diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index eb882e0..a8be99d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -142,6 +142,11 @@ mcp_servers:
       - "openherbarium-mcp"
     timeout: 120
     connect_timeout: 60
+    env:
+      FIRECRAWL_API_URL: "http://localhost:3002"
+      FIRECRAWL_API_KEY: ""
+      BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org"
+      OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT: "20"
 ```
 
 Restart Hermes Agent after editing `~/.hermes/config.yaml`.
@@ -176,7 +181,13 @@ Hermes JSON-style snippet:
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
@@ -199,8 +210,20 @@ Generic `mcp.json` snippet used by many MCP clients:
 }
 ```
 
-If your client supports environment variables in MCP server definitions, you can
-enable targeted Firecrawl search like this:
+The MCP is configured through environment variables passed by the MCP client.
+This lets you change endpoints and timeouts directly in `config.yaml`, `mcp.json`
+or your client's MCP settings screen, without modifying the repository.
+
+Available parameters:
+
+| Environment variable | Required | Default | Purpose |
+|---|---:|---|---|
+| `FIRECRAWL_API_URL` | No | unset | Local Firecrawl base URL. Enables `search_botanical_sources` and richer source search in care/species tools. |
+| `FIRECRAWL_API_KEY` | No | unset | Optional bearer token if your Firecrawl instance requires authentication. |
+| `BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS` | No | built-in allow-list | Comma-separated source domains used to constrain targeted botanical searches. |
+| `OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT` | No | `20` | HTTP timeout in seconds for public APIs and Firecrawl calls. |
+
+Generic JSON example with all configurable parameters:
 
 ```json
 {
@@ -214,7 +237,9 @@ enable targeted Firecrawl search like this:
       ],
       "env": {
         "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
-        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": ""
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
       }
     }
   }
@@ -261,6 +286,11 @@ mcp_servers:
       - "openherbarium-mcp"
     timeout: 120
     connect_timeout: 60
+    env:
+      FIRECRAWL_API_URL: "http://localhost:3002"
+      FIRECRAWL_API_KEY: ""
+      BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org"
+      OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT: "20"
 ```
 
 Restart Hermes Agent. Tools will be exposed with names similar to:
@@ -272,9 +302,10 @@ Restart Hermes Agent. Tools will be exposed with names similar to:
 - `mcp_openherbarium_get_image_sources`
 - `mcp_openherbarium_search_botanical_sources`
 
-## Firecrawl configuration
+## `.env` fallback for manual/local runs
 
-Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and set:
+For direct local execution outside an MCP client, you can also copy `.env.example`
+to `.env` and set the same parameters there:
 
 ```bash
 FIRECRAWL_API_URL=http://localhost:3002
diff --git a/examples/claude-desktop-mcp.json b/examples/claude-desktop-mcp.json
index 2946499..85cc0b7 100644
--- a/examples/claude-desktop-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/claude-desktop-mcp.json
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/examples/cursor-mcp.json b/examples/cursor-mcp.json
index 2946499..85cc0b7 100644
--- a/examples/cursor-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/cursor-mcp.json
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/examples/generic-mcp.json b/examples/generic-mcp.json
index 2946499..85cc0b7 100644
--- a/examples/generic-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/generic-mcp.json
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/examples/hermes-mcp.json b/examples/hermes-mcp.json
index 62d45f9..793d78f 100644
--- a/examples/hermes-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/hermes-mcp.json
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/examples/hermes-openherbarium-uvx.yaml b/examples/hermes-openherbarium-uvx.yaml
index aa6facf..80d20fe 100644
--- a/examples/hermes-openherbarium-uvx.yaml
+++ b/examples/hermes-openherbarium-uvx.yaml
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ openherbarium:
     - "openherbarium-mcp"
   timeout: 120
   connect_timeout: 60
-  # Optional, only needed for targeted source search:
-  # env:
-  #   FIRECRAWL_API_URL: "http://localhost:3002"
-  #   FIRECRAWL_API_KEY: ""
+  env:
+    # Optional: enable targeted botanical source search through your local Firecrawl.
+    FIRECRAWL_API_URL: "http://localhost:3002"
+    FIRECRAWL_API_KEY: ""
+
+    # Optional: tune source filtering and HTTP timeout without editing code.
+    BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org"
+    OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT: "20"
diff --git a/examples/local-dev-mcp.json b/examples/local-dev-mcp.json
index 9556a19..642a6a7 100644
--- a/examples/local-dev-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/local-dev-mcp.json
@@ -9,7 +9,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/examples/windsurf-mcp.json b/examples/windsurf-mcp.json
index 2946499..85cc0b7 100644
--- a/examples/windsurf-mcp.json
+++ b/examples/windsurf-mcp.json
@@ -8,7 +8,13 @@
         "openherbarium-mcp"
       ],
       "timeout": 120,
-      "connect_timeout": 60
+      "connect_timeout": 60,
+      "env": {
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_URL": "http://localhost:3002",
+        "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY": "",
+        "BOTANICAL_ALLOWED_DOMAINS": "gbif.org,powo.science.kew.org,missouribotanicalgarden.org,tela-botanica.org,inpn.mnhn.fr,rhs.org.uk,edu,wikimedia.org,wikipedia.org",
+        "OPENHERBARIUM_TIMEOUT": "20"
+      }
     }
   }
 }