.dotfiles Manual

Introduction — .dotfiles Manual

This manual describes .dotfiles v0.2.527 — a trusted agent workstation baseline for macOS, Linux, and WSL.

Architecture — .dotfiles Manual

Architecture — the .dotfiles manual.

Trust Model — .dotfiles Manual

The trust model combines cryptographic signing, local-first secrets, policy-gated agent operations, and machine-verifiable attestation.

The Theme Engine — .dotfiles Manual

The Theme Engine — the .dotfiles manual.

Fleet Architecture — .dotfiles Manual

A "fleet" is two or more workstations sharing a single .dotfiles source repository. The fleet model handles per-host customization, drift detection, and…

Self-Healing — .dotfiles Manual

Self-Healing — the .dotfiles manual.

Tutorial: First Install — .dotfiles Manual

End-to-end installation and verification, from zero to a fully-working environment in under 5 minutes.

Tutorial: Add a Wallpaper → Theme — .dotfiles Manual

Drop an image. Get a fully-WCAG-AAA terminal theme.

Tutorial: Create a Machine Profile — .dotfiles Manual

Machine profiles tell chezmoi how to render templates differently on each host — display scale, keyboard layout, performance preset, available features.

Tutorial: Encrypt a Secret — .dotfiles Manual

How to store an API key (or any secret) encrypted in the repository using Age and SOPS — decrypted automatically on dot apply.

Tutorial: Deploy to a Fleet — .dotfiles Manual

Roll out .dotfiles across multiple workstations and verify they're in sync.

Reference: The dot CLI — .dotfiles Manual

Complete command reference. Every subcommand, every flag, every exit code.

Reference: Configuration Files — .dotfiles Manual

Every config file read or written by .dotfiles, with its schema and purpose.

Reference: Environment Variables — .dotfiles Manual

All environment variables that affect .dotfiles behaviour.

Reference: Template Variables — .dotfiles Manual

Every variable available to chezmoi templates (.tmpl files).

Reference: Feature Flags — .dotfiles Manual

Feature flags toggle optional subsystems. Set in .chezmoidata.toml, override per-preset in .chezmoidata/hardware.toml.

Cookbook: Recipes — .dotfiles Manual

Thirty short recipes for common tasks.

Cookbook: Troubleshooting — .dotfiles Manual

Symptom → cause → fix.

Cookbook: Frequently Asked Questions — .dotfiles Manual

Cookbook: Frequently Asked Questions — the .dotfiles manual.

Appendix A: Platform Support Matrix — .dotfiles Manual

Appendix A: Platform Support Matrix — the .dotfiles manual.

Appendix B: Security Checklist — .dotfiles Manual

Run this checklist after a fresh install and quarterly afterwards.

Appendix C: Glossary — .dotfiles Manual

Appendix C: Glossary — the .dotfiles manual.

Appendix D: Bibliography — .dotfiles Manual

Cited works and recommended reading.

Appendix E: License — .dotfiles Manual

Appendix E: License — the .dotfiles manual.

Command Index — .dotfiles Manual

Generated from dot help all plus the dot help detail registry, so a command that is routable and has help text is listed even when it is absent…

Concept Index — .dotfiles Manual

Alphabetical list of concepts covered in the manual.