diff --git a/references/README.md b/references/README.md
index fdb86fcbba..5dba21962a 100644
--- a/references/README.md
+++ b/references/README.md
@@ -45,3 +45,85 @@ All the dependencies to the `@trigger.dev/*` packages will be both referenced in
   }
 }
 ```
+
+### Creating a New Reference Project
+
+This guide assumes that you have followed the [Contributing.md](https://github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#setup) instructions to set up a local trigger.dev instance. If not, please complete the setup before continuing.
+
+#### Step-by-Step Instructions
+
+1. **Run an HTTP tunnel**:
+You will need to run an HTTP tunnel to expose your local webapp, it is required for some API calls during building the image to deploy on your local instance. This is *optional* if you do not plan to test deployment on your local instance.
+- Download the ngrok CLI. This can be done by following the instructions on ngrok's [website](https://ngrok.com/docs/getting-started/).
+- Create an account on ngrok to obtain the authtoken and add it to the CLI.
+
+```bash
+ngrok config add-authtoken <your-auth-token>
+```
+Replace the <your-auth-token> with the token you obtain from ngrok.
+- Run the tunnel.
+
+```bash
+ngrok http <your-app-port>
+```
+Replace the <your-app-port> with the webapp port, default is `3030`.
+
+2. **Add your tunnel URL to the env**:
+After running the ngrok tunnel, you will see URL in your terminal, it will look something like `https://<your-tunnel-address>.ngrok-free.app`. 
+Replace the `APP_ORIGIN` variable with this URL in your `.env` file in the root of the trigger.dev project.
+
+3. **Run the webapp on localhost**:
+
+```bash
+pnpm run dev --filter webapp --filter coordinator --filter docker-provider
+```
+
+4. **Build the CLI in a new terminal window**:
+
+```bash
+# Build the CLI
+pnpm run build --filter trigger.dev
+
+# Make it accessible to `pnpm exec`
+pnpm i
+```
+
+5. **Set up a new project in the webapp**:
+- Open the webapp running on `localhost:3030`.
+- Create a new project in the webapp UI.
+- Go to the *Project Settings* page and copy the project reference id from there.
+
+6. **Copy the hello-world project as a template**:
+
+```bash
+cp -r references/hello-world references/<new-project>
+```
+
+Replace `<new-project>` with your desired project name.
+
+7. **Update project details**:
+- Open `<new-project>/package.json` and change the name field.
+*(Tip: Use the same name as in the webapp to avoid confusion.)*
+
+- Open `<new-project>/trigger.config.ts` and update the project field with the project reference you copied from the webapp.
+
+- Run `pnpm i` in your `<new-project>` directory to sync the dependencies.
+
+8. **Authorize the CLI for your project**:
+
+```bash
+pnpm exec trigger login -a http://localhost:3030 --profile local
+```
+
+9. **Run the new project**:
+You can now run your project using the CLI with the following command:
+
+```bash
+pnpm exec trigger dev --profile local
+```
+
+You can also deploy them against your local instance with the following command:
+
+```bash
+pnpm exec trigger deploy --self-hosted --load-image --profile local
+```