axelhamil/macos_config_from_scratch.md

## macos_config_from_scratch.md

      
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              macos_config_from_scratch.md
            
          
    ⚙️ macOS Dev Environment Setup

A clean and pragmatic guide to setting up a modern development environment on macOS, including:

🧃 Homebrew
🐱 Kitty terminal
🔐 Git + GitHub over SSH with signed commits
🧩 Dotfiles management using GNU Stow


🍺 Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Then add Homebrew to your shell:
echo >> /Users/{USERNAME}/.zprofile
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> /Users/{USERNAME}/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Replace {USERNAME} with your macOS user name.


🐱 Install Kitty Terminal

brew install kitty
Kitty's config file is located at:
~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf

🔠 Install Nerd Font


Visit nerdfonts.com/font-downloads
Download a font and install it (double-click the .ttf files)

Then, set it in your Kitty config:
font_family Your Nerd Font Name


🔐 Configure Git & GitHub with SSH and Signed Commits

Install Git

brew install git
git --version

Generate Your SSH Key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com" -f ~/.ssh/id_github
Add the key to the SSH agent:
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_github
Configure your SSH client:
vim ~/.ssh/config
Paste this:
Host github.com
  HostName github.com
  User git
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_github
  IdentitiesOnly yes


Add Your Key to GitHub

Display your public key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_github.pub
Copy it and add it to:

👉 GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys

Use the same key again as a "Signing Key" later.


Test the SSH Connection

ssh -T git@github.com
Expected output:
Hi {your_username}! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

🗂️ Set Up Dotfiles and Git Signing with SSH

Install GNU Stow and Create Your Dotfiles Structure

brew install stow

mkdir -p ~/dotfiles/git
cd ~/dotfiles
git init
cd ~/dotfiles/git
touch .gitconfig

Optional modular structure (recommended):
mkdir -p ~/dotfiles/{git,zsh,nvim,kitty}


Git Config with Signed Commits

In ~/dotfiles/git/.gitconfig:
[user]
  name = Your Name
  email = your@email.com
  signingkey = ~/.ssh/id_github

[commit]
  gpgsign = true

[gpg]
  format = ssh

[gpg "ssh"]
  allowedSignersFile = ~/.ssh/allowed_signers

Create the Allowed Signers File

Get your public key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_github.pub
Create the file:
echo "your@email.com ssh-ed25519 your_public_key" > ~/.ssh/allowed_signers
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/allowed_signers

Add the Signing Key on GitHub

Go to:

👉 GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys

Choose "Signing key" and paste the same public key.

Apply Dotfiles with stow

cd ~/dotfiles
stow git
Check the symlink:
ls -la $HOME
# You should see: .gitconfig -> ~/dotfiles/git/.gitconfig

Make a commit:
cd ~/dotfiles
git add .
git commit -m "Init dotfiles with Git config"
Then verify it's signed:
git log -1 --show-signature
If properly configured, GitHub will show a ✅ Verified badge next to your commits.

✅ You're All Set!

Your macOS dev environment is now:

Minimal
Portable
Secure
Craft-friendly


You can extend this setup with more stow modules (zsh, neovim, etc.) and version your full environment in Git.
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