dogfiles

this cowdog has dotfiles!

Setup

1. Install go-task (e.g., brew install go-task/tap/go-task). The provisioning workflow now uses task init under the hood.

2. Setup your ssh keys. a. make sure your ssh keys are generated b. make sure your signing keys are generated. c. if using separate signing keys from your auth keys, make sure to add them to the ssh agent using ssh-add

3. Setup your variables: a. Copy env/.env.example to .env and fill in persona-specific git + ssh values (kept untracked). b. Until the migration fully lands, you can still adjust playbook.yml/roles/macbook/files/gitconfig for the Ansible fallback. Note: Never commit your .env or personalized git/ssh files!

4. Make sure the init script is exectuable:

  chmod +x ./init.sh

5. Run the init script (or invoke task init directly) This command will do the following:

   • install oh-my-zsh if it is not installed
   • install Brew if it is not installed
   • install go-task (via Homebrew) if it is not installed
   • run brew bundle
   • sync top-level dotfiles/ into ~/.dotfiles
   • render templates/*.tmpl (zshrc, git, ssh) using values from .env
   • configure Windsurf by copying everything under windsurf/ into ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/User/

   Pass persona + safety flags as env vars, e.g. PERSONA=work DRY_RUN=true task init.

6. Do some manual config/fixing.

Terminal:

• Open iTerm2, under iTerm2 in the menu bar, select Make iTerm2 Default Term

NPM:

• nvm install --lts
• nvm use v18.14.0

Tailscale: Download and install Tailscale.

Usage

Once the init script has been run, you can re-use the Taskfile commands at any time:

• task init – full bootstrap.
• DRY_RUN=true task init – print everything that would run without changing your system.
• PERSONA=personal|work|both task init – choose which git/ssh identities to render.
• task dotfiles:sync / task dotfiles:pull – push or pull dotfiles between dotfiles/ and ~/.dotfiles.
• task brew:bundle / task brew:dump – install or refresh the Brewfile.
• task ides:windsurf – sync the checked-in Windsurf settings to the live profile.
• task ides:iterm2 – install the tracked iterm2/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist into ~/Library/Preferences/.

Idempotence is enforced within each task, so re-running task init is safe at any time.

Maintaining assets

• Dotfiles – edit files inside the top-level dotfiles/ directory (aliases/functions/globals). Run task dotfiles:sync when you’re ready to apply them to ~/.dotfiles, or task dotfiles:pull to bring live edits back into the repo.
• Templates – zshrc/git/ssh templates live under templates/. These are rendered via envsubst, so prefer ${VAR} placeholders fed by .env.
• Windsurf – copy your current editor config from ~/Library/Application Support/Windsurf/User/ plus Codeium chat memories (e.g. /Users/<you>/.codeium/windsurf/memories/global_rules.md) into the repo’s top-level windsurf/ directory. task ides:windsurf will mirror this folder into the live Windsurf profile.
• iTerm2 – export your preferences to iterm2/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist (from ~/Library/Preferences/ or iTerm2’s export feature). Run task ides:iterm2 to install the tracked plist onto the machine.

Keeping these directories as the source of truth ensures Taskfile changes remain predictable and reviewable.

Apps under consideration:

• Wally
• Flux
• Krisp
• AWS VPN
• Intellij
• Gather
• Postman