TARBS is a simple, extensible script to automatically set up a minimal Linux environment, including your dotfiles and essential packages.
TARBS automates the process of:
- Installing your dotfiles (via the bare Git method).
- Installing packages based on a configurable
.packageslist.
This is particularly useful for quickly setting up new systems with your environment.
TARBS uses the Git bare repository method for dotfile management, which keeps your home directory clean and version-controlled.
By default, it clones my dotfiles repo (voidrice). You can easily change this by editing the dotfilesrepo variable in the script.
The script expects a .packages file located at:
$HOME/.packages
This file is part of the dotfiles repo and contains a list of packages to install, formatted as a CSV with two columns:
| Tag | Package Name |
|---|---|
| V | neovim |
- Column 1: Tag – Specifies the installation method.
- V for packages from void official repo.
- Column 2: Package name / Link – The exact name or link for the package based on installation mode.
During installation, TARBS prints the description.
The .packages files is expected to be at $HOME of the dotfiles git repo, this works
as package installations comes after dotfiles setup.
here is my .packages file for reference.
This format allows for easy parsing, editing, and expansion of the package list.
- Git
- xbps-install (Void Linux default package manager)
Ensure you run the script as a regular user with sudo privileges — not as root. The script will request sudo access when needed.
Want to use your own dotfiles or packages?
- Use your own dotfiles: Change the
dotfilesrepovariable in the script. - Customize your package list: Modify the
.packagesfile inside your dotfiles repo.
You can also extend the script to support additional tags (e.g., for AUR, flatpak, custom builds, etc.).
TARBS is licensed under the GNU GPLv3.
See the LICENSE file for more details.