Dotfiles

My personal dotfiles configuration for Arch Linux, managed with GNU Stow.

Overview

This repository contains my configuration files (dotfiles) for various applications and tools on Arch Linux. I use GNU Stow to symlink these configurations into their proper locations, making it easy to manage and version control all my settings in one place.

Quick Start

For a complete system recovery or fresh installation, download and run the bootstrap script:

curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vikdov/dotfiles/main/bootstrap.sh
chmod +x bootstrap.sh
./bootstrap.sh

The script will:

• Update your system
• Install essential tools (stow, git, base-devel)
• Install AUR helper (yay)
• Clone/update your dotfiles
• Install all packages from your package lists
• Automatically stow all dotfile packages

Prerequisites

• Arch Linux (or Arch-based distribution)
• curl — to download the bootstrap script
• sudo access — required for system updates and package installation

Manual installation requires GNU Stow — sudo pacman -S stow

Manual Installation

If you prefer to set up manually without the bootstrap script:

1. Clone this repository into your home directory:

git clone https://github.com/vikdov/dotfiles.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles

2. Use Stow to create symlinks for the packages you want to install:

stow <package-name>

For example, to install all configurations:

stow */

Or to install specific packages:

stow bash
stow nvim
stow git

3. Verify the symlinks were created correctly:

ls -la ~/ | grep '^l'

Directory Structure

The repository is organized into packages, each representing a different application or tool:

dotfiles/
├── bash/              # Bash configuration
├── nvim/              # Neovim configuration
├── zsh/               # Zsh configuration
├── hyprland/          # Hyprland window manager
├── packages/          # Package lists and recovery data
│   └── .local/share/recovery-packages/
│       ├── pacman_packages.txt    # Official repository packages
│       └── aur_packages.txt       # AUR packages
└── ...

Each package mirrors the home directory structure, so files are placed in their correct locations when stowed.

Managing Dotfiles

Adding a new package

1. Create a new directory for the application:

mkdir -p packagename/.config/application

2. Move or copy the configuration files into the package directory, maintaining the directory structure relative to home.

3. Stow the package:

stow packagename

Updating dotfiles

1. Make changes to the configuration files in the ~/dotfiles directory
2. Commit and push changes to the repository:

git add .
git commit -m "Update configuration"
git push

Removing a package

To remove symlinks for a package:

stow -D packagename

Useful Stow Commands

Command	Description
stow <package>	Create symlinks for a package
stow -D <package>	Delete symlinks for a package
stow -R <package>	Restow a package (useful after changes)
stow --adopt <package>	Adopt existing config files into stow
stow --simulate <package>	Preview changes without applying them

Tips and Best Practices

• Always back up your current configurations before stowing packages
• Test stow commands with the --simulate flag first to see what changes will be made
• Be careful with --adopt as it will move existing files into the dotfiles directory
• If you switch to Zsh, use: chsh -s $(which zsh)
• If using Hyprland, log out and back in via tuigreet after running the bootstrap script
• Keep your package lists updated: pacman -Qqe > packages/.local/share/recovery-packages/pacman_packages.txt
• For AUR packages: pacman -Qqm > packages/.local/share/recovery-packages/aur_packages.txt

Troubleshooting

Stow conflicts: If stow fails due to existing files, review the conflicts and either delete the files or use stow --adopt to move them into the repository.

Shell not updating: After changing your shell with chsh, restart your terminal or run exec $SHELL to apply changes.

Bootstrap script fails: Check the error messages above the summary. Some packages may require manual intervention or may not be available in your Arch version.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.