dot-man in 5 Minutes

Track your first dotfile and switch configurations. Each step shows the command, what you'll see, and why.

0:00 — Install

pip install dotman-git

0:30 — Initialize

dot-man init

Answer a few prompts. dot-man detects your shell configs and tracks the ones you confirm. You end with a git-backed repository under ~/.config/dot-man/ — that repository is your backup.

2:00 — Add a file

dot-man add ~/.bashrc

✓ Added file: /home/you/.bashrc
  Section: [bashrc]

📋 Next Steps:
  1. Run dot-man status to verify your tracked files
  2. Run dot-man navigate work to start a work configuration

Every command points at the next one — follow the suggestions.

3:00 — Check status

dot-man status

Summary: 0 modified, 1 new, 0 deleted, 0 identical

New files need a snapshot before they travel with you:

dot-man save "track bashrc"

4:00 — Navigate

dot-man navigate work

dot-man saves the current state, switches branch, and deploys the work configuration's files. Switch back anytime with dot-man navigate main.

5:00 — Done

Your dotfiles are tracked, snapshotted, and switchable. Where next:

• dot-man help-all — every command
• Hooks — run scripts around deploy and switches
• Template Variables — one repo for macOS and Linux
• Configuration — the full dot-man.toml reference