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Dotfiles

Modern developer configuration with safe installation and Nix package management.

Installation​

Just three commands:

git clone https://github.com/wcygan/dotfiles.git
cd dotfiles
./install.sh

What Happens During Installation​

The install.sh script performs:

Pre-flight Checks​

  • Detects your OS (macOS, Ubuntu, or Fedora)
  • Verifies required tools (curl, git)
  • Confirms sudo access if needed

Installation Steps​

  1. Nix Setup: Installs Nix package manager via Determinate Systems
  2. Package Installation: Installs all tools from flake.nix
  3. Configuration Linking: Symlinks configs to appropriate locations

Post-flight Verification​

  • Confirms all tools are installed
  • Validates configuration files
  • Provides shell-specific next steps

What You Get​

  • 🚀 Modern CLI Tools: ripgrep, fd, bat, eza, fzf, delta, and more
  • 🐟 Fish Shell: Full configuration with functions and abbreviations
  • ⭐ Starship Prompt: Beautiful, fast, and context-aware
  • 📦 Nix Packages: Reproducible installations across all platforms
  • 🔗 Safe Symlinks: Automatic backups before any changes

Supported Platforms​

I am personally test the dotfiles on these Operating Systems:

PlatformVersionStatus
macOS12+ (Intel & Apple Silicon)✅ Fully supported
Ubuntu20.04+✅ Fully supported
Fedora38+✅ Fully supported

Note: Other Operating Systems may "just work".

After Installation​

Depending on your shell:

exec fish -l

Bash/Zsh​

Add to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

source ~/.config/shell-nix.sh

Then reload:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

Repository Structure​

dotfiles/
├── config/             # Configuration files
│   ├── fish/           # Fish shell config
│   ├── starship.toml   # Starship prompt
│   └── shell-nix.sh    # Bash/zsh compatibility
├── scripts/            # Installation scripts
├── flake.nix           # Nix package definitions
├── install.sh          # One-command installer
└── docs/               # This documentation

Core Principles​

  • Idempotent: Every operation is safe to run multiple times
  • Cross-platform: Same experience on macOS, Ubuntu, and Fedora
  • Minimal: Clean configs under config/, packages in flake.nix
  • Safe: Pre-flight checks prevent problems, backups enable rollback
  • Reproducible: Nix ensures identical tool versions everywhere

Common Tasks​

Update Packages​

nix flake update
nix profile upgrade '.*'

Add New Tools​

Edit flake.nix, then:

nix profile install .

Uninstall Configs​

make uninstall

Run Tests​

make test-pre    # Pre-flight checks
make test-local  # Full test suite

Troubleshooting​

Command Not Found​

After installation, restart your shell or source the appropriate config file.

Nix Commands Not Working​

# Multi-user installations
source /nix/var/nix/profiles/default/etc/profile.d/nix-daemon.sh

Permission Denied​

The installer will request sudo when needed. Ensure you're in the sudoers group on Linux.