diff --git a/basis/environment/environment.factor b/basis/environment/environment.factor
index 492925c7c0..ca78c3efa7 100644
--- a/basis/environment/environment.factor
+++ b/basis/environment/environment.factor
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ! Copyright (C) 2008 Doug Coleman.
 ! See http://factorcode.org/license.txt for BSD license.
 USING: assocs combinators kernel sequences splitting system
-vocabs.loader ;
+vocabs.loader init ;
 IN: environment
 
 HOOK: os-env os ( key -- value )
@@ -25,3 +25,8 @@ HOOK: (set-os-envs) os ( seq -- )
     { [ os winnt? ] [ "environment.winnt" require ] }
     { [ os wince? ] [ ] }
 } cond
+
+[
+    "FACTOR_ROOTS" os-env os windows? ";" ":" ? split
+    [ add-vocab-root ] each
+] "environment" add-init-hook
diff --git a/basis/help/tutorial/tutorial.factor b/basis/help/tutorial/tutorial.factor
index afa16bbf8a..9ed36ac77c 100644
--- a/basis/help/tutorial/tutorial.factor
+++ b/basis/help/tutorial/tutorial.factor
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ $nl
 { $code "\"resource:work\" \"palindrome\" scaffold-vocab" }
 "If you look at the output, you will see that a few files were created in your ``work'' directory. The following phrase will print the full path of your work directory:"
 { $code "\"work\" resource-path ." }
+"The work directory is one of several " { $link "vocabs.roots" } " where Factor searches for vocabularies. It is possible to define new vocabulary roots; see " { $link "add-vocab-roots" } ". To keep things simple in this tutorial, we'll just use the work directory, though."
+$nl
 "Open the work directory in your file manager, and open the subdirectory named " { $snippet "palindrome" } ". Inside this subdirectory you will see a file named " { $snippet "palindrome.factor" } ". We will be editing this file."
 $nl
 "Notice that the file ends with an " { $link POSTPONE: IN: } " form telling Factor that all definitions in this source file should go into the " { $snippet "palindrome" } " vocabulary using the " { $link POSTPONE: IN: } " word:"
diff --git a/core/vocabs/loader/loader-docs.factor b/core/vocabs/loader/loader-docs.factor
index d658a8e033..bc57c48a62 100644
--- a/core/vocabs/loader/loader-docs.factor
+++ b/core/vocabs/loader/loader-docs.factor
@@ -2,6 +2,18 @@ USING: vocabs vocabs.loader.private help.markup help.syntax
 words strings io ;
 IN: vocabs.loader
 
+ARTICLE: "add-vocab-roots" "Working with code outside of the Factor source tree"
+"You can work with code outside of the Factor source tree by adding additional directories to the list of vocabulary roots."
+$nl
+"There are three ways of doing this."
+$nl
+"The first way is to use an environment variable. Factor looks at the " { $snippet "FACTOR_ROOTS" } " environment variable for a list of " { $snippet ":" } "-separated paths (on Unix) or a list of " { $snippet ";" } "-separated paths (on Windows)."
+$nl
+"The second way is to create a configuration file. You can list additional vocabulary roots in a file that Factor reads at startup:"
+{ $subsection "factor-roots" }
+"Finally, you can add vocabulary roots dynamically using a word:"
+{ $subsection add-vocab-root } ;
+
 ARTICLE: "vocabs.roots" "Vocabulary roots"
 "The vocabulary loader searches for it in one of the root directories:"
 { $subsection vocab-roots }
@@ -12,12 +24,8 @@ ARTICLE: "vocabs.roots" "Vocabulary roots"
     { { $snippet "extra" } " - additional contributed libraries." }
     { { $snippet "work" } " - a root for vocabularies which are not intended to be contributed back to Factor." }
 }
-"You can store your own vocabularies in the " { $snippet "work" } " directory. You can also store code outside of the Factor source tree by making Factor aware of it first. There are two ways of doing this."
-$nl
-"You can list additional vocabulary roots in a file that Factor reads at startup:"
-{ $subsection "factor-roots" }
-"Or you can add them dynamically using a word:"
-{ $subsection add-vocab-root } ;
+"You can store your own vocabularies in the " { $snippet "work" } " directory."
+{ $subsection "add-vocab-roots" } ;
 
 ARTICLE: "vocabs.loader" "Vocabulary loader"
 "The vocabulary loader is defined in the " { $vocab-link "vocabs.loader" } " vocabulary."