Agent skill

Dotfiles Manager

Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup.

GPL-3.0Auto-check: notesProductivity & Automation

Install Dotfiles Manager

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .claude/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .claude/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .agents/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .agents/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .cursor/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .cursor/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git --path claude/skills/dotfiles-manager

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .gemini/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .gemini/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .github/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .github/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install einverne/dotfiles dotfiles-manager --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager .opencode/skills/dotfiles-manager && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "dotfiles-manager" agent skill from https://github.com/einverne/dotfiles/tree/master/claude/skills/dotfiles-manager into .opencode/skills/dotfiles-manager/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "dotfiles-manager", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: dotfiles-manager
GitHub stars: 121
Token cost: ~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length: 294 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 39
Repo updated: Sep 9, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: GPL-3.0

At a glance

Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup.

Works in 3 steps: Organization → Portability → Management Tools
The user needs to organize
SKILL.md covers Core Principles, Directory Structure Best…, Common Configuration Files and Symlink Strategies, plus 6 more sections
Calls brew and apt-get

What it does

Dotfiles Manager is an agent skill from einverne/dotfiles. Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup. Use when the user needs to organize, sync, or deploy dotfiles and development configurations.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Productivity & Automation, covering File organization. It works with Bash, Git and tmux. The repository describes itself as: my personal dotfiles managed by dotbot, zinit. The licence is GPL-3.0.

When your agent uses it

The user needs to organize
Deploy dotfiles and development configurations

Example prompts

“/dotfiles-manager”

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Organization
Portability
Management Tools

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit c6c0686. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- brew
- apt-get
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Dotfiles Manager loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 62 tokens; SKILL.md has 294 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~62
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:129

2. **Environment-specific configs**: `.env` files (gitignored)

NoteRuns commands with sudoSKILL.md:157
```
sudo apt-get install stow
```

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from einverne/dotfiles at commit c6c0686, republished under its GPL-3.0 licence (© einverne). 294 words, ~1,251 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/dotfiles-manager/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: dotfiles-manager
description: Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup. Use when the user needs to organize, sync, or deploy dotfiles and development configurations.

You are a dotfiles management expert. Your role is to help users organize, maintain, and deploy configuration files across different systems efficiently.

Core Principles

Organization
- Keep dotfiles in version control (Git)
- Use logical directory structure
- Separate configs by tool/application
- Document configuration choices
- Keep sensitive data out of repository
Portability
- Make configs work across platforms (macOS, Linux, Windows)
- Use conditional logic for OS-specific settings
- Handle missing dependencies gracefully
- Provide installation scripts
Management Tools
- GNU Stow: Symlink farm manager
- dotbot: Bootstrap dotfiles automation
- chezmoi: Dotfiles manager with templating
- yadm: Git wrapper for dotfiles
- rcm: RC file management

Directory Structure Best Practices

dotfiles/
├── .gitignore
├── README.md
├── install or Makefile
├── zsh/
│   ├── .zshrc
│   ├── .zprofile
│   └── aliases.zsh
├── vim/
│   └── .vimrc
├── git/
│   ├── .gitconfig
│   └── .gitignore_global
├── tmux/
│   └── .tmux.conf
├── bin/
│   └── executable scripts
├── config/
│   └── app configs
└── scripts/
    └── setup scripts

Common Configuration Files

Shell (Zsh/Bash)

.zshrc / .bashrc: Interactive shell config
.zprofile / .bash_profile: Login shell config
.zshenv: Environment variables
Custom functions and aliases

Editor (Vim/Neovim)

.vimrc / init.vim: Editor configuration
Plugin management (vim-plug, packer.nvim)
Custom keybindings
Language-specific settings

Terminal Multiplexer (Tmux)

.tmux.conf: Tmux configuration
Plugin management (TPM)
Custom keybindings
Status bar configuration

Git

.gitconfig: Global Git settings
.gitignore_global: Global ignore patterns
Git aliases and hooks

Symlink Strategies

Using GNU Stow

bash

cd ~/dotfiles
stow zsh  # Creates symlinks from ~/dotfiles/zsh/* to ~/

Manual Symlinks

bash

ln -sf ~/dotfiles/zsh/.zshrc ~/.zshrc
ln -sf ~/dotfiles/vim/.vimrc ~/.vimrc

Dotbot Configuration

yaml

- link:
    ~/.zshrc: zsh/.zshrc
    ~/.vimrc: vim/.vimrc
    ~/.tmux.conf: tmux/.tmux.conf

Platform Detection

bash

# Detect OS
case "$(uname -s)" in
    Darwin*)    OS='mac';;
    Linux*)     OS='linux';;
    CYGWIN*)    OS='cygwin';;
    MINGW*)     OS='mingw';;
    *)          OS='unknown';;
esac

# OS-specific configuration
if [[ "$OS" == "mac" ]]; then
    # macOS specific
    alias ls='ls -G'
elif [[ "$OS" == "linux" ]]; then
    # Linux specific
    alias ls='ls --color=auto'
fi

Secret Management

Options for Secrets

Separate private file: .zshrc.local not in Git
Environment-specific configs: .env files (gitignored)
Encrypted files: git-crypt, blackbox, or pass
Template files: Replace placeholders during install

Example Pattern

bash

# In .zshrc
if [[ -f "$HOME/.zshrc.local" ]]; then
    source "$HOME/.zshrc.local"
fi

Bootstrap Script Example

bash

#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -euo pipefail

DOTFILES_DIR="$HOME/dotfiles"

# Install dependencies
install_deps() {
    if [[ "$(uname)" == "Darwin" ]]; then
        # macOS
        brew install stow
    elif [[ "$(uname)" == "Linux" ]]; then
        # Linux
        sudo apt-get install stow
    fi
}

# Create symlinks
setup_symlinks() {
    cd "$DOTFILES_DIR"
    stow -v zsh vim tmux git
}

# Install plugins
setup_plugins() {
    # Vim plugins
    vim +PlugInstall +qall

    # Tmux plugins
    ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/bin/install_plugins
}

main() {
    echo "Setting up dotfiles..."
    install_deps
    setup_symlinks
    setup_plugins
    echo "Done!"
}

main "$@"

Makefile Pattern

makefile

.PHONY: install bootstrap update clean

install:
	@echo "Installing dotfiles..."
	stow zsh vim tmux git

bootstrap: install
	@echo "Bootstrapping..."
	./scripts/install-deps.sh
	./scripts/setup-plugins.sh

update:
	git pull origin main
	@echo "Updated dotfiles"

clean:
	stow -D zsh vim tmux git

Best Practices

Version control everything (except secrets)
Document non-obvious configurations
Use comments liberally
Keep it simple - don't over-engineer
Test on fresh system regularly
Backup before major changes
Modularize configurations
Use version-specific configs when needed
Handle missing programs gracefully
Provide clear installation instructions

Common Tools to Configure

Shell: zsh, bash, fish
Editor: vim, neovim, emacs
Multiplexer: tmux, screen
Terminal: kitty, alacritty, iTerm2
Tools: git, fzf, ripgrep, fd, bat, exa
Fonts: Nerd Fonts for icons
Theme: Color schemes across tools

Files

Just SKILL.md in claude/skills/dotfiles-manager of einverne/dotfiles.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit c6c0686

Compare with similar skills

Dotfiles Manager next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Dotfiles Manager compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Dotfiles Manager this skilleinverne/dotfiles	121	—	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Notes	GPL-3.0	1 mo ago
FilesystemMathews-Tom/armory	328	—	~2.5k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 days ago
Kanvibe Release Deployrookedsysc/kanvibe	143	—	~12k	Automated safety check: Notes	AGPL-3.0	today
CodeGraph Agent Evalcolbymchenry/codegraph	74k	—	~950	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	yesterday
Neat-Freak Knowledge CloseoutKKKKhazix/khazix-skills	21k	—	~1.9k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	7 days ago
CCPM Project Managementautomazeio/ccpm	8.4k	—	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	6 mo ago

Similar skills

Filesystem
Mathews-Tom/armory
File and directory operations via Claude Code built-in tools, replacing the Filesystem MCP server.
328 GitHub stars~2.5k tokensUpdated 3 days ago
Productivity & AutomationAuto-check passed
Kanvibe Release Deploy
rookedsysc/kanvibe
A skill your agent uses whenever releasing or deploying KanVibe desktop from a clean, up-to-date dev checkout: ask only for the target version and release-note approval, then let the AI update…
143 GitHub stars~12k tokensUpdated today
DevelopmentAuto-check: notes
CodeGraph Agent Eval
colbymchenry/codegraph
Benchmarks how much CodeGraph helps a coding agent on a real repository, comparing runs with and without it for a chosen local or published version.
74k GitHub stars~950 tokensUpdated yesterday
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Neat-Freak Knowledge Closeout
KKKKhazix/khazix-skills
Brings project docs, agent rule files, authorized memory and leftover workspace files back in line with what the code and runtime actually do at the end of a work session.
21k GitHub stars~1.9k tokensUpdated 7 days ago
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
CCPM Project Management
automazeio/ccpm
Runs a spec-driven workflow from PRD to epic to GitHub issues to parallel agents, with status, standup and blocked-work reports from bundled scripts.
8.4k GitHub stars~1.1k tokensUpdated 6 mo ago
Product & Project ManagementAuto-check passed
Git History Bug Audit
ben-manes/caffeine
Audits a module by walking its git history commit by commit, tracking unresolved issues forward, and reporting the ones that survive to HEAD as findings.
18k GitHub stars~3.3k tokensUpdated today
DevelopmentAuto-check passed

Questions about Dotfiles Manager

What does Dotfiles Manager do?

Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup. Dotfiles Manager is an agent skill from einverne/dotfiles. Comprehensive knowledge of dotfiles management, configuration file organization, symlink strategies, and cross-platform environment setup.

When should I use Dotfiles Manager?

Dotfiles Manager fits situations like: the user needs to organize; deploy dotfiles and development configurations.

How do I install Dotfiles Manager in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/dotfiles-manager in einverne/dotfiles) into .claude/skills/dotfiles-manager in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Dotfiles Manager in Codex?

Run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (claude/skills/dotfiles-manager in einverne/dotfiles) into .agents/skills/dotfiles-manager in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Dotfiles Manager in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add einverne/dotfiles --skill dotfiles-manager -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/dotfiles-manager, .gemini/skills/dotfiles-manager, .github/skills/dotfiles-manager and .opencode/skills/dotfiles-manager in your project.

What does Dotfiles Manager need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Dotfiles Manager needs the command-line tools its instructions call (brew and apt-get).

Does Dotfiles Manager access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Dotfiles Manager safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file; runs commands with sudo), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Dotfiles Manager use?

Dotfiles Manager is published under the GPL-3.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Dotfiles Manager use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Dotfiles Manager?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Dotfiles Manager: Filesystem (Mathews-Tom/armory, 328 stars), Kanvibe Release Deploy (rookedsysc/kanvibe, 143 stars), CodeGraph Agent Eval (colbymchenry/codegraph, 74k stars) and Neat-Freak Knowledge Closeout (KKKKhazix/khazix-skills, 21k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Dotfiles Manager?

einverne (a GitHub user) maintains it in einverne/dotfiles, which has 121 GitHub stars. The repository holds 39 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 9, 2026.

Source: einverne/dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Dotfiles Manager

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Core Principles

Directory Structure Best Practices

Common Configuration Files

Shell (Zsh/Bash)

Editor (Vim/Neovim)

Terminal Multiplexer (Tmux)

Git

Symlink Strategies

Using GNU Stow

Manual Symlinks

Dotbot Configuration

Platform Detection

Secret Management

Options for Secrets

Example Pattern

Bootstrap Script Example

Makefile Pattern

Best Practices

Common Tools to Configure

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from einverne/dotfiles

Related

Questions about Dotfiles Manager