Dotfiles

My personal setup scripts for Mac and Linux machines. Clone the repo, run one command, and you're done.

[!CAUTION] This is my personal config. It makes lots of assumptions about how I like things set up. Feel free to browse and borrow ideas, but don't expect it to work for you out of the box.

What This Does

• Installs your preferred CLI tools and apps
• Sets up shell configs (Fish, Zsh, Bash)
• Manages dotfiles with GNU Stow
• Configures system settings
• Sets up SSH keys

Supported Systems

Quick Start

1. Install Prerequisites

macOS:

xcode-select --install

Linux:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git curl

2. Download the Config File

macOS:

curl -o ~/.dotfilesrc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveclarke/dotfiles/master/.dotfilesrc.template

Linux:

wget -qO ~/.dotfilesrc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveclarke/dotfiles/master/.dotfilesrc.template

Edit ~/.dotfilesrc to match your preferences.

3. Clone and Install

git clone https://github.com/steveclarke/dotfiles.git ~/.local/share/dotfiles
cd ~/.local/share/dotfiles
bash install.sh

[!NOTE] The script detects your OS. It uses Homebrew on macOS and apt on Linux.

What Gets Installed

macOS:

1. Homebrew (if missing)
2. GNU Stow
3. CLI tools from Brewfile
4. GUI apps (if enabled)
5. SSH keys (if set up)
6. System settings
7. Shell configs

Linux:

1. Build tools
2. GNU Stow
3. CLI tools
4. GUI apps (if enabled)
5. SSH keys (if set up)
6. Shell configs

Directory Structure

Install Scripts

Updating

Pull the latest changes:

git pull

Update configs and packages:

dotfiles stow    # Update symlinks
dotfiles brew    # Update Homebrew packages
dotfiles update  # Run both

Installing New Scripts

New install scripts don't run on their own. Run them by hand:

bash install/cli/some-tool.sh
bash install/optional/steam.sh

Configuration

The .dotfilesrc File

The ~/.dotfilesrc file holds your settings and secrets. Fish and Zsh load it on startup.

[!IMPORTANT] This file is NOT tracked in git. It's safe for secrets and machine-specific settings.

Add secrets like this:

# API keys
export MY_API_KEY="your-secret-key"
export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_..."

# Database credentials
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@host/db"

Documentation

Requirements

• Repo goes in ~/.local/share/dotfiles (or set a custom path in .dotfilesrc)
• macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
• Linux: Debian-based distro (apt package manager)