My Dotfiles

This repository contains my personal dotfiles managed with GNU Stow. Stow creates symlinks from this repository to your home directory, making it easy to version control and sync your configuration files across machines.

The shell configuration uses zinit as the plugin manager with Powerlevel10k for the prompt theme.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Configuration
• Included Files
• References

Prerequisites

System Requirements

• Operating System: macOS, Linux, or WSL
• Note: If you're using something other than macOS on Apple Silicon, you may need to adjust paths in .zshrc and comment out JS ecosystem configurations.

Required Software

Zsh

Linux:

sudo apt install zsh

Set Zsh as your default shell:

chsh -s $(which zsh)

Zinit (Plugin Manager)

Zinit is automatically installed when you first source the .zshrc file. No manual installation is required—the configuration handles cloning the repository if it doesn't exist.

Powerlevel10k (Prompt Theme)

Powerlevel10k is installed via zinit automatically. On first run, you may be prompted to configure it using the built-in configuration wizard, or you can use the included .p10k.zsh configuration file.

Git

macOS:

brew install git

Linux:

sudo apt-get install git

GNU Stow

macOS:

brew install stow

Linux:

sudo apt-get install stow

Optional Dependencies

Startup Animation

For the cool ASCII art shell greeting, install:

brew install figlet lolcat

Git Delta (Enhanced Diff Viewer)

The .gitconfig uses delta as a pager for better git diffs:

brew install git-delta

Installation

1. Clone the repository to your home directory:

   cd ~
   gh repo clone austin-karren/dotfiles
   cd dotfiles

2. Symlink dotfiles using Stow:

   stow .

   If you have an existing .zshrc file, you can use the --adopt flag to have Stow take ownership of it:

   stow --adopt .

   This will replace the repository's .zshrc with your current one, so you may want to back up your changes first.

3. Reload your shell:

   exec zsh

   On first run, zinit will automatically install itself and download the configured plugins (including Powerlevel10k).

Configuration

Git Configuration (.gitconfig)

The .gitconfig file includes several useful settings and aliases. Important: You need to configure your personal git information.

Required Setup

The .gitconfig includes this line:

[include]
  path = ~/.gitconfig.local

You need to create a ~/.gitconfig.local file with your personal information:

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

Alternative: If you don't want to use a separate file, you can edit the .gitconfig directly and replace:

[user]
	name = Austin Karren
[include]
  path = ~/.gitconfig.local # Replace with your own configuration file or email

with your own information:

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

Git Features Included

• Useful aliases: git undo - undoes the last commit while keeping changes
• Auto-setup remote: Automatically sets up remote tracking for new branches
• Delta pager: Enhanced diff viewer with syntax highlighting and line numbers
• zdiff3 merge style: Better conflict resolution view
• Git LFS: Large File Storage support

Zsh Configuration (.zshrc)

The .zshrc file is configured for macOS on Apple Silicon and uses:

• zinit - Fast and flexible plugin manager
• Powerlevel10k - Feature-rich prompt theme
• zoxide - Smarter cd command (aliased to cd)

Sections Overview

The configuration is organized into clearly labeled sections:

1. Pre-Initialization - Paths, environment variables, and instant prompt setup
2. Shell Utilities - Plugin manager (zinit), zoxide, and Powerlevel10k
3. Completions - Docker, Deno, Bun, and Terraform completions
4. Mobile Development - Android SDK and Java paths
5. LM Studio - Local LLM tooling aliases
6. Aliases and Functions - Custom productivity commands
7. Terminal Personalization - Startup animation and p10k config

Built-in Help

Run help in your terminal to see all custom aliases and functions, or use:

• my-aliases - List all custom aliases
• my-functions - List all custom functions
• reload-shell - Reload the shell configuration

If you're using a different system:

1. Review and adjust paths to match your system
2. Comment out or modify JS ecosystem configurations (Volta, Bun, etc.)
3. Adjust any macOS-specific settings

Included Files

• .gitconfig - Git configuration with aliases and enhanced diff viewing
• .zshrc - Zsh shell configuration with zinit and Powerlevel10k
• .p10k.zsh - Powerlevel10k prompt configuration
• .config/zed/ - Zed editor configuration (optional)
• Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/ - Ghostty terminal configuration (optional)

Optional Configurations

The following configurations are included but are optional and lower priority compared to the core .zshrc and .gitconfig files.

Zed Editor (.config/zed/)

Zed is a high-performance, multiplayer code editor. The configuration includes:

Key Features Configured

• Theme: Catppuccin (Mocha for dark mode, Latte for light mode) with system-based switching
• Font: MonoLisa at 16pt for both UI and editor
• Keybindings: VSCode-compatible keymap (see keymap.json)
• LSP Configurations:
  • Tailwind CSS with custom class functions (cva, cx)
  • Typos LSP for spell checking
• AI Agent Settings: Claude Sonnet 4.5 as default model with custom profiles
• Editor Settings: 2-space tabs, soft wrap, format on save

Files Included

• settings.json - Main editor configuration
• keymap.json - Custom keybindings
• themes/ - Custom theme configurations
• prompts/ - AI agent prompts

Note: If you don't use Zed, you can safely ignore this directory when running stow.

Ghostty Terminal (.config/ghostty/)

Ghostty is a fast, feature-rich terminal emulator. The configuration includes:

Key Features Configured

• Themes: Andromeda (dark) and Catppuccin Latte (light) with automatic switching
• Font: MonoLisa at 15pt
• Window Settings:
  • Padding: 6px on all sides with balanced padding
  • Default size: 95 columns × 28 rows
  • Saves window state between sessions
• Quick Terminal:
  • Global hotkey: Cmd+Shift+Space
  • Auto-hide when focus is lost
  • Appears on screen with mouse cursor
• Custom Keybindings:
  • Cmd+D - New split (auto direction)
  • Shift+Enter - Insert newline

Location

The config is located at:

Library/Application Support/com.mitchellh.ghostty/config

Note: If you don't use Ghostty, you can safely ignore this directory when running stow. You can selectively stow files by specifying individual directories instead of using stow .

References

• YouTube: Stow has forever changed the way I manage my dotfiles by Dreams of Autonomy
• Blog Post: Make Managing Dotfiles a Breeze with Stow

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Happy configuring! 🚀