Personal Dotfiles

A comprehensive, cross-platform dotfiles configuration for macOS, Windows, and Linux environments. This configuration emphasizes modern tooling, consistent theming, and AI-assisted developer productivity.

🤖 AI-Powered Development Features

This dotfiles setup includes integrated AI assistance for enhanced development workflows:

• 🧠 Neovim AI Assistant: Built-in CodeCompanion plugin supporting multiple AI providers:

  • Anthropic Claude (default): Industry-leading code generation and analysis

• 📝 AI-Generated Git Commits: LazyGit integration with Claude Code:

  • Press C in LazyGit to auto-generate contextual commit messages
  • Analyzes staged changes to create meaningful commit descriptions
  • Generates both summary line and detailed commit body
  • Streamlines git workflow with intelligent commit message suggestions

📖 See CLAUDE.md for detailed Claude Code integration setup

Features

• Cross-Platform Support: Works on macOS, Windows (WSL2), and Linux
• Modern CLI Tools: Replaces traditional tools with faster, feature-rich alternatives
• Consistent Theming: Catppuccin Mocha theme across all applications
• Modern Editor: Neovim configuration with Lazy.nvim and AI integration
• Git Workflow: Enhanced git experience with delta diffs and lazygit UI
• Shell Enhancement: Zsh with modern completions and smart directory navigation

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• OS: macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 20.04+, Arch Linux, or Windows 10+ with WSL2
• Git: For cloning the repository
• Stow: Installed automatically if missing
• macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)
• Linux: Build essentials (build-essential on Ubuntu, base-devel on Arch)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/barrydobson/dotfiles-public.git ~/dotfiles
   cd ~/dotfiles

2. Install system-specific tools:

   # macOS
   ./install/macos.sh
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian Linux
   ./install/ubuntu.sh
   
   # Arch Linux
   ./install/arch-linux.sh

3. Deploy dotfiles:

   make stow

4. Verify installation:

   make check

Key Tools and Replacements

Traditional	Modern Alternative	Purpose
ls	eza	Directory listing with icons
cat	bat	Syntax highlighting and paging
find	fd	Fast file finder
grep	ripgrep	Fast text search
cd	zoxide	Smart directory navigation
git diff	delta	Enhanced git diffs
top/htop	Built-in	Process monitoring

Configuration Highlights

Shell (Zsh)

• Plugin Manager: Zinit for fast plugin loading
• Prompt: Powerlevel10k with custom configuration
• Completions: Modern tab completion system
• Aliases: Shortcuts for modern CLI tools

Terminal Emulators

Configurations provided for:

• Alacritty: GPU-accelerated terminal
• Ghostty: Fast, feature-rich terminal

All terminals use:

• Font: JetBrainsMono Nerd Font (consistent across platforms)
• Theme: Catppuccin Mocha
• Key bindings: Standardized shortcuts

Text Editors

Neovim

Modern Neovim configuration with Lazy.nvim plugin management.

Features:

• AI-Powered Development: CodeCompanion integration with multiple AI providers
• LSP integration: Full language server support for multiple languages
• Fuzzy finding: Telescope with extensive search capabilities
• Git integration: Gitsigns, conflict resolution, and Lazygit integration
• Modern UI: Consistent theming with Catppuccin Mocha
• Advanced Code Intelligence: Treesitter, autocompletion, and code folding
• Session Management: Use :mksession to create initial session files for mini.sessions

Git Configuration

• Modular Config: Separate files for personal/work contexts
• Enhanced Diffs: Delta for syntax-highlighted diffs
• Extensive Aliases: GitAlias.com collection (1,749 aliases)
• Conditional Includes: Context-aware configuration

Development Workflow

Daily Commands

# Management
make stow          # Deploy dotfiles
make unstow        # Remove dotfiles
make restow        # Redeploy dotfiles
make backup        # Create timestamped backup
make restore       # Restore from latest backup

# Development
make lint          # Run shellcheck on scripts
make test          # Run tests (when implemented)

Git Integration

• Use lazygit for terminal-based git UI
• Delta provides enhanced diff viewing
• Extensive alias collection for common operations
• Context-aware configuration for work vs personal

Shell Productivity

• z <partial-path> - Smart directory jumping
• ll, la - Enhanced directory listings
• bathelp <command> - Colorized help pages
• fzf integration for command history and file search

Key Bindings and Shortcuts

• 📖 Complete Keybinding Reference - Comprehensive guide to all keybindings
• Neovim: 50+ AI-enhanced keybindings for development workflow
• Shell: Modern CLI shortcuts and productivity commands
• Git: Efficient version control with extensive alias collection

Platform-Specific Notes

macOS

• GUI applications installed to ~/Applications
• Homebrew manages all CLI tools and fonts

Linux

• System package managers used for base tools
• Manual installation of newer tools from GitHub releases
• Font installation to ~/.local/share/fonts

Windows

• Works via WSL2 with Ubuntu configuration
• Windows Terminal configuration can be added

Customization

Adding New Tools

1. Add installation commands to appropriate install script
2. Create configuration file in src/
3. Update README with tool information

Theme Customization

All applications use Catppuccin Mocha. To change:

1. Update theme references in configs
2. Rebuild bat cache: bat cache --build

Local Overrides

• Git: Use .gitconfig-local for machine-specific settings
• Environment: Use .env for local environment variables
• Shell: Add local customizations to .zshrc.local

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Stow conflicts:

make unstow    # Remove existing links
make clean     # Clean up broken links
make stow      # Redeploy

Font not displaying:

• Ensure Nerd Fonts are installed
• Rebuild font cache: fc-cache -f (Linux)
• Restart terminal application

Shell completions missing:

• Reload shell: exec zsh
• Check plugin installation in ~/.zinit

Contributing

This is a personal dotfiles repository, but suggestions and improvements are welcome:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test changes across platforms
4. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Catppuccin for the beautiful color scheme
• GitAlias.com for comprehensive git aliases
• Zinit for fast zsh plugin management
• Clank for claude code integration inspiration
• The open source community for modern CLI tool alternatives