macOS setup · terminal workflow · measured performance

dot-files

My working setup for Ghostty, zsh, Bash, Vim, tmux, Git, and repeatable machine configuration. Small tools, explicit trade-offs, and checks I can rerun.

Set up the dotfiles

On a Mac, clone the repository and run the setup script. It installs the command-line tools, Ghostty, Oh My Zsh, and pinned Vim plugins, links the configuration files, and checks that everything loads correctly.

These commands require Homebrew and brew in your shell. On a new Mac, finish the Apple Command Line Tools installation if the first git command prompts for it, then retry. The installer also configures the required RVM Ruby versions.

git clone https://github.com/marianposaceanu/dot-files.git ~/dot-files
cd ~/dot-files
brew install borkdude/brew/babashka
bb bootstrap/install_macos.clj
Review before you run it The installer replaces supported configuration files with symlinks. If a file already exists, it moves it to a timestamped backup first. The script is safe to run again if setup is interrupted or the repository changes.
  1. zoxide: smarter directory jumping in Zsh
    Learn frequently visited directories, jump with short keyword queries, and use FZF when more than one destination looks right.

Configuration source

The articles explain the workflow. These links go directly to the files that implement it.

  • .vim/Vim plugins and local extensions
  • .zshrcShell navigation and command-line tools
  • .tmux.confRemote and persistent terminal sessions
  • llm-harnesses/Amp, Codex, and Claude Code configuration
  • bootstrap/Installation, validation, backups, and environment checks

Custom tools

These projects are maintained alongside the dotfiles. Marian’s Homebrew tap provides the command-line tools and optional native builds.

  • mextdisplayEnable and disable external displays on Apple Silicon Macs. Install with brew install marianposaceanu/tap/mextdisplay.
  • rzSave and restore Ghostty workspaces. Install with brew install marianposaceanu/tap/rz; see the Ghostty quick start.
  • Safari Tab WeightInspect the current Safari tab’s observable resource weight and page structure. Build and enable it using the standalone project’s Xcode instructions.
  • brew nativeCompile Vim, Git, ripgrep, and Universal Ctags for the local Apple CPU through the Homebrew tap.

macOS and measured performance

  1. What Low Power Mode costs on an M4 MacBook Air
    Local SHA-256 and Speedometer 3.1 measurements, raw results, CSS comparisons, methodology, caveats, and a reproducible harness.
  2. Build Vim, Git, ripgrep, and Ctags for your Apple CPU with Homebrew
    Step-by-step guide to compiling with -O3 -mcpu=apple-mN for the detected Apple Silicon CPU via the dedicated Homebrew tap, with the one-command script, every manual step, verification, upgrades, and the pitfalls.
  3. Native Apple Silicon builds for Vim, ripgrep, Ctags, and Git
    Same-version Homebrew rebuilds with native CPU targeting, LTO, optional PGO, atomic rollback, and honest benchmarks ranging from clear gains to no measurable change.

Ghostty sessions and recovery

  1. Ghostty sessions that survive a full quit
    Native tabs and splits, macOS integration, a quick terminal, and rz snapshots that recover working directories, geometry, Codex conversation IDs, Amp thread IDs, Claude Code session IDs, optional scrollback, and tab-owned automatic backups without a global service.

Vim field guide

  1. Fugitive for Vim: Git Status, Diff, Blame and Log
    Stage, diff, blame, browse history, and write Git objects without leaving Vim.
  2. fzf.vim: Fuzzy File, Text, Buffer and Git Search
    The commands and keys for navigating the repository through fzf and ripgrep.
  3. Custom Git helpers for Vim
    Inline blame and log search commands for tracing where a line came from.
  4. GoldenView: keep the active split larger
    Automatic golden-ratio resizing for multi-window Vim layouts.
  5. lightline.vim: the status line
    What each status-line segment shows and how the current theme is configured.
  6. NERDTree for Vim: File Navigation and Operations
    Open, navigate, re-root, and manage files from the tree sidebar.
  7. SuperTab: context-aware completion
    Insert-mode completion for keywords, paths, language-aware sources, and tags.
  8. Tabular: align text by a pattern
    Repeatable alignment for assignments, hashes, lists, and Markdown tables.
  9. vim-commentary: comment with motions
    Comment lines, selections, paragraphs, and text objects using normal Vim motions.
  10. vim-endwise: automatic closing keywords
    Automatic endings for Ruby, shell, Vim script, Lua, Elixir, and similar languages.
  11. vim-gitgutter: work with changed hunks
    Navigate, preview, stage, undo, and inspect changes from the sign column.
  12. vim-repeat: make plugin edits repeatable
    Extend Vim's dot command to surround, commentary, and other plugin mappings.
  13. vim-rhubarb: open Vim context on GitHub
    Browse files, selected lines, commits, and branches through fugitive.
  14. vim-rooter: Keep Vim at the Project Root
    Keep fuzzy search, ripgrep, and Git commands anchored to the current project.
  15. vim-surround: Add, Change and Delete Quotes, Brackets and Tags
    Practical key sequences for quotes, brackets, parentheses, and HTML tags.