Chezmoi Reference

What problem does it solve?

Chezmoi Reference provides concise, actionable guidance for managing dotfiles across machines, removing confusion about filename conventions, template variables, script execution order, and common chezmoi commands so users can reliably version and apply configuration changes.

Core Features & Use Cases

• Comprehensive command reference for editing, diffing, applying, updating, and inspecting chezmoi-managed files.
• Clear file naming and prefix conventions (dot_, private_, executable_, .tmpl) with examples for combined prefixes and permission behaviors.
• Template system and variable reference covering .chezmoi.* variables, custom data merging, Sprig functions, and 1Password secret integration; includes script execution ordering and package management patterns for cross-machine setups.
• Use cases: onboarding a new machine with templated configs, adding and templating a new dotfile, debugging template data, and orchestrating run_once/run_onchange scripts.

Quick Start

Generate step-by-step instructions to add a new dotfile to chezmoi, convert it to a template using available variables, and apply the changes to the home directory across machines.