dotfiles-bootstrap

name	dotfiles-bootstrap
description	Bootstrap a workstation with the dotfiles framework. Takes a GitHub user / owner+repo / explicit clone URL and runs `dot init` (which shells out to chezmoi) with the right safety prompts. Honors the active agent profile (`ask` / `plan` / `apply` / `audit`) so it defaults to dry-run in safer modes and full apply in `apply`.
version	1.0.0
maintainer	Sebastien Rousseau <[e-mail]>
license	MIT
tags	["dotfiles","chezmoi","bootstrap","provisioning","workstation","agents"]
requires	["chezmoi >= 2.47","bash >= 4.0","git"]
homepage	https://github.com/sebastienrousseau/dotfiles
docs	https://doc.dotfiles.io/manual/

dotfiles-bootstrap

Provision a new workstation from a public dotfiles repository through the sebastienrousseau/dotfiles harness.

This skill is for Claude Code to invoke dot init <user> on the user's behalf — most useful when the user says "set me up like Alice" or "bootstrap a fresh laptop using my GitHub dotfiles."

What this skill does

When invoked, it:

1. Verifies the target argument is one of:
   • a GitHub username (e.g. alice → expands to github.com/alice/dotfiles)
   • an owner/repo pair (e.g. alice/configs)
   • a full HTTPS or git@host:path clone URL
2. Refuses plain http:// URLs (no transit integrity).
3. Reads the user's current agent profile from $DOT_AGENT_PROFILE (defaults to ask):
   • ask → run dot init <user> --dry-run (read-only preview)
   • plan → run dot init <user> --dry-run and explain the plan
   • apply → run dot init <user> (full apply with chezmoi apply)
   • audit → run dot init <user> --no-apply (clone only, no chezmoi apply)
4. Surfaces the trust prompt warnings before any clone runs — the target repo's scripts execute with the user's privileges.
5. Reports the outcome (success / failed / aborted-by-trust-prompt) so the user can decide next steps.

Invocation pattern

# canonical
dot init <user>                       # github.com/<user>/dotfiles
dot init <owner>/<repo>               # github.com/<owner>/<repo>
dot init <https-or-ssh-url>           # explicit URL

# safety flags
dot init <user> --dry-run             # preview only
dot init <user> --no-apply            # clone, skip chezmoi apply
dot init <user> --force               # overwrite existing chezmoi source dir

Profile-aware defaults

Profile	Default flag set	Notes
ask	--dry-run	Show the plan; ask the user before running for real.
plan	--dry-run	Same plan, augmented with chezmoi diff if available.
apply	(no flags)	Full apply; interactive trust prompt remains.
audit	--no-apply	Clone the source; let the user inspect before apply.

Failure modes the skill surfaces

• chezmoi not installed → instruct user to run install.sh first
• URL refuses HTTPS check → ask user for explicit confirmation if SSH
• Target chezmoi source dir already exists → ask user about --force
• Trust prompt aborted → return cleanly, no state mutation
• chezmoi init non-zero exit → surface the chezmoi stderr to the user

Why this skill exists

Closes the round-1 audit's adoption gap "bootstrap a foreign dotfiles repo through this framework's harness." Without the skill, a Claude Code session has to remember the right flag set for the user's current trust posture; with the skill, the profile dictates the safe default.

References

• dot init source: scripts/dot/commands/init.sh
• Roadmap entry: ROADMAP_2026 §B2
• AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md sync: dot agents render