alice-emacs-mods

# Alice's Emacs Mods Read this BEFORE editing `~/.emacs.d/init.el`, suggesting packages, or explaining why some keybinding does something unexpected. Most surprises here are intentional and load-bearing. ## Shape of the install - **Build**: `emacs-nox 30.2` from Nix store (`/nix/store/...emacs-nox-30.2`) - **Frontend**: terminal only — no GUI Emacs. Always assume `(display-graphic-p) = nil` - **Daemons**: typically 2–4 running at once (`factory`, `server`, `claude-crdt`, `horsin-around`, …) - `factory` = full init.el (the "real" one) - `claude-crdt` / `horsin-around` = `-Q` daemons, started for specific purposes - sockets: `/var/folders/.../T/emacs501/<name>` - **Init**: `~/.emacs.d/init.el` (~700 lines), `~/.emacs.d/early-init.el` - **Custom code**: `~/.emacs.d/lisp/` (e.g. `org-worlding.el`), `~/.emacs.d/site-lisp/` (whisper.el, chatgpt-shell, shell-maker) - **Packages**: `package.el` + `use-package` (`use-package-always-ensure t`), MELPA + GNU + nonGNU. `~/.emacs.d/elpa/` ≈ 70 packages - **No** straight, **no** elpaca, **no** doom, **no** spacemacs ## The dominant pattern: Causal transients on `C-o` `causal` is a plurigrid fork of `casual-suite` — Transient-based menus covering most built-in modes plus several additions. The convention: - `C-o` opens the mode's transient menu in dired, isearch, ibuffer, info, calc, bookmarks, agenda, calendar, compile/grep, re-builder, eshell, help, man, csv, image, ediff, eww, make, ghostty, gnus (group/summary/ article/message), portal, proof. - `M-m` opens transients for elisp-mode, html-mode, css-mode. - Globally, `C-o` is `causal-editkit-main-tmenu` (the umbrella menu). Plurigrid additions beyond casual-suite: | Binding | Menu | What it's for | |---------|------|---------------| | `C-c C` | `causal-catcolab-tmenu` | Capture proof → olog export to CatColab | | `C-c p` | `causal-portal-tmenu` | Post-web proof-theoretic navigation (Narya) | | `C-c t z` | `causal-timezone-tmenu` | Multi-zone planning | Other causal modules loaded if present (`require ... nil t`): `causal-self-walker`, `causal-self-walker-paperproof`, `causal-proof`, `causal-proofreader`, `causal-ucm`, `causal-xypic`, `causal-notebooklm`, `sophia-mnemosyne`, `causal-portal`, `causal-gnus`. If a `C-o` binding doesn't seem to work, the mode probably isn't loaded yet — Causal uses `with-eval-after-load` everywhere. ## Org subsystem — "worlding," not GTD - **Each org file declares its own `#+TODO:` states.** There is no global GTD configuration. Don't impose one. - `org-worlding` (custom, in `~/.emacs.d/lisp/org-worlding.el`) supplies faces, agenda files, capture templates, keybindings. - Heading colors are **uniformly** `#7AA2F7` (light blue) across all 8 levels — this is intentional via `set-face-attribute` after `org-faces` loads. - `org-bullets` for pretty bullets, `org-roam` at `~/org-roam/`, `org-download` for screenshots/yank to `~/org-images/`. - `C-c a` agenda, `C-c c` capture, `C-c n …` for org-roam. - `org-mcp` — exposes org over MCP. ## Email = Gnus over Gmail/Workspace Configured for `barton@plurigrid.com` via IMAP `imap.gmail.com:993` SSL + SMTP `smtp.gmail.com:587` STARTTLS. Auth in `~/.authinfo`. Start with `C-c g`. Gnus dirs all under `~/.emacs.d/gnus/`. Causal-gnus binds `C-o` in every Gnus mode. ## Lisps / proof tooling - `paredit`, `rainbow-delimiters`, `magit`, `avy` - `cider`, `clojure-mode`, `parseclj`, `parseedn`, `sesman` — Clojure - `hy-mode` — Hy - `proof-general` + `narya` — Narya is the active proof assistant - `causal-proof` binds `C-o` in `proof-mode-map`; `causal-portal` binds `C-o` in `narya-mode-map` so Narya hops live inside the Portal menu. ## LLMs in the buffer - `chatgpt-shell` (xenodium) loaded from `~/.emacs.d/site-lisp/chatgpt-shell` with `shell-maker` next to it. Uses **local MLX server at `http://127.0.0.1:8009`** running `mlx-community/Olmo-3-1125-32B-4bit` ("Olmo-3-32B"). Anthropic key from `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` env. OpenAI key falls back to literal `"local"`. - `agent-shell` + `acp` — Agent Client Protocol. - `mcp-server-lib`, `org-mcp` — MCP from inside Emacs. ## Voice → text on F9 `whisper.el` (in `~/.emacs.d/site-lisp/`) bound to `F9`: - `whisper-cli` from flox (NOT auto-installed by whisper.el; `whisper-install-whispercpp = nil`) - Model: `~/v/ggml-base.en.bin` (base.en) - macOS mic: `avfoundation :1` (MacBook Pro Mic) - Inserts at point, no timestamps. Custom `whisper-command` overrides the default to point at the flox binary + local model. ## Keyboard - **Caps Lock → F19 → Meta** (and F7 fallback for terminals that map F19→F7). Done via `key-translation-map` + `input-decode-map` so it works in both GUI and terminal frames. The user is on a Kinesis Advantage 360 + Dvorak. - Don't suggest remapping Caps Lock — already done. ## Terminal-specific UI - `xterm-mouse-mode` on (terminal-only block). - `mouse-1` set point, mouse-4/5 scroll, drag copies region. - `tab-line-mode` global, terminal styling: black bg / white fg, current tab inverted. `C-c <left>`/`C-c <right>` switch tabs. - Tabs grouped by major-mode (`tab-line-tabs-mode-buffers`). ## Tree-sitter (Emacs 30 builtin) `treesit-language-source-alist` populated for ~16 languages (bash, c, cpp, css, go, html, java, js, json, markdown, python, rust, toml, tsx, typescript, yaml). `M-x install-tree-sitter-grammars` installs all. `major-mode-remap-alist` sends `*-mode → *-ts-mode`. ## Other notable mods - **AUCTeX** with `latexmk -pdf` as `TeX-command-default`, RefTeX on, `cdlatex` for both LaTeX and Org math. `C-o` in bibtex-mode. - **ledger-mode** wired to `hledger` (not ledger). Custom reports for income statement / balance sheet / cash flow / monthly expenses. Files: `*.journal`, `*.ledger`, `*.hledger`. `ob-ledger` for org-babel. - **undo-tree** with persistent history at `~/.emacs.d/undo-tree-hist/`. Auto-save every 100 keys / 30s idle. - **crdt** loaded — see `collaborative-emacs` skill for the Claude-Code ↔ Emacs CRDT setup using socket `claude-crdt` on port 6531. - **bbdb** (contacts), **bongo** (music), **org-drill** (spaced repetition). - **clipetty** — system clipboard via OSC 52 from TTY frames. Replaces the broken `menu-bar-enable-clipboard` button (which sets `gui-*` functions that no-op without a window-system frame). Enabled globally via `(after-init . global-clipetty-mode)`. ## Disabled but still present - **Emacspeak**: commented out due to SwiftMac OGG decode having no cache → CPU spin. The `binaural` sound theme is built (see `emacspeak-binaural` skill) but the `(load-file ...)` line is commented. Re-enable at your own risk. ## Things NOT to do 1. Don't suggest `pbcopy`/`pbpaste` shellouts for clipboard — clipetty already handles this via OSC 52, faster + works over SSH. 2. Don't add a global `#+TODO:` config — each org file owns its states. 3. Don't `M-x package-install` an alternative to causal-suite — the plurigrid `causal` fork supersedes it and adds modes you'd lose. 4. Don't override `interprogram-cut-function` directly; let `global-clipetty-mode` advise it per-frame. 5. Don't try to re-enable Emacspeak without first solving the SwiftMac OGG cache issue (it WILL spin a core). 6. Don't assume GUI Emacs — there is none. 7. Don't remove "selected packages" from the customize block at the bottom of init.el — they're how `package-autoremove` is governed. ## Quick triage - Something doesn't bind on `C-o`? Check whether the mode hook fired (`with-eval-after-load`) and whether `causal-<mode>` was required. - "menu-bar-enable-clipboard" button doesn't paste? clipetty must be loaded; check `(featurep 'clipetty)` and `global-clipetty-mode`. - Whisper produces nothing? Check that `whisper-cli` is on PATH (flox env active), that `~/v/ggml-base.en.bin` exists, and that `avfoundation :1` is the right mic index. - Caps Lock not Meta? Verify the terminal sends the F19 escape — some terminals translate it to F7 instead, both are mapped. - Org-roam DB out of sync? `M-x org-roam-db-sync`. ## Related skills - `emacs` — base ecosystem - `elisp` — language reference - `emacs-color-chain` — SplitMix64 → faces - `emacspeak-binaural` — disabled audio theme - `collaborative-emacs` — CRDT setup using `claude-crdt` daemon - `xenodium-elisp` — chatgpt-shell / agent-shell - `proofgeneral-narya` — proof assistant ## Cmd+C → Emacs kill (Ghostty binding) The user's hard requirement is **Cmd+C in terminal Emacs → macOS pasteboard, Cmd+V anywhere**. The full chain that delivers this: ``` Cmd+C in Ghostty → Ghostty keybind sends literal M-w (ESC w) to Emacs → Emacs runs kill-ring-save on the marked region → clipetty advice fires, emits OSC 52 to terminal → Ghostty receives OSC 52 and writes selection to macOS pasteboard → Cmd+V anywhere on the Mac pastes the killed text ``` **The Ghostty side** lives in `~/.config/ghostty/config`: ``` keybind = cmd+c=text:\x1bw ``` This OVERRIDES Ghostty's default `Cmd+C = copy_to_clipboard`. Trade-off: you lose "copy Ghostty's mouse selection on Cmd+C". Workarounds for terminal-text capture: right-click → Copy, or mouse-drag with `copy-on-select = true`. **The Emacs side**: clipetty must be loaded and `global-clipetty-mode` on. Already in init.el; verify with `(featurep 'clipetty)` and `global-clipetty-mode`. **Workflow**: `C-Space` to set mark → move cursor → **Cmd+C** → text on macOS pasteboard. ### Things that look like clipboard but aren't - `menu-bar-enable-clipboard` — the "turn on copy paste" menu button. Sets `interprogram-cut-function` to `gui-select-text` which is a no-op in TTY frames. clipetty bypasses this entirely. Don't trust the button. - Pressing Cmd+C with no Emacs region marked — sends M-w which kill-ring-saves an empty region (warning: "The mark is not active now"). Pasteboard unchanged. This isn't a bug; mark a region first. - Ghostty selection + Cmd+C — no longer copies the terminal selection because the keybind override redirects Cmd+C to Emacs. Use right-click menu. ### Reloading Ghostty config `Cmd+Shift+,` reloads Ghostty config in place. If keybinds don't take effect, fully quit and relaunch Ghostty. ### Backups Backup of original Ghostty config saved at `~/.config/ghostty/config.bak.<ts>` before the Cmd+C override was added (2026-04-19). ## Color strobe (`emacs-strobe-walk` skill) A separate sibling skill at `~/.claude/skills/emacs-strobe-walk/` that drives **every face in the frame** from a SplitMix64 chain advanced once per interaction. Background, foreground, cursor, region, hl-line, mode-line (active + inactive), fringe, all `font-lock-*` faces, and `org-level-1..8` get retinted on each tick. Strobing, deterministic, reseedable, throttled (default 40 ms minimum gap). **This is what the `horsin-around` daemon already runs** — it was launched with `-Q -l ~/horsin-around/color-walk.el` (and the canonical copy is in the skill dir). Default seed is `#x42D` (1069). Commands: `M-x horsin/enable`, `horsin/disable`, `horsin/reseed`. Variables: `horsin/seed`, `horsin/throttle`. **Drop into any new daemon:** ```bash emacs --daemon=NAME -l ~/.claude/skills/emacs-strobe-walk/color-walk.el # or, into a live one: emacsclient -s NAME -e '(load-file "~/.claude/skills/emacs-strobe-walk/color-walk.el")' ``` **Hooks installed**: `post-command-hook`, `server-visit-hook`, `server-after-make-frame-hook`, plus `:after` advice on `server-eval-and-print` so even `emacsclient -e` ticks the chain. **Footgun (in the skill, repeating it here): never advise `server-process-filter`** — it fires on every network byte and deadlocks the daemon. Recovery is `kill -9`. Also don't call `redraw-display` in the tick; `force-mode-line-update t` is enough and won't block on a tty frame. **Composes cleanly with** `emacs-color-chain` (the other SplitMix64 skill — that one is on-demand single-apply via `C-c g a`; strobe-walk is continuous auto-tick). Don't enable both at once on the same faces. ### Gay-backed strobe (merged mode) As of 2026-04-19 there is a bridge file `~/.claude/skills/emacs-strobe-walk/color-walk-gay.el` that loads both skills and rewires the strobe's two helpers (`horsin/-sm`, `horsin/-hsl`)