Development Setup (Windows & macOS)

A complete automation system for setting up and managing your developer workstation on Windows and macOS. This repository provides everything you need to configure your development environment, manage applications, automate daily tasks, and optimize your workflow.

Recommendation

I don't want everyone to copy this entire repo and use it because it is my own opinionated setup, not something for everyone.

I recommend checking this repo, taking ideas from it, and implementing them in a way that fulfills your own requirements.

Features & Capabilities

• Windows System Configuration Automatically configure Windows settings, remove bloatware, disable unnecessary services, and optimize your system for development work.

• macOS System Configuration Install packages via Homebrew using the included Brewfile for a consistent macOS development environment.

• Application Management Install and update all your development tools, applications, and packages using Winget (Windows) or Homebrew (macOS) with simple configuration files. Keep everything up-to-date with one command.

• Enhanced Shell Experience Pre-configured shell environments (Bash, Fish, Zsh) with Starship prompt, Windows Terminal / Ghostty settings, and convenient command aliases for faster workflow.

• Git Workflow Tools Streamlined Git commands for common tasks like cloning repositories, checking out branches, pulling changes, and managing your repositories more efficiently.

• Smart Slack Integration Automatically start or stop Slack based on your work schedule. Set your office hours, weekends, and off days, and Slack will manage itself accordingly.

• Automated Startup Tasks Configure applications and scripts to run automatically on system startup, with support for both user and administrator privileges.

• Code Editor Setup Pre-configured settings for popular editors like Zed, along with helpful utilities for managing your development environment.

Agent Skills

Add the npm agent skill with:

skills add NazmusSayad/.dotfiles/config/ai/skills -s npm

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Windows 10/11 or macOS installed
• Git installed (to clone the repository)
• Go installed (version specified in go.mod)
• MSYS2 (Windows, optional for Bash/Fish) or Homebrew (macOS)

Installation Guide

Follow these steps to set up your development environment:

1. Clone the Repository

   Open a terminal and run:

   git clone https://github.com/NazmusSayad/.dotfiles.git
   cd .dotfiles

2. Initial Setup

   • Windows: Right-click __install-dotfiles.cmd and select "Run as Administrator".
   • macOS: Bootstrap via Homebrew + config (see config/Brewfile and shell configs).

   This will set up the dotfiles directory and add tools to your PATH.

3. Build All Utilities

   Run __compile.cmd (Windows) or the equivalent build step for your platform. This creates the executable tools for daily use.

4. Configure Your Environment

   Run __install-config.cmd (Windows) or the platform equivalent to set up:

   • Git configuration (name, email, default settings)
   • Symbolic links for configuration files
   • Scheduled tasks / launch agents for automatic startup
   • Shells and development tools
   • Go environment variables

5. Optional: Platform System Configuration

   ⚠️ Important: Review the scripts before running this step!

   • Windows: Run __windows-setup.cmd as Administrator to apply system settings, remove bloatware, disable services, and optimize performance (restarts automatically).
   • macOS: Use Homebrew to provision packages from config/Brewfile.

6. Optional: Additional Setup

   • Windows: __git-gpg.cmd, __install-start-menu.cmd
   • macOS: review config/Brewfile and shell configs

Using the Tools

Once installed, you can use these commands from anywhere in your terminal:

Package Management:

• winget-install / brew - Install all configured applications (Winget on Windows, Homebrew on macOS)
• winget-upgrade - Update all installed packages (Windows)

Git Helpers:

• c - Clone repositories (supports GitHub shorthand)
• gc - Checkout branches (creates if doesn't exist)
• gpr - Pull changes with rebase
• gpm - Pull changes with merge
• gp - Quick git pull
• gds - Git diff with statistics

Slack Management:

• slack-status - Change Slack auto-start behavior (Always/Work Hours/Disabled)
• Slack will automatically start/stop based on your configured work schedule

System Setup:

• symlink-init - Recreate all configuration file symlinks
• msys-setup - Set up MSYS2 development environment (Windows)

Customization

Most user settings live under config/. Update the relevant config files, then re-run the platform install-config step to refresh links, scheduled tasks/launch agents, shortcuts, and environment settings.

Common files to edit:

• config/apps.yaml - Applications and packages to install (Windows winget)
• config/Brewfile - Packages to install (macOS Homebrew)
• config/symlink.jsonc - Config files linked into your system
• config/slack-status.jsonc - Slack startup schedule
• config/shell/ - Shell aliases, prompt, and terminal settings
• config/vscode/ - VS Code settings, keybindings, extensions, snippets, and synced state

⚠️ Important Notes

• Review Before Running: The Windows setup scripts (src/ps1-windows/) will modify system settings and remove default Windows applications. Please review these scripts before running __windows-setup.cmd to ensure they match your preferences.

• Administrator Rights: Some Windows scripts require administrator privileges. macOS scripts may prompt for your password via sudo.

• Backup First: Consider backing up important data before running system modification scripts.