chezmoi-capture-install

argument-hint	<install-command>
disable-model-invocation	true
name	chezmoi-capture-install
user-invocable	true
description	Capture global dotfile changes made by a CLI installer into the chezmoi source, then commit. Use after an installer (curl pipe to sh, npm -g, brew, etc.) edits shell rc files or PATH. Pass the install command as the argument; the skill runs it, diffs what changed, ports only the portable edits into the chezmoi source templates, confirms anything ambiguous, then commits.

chezmoi-capture-install

Run a CLI installer, figure out what it changed in the global dotfiles, fold the durable parts into the chezmoi source (portably), and commit. The argument $ARGUMENTS is the full install command, e.g. curl -fsSL https://pi.dev/install.sh | sh.

Operate from the chezmoi source directory (chezmoi cd). chezmoi manages the target dotfiles, so its own status/diff tells you precisely which managed files the installer touched — that is the primary detector.

Workflow

1. Baseline

• From the source dir, run chezmoi status and chezmoi diff. Note any pre-existing divergence in shell-init files so post-install changes are attributable to the installer, not to drift.
• Snapshot the rc/config files installers commonly touch so unmanaged edits are diffable too:

  snap=$(mktemp -d)
  for f in ~/.zshrc ~/.zshenv ~/.zprofile ~/.bashrc ~/.bash_profile ~/.profile ~/.config/fish/config.fish; do
    [ -f "$f" ] && cp "$f" "$snap/$(echo "$f" | tr '/' '_')"
  done
  

2. Run the installer

Execute $ARGUMENTS exactly as given. Capture stdout — installers usually print which file they edited and what they appended (PATH line, source line, etc.). Treat that output as the first clue, not the source of truth.

3. Detect what changed

• Managed files (the common case — ~/.zshrc, ~/.zshenv, ~/.zprofile, ~/.bashrc are all managed here): run chezmoi status; for each modified target run chezmoi diff <target>. The added lines are the installer's edits.
• Unmanaged files: diff the live files against the snapshot, and look for new tool dirs/binaries the installer dropped (e.g. ~/.foo/bin/foo):

  for f in ~/.zshrc ~/.zshenv ~/.zprofile ~/.bashrc ~/.bash_profile ~/.profile ~/.config/fish/config.fish; do
    [ -f "$f" ] && diff "$snap/$(echo "$f" | tr '/' '_')" "$f"
  done
  

4. Decide what belongs in chezmoi

Port intent, not literal lines. Repo-specific rules:

• PATH additions → add a portable entry to dot_config/prb/path.sh.tmpl using the existing add_path "$HOME/.tool/bin" idiom (Cross-Machine section, or an OS section if platform-specific). Do not copy raw export PATH=... lines, and never bake in an absolute /Users/<user> path or a version-pinned directory (e.g. an fnm node-versions/vX.Y.Z bin) — those break on another machine or after a version bump.
• Other rc edits (shell init, source lines, completions) → port into the matching source template. Resolve it with chezmoi source-path <target> (e.g. ~/.zshrc → dot_zshrc.tmpl). Gate OS-specifics with {{ if eq .chezmoi.os "darwin" }} … {{ end }}.
• New config files worth tracking → chezmoi add <file> (ask first — see step 5).
• Redundant or fragile edits → drop them. If the tool is already reachable (already on PATH via an existing block, or exposed by a version manager like fnm/asdf without an rc edit), the installer's line is noise. Discard it with chezmoi apply --force <target> so the managed file matches source again. Nothing to commit in that case.
• Secrets (tokens, keys the installer wrote into a config) → never commit the value; reference it via onepasswordRead or env interpolation per the repo's secrets policy.

5. Confirm when anything is ambiguous

Stop and ask the user before changing source if any of these hold: the edit conflicts with existing config, it carries a secret, it is platform-specific and you are unsure which OS guard applies, it pins a version or absolute path, the right target template is unclear, or you cannot tell whether a new file should be tracked. Otherwise proceed.

6. Validate

• just full-check (Prettier + ShellCheck + shfmt); just shell-check if you only touched shell.
• Render-check the changed source: chezmoi apply --source-path <path>... (1–3 files) or chezmoi apply (more), and chezmoi apply --force <target> for any managed file the installer touched, to reconcile it with the new source.

7. Commit

Invoke /commit to stage and commit the chezmoi source changes. Add --push only if the user asks.