Dotfiles

Personal dotfiles for Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD, installed as symlinks with OS overlays.

Install

git clone https://github.com/OleksandrChekhovskyi/dotfiles ~/source/dotfiles
cd ~/source/dotfiles
./install.sh

Existing files move to ~/.dotfiles-backup/<timestamp>/; reruns skip correct symlinks.

Layout

• home/ mirrors $HOME and contains shared files.
• home.macos/, home.linux/, home.freebsd/, and home.openbsd/ are optional overlays.
• An overlay file replaces the corresponding shared file on that OS.

For example, home.freebsd/.config/example overrides home/.config/example on FreeBSD.

Shell setup

The shell files are split by responsibility:

File	Role
~/.profile	Login environment: PATH, EDITOR, ENV, and local environment
~/.shrc	Interactive settings shared by Bash, FreeBSD sh, and OpenBSD ksh
~/.bashrc	Bash-only history, bindings, and local interactive configuration
~/.bash_profile	Bash login bridge that loads .profile and .bashrc

Typical loading paths are:

Bash login:                 .bash_profile -> .profile + .bashrc -> .shrc
Bash interactive non-login: .bashrc -> .shrc
FreeBSD/OpenBSD login:      .profile -> .shrc through ENV
BSD interactive non-login:  .shrc through inherited ENV

Non-interactive scripts normally load none of these files.

Machine-local configuration

Put exported environment variables, paths, and secrets in ~/.profile.local:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY='...'
export OPENAI_API_KEY='...'

Protect files containing secrets:

chmod 600 ~/.profile.local

Use ~/.bashrc.local only for machine-specific Bash aliases, functions, or bindings. Neither local file is tracked.

The hostname is bright white by default; set an ANSI SGR color in ~/.profile.local:

export DOTFILES_PROMPT_HOST_COLOR='1;31'  # bright red

Common values include blue (1;34), magenta (1;35), and cyan (1;36). Exported shell variables are inherited by child processes; system services need environment configuration through their service manager instead.