Developer environment
Case study

maintained · Selected build

Dotfiles

A GNU Stow-managed development environment that keeps terminal, editor, agent, and shared engineering rules reproducible across machines.

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Neovim editing the Builds page in a focused desktop workspace using the Dotfiles setup
Status
maintained
Last activity
4 Sep 2026
  • lua
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Lazy.nvim showing loaded and deferred plugins in the Neovim setup
A deliberately small editor core with observable lazy-loading behavior.
Neovim file picker previewing the environment example file in the dotfiles workspace
Fast project navigation keeps files and their context visible together.
Mason package manager listing installed language tools in Neovim
Language tooling stays explicit, inspectable, and reproducible.
Neovim Zen mode centering the Builds page source in a focused editor view
Zen mode removes surrounding panes when the work needs full attention.
Terminal Git review showing the SEO link graph branch, changed files, branches, commits, and a code diff
A branch-first Git review keeps changes, history, and the current diff visible before commit.

Why I built it

A useful configuration is more than a backup of hidden files. It should make a machine understandable, recoverable, and comfortable without hiding the decisions that shaped it.

This repository uses GNU Stow to keep symlinks explicit and Git to preserve history. The warning in its README is intentional: these settings document one workflow, not a universal setup script.

The system

Herdr is the daily multiplexer, with tmux retained as a small remote fallback. Neovim and LazyVim provide the editor layer; Fish, Ghostty, Git, Karabiner, and focused command-line tools complete the environment.

The repository also owns shared agent rules. Thin adapters for Codex and Claude route into one set of stack-specific conventions, so instructions for web, mobile, systems, Web3, and note-taking do not diverge between tools.

Decisions that matter

  • Configuration is grouped by ownership and linked with Stow instead of copied.
  • Secrets and machine-specific runtime state stay outside version control.
  • Plugins and editor dependencies are pinned where reproducibility matters.
  • Hue Theme is consumed from its generated source rather than duplicated.
  • The setup keeps fallbacks for remote and constrained environments.

What it demonstrates

Dotfiles is the integration layer for the other builds. It shows how design tokens, terminal UX, editor behavior, and agent instructions can become one maintainable daily system without pretending that personal preferences are product defaults.

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All posts
  1. Neovim editing the dotfiles Lua plugin configuration with the project explorer open
  2. Lazy.nvim plugin manager using the shared Huế theme
  3. Herdr agent workspace managed as part of the dotfiles setup

Notes and builds that reference this page.

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