diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..297cf0e592a00c2dc7c1bc6d2eaa1a6c9ae20302
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+[submodule "cpp/thirdparty/knowhere"]
+	path = cpp/thirdparty/knowhere
+	url = git@192.168.1.105:xiaojun.lin/knowhere.git
+	branch = develop
diff --git a/cpp/README.md b/cpp/README.md
index 0c7706df2366fb95e751d976900e604b662eba1a..d7297aecb0414a71cf45c294d216c768693f789b 100644
--- a/cpp/README.md
+++ b/cpp/README.md
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@ cmake_build/src/milvus_server is the server
 
 cmake_build/src/libmilvus_engine.a is the static library
 
+    git submodule init
+    git submodule update
+    
     cd [sourcecode path]/cpp
     ./build.sh -t Debug
     ./build.sh -t Release
diff --git a/cpp/thirdparty/knowhere b/cpp/thirdparty/knowhere
new file mode 160000
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..291b3b422664f2509bab79d5cc63823dedbe903c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cpp/thirdparty/knowhere
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 291b3b422664f2509bab79d5cc63823dedbe903c