name

configuring-dotfiles

description

Use this skill when the user says 'add a config for <program>', 'add an alias', 'write a fish function', 'configure my nvim/emacs', 'rice <program>', 'add a utility script', or 'dotfile this' in this PUBLIC dotfiles repo (categorized under general/, linux/, macOS/, various-scripts/, Catppuccin Mocha theme). It routes program-specific work to the right specialist (neovim-configurator, emacs-configurator, shell-config-author, script-author) or to dotfiles-architect for structural/new-program/unclear-placement decisions, verifies with dotfiles-linter (parse checks, secret scan, deployment-mapping check), and ends by handing over the exact ext-dotfiles.nix mapping line(s) needed to actually deploy the new file. Does NOT cover system-level config (NixOS modules, /etc, services - that's the ~/nix repo) and does NOT cover standalone-script requests unrelated to dotfiles.

Configuring Dotfiles

Context

This is a PUBLIC dotfiles repo - never write secrets, tokens, or credentials into it. Files are organized under general/, linux/, macOS/, various-scripts/. Theme is Catppuccin Mocha throughout. Deployment is via nix symlinks: a new config file does nothing on its own - it only takes effect once a mapping line is added to ~/nix/users/krit/{nixos,darwin}/services/ext-dotfiles.nix (format: "<path-rel-to-HOME>" = "<repo-path>";) and the system is rebuilt. That file lives in the separate ~/nix repo, not here.

Agent fleet (exact names, cannot call each other)

dotfiles-architect (sonnet) - placement/structure/portability/deployment strategy; also the catch-all for program config with no dedicated specialist.
neovim-configurator (sonnet) - Neovim config.
emacs-configurator (sonnet) - Emacs config.
shell-config-author (sonnet) - bash/zsh/fish rc config, aliases, functions.
script-author (sonnet) - standalone scripts.
dotfiles-linter (haiku, read-only) - parse/load checks, ext-dotfiles.nix deployment-mapping check, PUBLIC-repo secret scan. Never edits files.

The orchestrator (this chat) is the only one that dispatches agents and loops between them - agents cannot invoke one another.

Loop

ROUTE - Program-specific work goes straight to the matching specialist: neovim-configurator, emacs-configurator, shell-config-author, or script-author. Anything structural, a brand-new program with no specialist, or unclear placement goes to dotfiles-architect first - it decides the category-tree location (general/, linux/, macOS/, various-scripts/) and the deployment mapping shape.
AUTHOR - The chosen specialist writes the config: portable across the target platform(s), styled Catppuccin Mocha where applicable, and never containing secrets (public repo).
VERIFY - Dispatch dotfiles-linter on the touched files: parse/load check, secret scan, and - for anything new - a check of whether ext-dotfiles.nix mapping exists yet.
FIX - Any linter findings go back to the authoring specialist (or dotfiles-architect if it's a placement issue). Loop 3→4 until the linter passes. Safeguard: ~4 rounds, then stop and report what's still failing.
DEPLOY HANDOFF - For new files, end the turn by giving the user the exact ext-dotfiles.nix mapping line(s) to add in the ~/nix repo - both nixos and darwin platform files if the config is cross-platform - and note that a rebuild is required to create the symlink.

Exit condition

dotfiles-linter reports clean AND the mapping line(s) have been delivered to the user. Report the files written and the mapping line(s) verbatim.

Out of scope

System-level configuration (NixOS modules, /etc, services) - that belongs in the ~/nix repo, not here.
Standalone-script requests with no dotfiles connection - only use script-author here when the script is part of this repo's dotfiles.

Configuring Dotfiles

Context

Agent fleet (exact names, cannot call each other)

dotfiles-architect (sonnet) - placement/structure/portability/deployment strategy; also the catch-all for program config with no dedicated specialist.

neovim-configurator (sonnet) - Neovim config.

emacs-configurator (sonnet) - Emacs config.

shell-config-author (sonnet) - bash/zsh/fish rc config, aliases, functions.

script-author (sonnet) - standalone scripts.

dotfiles-linter (haiku, read-only) - parse/load checks, ext-dotfiles.nix deployment-mapping check, PUBLIC-repo secret scan. Never edits files.

The orchestrator (this chat) is the only one that dispatches agents and loops between them - agents cannot invoke one another.

Loop

ROUTE - Program-specific work goes straight to the matching specialist: neovim-configurator, emacs-configurator, shell-config-author, or script-author. Anything structural, a brand-new program with no specialist, or unclear placement goes to dotfiles-architect first - it decides the category-tree location (general/, linux/, macOS/, various-scripts/) and the deployment mapping shape.

AUTHOR - The chosen specialist writes the config: portable across the target platform(s), styled Catppuccin Mocha where applicable, and never containing secrets (public repo).

VERIFY - Dispatch dotfiles-linter on the touched files: parse/load check, secret scan, and - for anything new - a check of whether ext-dotfiles.nix mapping exists yet.

FIX - Any linter findings go back to the authoring specialist (or dotfiles-architect if it's a placement issue). Loop 3→4 until the linter passes. Safeguard: ~4 rounds, then stop and report what's still failing.

DEPLOY HANDOFF - For new files, end the turn by giving the user the exact ext-dotfiles.nix mapping line(s) to add in the ~/nix repo - both nixos and darwin platform files if the config is cross-platform - and note that a rebuild is required to create the symlink.

Exit condition

dotfiles-linter reports clean AND the mapping line(s) have been delivered to the user. Report the files written and the mapping line(s) verbatim.

Out of scope

System-level configuration (NixOS modules, /etc, services) - that belongs in the ~/nix repo, not here.

Standalone-script requests with no dotfiles connection - only use script-author here when the script is part of this repo's dotfiles.