Installation

Get started with DotClaude in minutes with our safety-first approach.

Prerequisites

• macOS (tested on macOS Sonoma 14.5+)
• Basic terminal familiarity

That's it! The installer handles everything else (Homebrew, Git, Xcode CLI tools).

Quick Installation (Fresh Mac)

For a brand new Mac without SSH keys configured:

# One-liner bootstrap - works without SSH keys
curl -fsSL bootstrap.kormie.link | bash

Install Options

# Full installation (default) - all features
curl -fsSL bootstrap.kormie.link | bash

# Minimal installation - core only
curl -fsSL bootstrap.kormie.link | INSTALL_MODE=minimal bash

# Interactive installation - choose components
curl -fsSL bootstrap.kormie.link | INSTALL_MODE=interactive bash

Installation (With SSH Keys)

If you already have SSH keys configured with GitHub:

# Clone and install
git clone git@github.com:kormie/dotclaude.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles
./scripts/install.sh --all

Installation (HTTPS)

# Clone via HTTPS
git clone https://github.com/kormie/dotclaude.git ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles
./scripts/install.sh --all

What Gets Installed

The setup script installs modern CLI tools that coexist with your existing setup:

Tool	Purpose	Alias	Original
exa/eza	Enhanced ls	ll2	ls
bat	Syntax highlighting cat	cat2	cat
fd	Fast find alternative	find2	find
ripgrep	Ultra-fast grep	grep2	grep
delta	Better git diffs	(git integration)	-
difftastic	Syntax-aware diffs	git dtl	-
zoxide	Smart directory navigation	z	cd

Safety Features

Your existing setup remains completely untouched:

• ✅ All existing dotfiles are automatically backed up
• ✅ New tools use different command names (with 2 suffix)
• ✅ Original commands continue to work exactly as before
• ✅ Easy rollback if you want to remove anything

Next Steps

1. Quick Setup - Apply your first configurations
2. Safety Guide - Understand the backup/restore system
3. Linux Server Setup (Minimal Profile) - VPS bootstrap (tmux + vim-min + mosh + fzf/bat/zoxide)
4. Modern Tools - Learn about the new CLI tools

Verification

Verify your installation is working:

# Check tool availability
ll2        # Should show enhanced directory listing
cat2 --help # Should show bat help with syntax highlighting info
git lg     # Should show your preferred git log format

# Test Claude Code workspace (if claude-code is installed)
cw test-project feature-1 feature-2  # 'cw' is an alias for 'tmux-claude-workspace'

Troubleshooting

Command not found errors?

# Reload your shell configuration
source ~/.zshrc
# or
exec $SHELL

Need to rollback?

# Restore from automatic backup
./scripts/restore.sh

Still having issues? Check our troubleshooting guide or open an issue.

What's Next?

Once installation is complete, you're ready to:

• Apply your first configurations
• Launch Claude Code workspaces
• Explore the modern tools