chezmoi

Initialize dotfiles

$ chezmoi init

$ chezmoi add [~/.bashrc]

$ chezmoi apply

$ chezmoi edit [~/.bashrc]

$ chezmoi update

$ chezmoi diff

chezmoi command [options]

chezmoi manages dotfiles across multiple machines. It uses a source directory (typically a git repository at ~/.local/share/chezmoi) to store the desired state of dotfiles, then applies that state to the home directory.
The tool supports Go templates for machine-specific configurations, allowing a single source repository to produce different files on different machines based on hostname, OS, or custom data. Secrets can be managed through integrations with password managers like 1Password, Bitwarden, and pass, or via encrypted files using age or gpg.
Unlike symlink-based managers like GNU Stow, chezmoi copies files to their destinations, meaning the target files are ordinary files that work with any tool.

init [repo]

Initialize chezmoi

Add file to source state

Apply changes to destination

Edit source state

Pull and apply changes

Show differences

Open shell in source directory

Show template data

~/.config/chezmoi/chezmoi.toml

Main configuration file. Sets source directory, merge tool, diff settings, encryption method, and secret manager integrations.

- Git integration
- Templating (Go templates)
- Machine-specific configurations
- Secret management (encrypted files)
- Cross-platform support
- Automatic initialization
- Dry-run mode
- Script execution

Use templates for machine-specific configs:

$ # .chezmoi.toml.tmpl
{{- if eq .chezmoi.hostname "work-laptop" }}
[data]
    email = "work@example.com"
{{- else }}
[data]
    email = "personal@example.com"
{{- end }}

Learning curve for templates. Git repo public by default (use private for secrets). Template syntax can be complex. Large binary files not ideal. Requires understanding of Go templates.

chezmoi was created by Tom Payne in 2018 to provide a modern, flexible dotfile manager with templating and cross-platform support.

dotfiles(1), git(1), stow(1)