dotgarden 0.3.0

Manage dotfiles: register configs, bootstrap symlinks, and keep everything in sync.

dotgarden

Manage dotfiles by moving them into a git-tracked repo and pointing $HOME at the repo-managed copies. dotfile register relocates a live config into the repo and leaves a symlink behind; dotfile bootstrap replays those symlinks (plus OS/profile variants) on any machine. Ships the dotfile CLI.

Install

uv tool install dotgarden
# or
pipx install dotgarden
# or
pip install dotgarden

Quick start

Clone the dotgarden-template repo — a working dotfiles layout that exercises every dotfile feature.

git clone https://github.com/andrewlook/dotgarden-template.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles
dotfile bootstrap --os macos        # or --os linux

What's in the template

dotfiles/
├── .gitconfig                      root dotfile → ~/.gitconfig
├── .macos.gitconfig                OS variant, sourced via ~/.gitconfig.local
├── .linux.gitconfig
├── .zprofile
├── .macos.zprofile
├── .tmux.conf
├── .config/                        auto-symlinked 1:1 into ~/.config/
│   ├── fish/
│   │   ├── config.fish
│   │   └── config.macos.fish       nested variant (BASE.MOD.EXT)
│   └── ghostty/
│       └── config
├── _cursor/                        registered: target lives outside ~/.config/
│   ├── settings.json
│   └── keybindings.json
├── __registry__.yaml
└── bootstrap.sh                    curl-pipe-sh installer for new machines

Everything at the repo root (.gitconfig, .zprofile, …) and every top-level child of .config/ is placed by convention. The registry handles the rest — here, just Cursor, whose real target path is nowhere near ~/.config/:

# __registry__.yaml
os: [macos, linux]
profiles: [work, home]

cursor:
  macos:
  - _cursor/settings.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/settings.json
  - _cursor/keybindings.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Cursor/User/keybindings.json

What bootstrap produces

$ dotfile bootstrap --os macos
  common
    ✓ ~/.gitconfig        ->  ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig
    ✓ ~/.macos.gitconfig  ->  ~/dotfiles/.macos.gitconfig
    ✓ ~/.zprofile         ->  ~/dotfiles/.zprofile
    ✓ ~/.config/fish      ->  ~/dotfiles/.config/fish
    ✓ ~/.config/ghostty   ->  ~/dotfiles/.config/ghostty

  registered
    ✓ ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/User/settings.json
        ->  ~/dotfiles/_cursor/settings.json

  local
    ✓ ~/.gitconfig.local
    ✓ ~/.config/fish/config.fish.local

✓ Bootstrap complete (8 created)

$HOME is now a set of symlinks pointing back at the repo, plus a few generated .local files that source the right OS/profile variants:

$ ls -l ~/.gitconfig ~/.config/ghostty
~/.gitconfig       -> ~/dotfiles/.gitconfig
~/.config/ghostty  -> ~/dotfiles/.config/ghostty

$ cat ~/.gitconfig.local
# Auto-generated by dotfile bootstrap. Do not edit.
[include]
  path = ~/.macos.gitconfig

Edits in either location track together — they're the same inode. See GUIDE.md for the hands-on walkthrough.

Commands

Command	Description
dotfile bootstrap	Link files in $HOME to the repo-managed versions and generate .local include files
dotfile status	Check health of all managed symlinks
dotfile register	Move a config into the repo and symlink it back
dotfile unregister	Remove a config from management
dotfile specialize	Scaffold OS/profile variant files and wire their .local include
dotfile list	List all managed files
dotfile doctor	Find and remove stale symlinks
dotfile env	Show current OS, profile, and overlay
dotfile ids	Print entry IDs (for scripting)

dotfile bootstrap

dotfile bootstrap --os <macos|linux> [--profile <name>] [--overlay <dir>] [--dry-run]

Runs every symlink and .local generator from a clean slate. Safe to re-run.

• --os — required on first run; remembered in ~/.dotfiles_env after.
• --profile — activates a profile's variant files and registry entries.
• --overlay — layers a second repo on top (see GUIDE.md § Overlay).
• --dry-run — print the plan without touching the filesystem.
• --skip-registry — only handle root + .config/* conventions, skip registered entries.
• --skip-unsupported — silently skip .local generation for tool types with no known include syntax.

Existing non-symlink files at a link location are preserved as <path>.bak before being replaced.

dotfile register

dotfile register <path> [--category <name>] [--os <os>] [--profile <name>] [--name <file>] [--overlay <dir>] [--force] [--dry-run] [-y]

Moves <path> into the repo (under _<category>/ or the repo root) and creates a symlink back. Errors if the destination already exists unless you pass --force.

• --category — target subdirectory in the repo (auto-detected from the source path if omitted).
• --os / --profile — scope the entry so bootstrap only links it on matching machines.
• --name — rename the file inside the repo.
• --overlay — write into an overlay repo instead of the main one.
• --force — overwrite an existing registration or repo file.
• -y — skip the confirmation prompt.

dotfile specialize

dotfile specialize <os|profile> <dotfile> [--dry-run]

Scaffolds variant files for an existing base dotfile and appends the .local include line so bootstrap can generate the override file.

Works on root paths (.gitconfig) and nested paths under .config/<tool>/ (e.g. .config/fish/config.fish). Variant names come from the os: and profiles: lists in __registry__.yaml. Idempotent — safe to re-run.

Documentation

• GUIDE.md — hands-on walkthrough: starting a repo, registering your first files, specializing for OS/profile, setting up an overlay
• Starter template — clone this to begin a new dotfiles repo
• Source and issue tracker: https://github.com/andrewlook/dotgarden

Development

See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, testing (mise run test, ./test-docker), and the publish flow. The package layout, entry point (dotgarden.cli:main), and test harness all live in this repo — edits happen here directly.

The examples/starter/ directory is mirrored to andrewlook/dotgarden-template as the clone-ready starting point documented in Quick start above.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.