diff --git a/docs/native-node-modules.md b/docs/native-node-modules.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67e3d30
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/native-node-modules.md
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# Native Node Modules
+
+For some features, the desktop version of Element can make use of native Node
+modules. These allow Riot to integrate with the desktop in ways that a browser
+cannot.
+
+While native modules enable powerful new features, they must be complied for
+each operating system. For official Element releases, we will always build these
+modules from source to ensure we can trust the compiled output. In the future,
+we may offer a pre-compiled path for those who want to use these features in a
+custom build of Element without installing the various build tools required.
+
+Do note that compiling a module for a particular operating system
+(Linux/macOS/Windows) will need to be done on that operating system.
+Cross-compiling from a host OS for a different target OS may be possible, but
+we don't support this flow with Element dependencies at this time.
+
+At the moment, we need to make some changes to the Element release process before
+we can support native Node modules at release time, so these features are
+currently disabled by default until that is resolved. The following sections
+explain the manual steps you can use with a custom build of Element to enable
+these features if you'd like to try them out.
+
+## Adding Seshat for search in E2E encrypted rooms
+
+Seshat is a native Node module that adds support for local event indexing and
+full text search in E2E encrypted rooms.
+
+Since Seshat is written in Rust, the Rust compiler and related tools need to be
+installed before installing Seshat itself. To install Rust please consult the
+official Rust [documentation](https://www.rust-lang.org/tools/install).
+
+Seshat also depends on the SQLCipher library to store its data in encrypted form
+on disk. You'll need to install it via your OS package manager.
+
+After installing the Rust compiler and SQLCipher, Seshat support can be added
+using yarn at the root of this project:
+
+    yarn add matrix-seshat
+
+You will have to rebuild the native libraries against electron's version of
+of node rather than your system node, using the `electron-build-env` tool.
+This is also needed to when pulling in changes to Seshat using `yarn link`.
+
+    yarn add electron-build-env
+
+Recompiling Seshat itself can be done like so:
+
+    yarn run electron-build-env -- --electron 6.1.1 -- neon build matrix-seshat --release
+
+Please make sure to include all the `--` as well as the `--release` command line
+switch at the end. Modify your electron version accordingly depending on the
+version that is installed on your system.
+
+After this is done the Electron version of Element can be run from the main folder
+as usual using:
+
+    yarn start
+