diff --git a/crates/app/src/cmd_init.rs b/crates/app/src/cmd_init.rs
index 5b753f8d..82a8f624 100755
--- a/crates/app/src/cmd_init.rs
+++ b/crates/app/src/cmd_init.rs
@@ -157,7 +157,8 @@ pub async fn run(args: InitArgs) -> anyhow::Result<u8> {
     {
         anyhow::bail!(
             "this binary is built with the '{backend}' backend; \
-             --backend {requested} requires the extenddb-{requested} binary"
+             --backend {requested} requires rebuilding with \
+             `cargo build --release --no-default-features --features {requested}`"
         );
     }
     if args.backend.is_none() && Path::new(&args.config).exists() {
diff --git a/docs/getting-started.md b/docs/getting-started.md
index ffbbc9b3..173a0c2e 100755
--- a/docs/getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started.md
@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ cargo build --release
 # MongoDB backend
 # (backends are mutually exclusive; disable the default postgres feature)
 cargo build --release --no-default-features --features mongodb
+
+# SQLite backend (developer mode, see "SQLite backend (developer mode)" below)
+cargo build --release --no-default-features --features sqlite
 ```
 
 Each build produces a single-backend binary. The `postgres`, `mongodb`, and
@@ -128,7 +131,15 @@ This generates a certificate with SANs: `localhost`, `127.0.0.1`, and `10.0.1.5`
 ### SQLite backend (developer mode)
 
 For local development and CI, extenddb can run against a SQLite backend instead
-of PostgreSQL. Select it at init time with `--backend sqlite`:
+of PostgreSQL. It requires its own build (the `postgres`, `mongodb`, and
+`sqlite` backends are mutually exclusive, each compiled into a single-backend
+binary — see [Build extenddb](#1-build-extenddb) above):
+
+```bash
+cargo build --release --no-default-features --features sqlite
+```
+
+Then select it at init time with `--backend sqlite`:
 
 ```bash
 ./target/release/extenddb init --backend sqlite