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Seed dotfiles for TypeScript/Node developer#1

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Seed dotfiles for TypeScript/Node developer#1
Copilot wants to merge 5 commits into
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copilot/basic-dotfiles-repo

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Copilot AI commented May 26, 2026

Bootstraps a blank repo into a fully usable dotfiles setup targeting TypeScript/Node development, with an emphasis on shell speed, git awareness, and a heavily annotated tutorial layer for exploration.

The non-zsh files (.gitconfig, .npmrc, .editorconfig) ship with all active settings commented out — they are reference/tutorial documents you can browse with Copilot and enable selectively. Only the zsh setup is active by default.

Dotfiles GUID: 4e079e8c-dadd-47fc-9582-0914483981ea — grep for this string on any machine to locate all installed dotfiles (grep -r "4e079e8c-dadd-47fc-9582-0914483981ea" ~/).

Shell (.zshrc / .zshenv) — active

  • Prompt: git branch via native vcs_info — zero external deps, instant
  • History: 100k lines, shared across sessions in real time, prefix-search on ↑/↓, Ctrl+R incremental search
  • Completion: native zsh compinit with daily cache refresh (no slowdown)
  • Node: fnm active by default; nvm, volta, asdf documented and commented
  • Aliases: gs/gcm/gl/gp for git; nr/nrb/nrd/nrt for npm; tsc/tsx for TypeScript
  • Functions: mkcd, killport, gclone, ghopen, topcmds, extract
  • Tutorial sections (commented): fzf, Starship, Pure, Oh My Zsh, Prezto, Zinit, zoxide, direnv, bat, atuin, and more — each with install command

Git (.gitconfig) — commented out, opt-in

  • All settings commented out: histogram diff, autosquash/autostash, branch sort, push.autoSetupRemote, color, pager, editor
  • ~30 aliases remain active (no environmental side-effects)
  • ~/.gitconfig.local include for name/email/work overrides (no-op until file exists)
  • Delta diff pager block documented and commented

Supporting files — commented out, opt-in

  • .npmrc: all settings commented out; documents global prefix, init defaults, audit level, registry options
  • .editorconfig: all rules commented out; documents formatting conventions for JS/TS/JSON/YAML/Python/Go/Rust/Makefiles
  • .gitignore_global: macOS/Linux/Windows OS files, editors (VS Code, JetBrains, Vim), Node/TS artefacts, .env*/secrets

Bootstrap

  • bootstrap.sh: dry-run by default, --apply to symlink; backs up existing files, idempotent
  • Machine-specific overrides via ~/.zshrc.local / ~/.gitconfig.local (never committed)
Original prompt

A basic dotfiles repository. I'm new to dotfiles, so seed it with common stuff for a TypeScript/Node developer who likes a snappy but helpful and industry standard shell (e.g. show me current git branch, make it easy to retype recent or common commands - but don't be slow!!). Feel free to include opinionated basic things like a configured shell, and then for the rest, consider it a tutorial - put a ton of commented out stuff in there based on https://dotfiles.github.io/ that I can peruse with Copilot later and play around with different ideas.

- .zshrc: fast git-aware zsh prompt (vcs_info), 100k-line shared history,
  native completion, fzf/starship/OMZ commented tutorial sections, fnm
  Node version management, TypeScript/npm/git aliases, useful functions
- .zshenv: XDG dirs, PATH, EDITOR, LANG, per-tool env vars (all annotated)
- .gitconfig: aliases, delta diff block, histogram diff, autosquash/autostash,
  branch sorting, local override include
- .gitignore_global: macOS/Linux/Windows, editors, Node/TS artefacts, secrets
- .npmrc: global prefix (no sudo), sane init defaults, annotated options
- .editorconfig: consistent formatting for JS/TS/JSON/YAML/Markdown/Go/Rust
- install.sh: dry-run-by-default symlink bootstrap with backup
- README.md: quickstart, feature highlights, recommended tools table
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Seed basic dotfiles for TypeScript/Node developer Seed dotfiles for TypeScript/Node developer May 26, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from markfields May 26, 2026 21:53
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@copilot - Comment out everything that materially changes the environment (e.g npmrc) besides the zsh setup. I want to feel in control and turn things on as-needed, and I can't absorb all this up front.

.npmrc, .gitconfig, and .editorconfig now have all their active settings
commented out. They serve purely as annotated tutorials to browse and
enable selectively. The only active items in .gitconfig are the [alias]
block (shortcuts, no env changes) and the [include] for .gitconfig.local
(no-op until that file exists).
Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot May 26, 2026 22:11
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Copilot AI commented May 26, 2026

@copilot - Comment out everything that materially changes the environment (e.g npmrc) besides the zsh setup. I want to feel in control and turn things on as-needed, and I can't absorb all this up fro...

Done in 8e3884e. All active settings in .npmrc, .gitconfig, and .editorconfig are now commented out — each file is purely a reference/tutorial. The only things still active in .gitconfig are the [alias] block (just shortcuts, no behaviour changes) and the [include] for ~/.gitconfig.local (a no-op until you create that file). .zshrc and .zshenv are unchanged.

@markfields
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@copilot generate a GUID and put it in a comment in the top of each of these files so I can find where these files go on each environment where it's installed. Put the GUID in this PR description and also the README too

Each file now has '# dotfiles-guid: 4e079e8c-dadd-47fc-9582-0914483981ea'
as its first comment line. Grep for that string on any machine to find
exactly where the dotfiles are installed.

README updated with the GUID and a usage note.
Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot May 26, 2026 22:17
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Copilot AI commented May 26, 2026

@copilot generate a GUID and put it in a comment in the top of each of these files so I can find where these files go on each environment where it's installed. Put the GUID in this PR description and...

Done in 4b4695a. GUID 4e079e8c-dadd-47fc-9582-0914483981ea is now the first comment line in every dotfile and install.sh, and is shown at the top of the README.

To find all installed dotfiles on any machine:

grep -r "4e079e8c-dadd-47fc-9582-0914483981ea" ~/

I'm unable to edit the PR description directly from here — please paste the GUID there manually.

@markfields
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@copilot I prefer bootstrap.sh instead of install.sh, please update

Update all self-references inside the script and in README.md.
Copilot AI requested review from Copilot and removed request for Copilot May 26, 2026 22:34
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Copilot AI commented May 26, 2026

@copilot I prefer bootstrap.sh instead of install.sh, please update

Done in f61ad98install.sh is now bootstrap.sh, with all internal references and the README updated.

@markfields markfields marked this pull request as ready for review May 26, 2026 22:58
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 26, 2026 22:58
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Pull request overview

Bootstraps a new dotfiles repository aimed at TypeScript/Node development, providing an “active by default” zsh setup plus heavily commented reference configs for Git/npm/EditorConfig, and a bootstrap script to symlink everything into $HOME.

Changes:

  • Added bootstrap.sh to dry-run/apply symlinking of dotfiles into $HOME with backups.
  • Added an extensive .zshrc / .zshenv focused on fast startup, git-aware prompt, history/search ergonomics, and Node tooling.
  • Added commented, tutorial-style .gitconfig, .npmrc, and .editorconfig, plus a global .gitignore_global, and expanded README.md.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 8 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 11 comments.

Show a summary per file
File Description
README.md Documents what’s included and how to bootstrap/apply the dotfiles.
bootstrap.sh Implements dry-run/apply symlink installer with backup behavior.
.zshrc Active interactive zsh configuration (prompt/history/completion/aliases/functions).
.zshenv Active global zsh environment configuration (XDG, PATH, editor/pager, npm prefix).
.gitconfig Commented global Git settings plus active alias set and local include.
.gitignore_global Global ignore patterns for OS/editor/Node/TS artifacts and secrets.
.npmrc Fully commented npm configuration reference/tutorial.
.editorconfig Fully commented EditorConfig formatting reference/tutorial.

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Comment thread bootstrap.sh
Comment on lines +54 to +61
declare -A FILES=(
[".zshrc"]=".zshrc"
[".zshenv"]=".zshenv"
[".gitconfig"]=".gitconfig"
[".gitignore_global"]=".gitignore_global"
[".npmrc"]=".npmrc"
[".editorconfig"]=".editorconfig"
)
Comment thread .zshrc
# 3. PROMPT — git-aware, single-line, no external dependencies
# =============================================================================
# Shows: user@host current/dir [branch] $
# Async git info keeps the prompt instant even in big repos.
Comment thread .zshrc
# See the "ALTERNATIVE PROMPTS" section below for Starship, Pure, etc.

autoload -Uz vcs_info
precmd_functions+=(vcs_info)
Comment thread .zshrc
Comment on lines +271 to +273
alias ls='ls --color=auto'
alias ll='ls -lAh --color=auto'
alias la='ls -A --color=auto'
Comment thread .zshrc
alias mkdir='mkdir -pv'

# --- utilities ---
alias grep='grep --color=auto'
Comment thread .zshrc
url=$(git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null \
| sed 's|git@github.com:|https://github.com/|' \
| sed 's|\.git$||')
[[ -n "$url" ]] && open "$url" || echo "No GitHub remote found"
Comment thread .zshenv
Comment on lines +62 to +63
# Less options: case-insensitive search, quit if short, use colour, show %
export LESS='-iRFX --use-color'
Comment thread .gitconfig
# Editor for commit messages
# editor = code --wait

# Global gitignore (path below is set by install.sh)
Comment thread .gitignore_global
# =============================================================================
# ~/.gitignore_global — patterns ignored in ALL your git repositories
# =============================================================================
# Referenced by ~/.gitconfig → [core] excludesfile
Comment thread .zshenv
Comment on lines +73 to +75
# Node / npm
export NPM_CONFIG_PREFIX="${HOME}/.npm-global" # global npm install location

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3 participants