chezmoi

Dotfile management across multiple machines requires a source-driven workflow that treats the repository as the single source of truth and applies changes to the home directory predictably, ensuring safe, auditable synchronization using non-destructive apply semantics.

Synchronizing configuration files to your home directory is best handled by editing files in the repository and running an apply command to sync them, using non-destructive semantics to ensure safety and traceability during the configuration lifecycle.

Dotfile prefix conventions map to target paths by transforming repository attributes into specific file properties, where prefixes like dot_, exact_, private_, executable_, symlink_, empty_, and remove_ dictate file naming, protection, execution, or deletion in the target directory.

Lifecycle scripts under .chezmoiscripts support reproducible initial setups and migrations by executing pre and post actions, enabling automated, predictable environment configuration alongside external resources fetched via .chezmoiexternal.yaml.

Config management with Go templates (.tmpl) works for cross-host consistency by allowing dynamic configuration generation, where using lifecycle scripts lets you apply the same templated configurations across multiple machines while maintaining host-specific variations.

Exact directories should be used to manage configuration subtrees when you need to explicitly own a configuration path and ensure safe deletion, allowing targeted file removal and preventing untracked files from persisting in managed directories.