Dotfiles

My personal dotfiles using the bare git repository method.

Features

• Starship prompt with git status indicators
• Cross-platform bash configuration (macOS + Linux)
• Clean separation - only explicitly tracked files are managed
• No symlinks - files live in their natural locations
• Simple management - use config command instead of git

Quick Install

curl -Lks https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alecf/shellconfig/main/install.sh | bash

Then restart your shell or run source ~/.bashrc.

Manual Install

# Clone the bare repository
git clone --bare https://github.com/alecf/shellconfig.git $HOME/.cfg

# Define the config alias
alias config='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.cfg/ --work-tree=$HOME'

# Checkout dotfiles
config checkout

# Hide untracked files
config config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no

# Reload shell
source ~/.bashrc

Usage

Use the config command exactly like git, but for dotfiles:

# Check status
config status

# Add a new dotfile
config add .vimrc

# Commit changes
config commit -m "Update vimrc"

# Push to GitHub
config push

# Pull latest changes
config pull

What's Included

• .bashrc - Main bash configuration
• .bash_profile - macOS login shell setup
• .profile - Linux login shell setup
• .gitconfig - Git configuration with aliases
• .config/starship.toml - Starship prompt configuration
• bin/ - Personal scripts

Key Bash Features

• Starship prompt with simple fallback
• Cross-platform ls/grep aliases (works on macOS and Linux)
• Version managers: pyenv, rbenv, nvm, volta
• Tool support: docker-compose, aws-vault, pre-commit
• Git aliases: gbage (branch age), cleanup-main, cleanup-merged

Requirements

• Git
• Bash 4+ (macOS ships with 3.2, use Homebrew to upgrade)
• Starship for the fancy prompt (optional)

Adding New Files

To track a new dotfile:

config add -f ~/.newfile
config commit -m "Add newfile"
config push

The -f flag is needed because .gitignore ignores everything by default.

Platform-Specific Config

The .bashrc detects the OS and adjusts automatically:

• macOS: Uses ls -G for colors, loads Homebrew
• Linux: Uses ls --color=auto, checks for linuxbrew

Secrets Management

Never commit secrets! For machine-specific credentials:

1. Create ~/.bash_local for environment variables
2. Source it from .bashrc (add [ -f ~/.bash_local ] && . ~/.bash_local)
3. Add !.bash_local to .gitignore (already done)

Troubleshooting

Q: config command not found A: Reload your shell with source ~/.bashrc or start a new shell.

Q: Files won't checkout due to conflicts A: The install script backs up existing files to ~/.dotfiles-backup/.

Q: How do I see all tracked files? A: Run config ls-files

Q: Starship not showing git status A: Make sure Starship is installed: brew install starship (macOS) or check starship.rs

Why Bare Repo?

The bare repository method is the modern standard for dotfiles because:

1. No symlinks - files stay where they belong
2. Safe by default - won't accidentally commit everything in ~/
3. Works everywhere - just git, no special tools needed
4. Clean git status in your home directory still works for other repos

License

Do whatever you want with this.