dotfiles-stow

name	dotfiles-stow
description	REQUIRED when changing configs managed by ~/.config/dotfiles or ~/.config/dotfiles-private. Enforces editing stow source paths (not ad-hoc live paths) and using the dot command for stow/update/validation workflows.

Dotfiles Stow Skill

Use this skill for changes to user config managed by GNU Stow through the public ~/.config/dotfiles source or optional private ~/.config/dotfiles-private overlay.

Rules

1. Resolve every live config path to its owning stow source before editing.
2. Keep shared non-sensitive config public and machine-specific or private data in the private overlay.
3. Edit the source repository, never an unmanaged live file.
4. Run dot stow after stowed source changes.
5. Create, import, review, and update reusable skills in ~/repos/skills; never edit ~/.agents/skills or agents/.agents/skills directly. Review third-party updates through dot skill-updates; normal dot update only stows committed snapshots.
6. After every committed or upstream-updated ~/repos/skills revision, update and commit the agents/.agents/skills submodule pointer in ~/.config/dotfiles. Do not leave the repositories out of sync.
7. Update the canonical docs site when user-facing behaviour, paths, commands, or configuration change.

Common Paths

• ~/.zshrc -> ~/.config/dotfiles/zsh/.zshrc
• ~/.config/nvim/init.lua -> ~/.config/dotfiles/neovim/.config/nvim/init.lua
• ~/.agents/skills/dotfiles-stow -> ~/.config/dotfiles/dotfiles-skills/.agents/skills/dotfiles-stow