Installation is idempotent: rerunning is safe, existing files are handled, and backups are created when required.
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/saltanovas/dotfiles/main/install.sh)"Some settings are not fully scriptable and must be configured manually. See the manual.
A shortcut should feel inevitable. Each modifier has a job; each letter gives a clue.
| Key | Territory |
|---|---|
| Right ⌘ | The Mac: apps, windows, clipboard, screenshots |
| Left ⌘ | The app in front of me; ⌘Space opens Raycast |
| ⌃ Control | The terminal; ⌃Space leads into tmux |
App shortcuts follow intent: Right ⌘A for AI, Right ⌘D for development, Right ⌘S for search etc. A small vocabulary that leaves room to grow.
The terminal still feels like a text editor: ⇧←/→ selects characters, ⌥⇧←/→ selects words, and ⌘C / ⌘X copies or cuts. Alacritty and Zsh keep those habits intact.
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Caps Lock also acts as Right ⌘. It felt awkward under my pinky at first, but habit caught up. It may eventually become my main leader and retire the physical Right Command key.
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Why no dedicated keyboard backlight keys? I remapped the two keys I use least—Dictation and Do Not Disturb (F5/F6)—to bring them back.
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Conflicting macOS shortcuts are disabled, giving these bindings room to work.
A few tools earn their place every day:
| Tool | What it does for me |
|---|---|
| Raycast | App launcher, window management, clipboard history, and snippets. One familiar place for the small things I do all day. |
| Alacritty → tmux → Zsh | Alacritty opens straight into tmux for sessions, windows, and panes, with Zsh as my shell. fzf-tab adds fuzzy completion, zsh-autosuggestions supplies inline suggestions, and custom bindings keep editing familiar. |
| MonitorControl | Brightness control for external displays. |
| mise | Development runtimes, configured per project. |
| ripgrep, fd, bat, fzf & tv | Faster, friendlier community-driven alternatives to the usual terminal tools. fzf and tv add interactive fuzzy finding for files, history, and more. |
I tried Hammerspoon, yabai, and skhd. The possibilities were appealing, but the setup and upkeep were more than I needed for launching apps and moving windows. Raycast covers my everyday needs with less to maintain.
The projects below inspired and helped to shape my dotfiles setup: