Dotfiles

Home Directory Dotfiles Management (yadm)

The execution of this skill indicates you're working in the user's home directory and using yadm for version control and management of dotfiles.

Repository Context

• •Primary remote: origin → git@github.com:salimhamed/dotfiles.git
• •Base branch: main
• •yadm version: 3.5.0

Workflow Conventions

1. Branch Strategy

• •Create feature branches for each set of changes if a feature branch does not already exist. Always ask before creating a new branch.
• •Feature branches should be created from the default main branch
• •Feature branch names should follow the naming convention: claude/<descriptive-name>
• •Examples:
  • •claude/nvim-config-update
  • •claude/zsh-aliases
  • •claude/tmux-keybindings

2. Commit & Push Policy

• •Auto-push after commit to keep remote in sync
• •GPG signing is enabled (commits will be signed automatically)
• •Use concise commit messages that are no more than one line of text

3. Platform Scope

• •Changes should target Darwin (macOS) only unless explicitly requested otherwise
• •When editing alternate files, only modify ##os.Darwin variants, unless explicitly requested otherwise

Zsh Code Conventions

You might be asked to modify zsh code. When doing so, use a function-specific prefix for all local variables to avoid conflicts with shell builtins, environment variables, and other functions.

Avoid these generic variable names:

• •path - conflicts with $PATH
• •name - common collision
• •status - conflicts with $? semantics
• •line, count, match, result, output
• •default, root, dir, file
• •Single-letter variables: d, f, n, i

Pattern: <prefix>_<descriptive_name>

Here's an example function following this convention:

wt_example() {
    local wt_branch wt_path wt_status
    wt_branch=$(git branch --show-current)
    wt_path=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
    # ...
}

Key Files Reference

Shell Configuration

Editor Configuration

Git & Tools

Bootstrap & Packages

Standard Operations

Before Making Changes

yadm status                    # Check current state
yadm diff                      # Review any uncommitted changes
yadm branch -a                 # Verify branch context

Creating a Feature Branch

yadm checkout -b claude/<feature-description>

After Modifications

yadm add <files>               # Stage specific files
yadm status                    # Verify staged changes
yadm commit -m "description"   # Commit (auto-signed)
yadm push -u origin HEAD       # Push and set upstream

Viewing Tracked Files

yadm list -a                   # All tracked files
yadm list -a | grep <pattern>  # Filter tracked files

Safety Practices

1. •Always read before editing - Use Read tool before making modifications
2. •Stage specific files - Never run yadm add -A in home directory
3. •Verify changes - Run yadm diff --staged before committing
4. •Keep commits atomic - One logical change per commit

Verification Methods

Shell Changes

source ~/.zshrc                # Reload zsh config
# Or open new terminal tab

Neovim Changes

nvim --headless +checkhealth +qa  # Check nvim health
nvim -c "echo 'Config loaded'" -c qa  # Quick load test

Git Config Changes

git config --list              # Verify effective config

Bootstrap Changes

# Dry-run review only - don't execute without explicit request
bash -n ~/.config/yadm/bootstrap  # Syntax check

Quick Commands