Dotfiles

Dotfiles and macOS setup for a streamlined development environment.

What's Included

• Shell Configuration (.zshrc, .extra) - Zsh configuration with aliases, functions, and environment setup
• Git Configuration (.gitconfig, .gitignore) - Global git settings and ignore patterns
• Editor Configuration (.editorconfig, .vimrc) - Consistent coding styles across editors
• macOS Preferences - Sensible defaults for Finder, Dock, Safari, and more
• Homebrew Packages - Essential command-line tools

Installation

1. Install Oh My Zsh

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

2. Install Homebrew

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

Follow the post-install instructions to add Homebrew to your PATH.

3. Install Ghostty Terminal

Download and install Ghostty.

4. Install Powerline Fonts (Optional)

For the best terminal experience with special characters:

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/powerline/fonts.git --depth=1
cd fonts
./install.sh
cd ..
rm -rf fonts

Then set your terminal font to a Powerline font (e.g., "Meslo LG M for Powerline").

5. Clone This Repository

git clone https://github.com/jlaws/dotfiles.git ~/Workspace/dotfiles
cd ~/Workspace/dotfiles

6. Update Personal Configuration

Before running the setup script, update .gitconfig with your own name and email:

[user]
	name = Your Name
	email = your-email@example.com

7. Run the Setup Script

./setup.sh

Or skip confirmation prompts:

./setup.sh --force

What the Setup Script Does

The setup script performs three main tasks:

1. Sync Dotfiles

Copies all dotfiles to your home directory using rsync, preserving any local changes not in the repo.

2. Install Packages (via Homebrew)

• GNU utilities: coreutils, findutils, gnu-sed, moreutils
• Updated tools: vim, grep, openssh, screen, wget
• Git tools: git, git-lfs, gh
• Shell utilities: autojump, mermaid-cli
• Language servers: node, pyright, rust-analyzer

3. Configure macOS

Sets hundreds of macOS preferences including:

• UI/UX: Faster animations, expanded save/print dialogs, disabled auto-correct
• Input: Tap to click, fast key repeat, natural scrolling disabled
• Finder: Show hidden files, path bar, status bar, list view default
• Dock: Auto-hide, no recent apps, fast animations
• Safari: Developer tools enabled, privacy settings, no auto-fill
• Security: Password required immediately after sleep

Manual Configuration

Some settings can't be automated and require manual setup:

System Preferences

• Security & Privacy → FileVault (enable disk encryption)
• Security & Privacy → Firewall (enable)
• Keyboard → Modifier Keys (Caps Lock → Escape, if desired)

Applications

• Ghostty: Primary terminal — config reference at ghosty_config.txt in repo root
• Xcode: Sign in with Apple ID, install additional components

File Overview

File	Purpose
.zshrc	Zsh configuration, loads Oh My Zsh and sources .extra
.extra	Aliases, functions, PATH, and environment variables
.gitconfig	Git configuration (aliases, colors, defaults)
.gitignore	Global gitignore patterns
.editorconfig	Editor settings (indent style, charset, etc.)
.vimrc	Vim configuration
.hushlogin	Suppress "Last login" message in terminal
.gitattributes	Git file handling attributes
.wgetrc	Wget configuration
ghosty_config.txt	Ghostty terminal configuration reference
setup.sh	Main setup script

Customization

Adding Local Overrides

The .extra file is sourced by .zshrc. You can create a ~/.extra.local file for machine-specific settings that won't be committed:

# Example ~/.extra.local
export WORK_API_KEY="secret"
alias myproject="cd ~/work/myproject"

Then add to your .zshrc:

[ -f ~/.extra.local ] && source ~/.extra.local

Updating

To pull the latest changes and re-sync:

cd ~/Workspace/dotfiles
./setup.sh

Claude

Commands & Skills

The .claude/ directory contains an extensive knowledge base:

• 9 commands (thin wrappers to skills): audit, debug, diff-review, paper-analysis, pr-fix, skill-audit, team-design, team-investigate, team-review
• 124 skills across 16 categories: ai-ml, architecture, business, cloud, data, devops, documentation, frontend, languages, migration, research, security, testing, workflow

Recommended Plugins

LSP Plugins (code intelligence — goToDefinition, findReferences, hover, diagnostics):

Plugin	Language	Prerequisite
pyright-lsp	Python	brew install pyright (in setup.sh)
typescript-lsp	TS/JS	npm install -g typescript-language-server typescript (in setup.sh)
swift-lsp	Swift	Xcode (bundled)
gopls-lsp	Go	go install golang.org/x/tools/gopls@latest (in setup.sh)
rust-analyzer-lsp	Rust	brew install rust-analyzer (in setup.sh)

Workflow Plugins:

Plugin	Adds
commit-commands	/commit, /commit-push-pr, /clean_gone
claude-md-management	/revise-claude-md for CLAUDE.md maintenance

Install after running setup.sh launch claude and run:

/plugin install pyright-lsp@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install typescript-lsp@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install swift-lsp@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install rust-analyzer-lsp@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install gopls-lsp@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install commit-commands@claude-plugin-directory
/plugin install claude-md-management@claude-plugin-directory