installing-dotfiles

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name: installing-dotfiles description: Use when setting up these dotfiles on a fresh machine (macOS or Linux), bootstrapping a new dev box, validating a dotfiles install, or debugging a degraded shell after cloning (missing p10k prompt, "command not found: pyenv", "unknown option: --zsh", fd/bat not found, lazygit ignoring config).

Installing Dotfiles (Cross-Platform)

Overview

These dotfiles are two layers, and only one of them is automated:

1. Symlink layer — install.sh links configs into place. Portable, runs anywhere.
2. Dependency + platform layer — prerequisites and macOS-specific paths baked into .zshrc/install.sh. Manual. This is where a fresh machine breaks.

install.sh only symlinks. It installs nothing and detects no OS. Run it on bare Linux and the shell loads degraded (no prompt theme, no fzf keybinds, no pyenv). This runbook fills the gap: install deps, apply platform fixups, then validate every piece actually works.

Core principle: a clean exit from install.sh is not a working setup. Validate, don't assume.

Prerequisites

Tool	macOS (brew)	Debian/Ubuntu (apt)	Notes
zsh	preinstalled	zsh	login shell
tmux	tmux	tmux
neovim	neovim	neovim	config is init.lua
fzf	fzf	⚠ see gotcha — apt version too old	needs ≥ 0.48 for --zsh
fd	fd	fd-find → binary fdfind	⚠ rename needed
bat	bat	bat → binary batcat	⚠ rename needed
ripgrep	ripgrep	ripgrep	nvim live-grep
lazygit	lazygit	not in apt — GitHub release	tmux M-f popup
gh + gh-dash	gh gh-dash	gh apt repo; gh extension install dlvhdr/gh-dash	tmux M-i popup
lazydocker	lazydocker	GitHub release / script	tmux M-p popup
pyenv	pyenv	curl https://pyenv.run | bash	.zshrc:13 sources it
uv	brew install uv	curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh	creates ~/.local/bin/env (.zshrc:22)
powerlevel10k	brew install powerlevel10k	git clone (see gotcha)	.zshrc:8
tpm	git clone tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm	same	tmux plugin mgr

Install Steps

1. Clone to the exact expected path (aliases + tmux popups hardcode it): git clone <repo> ~/Development/dotfiles && cd ~/Development/dotfiles

2. Install prerequisites for your OS from the table above.

3. Linux-only fixups (skip on macOS):

   • Alias fd/bat to the names .zshrc expects: mkdir -p ~/.local/bin && ln -s "$(command -v fdfind)" ~/.local/bin/fd && ln -s "$(command -v batcat)" ~/.local/bin/bat
   • Get a modern fzf (apt's is too old for --zsh): git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/junegunn/fzf ~/.fzf && ~/.fzf/install --bin, then put ~/.fzf/bin on PATH.
   • Powerlevel10k: .zshrc:8 hardcodes the Homebrew path /opt/homebrew/share/powerlevel10k/. To keep .zshrc unedited, recreate that path: sudo mkdir -p /opt/homebrew/share && sudo git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git /opt/homebrew/share/powerlevel10k. (Cleaner long-term: make .zshrc OS-detect — out of scope for this runbook.)
   • pyenv on PATH before .zshrc runs: ensure ~/.pyenv/bin is on PATH.

4. Run the symlinker: chmod +x install.sh tmux/*.sh && ./install.sh

5. Fix the lazygit path on Linux. install.sh:38 links into the macOS-only ~/Library/Application Support/lazygit/. Linux lazygit reads ~/.config/lazygit/: mkdir -p ~/.config/lazygit && ln -sf ~/Development/dotfiles/lazygit/config.yml ~/.config/lazygit/config.yml

6. Add ~/.local/bin to PATH (the install script reminds you, but doesn't do it): append export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" to .zshrc only if not already present (note: .zshrc:22 sources ~/.local/bin/env, which is the uv file from step 2 — keep them straight).

7. Bootstrap tmux plugins: clone tpm to ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm, start tmux, press prefix + I to install (tmux-sensible, tmux-resurrect, catppuccin).

8. Reload + validate (next section). Open a fresh zsh -l.

Cross-Platform Gotchas (observed on fresh Ubuntu 24.04)

Symptom	Cause	Fix
source:8: no such file ... powerlevel10k.zsh-theme	.zshrc:8 hardcodes brew path	step 3 (recreate path) or OS-detect
command not found: pyenv	pyenv not installed / not on PATH	install pyenv, PATH it before .zshrc:13
no such file: ~/.local/bin/env	uv not installed	install uv (creates the file)
unknown option: --zsh	apt fzf < 0.48	install fzf from source (step 3)
fzf finds no files / Ctrl-T preview blank	.zshrc:38,42 call fd/bat, Linux has fdfind/batcat	symlink rename (step 3)
lazygit ignores theme/config	install.sh:38 uses macOS path	link into ~/.config/lazygit (step 5)
tmux M-y copy does nothing	.tmux.conf:54 pipes to pbcopy (macOS)	alias pbcopy→xclip -sel clip / wl-copy
tmux popups M-f/M-i/M-p flash + close	lazygit / gh-dash / lazydocker missing	install them (table)

Validation Checklist

Run each. Green exit ≠ working — check the actual output.

• Symlinks resolve (not dangling): for l in ~/.zshrc ~/.p10k.zsh ~/.tmux.conf ~/.config/nvim/init.lua ~/.local/bin/wtc ~/.local/bin/wtn; do [ -e "$l" ] && echo "OK $l" || echo "BROKEN $l"; done
• Shell loads with zero errors: zsh -i -c 'echo OK' — any command not found / no such file / unknown option line is a failure, even though exit code is 0. (can't change option: zle only appears when there's no real terminal — CI/docker exec — and is harmless.)
• Prompt theme renders: open interactive zsh → Powerlevel10k prompt (not bare %).
• fzf keybinds live: Ctrl-R history, Ctrl-T file list with bat preview, Alt-C dir jump.
• fd/bat resolve: command -v fd && command -v bat both print a path.
• pyenv + uv: pyenv --version and uv --version both succeed.
• tmux starts + theme loads: tmux new -d -s t && tmux kill-session -t t clean; interactively confirm catppuccin status bar + popups (M-f lazygit, M-i gh-dash, M-p lazydocker).
• nvim config loads: nvim --headless +q exits 0; <leader>f/<leader>g pickers work (needs ripgrep).
• worktree scripts on PATH: command -v wtc wtn.
• claude commands/agents/skills linked: ls ~/.claude/commands ~/.claude/agents ~/.claude/skills show symlinks.

Common Mistakes

• Trusting install.sh exit 0. It symlinks blindly; the shell can still be broken. Always run the validation checklist.
• Cloning to the wrong path. Aliases and tmux popups hardcode ~/Development/dotfiles. Clone elsewhere and wtn/wtc/cmd-picker.sh break.
• Skipping the fd/bat rename on Linux. Everything "installs" but fzf silently finds nothing.
• Forgetting prefix + I in tmux — config loads but plugins/theme don't until TPM installs them.
• Editing .zshrc per-machine instead of fixing portability. If you edit it on the box, the symlink means you've edited the repo. Either commit a proper OS-detect change or use the path-recreation workarounds here.

Real-World Impact

Fresh Ubuntu 24.04 container test: install.sh exited 0 and every symlink resolved, yet the shell loaded with 4 errors (p10k, pyenv, uv env, fzf --zsh), fzf file source was dead (fd naming), and lazygit silently ignored its config. The symlink layer passed; the setup did not. This runbook exists to catch that gap.