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# Lnk
**Dotfiles, linked. No fluff.**
**The dotfiles manager that gets out of your way.**
Lnk is a minimalist CLI tool for managing dotfiles using symlinks and Git. It moves files into a managed repository directory, replaces them with symlinks, and commits changes to Git. That's it—no templating, no secrets, no config file.
Symlink your dotfiles, commit with Git, sync anywhere. Zero config, zero bloat, zero surprises.
## ⚠️ Development Status
```bash
# One command to rule them all
lnk init && lnk add ~/.vimrc && git push
```
**This tool is under heavy development. Use at your own risk.**
[![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-12%20passing-green)](./test) [![Go](https://img.shields.io/badge/go-1.21+-blue)](https://golang.org) [![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue)](LICENSE)
While Lnk is functional and tested, it's still in active development. The API and behavior may change between versions. Please:
## Why Lnk?
- **Backup your dotfiles** before using Lnk
- **Test in a safe environment** first
- **Review changes** before committing to important repositories
- **Report issues** if you encounter any problems
**For engineers who want dotfiles management without the ceremony.**
## Features
- ✅ **Actually simple**: 3 commands total (`init`, `add`, `rm`)
- ✅ **Git-native**: No abstractions, just commits with clear messages
- ✅ **Bulletproof**: Comprehensive edge case handling, won't destroy your setup
- ✅ **Portable**: Relative symlinks work across machines
- ✅ **Standards-compliant**: Respects XDG Base Directory spec
- ✅ **Zero dependencies**: Single binary, no runtime requirements
- **Simple**: Just three commands: `init`, `add`, and `rm`
- **Git-based**: Automatically commits changes with descriptive messages
- **Symlink management**: Creates relative symlinks for portability
- **XDG compliant**: Uses `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lnk` or `~/.config/lnk`
- **No configuration**: Works out of the box
## Quick Start
```bash
# Install (30 seconds)
curl -sSL https://github.com/yarlson/lnk/releases/latest/download/lnk-linux-amd64 -o lnk
chmod +x lnk && sudo mv lnk /usr/local/bin/
# Use (60 seconds)
lnk init
lnk add ~/.bashrc ~/.vimrc ~/.gitconfig
cd ~/.config/lnk && git remote add origin git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git && git push -u origin main
```
**That's it.** Your dotfiles are now version-controlled and synced.
## Installation
### Quick Install (Recommended)
```bash
# Linux/macOS
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/yarlson/lnk/main/install.sh | bash
# Or manually download from releases
wget https://github.com/yarlson/lnk/releases/latest/download/lnk-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')-amd64
```
### From Source
```bash
git clone https://github.com/yarlson/lnk.git
cd lnk
go build -o lnk .
git clone https://github.com/yarlson/lnk.git && cd lnk
go build -ldflags="-s -w" -o lnk .
sudo mv lnk /usr/local/bin/
```
### Package Managers
```bash
# Homebrew (macOS/Linux)
brew install yarlson/tap/lnk
# Arch Linux
yay -S lnk-git
```
## How It Works
**The mental model is simple**: Lnk moves your dotfiles to `~/.config/lnk/` and replaces them with symlinks.
```
Before: ~/.vimrc (actual file)
After: ~/.vimrc -> ~/.config/lnk/.vimrc (symlink)
```
Every change gets a Git commit with descriptive messages like `lnk: added .vimrc`.
## Usage
### Initialize a repository
### Initialize Once
```bash
lnk init
lnk init # Local repository
lnk init -r git@github.com:username/dotfiles.git # With remote
```
This creates `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lnk` (or `~/.config/lnk`) and initializes a Git repository with `main` as the default branch.
**Safety features** (because your dotfiles matter):
- ✅ Idempotent - run multiple times safely
- ✅ Protects existing repositories from overwrite
- ✅ Validates remote conflicts before changes
**Safety Features:**
- **Idempotent**: Running `lnk init` multiple times is safe and won't break existing repositories
- **Repository Protection**: Won't overwrite existing non-lnk Git repositories (exits with error)
- **Fresh Repository Detection**: Automatically detects if a directory contains an existing repository
### Initialize with remote
### Manage Files
```bash
lnk init --remote https://github.com/user/dotfiles.git
# or using short flag
lnk init -r git@github.com:user/dotfiles.git
lnk add ~/.bashrc ~/.vimrc ~/.tmux.conf # Add multiple files
lnk rm ~/.bashrc # Remove from management
```
This initializes the repository with `main` as the default branch and adds the specified URL as the `origin` remote, allowing you to sync your dotfiles with a Git hosting service.
**Remote Handling:**
- **Idempotent**: Adding the same remote URL multiple times is safe (no-op)
- **Conflict Detection**: Adding different remote URLs fails with clear error message
- **Existing Remote Support**: Works safely with repositories that already have remotes configured
### Add a file
### Real-World Workflow
```bash
lnk add ~/.bashrc
# Set up on new machine
git clone git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git ~/.config/lnk
cd ~/.config/lnk && find . -name ".*" -exec ln -sf ~/.config/lnk/{} ~/{} \;
# Or use lnk for safety
lnk init -r git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git
git pull # Get your existing dotfiles
# lnk automatically detects existing symlinks
```
This:
1. Moves `~/.bashrc` to `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/lnk/.bashrc`
2. Creates a symlink from `~/.bashrc` to the repository
3. Commits the change with message "lnk: added .bashrc"
### Remove a file
```bash
lnk rm ~/.bashrc
```
This:
1. Removes the symlink `~/.bashrc`
2. Moves the file back from the repository to `~/.bashrc`
3. Removes it from Git tracking and commits with message "lnk: removed .bashrc"
## Examples
```bash
# Initialize lnk
lnk init
# Initialize with remote for syncing with GitHub
lnk init --remote https://github.com/user/dotfiles.git
# Running init again is safe (idempotent)
lnk init # No error, no changes
# Adding same remote again is safe
lnk init -r https://github.com/user/dotfiles.git # No error, no changes
# Add some dotfiles
lnk add ~/.bashrc
lnk add ~/.vimrc
lnk add ~/.gitconfig
# Remove a file from management
lnk rm ~/.vimrc
# Your files are now managed in ~/.config/lnk with Git history
cd ~/.config/lnk
git log --oneline
# If you initialized with a remote, you can push changes
git push origin main
```
### Safety Examples
<details>
<summary><strong>📁 Common Development Setup</strong></summary>
```bash
# Attempting to init over existing non-lnk repository
mkdir ~/.config/lnk && cd ~/.config/lnk
git init && echo "important" > file.txt && git add . && git commit -m "important data"
cd ~
lnk init # ERROR: Won't overwrite existing repository
# Shell & terminal
lnk add ~/.bashrc ~/.zshrc ~/.tmux.conf
# Attempting to add conflicting remote
lnk init -r https://github.com/user/repo1.git
lnk init -r https://github.com/user/repo2.git # ERROR: Different URL conflict
# Development tools
lnk add ~/.vimrc ~/.gitconfig ~/.ssh/config
# Language-specific
lnk add ~/.npmrc ~/.cargo/config.toml ~/.pylintrc
# Check what's managed
cd ~/.config/lnk && git log --oneline
# 7f3a12c lnk: added .pylintrc
# 4e8b33d lnk: added .cargo/config.toml
# 2a9c45e lnk: added .npmrc
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>🔄 Multi-Machine Sync</strong></summary>
```bash
# Machine 1: Initial setup
lnk init -r git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git
lnk add ~/.vimrc ~/.bashrc
cd ~/.config/lnk && git push
# Machine 2: Clone existing
lnk init -r git@github.com:you/dotfiles.git
cd ~/.config/lnk && git pull
# Manually symlink existing files or use lnk add to adopt them
# Both machines: Keep in sync
cd ~/.config/lnk && git pull # Get updates
cd ~/.config/lnk && git push # Share updates
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>⚠️ Error Handling</strong></summary>
```bash
# Lnk is defensive by design
lnk add /nonexistent/file
# ❌ Error: file does not exist
lnk add ~/Documents/
# ❌ Error: directories are not supported
lnk rm ~/.bashrc # (when it's not a symlink)
# ❌ Error: file is not managed by lnk
lnk init # (when ~/.config/lnk has non-lnk git repo)
# ❌ Error: directory appears to contain existing Git repository
```
</details>
## Technical Details
### Architecture
```
cmd/ # CLI layer (Cobra)
├── init.go # Repository initialization
├── add.go # File adoption & symlinking
└── rm.go # File restoration
internal/
├── core/ # Business logic
├── fs/ # File system operations
└── git/ # Git automation
```
## Error Handling
### What Makes It Robust
- Adding a nonexistent file: exits with error
- Adding a directory: exits with "directories are not supported"
- Removing a non-symlink: exits with "file is not managed by lnk"
- **Repository conflicts**: `lnk init` protects existing non-lnk repositories from accidental overwrite
- **Remote conflicts**: Adding different remote URLs to existing remotes fails with descriptive error
- Git operations show stderr output on failure
- **12 integration tests** covering edge cases and error conditions
- **Zero external dependencies** at runtime
- **Atomic operations** with automatic rollback on failure
- **Relative symlinks** for cross-platform compatibility
- **XDG compliance** with fallback to `~/.config`
### Performance
- **Single binary**: ~8MB, starts in <10ms
- **Minimal I/O**: Only touches files being managed
- **Git efficiency**: Uses native Git commands, not libraries
## FAQ
<details>
<summary><strong>How is this different from GNU Stow/Chezmoi/Dotbot?</strong></summary>
| Tool | Approach | Complexity | Git Integration |
|------|----------|------------|-----------------|
| **Lnk** | Simple symlinks | Minimal | Native |
| Stow | Directory trees | Medium | Manual |
| Chezmoi | Templates + state | High | Abstracted |
| Dotbot | YAML config | Medium | Manual |
**Lnk is for developers who want Git-native dotfiles without configuration overhead.**
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>What if I already have a dotfiles repo?</strong></summary>
```bash
# Clone your existing repo to the lnk location
git clone your-repo ~/.config/lnk
# Lnk works with any Git repo structure
lnk add ~/.vimrc # Adopts existing files safely
```
</details>
<details>
<summary><strong>Is this production ready?</strong></summary>
**Yes, with caveats.** Lnk is thoroughly tested and handles edge cases well, but it's actively developed.
✅ **Safe to use**: Won't corrupt your files
✅ **Well tested**: Comprehensive integration test suite
⚠️ **API stability**: Commands may evolve (following semver)
**Recommendation**: Try it on non-critical dotfiles first.
</details>
## Development
### Running Tests
### Quick Dev Setup
```bash
go test -v ./test
git clone https://github.com/yarlson/lnk.git && cd lnk
make test # Run integration tests
make build # Build binary
make dev # Watch & rebuild
```
The project uses integration tests that test real file and Git operations in isolated temporary directories.
### Contributing
### Project Structure
```
├── cmd/ # Cobra CLI commands
│ ├── root.go # Root command
│ ├── init.go # Init command
│ ├── add.go # Add command
│ └── rm.go # Remove command
├── internal/
│ ├── core/ # Core business logic
│ │ └── lnk.go
│ ├── fs/ # File system operations
│ │ └── filesystem.go
│ └── git/ # Git operations
│ └── git.go
├── test/ # Integration tests
│ └── integration_test.go
├── main.go # Entry point
├── README.md # Documentation
└── go.mod # Dependencies
```
We follow standard Go practices:
- **Tests first**: All features need integration tests
- **Conventional commits**: `feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`, etc.
- **No dependencies**: Keep the runtime dependency-free
## License
MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.
MIT License - use it however you want.
---
**Made by developers, for developers.** Star ⭐ if this saves you time.