TheLocehiliosan_yadm/yadm.md

NAME

   yadm - Yet Another Dotfiles Manager

SYNOPSIS

   yadm command [options]

   yadm git-command-or-alias [options]

   yadm init [-f] [-w directory]

   yadm clone url [-f] [-w directory] [--bootstrap] [--no-bootstrap]

   yadm config name [value]

   yadm config [-e]

   yadm list [-a]

   yadm bootstrap

   yadm encrypt

   yadm enter

   yadm decrypt [-l]

   yadm alt

   yadm perms

   yadm introspect category

DESCRIPTION

   yadm  is a tool for managing a collection of files across multiple com-
   puters, using a shared Git repository.  In addition,  yadm  provides  a
   feature  to  select  alternate versions of files based on the operating
   system or host name.  Lastly, yadm supplies the  ability  to  manage  a
   subset of secure files, which are encrypted before they are included in
   the repository.

COMMANDS

   git-command or git-alias
          Any command not internally handled by yadm is passed through  to
          git(1).   Git commands or aliases are invoked with the yadm man-
          aged repository.  The working directory for Git commands will be
          the configured work-tree (usually $HOME).

          Dotfiles  are  managed by using standard git commands; add, com-
          mit, push, pull, etc.

          The config command is not passed directly through.  Instead  use
          the gitconfig command (see below).

   alt    Create  symbolic  links and process Jinja templates for any man-
          aged files matching the naming rules described in the ALTERNATES
          and  JINJA  sections. It is usually unnecessary to run this com-
          mand, as yadm automatically  processes  alternates  by  default.
          This  automatic behavior can be disabled by setting the configu-
          ration yadm.auto-alt to "false".

   bootstrap
          Execute $HOME/.yadm/bootstrap if it exists.

   clone url
          Clone a remote repository for tracking dotfiles.  After the con-
          tents  of  the remote repository have been fetched, a "merge" of
          origin/master is attempted.   If  there  are  conflicting  files
          already  present  in  the  work-tree,  this  merge will fail and
          instead a "reset" of origin/master will be done, followed  by  a
          "stash". This "stash" operation will preserve the original data.

          You can review the stashed conflicts by running the command

                 yadm stash show -p

          from within your $HOME directory. If you  want  to  restore  the
          stashed data, you can run

                 yadm stash apply
          or
                 yadm stash pop

          The  repository  is stored in $HOME/.yadm/repo.git.  By default,
          $HOME will be used as the work-tree, but this can be  overridden
          with the -w option.  yadm can be forced to overwrite an existing
          repository by providing the -f option.  By default yadm will ask
          the  user if the bootstrap program should be run (if it exists).
          The options --bootstrap or --no-bootstrap will either force  the
          bootstrap  to  be  run,  or  prevent  it from being run, without
          prompting the user.

   config This command manages  configurations  for  yadm.   This  command
          works  exactly  they way git-config(1) does.  See the CONFIGURA-
          TION section for more details.

   decrypt
          Decrypt  all  files  stored  in  $HOME/.yadm/files.gpg.    Files
          decrypted  will be relative to the configured work-tree (usually
          $HOME).  Using the -l option will list the files stored  without
          extracting them.

   encrypt
          Encrypt    all    files   matching   the   patterns   found   in
          $HOME/.yadm/encrypt.   See  the  ENCRYPTION  section  for   more
          details.

   enter  Run  a  sub-shell with all Git variables set. Exit the sub-shell
          the same way you leave  your  normal  shell  (usually  with  the
          "exit"  command).  This sub-shell can be used to easily interact
          with your yadm repository using "git" commands.  This  could  be
          useful  if  you  are  using  a tool which uses Git directly. For
          example, Emacs Tramp and Magit can manage files  by  using  this
          configuration:
              (add-to-list 'tramp-methods
                   '("yadm"
                     (tramp-login-program "yadm")
                     (tramp-login-args (("enter")))
                     (tramp-remote-shell "/bin/sh")
                     (tramp-remote-shell-args ("-c"))))

   gitconfig
          Pass  options to the git config command. Since yadm already uses
          the config command to manage its own configurations,  this  com-
          mand is provided as a way to change configurations of the repos-
          itory managed by yadm.  One useful case might  be  to  configure
          the  repository so untracked files are shown in status commands.
          yadm initially configures its repository so that untracked files
          are  not  shown.   If  you wish use the default Git behavior (to
          show untracked files and directories), you can remove this  con-
          figuration.

                 yadm gitconfig --unset status.showUntrackedFiles

   help   Print a summary of yadm commands.

   init   Initialize  a  new, empty repository for tracking dotfiles.  The
          repository is stored in $HOME/.yadm/repo.git.  By default, $HOME
          will  be  used as the work-tree, but this can be overridden with
          the -w option.  yadm can be  forced  to  overwrite  an  existing
          repository by providing the -f option.

   list   Print a list of files managed by yadm.  The -a option will cause
          all managed files to be listed.  Otherwise, the list  will  only
          include files from the current directory or below.

   introspect category
          Report  internal  yadm  data. Supported categories are commands,
          configs, repo, and switches.  The purpose of introspection is to
          support command line completion.

   perms  Update  permissions as described in the PERMISSIONS section.  It
          is usually unnecessary to run this command,  as  yadm  automati-
          cally processes permissions by default.  This automatic behavior
          can be disabled by setting the configuration yadm.auto-perms  to
          "false".

   version
          Print the version of yadm.

OPTIONS

   yadm  supports a set of universal options that alter the paths it uses.
   The default paths are documented in the FILES section.  Any path speci-
   fied  by  these options must be fully qualified.  If you always want to
   override one or more of these paths, it may  be  useful  to  create  an
   alias  for the yadm command.  For example, the following alias could be
   used to override the repository directory.

          alias yadm='yadm --yadm-repo /alternate/path/to/repo'

   The following is the full  list  of  universal  options.   Each  option
   should be followed by a fully qualified path.

   -Y,--yadm-dir
          Override  the  yadm directory.  yadm stores its data relative to
          this directory.

   --yadm-repo
          Override the location of the yadm repository.

   --yadm-config
          Override the location of the yadm configuration file.

   --yadm-encrypt
          Override the location of the yadm encryption configuration.

   --yadm-archive
          Override the location of the yadm encrypted files archive.

   --yadm-bootstrap
          Override the location of the yadm bootstrap program.

CONFIGURATION

   yadm uses a configuration file  named  $HOME/.yadm/config.   This  file
   uses  the same format as git-config(1).  Also, you can control the con-
   tents of the configuration file via  the  yadm  config  command  (which
   works exactly like git-config).  For example, to disable alternates you
   can run the command:

          yadm config yadm.auto-alt false

   The following is the full list of supported configurations:

   yadm.auto-alt
          Disable the automatic linking described in  the  section  ALTER-
          NATES.  If disabled, you may still run yadm alt manually to cre-
          ate the alternate links.  This feature is enabled by default.

   yadm.auto-perms
          Disable the automatic permission changes described in  the  sec-
          tion  PERMISSIONS.   If  disabled,  you may still run yadm perms
          manually to update permissions.   This  feature  is  enabled  by
          default.

   yadm.ssh-perms
          Disable the permission changes to $HOME/.ssh/*.  This feature is
          enabled by default.

   yadm.gpg-perms
          Disable the permission changes to $HOME/.gnupg/*.  This  feature
          is enabled by default.

   yadm.gpg-recipient
          Asymmetrically encrypt files with a gpg public/private key pair.
          Provide a "key ID" to specify which public key to encrypt  with.
          The  key  must  exist in your public keyrings.  If left blank or
          not provided, symmetric encryption is used instead.  If  set  to
          "ASK",  gpg  will  interactively  ask  for  recipients.  See the
          ENCRYPTION section for more details.  This feature  is  disabled
          by default.

   yadm.gpg-program
          Specify  an  alternate  program  to  use  instead  of "gpg".  By
          default, the first "gpg" found in $PATH is used.

   yadm.git-program
          Specify an alternate  program  to  use  instead  of  "git".   By
          default, the first "git" found in $PATH is used.

   These   last   four  "local"  configurations  are  not  stored  in  the
   $HOME/.yadm/config, they are stored in the local repository.


   local.class
          Specify a CLASS for the purpose of symlinking  alternate  files.
          By default, no CLASS will be matched.

   local.os
          Override the OS for the purpose of symlinking alternate files.

   local.hostname
          Override  the  HOSTNAME  for the purpose of symlinking alternate
          files.

   local.user
          Override the USER for the purpose of symlinking alternate files.

ALTERNATES

   When managing a set of files across different systems, it can be useful
   to have an automated way of choosing an alternate version of a file for
   a different operating system, host, or user.  yadm implements a feature
   which will automatically create a symbolic link to the appropriate ver-
   sion  of  a  file,  as long as you follow a specific naming convention.
   yadm can detect files with names ending in any of the following:

     ##
     ##CLASS
     ##CLASS.OS
     ##CLASS.OS.HOSTNAME
     ##CLASS.OS.HOSTNAME.USER
     ##OS
     ##OS.HOSTNAME
     ##OS.HOSTNAME.USER

   If there are any files managed  by  yadm's  repository,  or  listed  in
   $HOME/.yadm/encrypt, which match this naming convention, symbolic links
   will be created for the most appropriate version.   This  may  best  be
   demonstrated  by  example.  Assume  the  following files are managed by
   yadm's repository:

     - $HOME/path/example.txt##
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Work
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Darwin
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Darwin.host1
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Darwin.host2
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Linux
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Linux.host1
     - $HOME/path/example.txt##Linux.host2

   If running on a Macbook named "host2", yadm will create a symbolic link
   which looks like this:

   $HOME/path/example.txt -> $HOME/path/example.txt##Darwin.host2

   However, on another Mackbook named "host3", yadm will create a symbolic
   link which looks like this:

   $HOME/path/example.txt -> $HOME/path/example.txt##Darwin

   Since the hostname doesn't match any of the  managed  files,  the  more
   generic version is chosen.

   If running on a Linux server named "host4", the link will be:

   $HOME/path/example.txt -> $HOME/path/example.txt##Linux

   If running on a Solaris server, the link use the default "##" version:

   $HOME/path/example.txt -> $HOME/path/example.txt##

   If running on a system, with CLASS set to "Work", the link will be:

   $HOME/path/example.txt -> $HOME/path/example.txt##WORK

   If no "##" version exists and no files match the current CLASS/OS/HOST-
   NAME/USER, then no link will be created.

   Links are also created for directories named this way, as long as  they
   have at least one yadm managed file within them.

   CLASS  must  be manually set using yadm config local.class <class>.  OS
   is determined by running uname -s, HOSTNAME by  running  hostname,  and
   USER  by  running id -u -n.  yadm will automatically create these links
   by default. This can be disabled using the yadm.auto-alt configuration.
   Even if disabled, links can be manually created by running yadm alt.

   It  is possible to use "%" as a "wildcard" in place of CLASS, OS, HOST-
   NAME, or USER. For example, The following file could be linked for  any
   host when the user is "harvey".

   $HOME/path/example.txt##%.%.harvey

   CLASS  is  a special value which is stored locally on each host (inside
   the local repository). To use alternate symlinks using CLASS, you  must
   set  the  value  of class using the configuration local.class.  This is
   set like any other yadm configuration with the yadm config command. The
   following sets the CLASS to be "Work".

     yadm config local.class Work

   Similarly,  the  values of OS, HOSTNAME, and USER can be manually over-
   ridden using the configuration options  local.os,  local.hostname,  and
   local.user.

JINJA

   If  the  envtpl command is available, Jinja templates will also be pro-
   cessed to create or overwrite real files.  yadm will treat files ending
   in

     ##yadm.j2

   as  Jinja templates. During processing, the following variables are set
   according to the rules explained in the ALTERNATES section:

     YADM_CLASS
     YADM_OS
     YADM_HOSTNAME
     YADM_USER

   For example, a file named whatever##yadm.j2 with the following content

     {% if YADM_USER == 'harvey' -%}
     config={{YADM_CLASS}}-{{ YADM_OS }}
     {% else -%}
     config=dev-whatever
     {% endif -%}

   would output a file named whatever with the following  content  if  the
   user is "harvey":

     config=work-Linux

   and the following otherwise:

     config=dev-whatever

   See http://jinja.pocoo.org/ for an overview of Jinja.

ENCRYPTION

   It  can  be  useful to manage confidential files, like SSH or GPG keys,
   across multiple systems. However, doing so would put  plain  text  data
   into  a  Git  repository, which often resides on a public system.  yadm
   implements a feature which can make it easy to encrypt  and  decrypt  a
   set  of  files  so  the  encrypted version can be maintained in the Git
   repository.  This feature will only  work  if  the  gpg(1)  command  is
   available.

   To  use  this  feature, a list of patterns must be created and saved as
   $HOME/.yadm/encrypt.  This list of patterns should be relative  to  the
   configured work-tree (usually $HOME).  For example:

              .ssh/*.key
              .gnupg/*.gpg

   The yadm encrypt command will find all files matching the patterns, and
   prompt for a password. Once a  password  has  confirmed,  the  matching
   files  will  be encrypted and saved as $HOME/.yadm/files.gpg.  The pat-
   terns and files.gpg should be added to the yadm repository so they  are
   available across multiple systems.

   To decrypt these files later, or on another system run yadm decrypt and
   provide the correct password.  After files are  decrypted,  permissions
   are automatically updated as described in the PERMISSIONS section.

   Symmetric  encryption is used by default, but asymmetric encryption may
   be enabled using the yadm.gpg-recipient configuration.

   NOTE: It is recommended that you use a private repository when  keeping
   confidential files, even though they are encrypted.

PERMISSIONS

   When  files  are checked out of a Git repository, their initial permis-
   sions are dependent upon the user's umask. This can result in confiden-
   tial files with lax permissions.

   To prevent this, yadm will automatically update the permissions of con-
   fidential files.  The "group" and "others" permissions will be  removed
   from the following files:

   - $HOME/.yadm/files.gpg

   - All files matching patterns in $HOME/.yadm/encrypt

   - The SSH directory and files, .ssh/*

   - The GPG directory and files, .gnupg/*

   yadm will automatically update permissions by default. This can be dis-
   abled using the yadm.auto-perms configuration.  Even if disabled,  per-
   missions can be manually updated by running yadm perms.  The SSH direc-
   tory processing can be disabled using the yadm.ssh-perms configuration.

FILES

   The  following are the default paths yadm uses for its own data.  These
   paths can be altered using universal options.  See the OPTIONS  section
   for details.

   $HOME/.yadm
          The yadm directory. By default, all data yadm stores is relative
          to this directory.

   $YADM_DIR/config
          Configuration file for yadm.

   $YADM_DIR/repo.git
          Git repository used by yadm.

   $YADM_DIR/encrypt
          List of globs used for encrypt/decrypt

   $YADM_DIR/files.gpg
          All files encrypted with yadm encrypt are stored in this file.

EXAMPLES

   yadm init
          Create an empty repo for managing files

   yadm add .bash_profile ; yadm commit
          Add .bash_profile to the Git index and create a new commit

   yadm remote add origin <url>
          Add a remote origin to an existing repository

   yadm push -u origin master
          Initial push of master to origin

   echo .ssh/*.key >> $HOME/.yadm/encrypt
          Add a new pattern to the list of encrypted files

   yadm encrypt ; yadm add ~/.yadm/files.gpg ; yadm commit
          Commit a new set of encrypted files

REPORTING BUGS

   Report issues or create pull requests at GitHub:

   https://github.com/TheLocehiliosan/yadm/issues

AUTHOR

   Tim Byrne <sultan@locehilios.com>

SEE ALSO

   git(1), gpg(1)

   https://thelocehiliosan.github.io/yadm/