.dotfiles

macOS development environment for Apple Silicon

A minimal, fast dotfiles setup using Homebrew, GNU Stow, Starship prompt, and vanilla Zsh.

Status

Last updated: February 2026

Quick Start

Fresh Machine Setup

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/omerbalyali/dotfiles.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

# Run bootstrap (installs everything)
./bootstrap.sh

Existing Machine Update

cd ~/.dotfiles
brew bundle
./stow.sh

---

What's Included

Component	Tool	Purpose
Shell	Zsh (vanilla)	Fast, no framework overhead
Prompt	Starship	Git branch, status, fast rendering
Package Manager	Homebrew	Apps & CLI tools
Dotfile Manager	GNU Stow	Symlink management
Node Version	fnm	Fast Node.js version switching
Directory Jump	zoxide	Smart cd replacement
Fuzzy Finder	fzf	File/history search
Terminal	iTerm2 + Warp	Both installed, try Warp

---

Directory Structure

~/.dotfiles/
├── bootstrap.sh          # One-command fresh setup
├── Brewfile              # Homebrew packages
├── stow.sh               # Symlink management
├── pnpm-globals.txt      # Global pnpm packages list
│
├── git/                  # → ~/.gitconfig, etc.
│   ├── .gitconfig
│   ├── .gitconfig.personal
│   └── .gitignore_global
│
├── zsh/                  # → ~/.zshrc, ~/.zprofile
│   ├── .zshrc
│   └── .zprofile
│
└── config/               # → ~/.config/starship.toml
    └── starship.toml

---

Daily Commands Reference

Navigation (zoxide)

z projects      # Jump to ~/projects or most frecent match
z dot           # Jump to ~/.dotfiles
zi              # Interactive selection with fzf
z -            # Go back to previous directory

Fuzzy Finding (fzf)

# In terminal
ctrl+r          # Search command history
ctrl+t          # Search files in current directory
alt+c           # cd into selected directory

# With other commands
vim $(fzf)      # Open file in vim
cat $(fzf)      # Cat selected file
code $(fzf)     # Open in VS Code

Node.js (fnm)

fnm list        # List installed versions
fnm install 20  # Install Node 20.x
fnm use 20      # Use Node 20 in current shell
fnm default 20  # Set default version
fnm current     # Show current version

Git Shortcuts (aliases)

g s             # git status
g a             # git add
g c             # git commit
g sw            # git switch
g b             # git branch
g l             # Pretty log with graph
g lg            # Oneline log with graph
g last          # Show last commit
g unstage       # Unstage files

File Operations

ll              # Detailed list (eza)
la              # List all including hidden
lt              # Tree view
cat file        # Syntax highlighted (bat)

Homebrew

brew update     # Update Homebrew
brew upgrade    # Upgrade all packages (formulas only)
brew cu         # Upgrade casks (requires buo/cask-upgrade tap)
brew cu -a      # Upgrade all casks, including auto-update ones
brew cleanup    # Remove old versions
brew bundle dump --force  # Export current packages to Brewfile
brew bundle     # Install from Brewfile

pnpm Global Packages

pnpm add -g package-name    # Install globally
pnpm-save                   # Save current globals to dotfiles
pnpm-restore                # Restore globals from dotfiles

---

Useful Commands Reference

System

# Disk usage
df -h                       # Disk free space
du -sh *                    # Size of items in current dir
ncdu                        # Interactive disk usage (install: brew install ncdu)

# Process management
top                         # Process viewer
htop                        # Better process viewer
kill -9 PID                 # Force kill process
pkill -f "process name"     # Kill by name

# Network
lsof -i :3000               # What's using port 3000
curl -I https://example.com # Check HTTP headers
ping google.com             # Test connectivity

Development

# Find files
fd pattern                  # Find files by name
fd -e js                    # Find by extension
rg "pattern"                # Search file contents (ripgrep)
rg "TODO" --type js         # Search in specific file type

# Git advanced
git stash                   # Stash changes
git stash pop               # Apply stashed changes
git rebase -i HEAD~3        # Interactive rebase last 3 commits
git cherry-pick <hash>      # Apply specific commit
git reflog                  # View all git history (recovery)

# Docker (if installed)
docker ps                   # Running containers
docker compose up -d        # Start services
docker system prune         # Clean up

macOS Specific

# Clipboard
pbcopy < file              # Copy file to clipboard
pbpaste > file             # Paste clipboard to file
echo "text" | pbcopy       # Copy text to clipboard

# Quick Look
qlmanage -p file           # Preview file

# Open apps
open .                     # Open current dir in Finder
open -a "App Name"         # Open application
open https://url.com       # Open URL in browser

# Spotlight
mdfind "query"             # Search like Spotlight

---

SSH Setup Guide

SSH keys are not included in this repo for security. Set them up manually on each machine.

Generate New SSH Key

# Generate ED25519 key (recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Or with custom filename
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" -f ~/.ssh/github

Add to SSH Agent

# Start agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add key (macOS - stores in Keychain)
ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

SSH Config Example

Create ~/.ssh/config:

# Default GitHub
Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    AddKeysToAgent yes
    UseKeychain yes

# Work GitHub (example)
Host github-work
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work
    AddKeysToAgent yes
    UseKeychain yes

# Custom server
Host myserver
    HostName 192.168.1.100
    User admin
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/server_key

Add Key to GitHub

# Copy public key to clipboard
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Then add at: https://github.com/settings/keys

1Password SSH Agent (Recommended)

If using 1Password, enable the SSH Agent in 1Password settings. Then commits are signed automatically.

See: https://developer.1password.com/docs/ssh/

---

Git Configuration

Directory-Based Config

The setup supports different identities per directory:

# In ~/.gitconfig
[includeIf "gitdir:~/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig.personal

[includeIf "gitdir:~/Work/"]
    path = ~/.gitconfig.work

Adding Work Config

Create ~/.gitconfig.work:

[user]
    name = Your Work Name
    email = work@company.com
    signingkey = ssh-ed25519 AAAA...

[core]
    sshCommand = "ssh -i ~/.ssh/work_key"

---

VS Code Settings

Settings are synced via VS Code's built-in GitHub sync (Settings Sync).

To enable:

1. Open VS Code
2. Click profile icon (bottom left)
3. Turn on Settings Sync
4. Sign in with GitHub

This syncs: settings, keybindings, extensions, snippets, UI state.

Alternative: Dotfiles Sync

If you prefer dotfiles management, symlink VS Code settings:

# macOS VS Code settings location
~/.dotfiles/vscode/settings.json → ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/settings.json

---

Updating

Update Everything

cd ~/.dotfiles
git pull
brew bundle
./stow.sh

Regenerate Brewfile

After installing new packages:

brew bundle dump --force --file=~/.dotfiles/Brewfile

Save pnpm Globals

pnpm-save  # Alias defined in .zshrc

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Troubleshooting

Shell Slow to Start

Profile startup time:

time zsh -i -c exit

Stow Conflicts

If stow reports conflicts:

# Remove conflicting file
rm ~/.zshrc

# Re-run stow
./stow.sh

Homebrew Issues

brew doctor        # Diagnose issues
brew update-reset  # Reset to latest

fnm Not Working

Ensure .zprofile is loaded:

source ~/.zprofile

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License

MIT License - Feel free to fork and customize.

Credits

© 2026 — Ömer Balyalı