diff --git a/src/documentation.ts b/src/documentation.ts
index 268da58a..74ce361f 100644
--- a/src/documentation.ts
+++ b/src/documentation.ts
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@
  *   - `APPIUM_MCP_DOCS_ENABLED` unset / not truthy → docs tools are NOT registered.
  *     This is the default; nothing extra is loaded.
  *   - `APPIUM_MCP_DOCS_ENABLED` truthy → the plugin is loaded if
- *     `@appium/mcp-documentation` is installed. If it is not installed, the server
- *     logs an actionable install hint and starts normally without the docs tools.
+ *     `@appium/mcp-documentation` is installed (locally next to appium-mcp OR in
+ *     the global npm root). If it cannot be found, the server logs an actionable
+ *     install hint and starts normally without the docs tools.
  *
  * Installation is intentionally left to the user's package manager (run at install
  * time, where it belongs) rather than shelled out from the running server: that
@@ -20,6 +21,10 @@
  * and never blocks server startup.
  */
 
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
+import path from 'node:path';
+import { pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
 import type { AppiumMcpPlugin } from './core.js';
 import log from './logger.js';
 import { isTruthyEnvValue } from './utils/env.js';
@@ -27,6 +32,10 @@ import { isTruthyEnvValue } from './utils/env.js';
 const ENABLED_FLAG = 'APPIUM_MCP_DOCS_ENABLED';
 const PACKAGE_NAME = '@appium/mcp-documentation';
 
+interface DocumentationModule {
+  AppiumDocumentation: new () => AppiumMcpPlugin;
+}
+
 /** True when the user has opted into the documentation tools. */
 export function isDocumentationEnabled(): boolean {
   return isTruthyEnvValue(process.env[ENABLED_FLAG]);
@@ -35,33 +44,103 @@ export function isDocumentationEnabled(): boolean {
 /**
  * Load the documentation plugin when the user has opted in.
  *
- * @returns the plugin instance, or `null` if the optional package is not
- * installed or fails to load (in which case the server runs without the
- * documentation tools).
+ * @returns the plugin instance, or `null` if the optional package cannot be
+ * found or fails to load (in which case the server runs without the docs tools).
  */
 export async function loadDocumentationPlugin(): Promise<AppiumMcpPlugin | null> {
+  let mod: DocumentationModule | null;
+  try {
+    mod = await importDocumentationModule();
+  } catch (err) {
+    // Found, but threw while evaluating (broken/partial install, bad version).
+    log.error(`${PACKAGE_NAME} is installed but failed to load:`, err);
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  if (!mod) {
+    log.warn(
+      `${ENABLED_FLAG} is set but ${PACKAGE_NAME} could not be found. ` +
+        'The documentation tools (appium_documentation_query, appium_skills) ' +
+        'will be unavailable. Install it where appium-mcp can resolve it:\n' +
+        '  - globally (recommended; works with npx / global / standalone use):\n' +
+        `      npm install -g ${PACKAGE_NAME}\n` +
+        '  - or, only if appium-mcp is a dependency of your project, in that project root:\n' +
+        `      npm install ${PACKAGE_NAME}`
+    );
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  const plugin = new mod.AppiumDocumentation();
+  log.info(`Documentation tools enabled (${PACKAGE_NAME} loaded).`);
+  return plugin;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Import the documentation module.
+ *
+ * @returns the module, or `null` when the package is not installed anywhere
+ * resolvable. Throws only when the package WAS found but failed to evaluate.
+ *
+ * Resolution order:
+ *   1. Standard ESM resolution from appium-mcp's location (local / co-located /
+ *      hoisted installs, including pnpm/yarn).
+ *   2. The global npm root — so `npm install -g @appium/mcp-documentation` works
+ *      even when appium-mcp itself runs from a different location (a local
+ *      checkout, a global bin, or `npx`), where the global modules are not on
+ *      the default resolution path.
+ */
+async function importDocumentationModule(): Promise<DocumentationModule | null> {
   try {
     // Widen to `string` so TypeScript treats this as a fully dynamic import and
     // does not require @appium/mcp-documentation to be resolvable at build time
     // (it is an optional, opt-in dependency, not installed by default).
     const specifier: string = PACKAGE_NAME;
-    const mod = (await import(specifier)) as {
-      AppiumDocumentation: new () => AppiumMcpPlugin;
-    };
-    const plugin = new mod.AppiumDocumentation();
-    log.info(`Documentation tools enabled (${PACKAGE_NAME} loaded).`);
-    return plugin;
+    return (await import(specifier)) as DocumentationModule;
   } catch (err) {
-    if (isModuleNotFound(err)) {
-      log.warn(
-        `${ENABLED_FLAG} is set but ${PACKAGE_NAME} is not installed. ` +
-          'The documentation tools (appium_documentation_query, appium_skills) ' +
-          'will be unavailable. Install the package to enable them:\n' +
-          `  npm install ${PACKAGE_NAME}`
-      );
-    } else {
-      log.error(`${PACKAGE_NAME} is installed but failed to load:`, err);
+    if (!isModuleNotFound(err)) {
+      throw err;
     }
+  }
+
+  const globalEntry = resolveGlobalEntryUrl();
+  if (!globalEntry) {
+    return null;
+  }
+  return (await import(globalEntry)) as DocumentationModule;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Locate the package in the global npm root and return a file URL to its entry
+ * point, or `null` if it is not installed globally.
+ *
+ * We resolve the package's `package.json` (always exported) and read its entry
+ * rather than resolving the package directly: the package's "." export is
+ * ESM-only, so `require.resolve(PACKAGE_NAME)` fails with ERR_PACKAGE_PATH_NOT_EXPORTED.
+ */
+function resolveGlobalEntryUrl(): string | null {
+  try {
+    const require = createRequire(import.meta.url);
+    const execDir = path.dirname(process.execPath);
+    // npm global roots by platform (each entry is a resolution starting point,
+    // so `<entry>/node_modules` is checked):
+    //   - POSIX (nvm, system, Homebrew): <prefix>/lib/node_modules
+    //   - Windows (node.exe in <prefix>): <prefix>/node_modules
+    const paths = [path.join(execDir, '..', 'lib'), execDir];
+    const pkgJsonPath = require.resolve(`${PACKAGE_NAME}/package.json`, {
+      paths,
+    });
+    const pkgDir = path.dirname(pkgJsonPath);
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(pkgJsonPath, 'utf8')) as {
+      main?: string;
+      exports?: { ['.']?: { import?: string; default?: string } };
+    };
+    const entryRelative =
+      pkg.exports?.['.']?.import ??
+      pkg.exports?.['.']?.default ??
+      pkg.main ??
+      'index.js';
+    return pathToFileURL(path.join(pkgDir, entryRelative)).href;
+  } catch {
     return null;
   }
 }