Chezmoi

chezmoi dotfile management. apply - interactive diff review per file [apply.md], consolidate - merge duplicate templates [consolidate.md], cross-platform - Windows/macOS compatibility [cross-platform.md], doctor - check required files and copy if missing [doctor.md], mcp-sync - MCP server synchronization [mcp-sync.md]. For commit splitting → commit-splitter. Use when "chezmoi apply", "chezmoi diff", "diff review", "per-file apply", "chezmoi consolidate", "duplicate templates", "MCP sync", "chezmoi Windows", "cross platform", "utcp to mcp", "move to global mcp", "chezmoi mcp migration", "chezmoi doctor", "missing script", "SourceGit".

chezmoi dotfile template management and workflow automation.

Topics

Topic	Description	Guide
apply	Interactive diff review — per-file AskUserQuestion approval + commit-tidy	apply.md
consolidate	Detect duplicate modify templates and generate shared scripts	consolidate.md
cross-platform	macOS/Windows compatibility diagnostics and fixes	cross-platform.md
doctor	Check required files and auto-copy if missing	doctor.md
mcp-sync	MCP server configuration synchronization	mcp-sync.md

Related Skills

Feature	Skill
Commit splitting	commit-splitter

Quick Reference

Apply (Interactive Diff Review)

"chezmoi apply"             → Per-file diff review + AskUserQuestion approval
"chezmoi diff"              → Show all changes, decide per file

Consolidate (Template Merging)

"chezmoi check duplicates"  → Detect templates with identical content
"merge templates"           → Consolidate into shared scripts

Doctor (Environment Validation)

"chezmoi doctor"            → Check for required scripts
"missing script"            → Auto-copy scripts to ~/bin/

MCP Sync (MCP Synchronization)

"add MCP server"            → Add to mcp-servers.json and apply
"MCP sync"                  → Propagate MCP config to all apps

Directory Structure

~/.local/share/chezmoi/
├── .chezmoi-lib/              # Shared scripts
│   ├── executable_vscode-settings.sh
│   ├── executable_vscode-keybindings.sh
│   ├── executable_mcp-servers.sh
│   ├── executable_generate-utcp-config.sh
│   └── executable_sourcegit-preference.sh
├── .chezmoitemplates/         # Shared data
│   └── mcp-servers.json       # MCP server single source of truth
├── .chezmoiignore             # OS-specific path branching
├── modify_*.sh.tmpl           # Per-app modify templates
├── private_Library/           # macOS app settings
│   └── private_Application Support/
└── AppData/                   # Windows app settings
    ├── Roaming/               # %APPDATA%
    └── Local/                 # %LOCALAPPDATA%

Required Validation Before Apply

Always run chezmoi diff to review changes before any chezmoi apply.

# 1. Preview changes
chezmoi diff

# 2. Apply after user approval
chezmoi apply

• Skip apply if diff output is empty
• Show diff results to user and get approval via AskUserQuestion
• See the chezmoi section in ~/.agent/rules/iac.md