Manage system dotfiles with chezmoi

managing-chezmoiskillsetup L2★381

What it does

Manage dotfiles with chezmoi. Use when adding files to chezmoi, running chezmoi add/apply/diff/status, debugging why changes aren't appearing, working with chezmoi templates or .chezmoiignore, understanding source vs target files, resolving merge conflicts, or asking "how do I manage this file with chezmoi". For chezmoi command uncertainties, use Context7 to fetch latest docs.

Best for

Understanding and troubleshooting chezmoi source/target model without getting lost in manual file management

Inputs

· Target file path or new file to manage

Outputs

· Updated dotfiles in chezmoi source
· Applied to home directory

Requires

· chezmoi CLI

Preconditions

chezmoi installed; source directory at ~/.local/share/chezmoi

Failure modes

· Editing wrong side (target instead of source)
· Source file naming errors (missing dot_ prefix)
· Merge conflicts

Trust signals

· Decision tree for common situations
· Source vs target model explained
· Expertise checklist provided