Dotfiles & Shell

OpenBoot configures your shell environment and can link your dotfiles — so your personal setup follows you to any Mac.

Shell Configuration

OpenBoot sets up Zsh with Oh-My-Zsh automatically:

• Plugins: git, zsh-autosuggestions, zsh-syntax-highlighting
• Theme: A clean, informative prompt
• Aliases: Common shortcuts for developer workflows

If you already have Oh-My-Zsh installed, OpenBoot merges its plugin recommendations without overwriting your existing config.

After installation, restart your terminal or run source ~/.zshrc to pick up the new configuration.

Skipping Shell Setup

If you manage your shell config yourself:

openboot --shell skip

Dotfiles

If you keep your config files in a Git repo (.zshrc, .gitconfig, .vimrc, etc.), OpenBoot can clone and link them automatically.

How It Works

1. Set a dotfiles repo URL in your config (via the dashboard or config JSON)
2. During install, OpenBoot clones the repo to ~/.dotfiles
3. Files are symlinked into your home directory using GNU Stow

Dotfiles Modes

Control how OpenBoot handles dotfiles with the --dotfiles flag:

openboot --dotfiles link
openboot --dotfiles skip

Setting Up Your Dotfiles Repo

Don’t have a dotfiles repo yet? Here’s the minimum structure that works with stow:

~/.dotfiles/
├── git/
│   └── .gitconfig
├── zsh/
│   └── .zshrc
└── vim/
    └── .vimrc

Each top-level directory is a “package.” When stowed, the contents are symlinked one level up — so git/.gitconfig becomes ~/.gitconfig.

OpenBoot provides a starter dotfiles template you can fork and customize.

macOS Preferences

OpenBoot applies a curated set of developer-friendly macOS settings. These are all reversible system preferences — nothing destructive.

What Gets Configured

Dock — Auto-hide, hide delay, icon size, show recent apps, position, minimize animation, show only active apps, launch animation

Finder — Default view style, new window location, search scope, path bar, status bar, hidden files, file extensions, POSIX path in title bar

Trackpad — Tap to click, natural scrolling, three-finger drag

Desktop — Click wallpaper to show desktop

Keyboard — Key repeat rate, delay until repeat, press-and-hold for accents

Screenshots — File format (PNG/JPEG/PDF/TIFF), disable window shadows

Menu Bar — Show Sound control

Skipping macOS Preferences

If you prefer your current settings:

openboot --macos skip

See Config Options for the complete list of macOS preferences you can configure.