diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ae1816c3..63f2983f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,17 +48,19 @@ Stac-server is a production-ready implementation of the [STAC API specification]
 Get started with Docker Compose for local development:
 
 ```bash
-# Clone the repository
+# Clone and install
 git clone https://github.com/stac-utils/stac-server.git
 cd stac-server
+npm install
 
-# Start services
+# Start OpenSearch and LocalStack
 docker compose up -d
 
-# Ingest sample data
-npm run ingest:example
+# Start the STAC API on http://localhost:3000 (leave this running)
+npm run serve
 
-# Test the API
+# In a separate terminal: ingest sample data, then query the API
+npm run ingest:example
 curl http://localhost:3000/
 ```
 
diff --git a/bin/ingest-example.js b/bin/ingest-example.js
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..f451fd81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/ingest-example.js
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// Ingest the example collection and item into a locally running stac-server
+// via the Transaction extension. Requires the API to be running (npm run serve)
+// with ENABLE_TRANSACTIONS_EXTENSION=true (which `npm run serve` sets).
+
+import { readFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import path from 'node:path'
+
+const API = (process.env.STAC_API_URL || 'http://localhost:3000').replace(/\/$/, '')
+const examplesDir = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..', 'examples')
+
+const loadJson = async (file) =>
+  JSON.parse(await readFile(path.join(examplesDir, file), 'utf8'))
+
+const post = async (url, body, label, { tolerate404 = false } = {}) => {
+  let res
+  try {
+    res = await fetch(url, {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+      body: JSON.stringify(body)
+    })
+  } catch {
+    console.error(`\nCould not reach the STAC API at ${API}.`)
+    console.error('Make sure the services and API are running:')
+    console.error('  docker compose up -d   # OpenSearch + LocalStack')
+    console.error('  npm run serve          # STAC API on :3000 (in a separate terminal)\n')
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+  // 409 = already exists, fine for a re-runnable example. 404 may be transient
+  // while a newly created collection becomes searchable; the caller retries.
+  if (res.status === 404 && tolerate404) return res.status
+  if (!res.ok && res.status !== 409) {
+    console.error(`Failed to ${label}: ${res.status} ${res.statusText}`)
+    console.error(await res.text())
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+  const note = res.status === 409 ? ' (already exists)' : ''
+  console.log(`  ${label}: ${res.status}${note}`)
+  return res.status
+}
+
+const sleep = (ms) => new Promise((resolve) => { setTimeout(resolve, ms) })
+
+const collection = await loadJson('sample-collection.json')
+const item = await loadJson('sample-item.json')
+
+console.log(`Ingesting example data into ${API}`)
+await post(`${API}/collections`, collection, `create collection '${collection.id}'`)
+
+// A newly created collection isn't immediately searchable (OpenSearch refreshes
+// ~1s after a write), and the item endpoint validates the collection exists, so
+// retry a few times on 404 before giving up.
+const itemsUrl = `${API}/collections/${collection.id}/items`
+const label = `create item '${item.id}'`
+/* eslint-disable no-await-in-loop -- sequential retry is intentional */
+for (let attempt = 1; ; attempt += 1) {
+  const status = await post(itemsUrl, item, label, { tolerate404: attempt < 10 })
+  if (status !== 404) break
+  await sleep(1000)
+}
+/* eslint-enable no-await-in-loop */
+
+console.log('\nDone. Try:')
+console.log(`  curl '${API}/search?collections=${collection.id}'`)
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md b/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
index 5e516bd2..eea5d1d4 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started/quickstart.md
@@ -11,18 +11,28 @@ Get STAC Server running with sample data in 5 minutes.
 ## Step 1: Start the Services
 
 ```bash
-# Clone the repository
+# Clone and install
 git clone https://github.com/stac-utils/stac-server.git
 cd stac-server
+npm install
 
-# Start services
+# Start OpenSearch and LocalStack
 docker compose up -d
 
 # Wait for services to be ready (about 30 seconds)
 sleep 30
+
+# Start the STAC API (leave this running in its own terminal)
+npm run serve
 ```
 
-This starts OpenSearch and the STAC API on `http://localhost:3000`.
+`docker compose` starts OpenSearch and LocalStack; `npm run serve` runs the STAC API
+on `http://localhost:3000` with the Transaction extension enabled (so the steps below
+can create collections and items).
+
+> **Tip:** Once the API is running, you can load a ready-made sample collection and item
+> in one step with `npm run ingest:example`, then skip to [Step 5](#step-5-search-for-items).
+> The steps below walk through doing it manually.
 
 ## Step 2: Verify the API
 
@@ -177,11 +187,10 @@ Wait for "Node started" message.
 
 ### Transaction extension errors
 
-The Transaction extension is enabled by default in Docker Compose. To disable:
-
-```bash
-ENABLE_TRANSACTIONS_EXTENSION=false docker compose up
-```
+The Transaction extension (required for the `POST` steps and `npm run ingest:example`
+above) is enabled by `npm run serve`. If you run the API another way and those
+requests return 404, make sure `ENABLE_TRANSACTIONS_EXTENSION=true` is set for the
+server process.
 
 ## Next Steps
 
diff --git a/examples/sample-collection.json b/examples/sample-collection.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6b85335f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/sample-collection.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "id": "sample-collection",
+  "type": "Collection",
+  "stac_version": "1.0.0",
+  "description": "A sample collection",
+  "license": "proprietary",
+  "extent": {
+    "spatial": {
+      "bbox": [[-180, -90, 180, 90]]
+    },
+    "temporal": {
+      "interval": [["2020-01-01T00:00:00Z", null]]
+    }
+  },
+  "links": []
+}
diff --git a/examples/sample-item.json b/examples/sample-item.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c94290da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/sample-item.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "type": "Feature",
+  "stac_version": "1.0.0",
+  "id": "sample-item",
+  "collection": "sample-collection",
+  "geometry": {
+    "type": "Point",
+    "coordinates": [-122.4, 37.8]
+  },
+  "bbox": [-122.4, 37.8, -122.4, 37.8],
+  "properties": {
+    "datetime": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
+    "title": "Sample Item"
+  },
+  "assets": {
+    "thumbnail": {
+      "href": "https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg",
+      "type": "image/jpeg",
+      "title": "Thumbnail"
+    }
+  },
+  "links": []
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 569bd186..ec5ca5e0 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@
     "package": "sls package",
     "serve": "REQUEST_LOGGING_FORMAT=dev LOG_LEVEL=debug STAC_API_URL=http://localhost:3000 ENABLE_TRANSACTIONS_EXTENSION=true nodemon --exec node --import=tsx ./src/lambdas/api/local.ts",
     "build-api-docs": "npx @redocly/cli build-docs src/lambdas/api/openapi.yaml -o ./docs/api-spec.html",
-    "prepare": "husky"
+    "prepare": "husky",
+    "ingest:example": "node bin/ingest-example.js"
   },
   "ava": {
     "verbose": true,