Dot-files

Modern shell, CLI tools, editor, terminal, and macOS configuration. One command from fresh Mac to full parity.

Quick start (fresh Mac)

# 1. Clone (needs Xcode CLT — bootstrap.sh installs it if missing)
git clone https://github.com/idan-ben-ami/dotfiles.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

# 2. Bootstrap: installs Xcode CLT, Homebrew, python, rich, then runs install.py --all
./bootstrap.sh                  # core install
./bootstrap.sh --with-apps      # core + personal apps (Slack, Spotify, Office, Figma, Postman)

bootstrap.sh is idempotent — safe to re-run on an already-set-up machine.

Preview before installing

./preview.sh                    # show what install.py --all would change
./preview.sh --with-apps        # also preview personal apps

Read-only — touches nothing. Reports symlink status, missing brew packages, and iTerm2 / macOS-defaults effects.

What gets installed

Tier	When	Contains
Core (always)	./bootstrap.sh or ./install.py --all	Shell + CLI tools, terminals, dev runtimes, embedded toolchain, cloud CLIs, fonts, browsers (Brave), Cursor, Claude, Docker, Raycast, iTerm2
Personal (opt-in)	--with-apps	Slack, Spotify, Telegram, WhatsApp, Zoom, Figma, Postman, Microsoft Office

See Brewfile and Brewfile.personal for the exact lists.

Components

install.py manages these components (each idempotent):

#	Component	What it does
1	shell	Symlinks zshrc, zshrc_benami, starship.toml; sets zsh as login shell
2	cli_tools	brew bundle from Brewfile (core formulae + casks + fonts)
3	git	Symlinks git config + global gitignore
4	nvim	Symlinks neovim config
5	tmux	Symlinks tmux.conf, installs TPM
6	iterm2	Points iTerm2 at config/iterm2/ (auto-syncs prefs both ways)
7	zsh_plugins	Installs Oh My Zsh + asksh
8	rust	Installs Rust toolchain via rustup
9	macos	Runs scripts/macos-defaults.sh — Finder, Dock, hot corners, keyboard shortcuts, symbolic hotkeys plist restore
10	personal_apps (opt-in)	brew bundle from Brewfile.personal

Manual control

./install.py                    # interactive wizard
./install.py --all              # core only, non-interactive
./install.py --all --with-apps  # core + personal apps
./install.py --uninstall        # remove symlinks (Brewfile installs stay)

Structure

dot-files/
├── bootstrap.sh                # fresh-Mac entrypoint (Xcode CLT → brew → python → rich → install.py)
├── preview.sh                  # read-only dry-run: predicts what install.py would change
├── install.py                  # component wizard / non-interactive installer
├── Brewfile                    # core formulae + casks + fonts
├── Brewfile.personal           # opt-in apps (chat, Office, design, etc.)
├── config/
│   ├── zsh/
│   │   ├── zshrc               # main config
│   │   ├── zshrc_benami        # personal env, aliases, update_system fn
│   │   ├── aliases.zsh
│   │   └── functions.zsh
│   ├── nvim/init.lua
│   ├── git/{config,ignore}
│   ├── tmux/tmux.conf
│   ├── starship.toml
│   ├── iterm2/com.googlecode.iterm2.plist     # iTerm2 reads from here
│   ├── raycast/com.raycast.macos.plist        # snapshot only (Raycast Pro cloud-sync is canonical restore)
│   └── macos/symbolichotkeys.plist            # symbolic hotkeys (15 disabled — Spaces nav, Launchpad, etc.)
└── scripts/
    └── macos-defaults.sh       # Finder, Dock, hot corners, NSUserKeyEquivalents, hotkeys plist restore

Migrating an existing Mac under brew

If you previously installed apps manually (dragged into /Applications) and now want brew bundle to manage them, you'll hit "App already exists" errors on first run. One-time fix:

brew install --cask --adopt \
    iterm2 raycast brave-browser cursor claude docker \
    slack telegram whatsapp zoom spotify figma postman

--adopt tells brew to take over the existing app in place (no re-download). After this, brew bundle install is happy and future updates flow through brew.

Fresh-Mac installs don't need this step — bootstrap.sh handles the cask installs cleanly because the apps don't exist yet.

What's NOT in this repo (and how to restore)

Item	Where it lives	Restore on new Mac
SSH keys (~/.ssh/id_*)	1Password / manual	Copy from 1Password → chmod 600
API key secrets (~/.zshrc.secrets, ~/.secrets/google-ai.env)	1Password	Copy manually
pyenv-installed Python versions	Auto when needed	pyenv install 3.14.2 (referenced in zshrc_benami)
Raycast extensions/config	Raycast Pro cloud sync	Sign in to Raycast → extensions sync down
iCloud-synced app state	iCloud	Sign in to iCloud
Project repos (~/projects/*)	GitHub	git clone each

The config/raycast/com.raycast.macos.plist snapshot is a "last-resort backup"; cloud sync is faster.

Tmux cheatsheet

Key	Action
Ctrl+a |	Split vertical
Ctrl+a -	Split horizontal
Ctrl+h/j/k/l	Navigate panes
Ctrl+a c	New window
Ctrl+a n/p	Next/prev window
Ctrl+a d	Detach
Ctrl+a [	Copy mode
Ctrl+a r	Reload config

After install, press Ctrl+a I to install tmux plugins.

Useful aliases

# Navigation
..          # cd ..
z <query>   # Jump to directory (zoxide)
gop         # cd ~/projects
gopg        # cd ~/projects/playground

# Modern replacements
ls / ll     # eza with icons / git status
cat         # bat with syntax highlighting

# Git
g / gs / lg # git / git status / lazygit

# Tmux
t / ta / tn # tmux / attach / new

# FZF
Ctrl+R      # Fuzzy history
Ctrl+T      # Fuzzy file

Updating

cd ~/.dotfiles
git pull
./install.py --all              # picks up new components
update_system                   # macOS + brew + OMZ in one shot (alias from zshrc_benami)

Customization

• Local-only overrides: ~/.zshrc.local (sourced last by zshrc)
• Secrets: ~/.zshrc.secrets (sourced before plugins; not in repo)
• Per-project shell config: symlink ~/.zshrc_<project> → <repo>/shellrc.sh (pattern used by _personal, _ventures, _alora)