Modern Dotfiles

A blazingly fast, modern development environment built from scratch with performance and developer experience in mind.

Philosophy

• Speed First: Shell loads in <50ms, every tool optimized for performance
• Modern Tools: Rust-based replacements, GPU-accelerated terminal, async everything
• Zero Conflicts: Carefully designed keybindings across all layers
• Beautiful: Catppuccin Macchiato theme everywhere
• Productive: AI assistance, smart navigation, fuzzy everything

The Stack

Category	Tool	Why
Shell	Zsh + Antidote	Fast plugin manager, no OMZ bloat
Prompt	Starship	Rust-based, 5-10ms overhead
History	Atuin	SQLite-based, searchable, sync-able
Terminal	Ghostty	Modern, GPU-accelerated, Zig-based
Multiplexer	Zellij	Rust-based, better UX than tmux
Editor	Neovim + LazyVim	Fast, extensible, modern plugins
Versions	Mise	Rust-based asdf replacement
Git UI	Lazygit	Fast TUI for git operations
Git Diff	Delta	Beautiful syntax-highlighted diffs
Theme	Catppuccin Macchiato	Consistent across all tools

Features

Shell

• ⚡ <50ms startup time (vs 200ms+ with Oh My Zsh)
• 🔍 Atuin history - Full-text search, statistics, optional sync
• 🌟 Starship prompt - Shows git status, language versions, execution time
• 🚀 Modern CLI tools: eza, bat, fd, ripgrep, zoxide, and more
• 📦 Smart completions - fzf-tab for fuzzy tab completion

Terminal & Multiplexer

• 🖥️ Ghostty - Latest terminal tech, GPU-accelerated
• 🧩 Zellij - Modern multiplexer with Alt-key bindings (no conflicts!)
• 🎨 Catppuccin theme - Beautiful, easy on the eyes

Editor (Neovim)

• 📌 Harpoon - Lightning-fast file bookmarking
• ⚡ Flash.nvim - Jump anywhere with 2-3 keystrokes
• 🎨 Conform.nvim - Modern async formatting
• 🔧 Enhanced LSP - Full IDE features, fast
• 📊 Trouble - Better diagnostics and quickfix

Git

• 🎨 Delta - Beautiful side-by-side diffs with syntax highlighting
• 🎯 Lazygit - Full-featured TUI for complex operations
• 📝 Gitsigns - Inline git status, hunk operations
• 🔀 Diffview - Advanced diff and merge tool

Installation

Fresh System

# Clone with submodules
git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/dotfiles.git ~/dotfiles
cd ~/dotfiles

# Run full setup
sh ./scripts/install.sh

The installer will:

1. Install Homebrew and all tools
2. Interactively stow configurations
3. Optionally install language tools
4. Set up everything automatically

Existing System

# Update tools
sh ./scripts/brew.sh

# Stow specific configs
stow -t ~/. zsh
stow -t ~/. nvim
stow -t ~/. git
stow -t ~/. starship
stow -t ~/. atuin
stow -t ~/. ghostty
stow -t ~/. zellij

Structure

dotfiles/
├── atuin/          # Modern shell history
├── git/            # Git config with delta
├── ghostty/        # Terminal configuration
├── nvim/           # Neovim + LazyVim
├── scripts/        # Installation scripts
│   ├── brew.sh     # All tools installation
│   ├── install.sh  # Main installer
│   ├── stow.sh     # Interactive stow
│   ├── langs.sh    # Language tools
│   └── cleanup.sh  # Uninstall script
├── starship/       # Prompt configuration
├── tmux/           # Tmux (optional)
├── zellij/         # Zellij multiplexer
└── zsh/            # Zsh with Antidote
    ├── .zshrc      # Main config
    └── .zsh_plugins.txt  # Plugin list

Keybindings

No conflicts by design! Each tool uses distinct modifier keys:

• Ghostty: Cmd (macOS) for terminal operations
• Zellij: Alt (Option) exclusively for multiplexer
• Neovim: Space leader + Ctrl combinations

See KEYBINDINGS.md for complete reference.

Quick Reference

Zellij (Multiplexer)

• Alt+P → Pane mode
• Alt+T → Tab mode
• Alt+H/J/K/L → Navigate panes
• Alt+N → New pane

Neovim (Editor)

• Space → Leader key
• Ctrl+H/J/K/L → Navigate windows
• <leader>ff → Find files
• <leader>a → Add to Harpoon
• s → Flash jump

Shell

• Ctrl+R → Search history (Atuin)
• Ctrl+T → Find files (fzf)

Modern CLI Tools

All Rust-based for maximum performance:

ls      → eza        # Better ls with git integration
cat     → bat        # Syntax highlighting
find    → fd         # Simpler, faster
grep    → ripgrep    # Faster, smarter
cd      → zoxide     # Smart cd with frecency
top     → bottom     # Better system monitor
du      → dust       # Visual disk usage
df      → duf        # Colorful disk free
sed     → sd         # Simpler syntax

Benchmarks

# Shell startup
zsh-bench          # Should be <50ms

# Neovim startup
nvim --startuptime /tmp/nvim-startup.log +q && cat /tmp/nvim-startup.log

Post-Installation

First Time Setup

1. Restart your shell

   exec zsh

2. Configure Git

   git config --global user.name "Your Name"
   git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

3. Open Neovim - Plugins install automatically

   nvim

4. Try Zellij

   zellij  # or alias: z

5. Set up Atuin (optional sync)

   atuin register
   atuin sync

Language Tools (Mise)

# Install Node.js
mise install node@20
mise use -g node@20

# Install Python
mise install python@3.12
mise use -g python@3.12

# Install Go
mise install go@latest
mise use -g go@latest

# List installed
mise ls

# List available versions
mise ls-remote node

Customization

Theme

All tools use Catppuccin Macchiato. To change:

• Ghostty: Edit ghostty/.config/ghostty/config
• Zellij: Edit zellij/.config/zellij/config.kdl
• Neovim: Edit nvim/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/theme.lua
• Starship: Edit starship/.config/starship.toml

Plugins

Zsh: Edit zsh/.zsh_plugins.txt Neovim: Add files to nvim/.config/nvim/lua/plugins/

Aliases

Edit zsh/.zshrc - look for the "Aliases" section.

Cleanup & Uninstall

To remove dotfiles configurations:

# Run cleanup script
sh ./scripts/cleanup.sh

The cleanup script will:

• Unstow all configurations (interactive)
• Remove cache files and generated data
• Optionally uninstall Homebrew packages
• Clean up shell and editor state

Note: This is interactive and safe - you'll be prompted for each step.

Troubleshooting

Zsh plugins not loading

# Regenerate plugin bundle
antidote bundle < ~/.zsh_plugins.txt > ~/.zsh_plugins.zsh

Slow shell startup

# Enable profiling in .zshrc
zmodload zsh/zprof
# ... (at end of .zshrc)
zprof

Neovim plugins not working

# In Neovim
:Lazy sync
:checkhealth

Starship not showing

# Check if starship is in PATH
which starship

# Reinstall
brew reinstall starship

What's Different from Traditional Setups?

No Oh My Zsh

• OMZ adds 100-200ms to shell startup
• Antidote loads plugins in parallel, much faster
• Manual configuration gives you full control

Mise instead of asdf

• Written in Rust (asdf is bash - slow)
• Drop-in replacement, same commands
• Faster tool installation and switching

Zellij instead of Tmux

• More intuitive UI and keybindings
• Better defaults
• Written in Rust, actively developed
• No conflicts with Neovim by using Alt keys

Modern CLI Tools

• All Rust-based: faster, safer, better UX
• eza, bat, fd, rg, zoxide, delta - all provide better output and performance
• But kept compatible (aliases maintain familiar commands)

Performance Targets

• ✅ Zsh startup: <50ms
• ✅ Neovim startup: <100ms
• ✅ Starship prompt: <10ms
• ✅ All tools: Instant response

Credits

Built on the shoulders of giants:

• LazyVim
• Starship
• Atuin
• Catppuccin
• All the amazing Rust CLI tools

License

MIT - Feel free to use and modify!