Manage Dotfiles with Git Bare Repository

git dotfiles repo config barerepo

Learn how to manage dotfiles using a Git bare repository for a clean, symlink-free approach to version controlling your configuration files.

Setting Up Your Dotfiles Repository

Initialize a Git Bare Repository

git init --bare $HOME/.dotfiles

Create an Alias for Management

Add this to your shell config file (.zshrc, .bashrc, etc.):

echo "alias dots='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'" >> $HOME/.zshrc
source $HOME/.zshrc

Configure Local Repository Settings

Hide untracked files to avoid noise in status output:

dots config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no

Using Your Repository

From this point on, use your dots alias instead of git:

dots status
dots add $HOME/.config/nvim
dots commit -m "initial commit"
dots push -u origin main

Setting Up on a New Machine

Clone the bare repository:

git clone --bare https://github.com/yourusername/dotfiles.git $HOME/.dotfiles

Set up the alias:

echo "alias dots='/usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME'" >> $HOME/.zshrc
source $HOME/.zshrc

Checkout the actual content:

dots checkout

If you have conflicts with existing files:

# Option to force checkout
dots checkout -f

# Or backup and then checkout
mkdir -p $HOME/.config-backup
dots checkout 2>&1 | grep -E "\s+\." | awk {'print $1'} | xargs -I{} mv {} $HOME/.config-backup/{}
dots checkout

Apply the same configuration:

dots config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no

Quick Setup Script

For faster setup on new machines:

#!/bin/bash
git clone --bare https://github.com/yourusername/dotfiles.git $HOME/.dotfiles
function dots {
   /usr/bin/git --git-dir=$HOME/.dotfiles --work-tree=$HOME $@
}
mkdir -p $HOME/.config-backup
dots checkout
if [ $? = 0 ]; then
  echo "Checked out config.";
else
  echo "Backing up pre-existing dot files.";
  dots checkout 2>&1 | grep -E "\s+\." | awk {'print $1'} | xargs -I{} mv {} $HOME/.config-backup/{}
  dots checkout
fi;
dots config --local status.showUntrackedFiles no

Tips for Multiple Machines

For machine-specific settings, use branches:

dots checkout -b laptop
# Make changes for laptop configuration
dots push -u origin laptop

This approach eliminates the need for symlinks, complex scripts, or additional tools while providing a familiar Git workflow for your dotfiles.