My Dotfiles 🧊

My Mac setup: apps, terminal configs, shell, Git, SSH config, and macOS preferences. Edit the files here, then run ./switch.sh to apply them to this Mac.

• Set up a new Mac
• Change a config or preference
• Add or remove software
• Upgrade software
• Bring changes to the other Mac
• If something goes wrong

Set up a new Mac

These configurations target Apple Silicon Macs. Nix installs the configured software and settings; account sign-ins, private keys, app permissions, and personal files still need separate setup.

1. Install the prerequisites

In Terminal, install Apple's command line tools and wait for installation to finish:

xcode-select --install

Install Homebrew, then follow its printed instructions to add brew to your shell:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Install Determinate Nix using its macOS installer. Open a new terminal and confirm nix --version and brew --version work. This repo expects Determinate to manage the Nix installation.

2. Clone this repo

HTTPS works before SSH keys are configured:

git clone https://github.com/chris-nowicki/dotfiles.git ~/Dotfiles
cd ~/Dotfiles

3. Match the configuration to the machine

Check the machine name and account name:

scutil --get LocalHostName
whoami

Profile	Machine name	Account
Personal	Wixys-MacBook-Pro	wix
Work	C7Q95C63WW	chris.nowicki

If both match an existing profile, continue to step 4. Otherwise, create a branch with git switch -c feat/new-machine and adjust the configuration first:

• In flake.nix, rename the matching machine entry if replacing that Mac, or copy its mkDarwin entry if adding another Mac. Use the new machine name as its key.
• If the account differs, update user in that entry, system.primaryUser and users.users.<account>.home in its darwin/hosts/ file, and home.homeDirectory in its home/hosts/ file.
• When adding a Mac that needs different settings, copy the two host files and point the new entry at them, preserving the existing Mac's configuration.

Review the host's app list and, for work machines, the email, repository folder, SSH keys, and aliases in home/hosts/work-laptop.nix before applying it.

4. Create this Mac's SSH keys

For a personal Mac:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

For a work Mac:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_personal
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_bc

Add each .pub key to its corresponding GitHub account. Keep private keys out of this repo. If restoring a machine with existing keys, don't overwrite them.

5. Build and apply

From ~/Dotfiles, stage any new configuration files with git add <file> so Nix can see them. Then:

nix build ".#darwinConfigurations.$(scutil --get LocalHostName).system" --no-link
./switch.sh

The first command checks the build without changing your active setup. The second asks for sudo authentication and applies everything, bootstrapping nix-darwin on first use. Homebrew itself must already be installed.

Open a new terminal. Test ssh -T git@github.com and, on a work Mac, ssh -T git@github-bc now that the generated SSH config exists. GitHub should identify the correct account (its successful authentication message still exits with status 1). Enable pushing over SSH:

git remote set-url origin git@github.com:chris-nowicki/dotfiles.git

Commit any machine-specific changes on your feature branch and open a PR.

6. Finish the manual setup

• Sign into apps, activate licenses, restore your files, and grant requested app permissions. Configure Raycast/AltTab shortcuts and other app-specific settings.
• Install nvm and the Node versions your projects need; Node is not installed by this configuration.
• Install any extra or App Store apps you still need; the old ~/Setup guide lists apps beyond those currently managed here.
• In System Settings, turn off AutoFill Passwords and Passkeys, and hide Spotlight and Siri from the menu bar. Labels vary by macOS version.
• Check Dock, Finder, widgets, and the clock. Log out and back in if changes haven't appeared.

Change a config or preference

Start from an up-to-date main with a clean working tree, then create a branch:

cd ~/Dotfiles
git switch main
git pull --ff-only
git switch -c chore/my-config-change

Edit the source file in this repo:

Change	File
Ghostty font, theme, opacity	ghostty/.config/ghostty/config
Starship prompt	starship/.config/starship.toml
Shell aliases or behavior	modules/zsh.nix
Dock, Finder, scrolling, desktop, clock	darwin/macos.nix
Personal Git identity	modules/git.nix
Work Git identity, SSH, clone aliases	home/hosts/work-laptop.nix
Personal SSH config	home/hosts/personal.nix

Edit the repo copy. The live Ghostty and Starship files under ~/.config are read-only links to the applied configuration.

After editing, stage any newly created files with git add <file>, then:

nix build ".#darwinConfigurations.$(scutil --get LocalHostName).system" --no-link
./switch.sh

Check the result before committing and opening a PR:

• Ghostty: reload with Cmd+Shift+,.
• Starship or shell: open a new terminal.
• macOS preferences: inspect the affected setting; log out/in if needed.

Shared files affect both Macs when each runs ./switch.sh. For a macOS preference on only one Mac, override it in darwin/hosts/<host>.nix using lib.mkForce (add lib to that module's arguments).

Preferences changed directly in System Settings are overwritten on the next switch if Nix manages them. Removing an option stops managing it but leaves its last value in place; set your desired replacement explicitly.

Add or remove software

Choose the appropriate list:

Software	File and list
GUI apps or fonts on both Macs	darwin/common.nix → homebrew.casks
GUI apps on just one Mac	darwin/hosts/personal.nix or work-laptop.nix → homebrew.casks
Most command line tools	home/common.nix → home.packages
Homebrew-only command line tools	Shared or host-specific homebrew.brews

Add: add the package to its list, then follow the build → switch → verify → PR workflow above. Homebrew casks/formulae are quoted strings; Nix packages use the package attribute name. Custom-tap packages need their tap in homebrew.taps and the full name, such as "aprilnea/tap/openlogi@latest".

Remove a Nix tool: remove it from home.packages, build, and switch. It leaves the active environment; another separately installed copy may still exist.

Remove a Homebrew app or tool: remove it from every applicable list, build, and switch, then uninstall it on each Mac where it is no longer wanted:

brew uninstall --cask <app-name>
# Or, for a command line tool:
brew uninstall <formula-name>

Homebrew cleanup is intentionally disabled, so deleting a list entry alone does not uninstall software. Uninstalling without editing the list lets the next switch install it again.

Upgrade software

Changing settings doesn't require upgrading packages.

• Homebrew: run brew update, then brew upgrade <name> for a specific app or tool (or brew upgrade for all eligible packages). Switching does not automatically upgrade installed Homebrew packages.
• Nix tools/modules: on a feature branch, run nix flake update, then build, switch, and verify as above. Commit flake.lock with the update. This updates all pinned inputs, including nix-darwin and home-manager.
• Node: update separately through nvm.

Bring changes to the other Mac

After the PR is merged, use a clean working tree on the other Mac:

cd ~/Dotfiles
git switch main
git pull --ff-only
nix build ".#darwinConfigurations.$(scutil --get LocalHostName).system" --no-link
./switch.sh

Only that Mac's profile is applied. Homebrew removals still need the manual uninstall step there too.

If something goes wrong

• Build fails: fix the error before switching; the active setup is unchanged.
• Unknown hostname: check the entries in flake.nix. You can explicitly select one with ./switch.sh Wixys-MacBook-Pro, but its account/home paths must match the machine you're applying it to.
• A change causes problems: revert the source change and switch again, or use sudo /run/current-system/sw/bin/darwin-rebuild switch --rollback to return to the previous generation. Homebrew changes are not undone by a Nix rollback.
• A macOS preference stays changed after rollback: a generation that never managed the key won't remove it. Restore its previous value, or use defaults delete <domain> <key> if it was previously absent, and remove the corresponding Nix option before switching again.