dotfiles

Personal Arch Linux dotfiles and workstation automation managed with Ansible and go-task.

This repository contains the user-level dotfiles workflow and the former ans-workstation system automation layer. The default workflow remains intentionally user-level and sudo-free: it links managed files from dotfiles/ into $HOME. System-wide workstation configuration and browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policies are available only through explicit opt-in playbooks and go-task targets.

Requirements

• Arch Linux
• git
• go-task
• uv
• sudo for opt-in system or policy tasks
• Docker for full validation, Super-Linter, and container-based smoke tests

Install the base tools:

sudo pacman -Sy --noconfirm --needed git go-task uv

Quick Start

Clone the repository:

_INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.dotfiles" \
  && git clone https://github.com/tenhishadow/dotfiles.git "$_INSTALL_DIR" \
  && cd "$_INSTALL_DIR"

Start with the user-level dry run:

go-task dotfiles:check

Apply the user-level dotfiles:

go-task

go-task runs playbook_install.yml only. That playbook loads roles/dotfiles, validates the dotfiles contract, creates required user directories, links managed payload files, and removes a small set of explicit legacy user config paths.

First-Run Safety

go-task dotfiles:check runs the default Ansible playbook in check mode with diff output. The default playbook is user-level, uses become: false, and loads roles/dotfiles only. It does not apply privileged system or browser policy configuration.

Taskfile dependency bootstrap runs before Ansible and may install missing local prerequisites such as uv or git through pacman and sudo on Arch Linux. The dotfiles workflow can still replace managed destinations with symlinks and remove explicit legacy user paths, so review inventory/host_vars/this_host/dotfiles.yml before applying it on another account or fork.

Do not run go-task system or go-task browser-policies until you have reviewed managed /etc paths, Docker group behavior, SSHD/sysctl values, the system package manifest, and browser/Thunderbird/VS Code policy ownership.

Use read-only reports for a local view before applying changes:

go-task doctor
go-task dotfiles:plan
go-task system:report
go-task browser-policies:report

Project Evolution

tenhishadow/ans-workstation previously contained the standalone Arch Linux workstation automation. That layer has been consolidated into this repository. The consolidation did not change the execution boundary:

• go-task / playbook_install.yml remains user-level and sudo-free.
• go-task system / playbook_system.yml applies the opt-in system layer.
• go-task browser-policies / playbook_browser_policies.yml applies the opt-in browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy layer.

The default dotfiles install path must not apply privileged configuration.

Execution Layers

Layer	Command	Privileged	Purpose
User dotfiles	go-task	No	Link managed dotfiles into $HOME.
System workstation	go-task system:check / go-task system	Yes	Check or apply the opt-in Arch Linux workstation layer.
Browser policies	go-task browser-policies:check / go-task browser-policies	Yes	Check or apply opt-in browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policies.
Validation	go-task verify	No direct system apply	Run repository validation, linting, documentation checks, and smoke tests.

Check targets run after Taskfile dependency bootstrap. go-task system:check then runs playbook_system.yml in Ansible check mode with diff output.

Repository Layout

Path	Purpose
dotfiles/	Canonical user-level payload linked into $HOME.
inventory/host_vars/this_host/	Local host data split by dotfiles, system, security, and browser policy ownership.
playbook_install.yml	Default local user-level install playbook.
playbook_system.yml	Opt-in privileged Arch Linux workstation playbook.
playbook_browser_policies.yml	Opt-in privileged browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy playbook.
roles/dotfiles/	User-level dotfiles validation and symlink role.
roles/system/	Arch Linux workstation system provisioning role.
roles/browser_policies/	Enterprise browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy role.
docs/	Architecture, adoption, security, migration, and generated operator manuals.
.github/	GitHub Actions, issue forms, PR template, labeler, and release automation.
.test/	Isolated smoke-test fixtures and container test entry points.

Documentation

Document	Purpose
docs/architecture.md	Repository layer model and safety boundaries.
docs/adoption.md	Practical first-use and forking notes.
docs/security-notes.md	Security caveats for this personal workstation baseline.
docs/privacy-policy-surfaces.md	Managed privacy, policy, and user-dotfile surfaces.
docs/migration-from-ans-workstation.md	Location map for the former ans-workstation layer.
docs/github-labels.md	GitHub labeler pipeline and repository label expectations.
roles/system/README.md	System role managed paths, validation, and rollback notes.
roles/browser_policies/README.md	Browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy targets, variables, and rollback notes.

Common Tasks

Command	Purpose
go-task	Apply user-level dotfiles only.
go-task dotfiles:check	Dry-run the user-level dotfiles playbook with diff output.
go-task dotfiles:plan	Print existing user dotfile destinations and cleanup paths.
go-task doctor	Print read-only local tool, managed user-tool, Docker, user, and systemd availability.
go-task lint	Run ansible-lint for playbooks, inventory, and roles.
go-task yamllint	Run YAML linting through the pinned uv environment.
go-task vint	Run Vint with Neovim syntax enabled for Vimscript payloads.
go-task docs:nvim-keymaps	Regenerate the Neovim keymap manual.
go-task docs:nvim-keymaps:check	Check that the generated Neovim keymap manual is current.
go-task verify	Run the full local aggregate validation path, including Super-Linter.
go-task superlinter	Run the GitHub Super-Linter container locally.
go-task test:nvim	Run the isolated Neovim smoke test.
go-task test:nvim:mason-tools	Validate configured Mason package names against the Mason registry.
go-task test:nvim:profile	Run the Neovim smoke test, then print startup and loaded-plugin counts.
go-task system:list	List tasks in the opt-in system playbook.
go-task system:report	Print managed system paths and local Docker/SSHD status.
go-task system:check	Bootstrap dependencies, then dry-run the opt-in system playbook.
go-task system	Apply the opt-in system playbook.
go-task test:system	Run the system role smoke and idempotency test in an Arch Linux container.
go-task browser-policies:report	Print managed browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy app versions and expected policy paths.
go-task browser-policies:check	Dry-run system browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy management.
go-task browser-policies	Apply system browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy management.
go-task pacdiff	List pending pacman .pacnew and .pacsave files.

User Dotfiles

User dotfiles are managed by playbook_install.yml with:

• connection: local
• become: false
• roles/dotfiles
• explicit symlink mappings from inventory/host_vars/this_host/dotfiles.yml
• explicit cleanup entries from dotfiles_cleanup_paths

Add new managed payload files under dotfiles/ and add matching mapping entries in inventory/host_vars/this_host/dotfiles.yml. Mapping entries use name, repository-relative payload, and absolute dest; the role computes the source path and creates destination parent directories automatically. Do not add secrets, browser profiles, caches, local databases, generated test workspaces, SSH private keys, or GPG private keys.

The managed user payload includes privacy-focused configs for Gemini CLI, K9s, Git Delta, Terraform CLI, bat, ripgrep, btop, direnv, npm, Yarn, and pip. These configs are normal dotfiles and do not include account state, kubeconfigs, tokens, private registries, AI conversation history, or runtime profiles. See docs/privacy-policy-surfaces.md for the managed surface list and intentionally unmanaged files.

Generated xdg-user-dirs state such as ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs is not managed. xdg-user-dirs-update rewrites that path as a regular local file, so linking it from the repository would make the default dotfiles run non-idempotent.

go-task doctor reports availability and versions for these managed user tools without reading credentials, kubeconfigs, cloud auth, browser profiles, or mail profiles.

Neovim

The Neovim payload uses a structured lazy.nvim setup:

• init.lua loads core config first, then the plugin layer.
• lua/config/lazy.lua bootstraps lazy.nvim and honors the pinned lazy.nvim commit in lazy-lock.json.
• lua/config/languages.lua is the shared source for Tree-sitter languages and install requirements, LSP server binaries, Mason package lists, formatters, and linters.
• lua/config/filetypes.lua owns plugin-independent filetype detection so filetype-lazy plugins work for the first opened buffer.
• lua/config/keymaps_spec.lua is the source of truth for user-facing keymaps and generated keymap documentation.
• lua/plugins/ contains all plugin specs; there is no separate kickstart plugin layer.
• Automatic linting is save-triggered and limited to lightweight file-local linters. Heavier project-wide linters are available manually through :DotfilesLintManual or explicit validation commands for Kubernetes, Helm, Kustomize, Terraform/OpenTofu, Trivy, Gitleaks, and Semgrep.
• Formatters are configured for explicit manual use only. Saving a file must not auto-format content or strip whitespace.
• NVIM_USE_MASON=off is the default. auto makes already-installed Mason tools available without startup installs; always allows Mason to install configured missing tools on startup.
• Unused Node.js, Perl, and Ruby remote plugin providers are disabled by default; Python remains enabled for python-pynvim.

Neovim 0.11.3+ gets the modern LSP path via vim.lsp.config() and vim.lsp.enable(). Older Neovim versions keep the core editor config and skip the LSP plugin layer because current upstream nvim-lspconfig requires Neovim 0.11.3+. Tree-sitter parser installs need the tree-sitter CLI (tree-sitter-cli on Arch Linux), a C compiler, and curl; go-task test:nvim skips that parser install step when those tools are missing instead of producing noisy compile failures. Cold installs are validated by go-task test:nvim, including a lockfile drift check after Lazy restore and Mason registry package-name validation for configured Mason tools. Startup-sensitive changes can be measured with go-task test:nvim:profile. User-facing keymaps are documented in docs/nvim-keymaps.md; regenerate it with go-task docs:nvim-keymaps after keymap changes.

Inventory Ownership

Host variables are split by ownership to keep reviews small and reduce accidental conflicts:

File	Owns
inventory/host_vars/this_host/dotfiles.yml	User-level mappings, extra directories, and cleanup paths.
inventory/host_vars/this_host/system.yml	Non-security system settings such as MOTD and journald.
inventory/host_vars/this_host/security.yml	SSHD, sysctl, and limits security-sensitive workstation settings.
inventory/host_vars/this_host/browser_policies.yml	Browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code policy overrides.

Keep host variables role-prefixed: dotfiles_*, system_*, or browser_policies_*. Upstream configuration keys inside settings maps keep their native casing, for example SSHD, journald, sysctl, Chromium, Firefox, and VS Code policy keys.

System Layer

System-wide workstation configuration is opt-in:

go-task system:check
go-task system

This path runs playbook_system.yml, uses roles/system, and may require sudo. It manages Arch Linux packages, system drop-ins, selected /etc configuration, sysctl values, PAM limits, Docker daemon and overlay settings, cron, reflector, and laptop-related settings.

The system role ships role-owned default tuning for workstation use:

• sysctl defaults for unprivileged BPF, fq, BBR, somaxconn, and local port range.
• PAM limits through /etc/security/limits.d/10-dotfiles.conf.
• Docker overlay module options through /etc/modprobe.d/99-dotfiles-overlay.conf.

Host-specific additions and overrides belong in inventory/host_vars/this_host/security.yml; keep role-owned defaults in roles/system/defaults/main.yml.

See roles/system/README.md for managed paths, validation, and rollback notes.

Browser Policies

Browser, Thunderbird, and VS Code enterprise policies are opt-in:

go-task browser-policies:check
go-task browser-policies

This path writes root-owned policy files under /etc and intentionally does not manage runtime browser, Thunderbird, or VS Code profile state. See roles/browser_policies/README.md for variables, validation, and rollback notes.

Validation

Use the narrowest validation that covers the change:

git diff --check
go-task lint
go-task yamllint
go-task vint

Use the aggregate local check before finishing broad repository, role, inventory, documentation, or automation changes:

go-task verify

go-task verify includes the GitHub Super-Linter container and requires a running Docker daemon. Use the narrower area-specific checks above only when Docker is unavailable and state that limitation in review notes.

Additional checks by area:

• User dotfiles or symlink mappings: go-task dotfiles:check, then go-task
• Full local validation, including Super-Linter and JSCPD: go-task verify
• Vimscript payloads: go-task vint
• Neovim keymap docs: go-task docs:nvim-keymaps:check
• Neovim config: go-task test:nvim
• Neovim Mason tool inventory: go-task test:nvim:mason-tools
• Neovim startup-sensitive changes: go-task test:nvim:profile
• System role behavior: go-task system:check and go-task test:system
• Browser policy behavior: go-task browser-policies:check
• CI or repository-wide lint changes: go-task superlinter

go-task verify and go-task superlinter require Docker.

Repository Automation

GitHub issue forms and the PR template live under .github/. The labeler is path-based and mirrors the current repository structure, including dotfiles, inventory, roles, tests, automation, and AI instructions. Label expectations are documented in docs/github-labels.md.

GitHub Copilot review guidance lives in .github/copilot-instructions.md, with path-specific rules under .github/instructions/.

Renovate manages supported dependency updates for GitHub Actions, pre-commit, Ansible Galaxy requirements, the Python toolchain, and the Super-Linter Docker image referenced by Taskfile.yml. Renovate intentionally ignores .test/ fixtures because they are detector and smoke-test inputs, not repository dependency surfaces.

Use go-task deps-upgrade for local, reviewable dependency refreshes. It updates uv.lock, refreshes the installed Ansible Galaxy collections allowed by requirements.yml, runs pre-commit autoupdate, updates Neovim lazy-lock.json, and validates Renovate config. GitHub Actions are updated by Renovate PRs; use go-task deps-report:github-actions when you want a local Renovate extraction/dry-run report for workflow dependencies.

Documentation and AI instructions are part of the repository contract. Update README.md, the nearest AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, and path-specific .github/instructions/*.instructions.md whenever commands, roles, inventory ownership, validation paths, automation, or runtime behavior change.

Safety Notes

• Keep the default go-task workflow sudo-free.
• Keep privileged behavior behind explicit opt-in tasks.
• Prefer drop-ins and snippets over editing upstream main config files where supported.
• Keep generated and machine-local state out of git.
• Keep repository text, comments, and documentation in English.