
 
 That gets you any new config changes, tmux tweaks, helper scripts, etc.
-pushed to this repo. Vim plugins and prezto modules are *not* touched — see
-below.
+pushed to this repo, plus any bumps to the Prezto submodule pointer.
+Vim plugins are *not* touched — see below.
 
 ### Refresh YADR plugins
 
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 869aaeba..55f924eb 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -62,11 +62,17 @@ elif [ -d "$YADR_DIR" ]; then
   exit 1
 else
   log "Cloning drunkendotfiles"
-  git clone --depth=1 "$REPO_URL" "$YADR_DIR"
+  git clone --recurse-submodules "$REPO_URL" "$YADR_DIR"
 fi
 
 cd "$YADR_DIR"
 
+# 1a. Ensure submodules are initialized (Prezto lives in zsh/prezto as a
+# submodule — without it, ~/.zshrc fails with "no such file or directory:
+# ~/.zprezto/runcoms/zshrc"). Safe to run on fresh and existing clones alike.
+log "Ensuring submodules are initialized"
+git submodule update --init --recursive
+
 # 2. Run YADR's native install (Vim plugins, prezto, etc.)
 if have rake; then
   log "Running YADR rake install"