ubuntu-install

A collection of small, idempotent install scripts for setting up a fresh Ubuntu workstation. Each script handles one tool; install-master.sh runs them via an interactive category menu.

Background

This project was vibe coded with Claude Code — two birds, one stone: I wanted a reproducible way to spin my development environment back up on a new machine, and I wanted to learn how to vibe code with Claude in the process.

Usage

Bootstrap (fresh machine)

On a brand-new Ubuntu install, you don't have this repo yet. Run the bootstrap one-liner — it installs git+ssh, prompts for your git name and email, generates an SSH key, prints it for you to paste into GitHub, then clones this repo.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hofftodd/ubuntu-install/main/bootstrap.sh | bash

To run non-interactively (e.g. in a script):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hofftodd/ubuntu-install/main/bootstrap.sh \
  | GIT_USER_NAME="Jane Doe" GIT_USER_EMAIL="jane@example.com" bash

Then:

cd ~/ubuntu-install
./install-master.sh

bootstrap.sh is not part of install-master.sh — it's the chicken-and-egg step.

After bootstrap

Run a single script:

./install-vscode.sh

Or run the menu:

./install-master.sh

install-master.sh is a pure-bash TUI with a collapsible category tree, arrow-key navigation, and checkboxes. It runs the selected scripts and continues past failures, capturing per-script logs in a temp directory and printing a punch list at the end. Press r inside the menu to view this README without leaving it.

Refresh the pinned version defaults (Go, nvm, Python, Nerd Fonts) from upstream before installing:

./update-versions.sh

install-master.sh runs this automatically as its first step.

Most scripts that download a pinned version also expose an env var override, e.g.:

PYTHON_VERSION=3.13.0       ./install-pyenv.sh
GO_VERSION=1.24.0           ./install-go.sh
NODE_VERSION=22             ./install-nodejs.sh
JAVA_VERSION=21.0.5-tem     ./install-sdkman.sh
BACKEND=cpu                 ./install-llamacpp.sh   # default is vulkan
USECASE=graphics            ./install-amd-drivers.sh

What's included

These categories match the menu layout in install-master.sh.

Setup

• update-versions.sh — refresh pinned tool versions (Go, nvm, Python, Nerd Fonts) from upstream APIs and rewrite the defaults in the relevant install scripts.

Drivers / base

• install-flatpak.sh — Flatpak runtime + Flathub remote.
• install-amd-drivers.sh — AMD GPU drivers + ROCm via the official amdgpu-install package. Adds you to the render and video groups (logout required). Default-deselected in the menu — Ubuntu 26 ships modern amdgpu in-kernel.

Git / GitHub

• install-git-config.sh — global git config: user.name/user.email (prompts if not set; or pass GIT_USER_NAME/GIT_USER_EMAIL), modern defaults (rebase pulls, autoSetupRemote, zdiff3, rerere), aliases. Auto-wires git-delta as the pager if installed.
• install-gh.sh — GitHub CLI (gh).

Languages

• install-sdkman.sh — SDKMAN! plus Java (latest Eclipse Temurin), Groovy, and Gradle. Self-updates SDKMAN when re-run.
• install-python.sh — system Python 3 + pip + venv via apt.
• install-pyenv.sh — pyenv plus a pinned Python build.
• install-uv.sh — uv: fast Python package/project manager.
• install-go.sh — Go from the official tarball.
• install-nodejs.sh — Node.js via nvm (default LTS).

Local LLMs

• install-ollama.sh — Ollama (CLI + systemd service).
• install-lmstudio.sh — LM Studio AppImage + desktop launcher.
• install-llamacpp.sh — llama.cpp built from source. Default backend is Vulkan (BACKEND=vulkan); also supports cpu, cuda, hip. The menu prompts for backend choice if llama.cpp is in the run list. Symlinks llama-cli/llama-server/etc. into ~/.local/bin.

Editors / dev apps

• install-vscode.sh — Visual Studio Code.
• install-cursor.sh — Cursor AI code editor (AppImage).
• install-intellij.sh — JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA.
• install-micro.sh — micro, modern terminal text editor.
• install-fresh.sh — Fresh terminal text editor (latest .deb from sinelaw/fresh GitHub release).
• install-claude-code.sh — Claude Code CLI (Anthropic).
• install-opencode.sh — opencode, open-source terminal coding agent.
• install-little-coder.sh — little-coder, npm-based AI coding agent CLI.
• install-pi.sh — pi (pi.dev), terminal coding agent (npm; depends on Node).
• install-oh-my-pi.sh — Oh My Pi, AI coding agent for the terminal (hash-anchored edits, LSP, Python, browser, subagents); binary omp from can1357/oh-my-pi.
• install-docker-desktop.sh — Docker Desktop.

Productivity

• install-obsidian.sh — Obsidian (flatpak).
• install-chrome.sh — Google Chrome (.deb).
• install-1password.sh — 1Password desktop client.
• install-gmail.sh — Gmail web-app launcher (Chrome --app= mode wrapped in a .desktop entry).
• install-google-calendar.sh — Google Calendar web-app launcher (same wrapper as Gmail).
• install-google-contacts.sh — Google Contacts web-app launcher (same wrapper as Gmail).

Comms

• install-slack.sh — Slack desktop client.
• install-discord.sh — Discord desktop client.
• install-zoom.sh — Zoom desktop client.
• install-signal.sh — Signal desktop client.

Games

• install-steam.sh — Steam (Valve's official .deb; enables i386 multiarch).

Networking

• install-tailscale.sh — Tailscale mesh VPN.

Databases

• install-postgres.sh — PostgreSQL + postgresql-contrib + pgcli. Creates a Postgres role and DB matching your Linux user.

Sync / utilities

• install-syncthing.sh — Syncthing (per-user systemd service).
• install-vlc.sh — VLC media player.
• install-handbrake.sh — HandBrake (GUI + CLI).
• install-flameshot.sh — Flameshot screenshot tool.

Terminal experience

• install-modern-cli.sh — bundle of modern CLI tools: ripgrep, fd, bat, eza, fzf, zoxide, git-delta, jq, yq, tree, htop, ncdu. Adds aliases (fd, bat) and zoxide init to ~/.bashrc.
• install-nerd-fonts.sh — FiraCode, JetBrainsMono, Hack, Meslo, CascadiaCode (Nerd Fonts).
• install-starship.sh — Starship prompt with the Gruvbox Rainbow preset; sets CaskaydiaCove Nerd Font Mono as the GNOME Terminal default font.
• install-btop.sh — btop process/resource monitor.

GPU monitoring

• install-nvtop.sh — nvtop (NVIDIA + AMD).
• install-radeontop.sh — radeontop (AMD).
• install-amdgpu-top.sh — amdgpu-top (AMD).
• install-mission-center.sh — Mission Center, GTK system monitor with GPU panels.

Notes

• Scripts assume Ubuntu and use apt-get. They use sudo where needed.
• Most scripts append shell-init blocks to ~/.bashrc (pyenv, sdkman, nvm, go, uv). Open a new shell or source ~/.bashrc after running.
• Pinned-version downloads (LM Studio, Go, AMD drivers) will go stale — check the upstream source and override the version env var when needed. update-versions.sh automates this for Go, nvm, Python, and Nerd Fonts; LM Studio and AMD drivers are still manual.
• install-amd-drivers.sh installs ROCm by default (USECASE=graphics,rocm). If you only want graphics, use USECASE=graphics.
• On a brand-new Ubuntu LTS release, install-amd-drivers.sh and install-docker-desktop.sh may fail until AMD/Docker publish packages for the new codename.