cheat-sheet-guide

• Installs your preferred CLI tools and apps
• Sets up shell configs (Fish, Zsh, Bash)
• Manages dotfiles with GNU Stow
• Configures system settings
• Sets up SSH keys

| Platform | Version |

|----------|---------|

| macOS | 10.15 (Catalina) or later |

| Linux | Debian-based (Ubuntu, Pop!_OS, etc.) |

1. Install Prerequisites

macOS:

```bash

xcode-select --install

```

Linux:

```bash

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git curl

```

2. Download the Config File

macOS:

```bash

curl -o ~/.dotfilesrc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveclarke/dotfiles/master/.dotfilesrc.template

```

Linux:

```bash

wget -qO ~/.dotfilesrc https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveclarke/dotfiles/master/.dotfilesrc.template

```

Edit ~/.dotfilesrc to match your preferences.

3. Clone and Install

```bash

git clone https://github.com/steveclarke/dotfiles.git ~/.local/share/dotfiles

cd ~/.local/share/dotfiles

bash install.sh

```

> [!NOTE]

> The script detects your OS. It uses Homebrew on macOS and apt on Linux.

macOS:

1. Homebrew (if missing)
2. GNU Stow
3. CLI tools from Brewfile
4. GUI apps (if enabled)
5. SSH keys (if set up)
6. System settings
7. Shell configs

Linux:

1. Build tools
2. GNU Stow
3. CLI tools
4. GUI apps (if enabled)
5. SSH keys (if set up)
6. Shell configs

| Folder | What It Contains |

|--------|------------------|

| ai/ | AI prompts, skills, and agents. See [AI README](ai/README.md). |

| configs/ | Stow packages for app configs. Fonts live here too. |

| docs/ | Guides and reference docs. |

| fixes/ | Scripts to fix issues. Run by hand when needed. |

| install/ | Install scripts by category (see below). |

| setups/ | Config scripts for things Stow can't handle. |

Install Scripts

| Folder | Purpose |

|--------|---------|

| install/prereq/ | Tools needed by other scripts |

| install/cli/ | Command line tools |

| install/apps/ | GUI apps |

| install/desktop-entries/ | .desktop files (web app wrappers) |

| install/optional/ | Extra software. Run by hand. |

Pull the latest changes:

```bash

git pull

```

Update configs and packages:

```bash

dotfiles stow # Update symlinks

dotfiles brew # Update Homebrew packages

dotfiles update # Run both

```

Installing New Scripts

New install scripts don't run on their own. Run them by hand:

```bash

bash install/cli/some-tool.sh

bash install/optional/steam.sh

```

The .dotfilesrc File

The ~/.dotfilesrc file holds your settings and secrets. Fish and Zsh load it on startup.

> [!IMPORTANT]

> This file is NOT tracked in git. It's safe for secrets and machine-specific settings.

Add secrets like this:

```bash

# API keys

export MY_API_KEY="your-secret-key"

export GITHUB_TOKEN="ghp_..."

# Database credentials

export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:pass@host/db"

```

| Guide | Description |

|-------|-------------|

| [ZSH Shell Guide](docs/zsh-shell-guide.md) | Shell startup files, shell types, OS differences |

| [AI Resources](ai/README.md) | Prompts, skills, and agents for AI coding tools |

• Repo goes in ~/.local/share/dotfiles (or set a custom path in .dotfilesrc)
• macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
• Linux: Debian-based distro (apt package manager)