dotfiles

My configuration files, plus a modular installer for the tools I use on a fresh Ubuntu box (targeting 26.04). Everything installs from each vendor's official source — apt repos with their real signing keys, or their official install scripts/tarballs. No PPAs of unclear provenance, no snaps unless the vendor's own instructions use one (Ubuntu's own default snaps are actively replaced — see desnap.sh below).

Quick start

On a fresh Ubuntu install:

git clone <this-repo> ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles
./bootstrap.sh

That will:

1. Install stow, zsh, curl, git.
2. Symlink the dotfiles (zsh/, git/, tmux/, vscode/) into $HOME with GNU Stow.
3. Prompt once for your git name/email/signing key, saved to ~/.gitconfig.local (gitignored — never committed, so this repo stays shareable).
4. Set zsh as your default shell.
5. Run install/install.sh, which shows a checklist (see below) of every tool to install.

Open a new shell afterwards (or exec zsh) to pick up PATH changes.

Picking what to install

Run interactively with no arguments and install/install.sh shows a whiptail checklist — space to toggle, enter to confirm. Everything's checked by default; uncheck what you don't want. If whiptail isn't available it's installed automatically; if that's not possible either it falls back to a plain numbered prompt.

Non-interactive options:

./bootstrap.sh nvm node pnpm docker     # only these modules (+ base deps)
./install/install.sh --list             # list all module names
./install/install.sh --except discord,slack,spotify
./install/install.sh --all              # skip the checklist, install everything
./install/install.sh --dry-run          # show what would run without doing it

--dry-run works with any of the above (--dry-run --all, --dry-run nvm docker, ...) and also works on bootstrap.sh and desnap.sh.

Resilience: a failed module doesn't kill the run

Every module runs in its own subshell with errexit on. If a command in a module fails partway through, that module's own changes (packages installed, repos added, directories created, group memberships granted — whatever it called rollback_push for) are unwound in reverse order, the failure is recorded, and the next module still runs. At the end you get a summary of what succeeded and what failed, and the script exits nonzero only if something actually failed. Every module is also idempotent — safe to re-run individually or all together.

What gets installed

Category	Tools
System	apt mirror benchmarking, ~/.ssh/~/.gnupg permission fixes, eza/ripgrep
JS/TS runtimes	nvm, node (via nvm, LTS), pnpm, deno, bun
Python	pyenv, pipx, pipenv, poetry, uv
Systems languages	go, rust (rustup), zig + zls
Dev tooling	VS Code (+ your extensions/settings, mirrored to Cursor), Cursor, GitHub CLI (gh), Docker Engine
Apps	Chrome, Firefox, Discord, Slack, Postman, JetBrains Toolbox, mpv, Spotify, Telegram, Signal, ProtonVPN, OneDrive (abraunegg)
Desktop	GNOME Tweaks, Extension Manager, AppIndicator support
Misc	Wakatime API key setup

Layout

bootstrap.sh          entrypoint: stows dotfiles, then runs install/install.sh
desnap.sh              standalone: purges snapd, replaces default snaps with apt/Flatpak
install/
  lib.sh              shared shell helpers (apt/repo/rollback/profile-line helpers)
  install.sh           module runner — TUI checklist, dry-run, rollback, summary
  modules/*.sh          one file per tool, each defines install_<name>()
zsh/ git/ tmux/ vscode/  stow packages — mirror their target layout under $HOME

To add a new tool: drop a new install/modules/<name>.sh defining install_<name>(), and add <name> (+ a description) to ALL_MODULES / MODULE_DESC in install/install.sh.

desnap.sh

Purges snapd entirely and pins it out of apt so it can't come back on upgrade. Before removing anything it works out, per installed snap, whether there's a real replacement:

• Snaps we already have an official-source module for (Firefox) get that module.
• Known default-Ubuntu snaps with a plain apt equivalent (Thunderbird, snap-store → gnome-software) get that apt package.
• GNOME/core runtime snaps (content-only, no user-facing app) are skipped.
• Anything else gets Flatpak + Flathub set up and is listed at the end so you can flatpak search/install it yourself, rather than guessing an app id.

Destructive and asks for confirmation (-y/--yes to skip the prompt); supports --dry-run to preview the plan first.

./desnap.sh --dry-run
./desnap.sh

Notes

• mirrors benchmarks official Ubuntu mirrors (speed + a freshness check on Last-Modified) and rewrites apt's sources to the fastest one — handles both the legacy sources.list and the 24.04+/26.04 deb822 ubuntu.sources format. Runs early so the rest of the install benefits. security.ubuntu.com is left alone on purpose.
• firefox removes the transitional apt stub / snap package first and pins Mozilla's official apt repo, since stock Ubuntu ships Firefox as a snap.
• docker, onedrive each check whether their upstream repo has packages for the running Ubuntu codename/version yet and fall back to the most recent known-supported one if it's too new (relevant right after a fresh 26.04 install).
• vscode installs every extension listed in vscode/extensions.txt (exported with code --list-extensions) and mirrors settings.json to Cursor via symlink, so both stay in sync from one source of truth.
• wakatime prompts once for your API key and writes ~/.wakatime.cfg (chmod 600); leave the prompt blank to skip.
• Tool PATH/init lines are appended idempotently to the end of zsh/.zshrc by profile_add in install/lib.sh — re-running a module never duplicates a line.