Welcome to DotMate, a comprehensive dotfiles management system that provides a streamlined solution for managing and syncing configurations across multiple systems. Whether you're setting up a new machine, organizing configurations, or maintaining consistency across environments, DotMate simplifies the entire process with automated tool installation, intelligent backups, and seamless configuration management.

DotMate comes with a curated collection of configurations for popular development tools and utilities:

• Shell Configurations: Zsh, Bash with optimized settings, aliases, and functions
• Terminal Emulators: Alacritty, WezTerm with custom themes and configurations
• Shell Tools: Starship prompt, Zinit plugin manager, Zoxide for smart directory jumping
• Terminal Multiplexer: Tmux with optimized configuration

• Editor: Neovim with Lazy.nvim plugin manager and custom configurations
• IDE: Cursor editor with custom rules and MCP configuration
• Fonts: Caskaydia Cove and Mono Nerd Fonts for optimal terminal experience

• Version Control: Git with global configurations, attributes, and commit templates
• Package Managers:
  • Mise for runtime management (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.)
  • NPM with custom configurations
  • Yarn with optimized settings
• Container Tools: Podman with optimized container configurations
• Database: DBGate with custom settings

• SSH: Optimized SSH client configuration with socket management
• GPG: GPG agent configuration for secure key management
• Font Configuration: System-wide font management

• The Fuck: Command correction utility
• Font Management: Fontconfig with custom font installations
• Cross-platform Support: macOS and Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) automation

• Linux: Debian/Ubuntu-based systems with apt package manager
• macOS: macOS 10.15+ with Homebrew support
• Windows: WSL2 with Ubuntu (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/akshay-na/DotMate.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles

Run the complete setup with:

sudo apt install make  # On Linux
make install

This command:

• Detects your operating system and installs appropriate tools
• Installs essential development tools via Homebrew (macOS) or apt (Linux)
• Backs up existing configurations to prevent data loss
• Creates symlinks for all configurations using GNU Stow
• Sets up development runtimes via Mise
• Configures fonts and system preferences

Need only the configurations? Use:

make stow

This skips tool installation and only creates symlinks for your dotfiles.

Apply only the configurations you need:

# Set up just Git and Neovim
make stow CONFIGS="git nvim"

# Set up shell and terminal configurations
make stow CONFIGS="shell alacritty wezterm"

# Set up development tools
make stow CONFIGS="mise node python"

• Zsh: Optimized with Zinit plugin manager, syntax highlighting, autosuggestions
• Bash: Compatible configuration with common aliases and functions
• Common: Shared environment variables, paths, and tool initializations
• Aliases: Comprehensive collection of useful command shortcuts
• Functions: Custom shell functions for development workflows

• Plugin Manager: Lazy.nvim for fast plugin loading
• Configuration: Lua-based configuration with modular structure
• Code Formatting: Stylua integration for consistent code style

• Alacritty: Fast GPU-accelerated terminal with custom themes
• WezTerm: Feature-rich terminal with custom keybindings and appearance

• Mise: Runtime version management for multiple languages
• Git: Global configuration with useful aliases and templates
• Node.js: NPM and Yarn configurations for package management
• Python: Pip configuration and virtual environment setup

• Fonts: Nerd Fonts for terminal and development tools
• SSH: Optimized client configuration with socket management
• GPG: Secure key management and agent configuration
• Podman: Container runtime with optimized settings

Create local configuration files to override defaults without affecting the repository:

Example: Add custom Starship prompt configuration:

# Create local override
cp ~/.config/starship/starship.toml ~/.config/starship_local.toml

# Edit local file with your customizations
nano ~/.config/starship_local.toml

1. Create a new directory in the repository root
2. Add your configuration files
3. Update .stowrc if needed to exclude certain files
4. Use make stow CONFIGS="your_config" to apply

• Automatic Permissions: Sets correct permissions for SSH and GPG directories
• Secure Backups: Timestamped backups prevent accidental data loss
• Isolated Configurations: Each tool's configuration is isolated and manageable
• Permission Management: Strict file permissions for sensitive configurations

DotMate includes an auto-update feature that notifies you of available updates:

make update

This command:

• Backs up current configurations
• Checks for repository updates
• Reapplies all configurations
• Maintains your local customizations

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Reapply configurations
make stow

• Lazy Loading: Shell plugins load asynchronously for faster startup
• Conditional Loading: Tools only initialize when available
• Background Updates: Non-blocking update checks

• Broken Symlinks: Use make clean to remove broken symlinks
• Permission Issues: Run make install to reset permissions
• Backup Recovery: Check ~/dotfiles_backup/<timestamp>/ for previous configurations

• macOS: Full Homebrew integration with GUI app installation
• Linux: Optimized for Debian/Ubuntu with apt package management
• WSL: Full Linux compatibility with Windows integration

DotMate is open-source and welcomes contributions!

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/your-username/DotMate.git
cd DotMate

# Set up upstream
git remote add upstream https://github.com/akshay-na/DotMate.git

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature

DotMate is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). See the LICENSE file for full details.

• GNU Stow: For elegant symlink management
• Homebrew: For cross-platform package management
• Mise: For runtime version management
• Nerd Fonts: For beautiful terminal typography
• Zinit: For fast Zsh plugin management

Take the hassle out of dotfile management and development environment setup with DotMate! 🎉

Get organized, stay consistent, and make development a breeze across all your machines.