diff --git a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f673411636..31daf58043 100644
--- a/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/.github/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -168,6 +168,7 @@ formatting errors. In certain cases, a missing blank line or a wrong indent can
 Run these commands
 
 ```bash
+git submodule update --init --recursive
 pip install -r requirements/docs.txt
 cd docs
 make html