dotpilot 0.8.0

Symlink-based dotfiles manager with auto-sync

dotpilot

Symlink-based dotfiles manager. Your repo mirrors your home directory — no dot_ prefixes, no templates, no source state. Edit a file, it's already applied.

uvx dotpilot

Requires uv. Install it with:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Why dotpilot?

Most dotfile managers copy files and require you to re-run a command after every edit. dotpilot symlinks — your dotfiles repo IS your home directory. Change a file in ~/dotfiles/.zshrc, and ~/.zshrc updates instantly because it's a symlink.

	dotpilot	chezmoi	GNU Stow	bare git
Edits apply instantly	Yes (symlinks)	No (must re-apply)	Yes (symlinks)	Yes
Repo structure	Mirrors ~/	dot_, private_, executable_ prefixes	Mirrors ~/	Mirrors ~/
New machine setup	uvx dotpilot clone	chezmoi init	Manual clone + stow	Manual clone
Dry-run by default	Yes	No	No	N/A
Tracks what you're NOT managing	uvx dotpilot untracked	No	No	No
Auto-sync from remote	Built-in cron	External	External	External
Auto-backup before apply	Yes	No	No	No
Templating	No	Yes (Go templates)	No	No
Secret management	No	Yes	No	No
Dependencies	Python (uv)	None (Go binary)	Perl	Git

dotpilot trades templating and secrets for simplicity. If you need machine-specific config, use .localrc patterns or .overwrite files. If you need secrets, use a separate tool. Most people don't need either.

How it works

Your dotfiles live in a git repo (default ~/dotfiles). dotpilot creates symlinks from ~/ into that repo.

~/dotfiles/.zshrc  ←symlink←  ~/.zshrc
~/dotfiles/.config/nvim  ←symlink←  ~/.config/nvim

Special file conventions:

• .overwrite suffix — copied instead of symlinked, for files that don't work as symlinks (e.g. .config/git/gitk.overwrite)
• .delete suffix — removes the corresponding file from ~/ (e.g. .vimrc.delete removes ~/.vimrc)
• .dotpilotignore — fnmatch patterns for files to skip (one per line, # comments). .gitignore patterns are also respected.

Quick start

Starting fresh

Set up a new dotfiles repo and start tracking your config:

git init ~/dotfiles && cd ~/dotfiles && git remote add origin [e-mail]:you/dotfiles.git

uvx dotpilot track ~/.zshrc          # moves file into repo, symlinks back
uvx dotpilot track ~/.config/nvim    # works with directories too
uvx dotpilot untracked               # see what else you might want to track

Cloning an existing repo

Already have dotfiles on another machine? Pull them down:

uvx dotpilot clone [e-mail]:you/dotfiles.git
uvx dotpilot apply               # dry-run: shows what would change
uvx dotpilot apply --apply       # back up + symlink everything

Day-to-day

It's just a git repo. Edit files, commit, push:

uvx dotpilot git add -A && uvx dotpilot git commit -m "update zshrc"
uvx dotpilot git push

Pull changes on another machine:

uvx dotpilot sync --apply      # fetch + merge + re-apply symlinks

Or set up auto-sync so you never have to think about it:

uvx dotpilot cron --apply      # syncs every minute via cron

Auto-sync

The cron command installs a job that runs every minute (configurable with --schedule):

uvx dotpilot cron               # dry-run: shows what cron entry would be added
uvx dotpilot cron --apply        # install the cron job
uvx dotpilot cron --apply --remove  # remove it

The cron job runs uvx dotpilot@latest sync --apply --auto-apply, which fetches from origin, fast-forward merges, and re-applies symlinks if anything changed.

If the working directory is dirty or the merge isn't a fast-forward, sync bails out — it won't clobber your local changes.

Commands

All commands default to ~/dotfiles. Override with --dotfiles DIR. Use -h on any command for help.

Command	Description
uvx dotpilot git <args>	Run git commands in the dotfiles repo
uvx dotpilot clone <repo>	Clone a dotfiles repo and dry-run apply
uvx dotpilot apply	Symlink dotfiles into ~/ (dry-run by default, auto-backs up on --apply)
uvx dotpilot sync	Fetch and fast-forward merge from origin
uvx dotpilot track <path>	Start tracking a file — moves it to repo, symlinks back
uvx dotpilot untrack <path>	Stop tracking — removes symlink, moves file back
uvx dotpilot untracked	List dotfiles in ~/ and ~/.config you're not managing
uvx dotpilot status	Git sync status — fetches remote, shows dirty/ahead/behind
uvx dotpilot diff	Show uncommitted changes in the dotfiles repo
uvx dotpilot backup	Back up all managed dotfiles from ~/ into a timestamped directory
uvx dotpilot restore <dir>	Restore dotfiles from a backup directory
uvx dotpilot doctor	Check git, repo, SSH keys, upstream config
uvx dotpilot completion	Install zsh completions
uvx dotpilot uninstall	Remove symlinks, restore files, delete the dotfiles repo
uvx dotpilot cron	Set up auto-sync every 30 minutes

Every mutating command is dry-run by default. Pass --apply to execute. Add -v to apply for verbose output.

Backup and restore

apply --apply automatically creates a backup before making changes. Backups are stored inside the dotfiles repo as dotfiles-backup-<timestamp>/.

uvx dotpilot backup                      # manual backup
uvx dotpilot backup -o /tmp              # backup to custom location
uvx dotpilot restore ./dotfiles-backup-* # dry-run: show what would change
uvx dotpilot restore ./dotfiles-backup-* --apply  # restore files

Restore is symlink-aware — if symlinks are still in place, it writes through them into the repo. If symlinks are gone (e.g. after uninstall), it copies directly to ~/.

Uninstall

uvx dotpilot uninstall           # dry-run: shows symlinks, cron, unpushed warnings
uvx dotpilot uninstall --apply   # restore files, remove cron, delete repo

Warns about uncommitted changes and unpushed commits before deleting anything. Removes the cron job if one is installed.

License

MIT