Dotfiles

My personal dotfiles managed by chezmoi. Motto: "One Config to Rule Them All."

🚀 Installation

1. Prerequisites

• Bitwarden Account: You need a Bitwarden account with the following items:
  • Secure Notes: ssh-key-master-ed25519 and ssh-key-server-ed25519 (Private Keys).
    • Each item must have a custom field named exactly public_key containing the full SSH public key string (e.g., ssh-ed25519 AAAA... user@host). This field is read by authorized_keys.tmpl to populate ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on machines that accept SSH connections. Without it, authorized_keys will be empty.
  • Password: tailscale-auth-key (One-off key). Generate a new key for each new machine setup. Enable "Pre-approved" so devices auto-authorize.
• Internet: Required for package downloads.

2. Quick Start

🪟 Windows (PowerShell Administrator)

The script automatically installs chezmoi, bitwarden-cli, git, tailscale, and provisions keys.

• Option A: Interactive (Prompts for secrets):

  irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.ps1 | iex

• Option B: Automated (Zero-touch, will auto-delete .env):

  @("BW_EMAIL=user@mail.com", "BW_PASSWORD=pass", "ROLE=centaur", "HOSTNAME=chiron", "USER_NAME='vovanphu'", "EMAIL_ADDRESS='vovanphu1012@gmail.com'") | Set-Content .env; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.ps1 | iex

• Option C: Direct Environment Injection (No temporary files):

  $env:BW_EMAIL="user@mail.com"; $env:BW_PASSWORD="pass"; $env:ROLE="centaur"; $env:HOSTNAME="chiron"; $env:USER_NAME="vovanphu"; $env:EMAIL_ADDRESS="vovanphu1012@gmail.com"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.ps1 | iex

🐧 Linux / WSL

Handles dependency checks, Bitwarden authentication, and SSH agent reuse.

• Option A: Interactive:

  bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.sh)"

• Option B: Automated (Zero-touch, will auto-delete .env):

  echo "BW_EMAIL=user@mail.com" > .env; echo "BW_PASSWORD=pass" >> .env; echo "ROLE=centaur" >> .env; echo "USER_NAME='vovanphu'" >> .env; bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.sh)"

• Option C: Direct Environment Injection (No temporary files):

  export BW_EMAIL="user@mail.com" BW_PASSWORD="pass" ROLE="centaur" USER_NAME="vovanphu" EMAIL_ADDRESS="vovanphu1012@gmail.com" && bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vovanphu/arx/master/install.sh)"

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🤖 Role Selection: "The Mythos"

We use a Mythological Role System to categorize machines. The system uses capability-based configuration instead of hardcoded role checks.

Role Taxonomy

All 10 roles are centrally defined with capabilities in .chezmoi.yaml.tmpl. Each role has 5 capabilities:

• has_master_key - Gets master SSH key
• has_server_key - Gets server SSH key
• receives_ssh - Has authorized_keys configured
• is_server - Server-specific configuration (headless, limited shell history)
• install_desktop_tools - Installs GUI applications

Role	Core Concept	Typical Use Case	Capabilities
centaur	The Wise Commander	Laptop/Mac. Admin, Management.	🔑 Master Key, 🖥️ Desktop
chimera	The Hybrid Beast	Windows Workstation + WSL.	🔑 Master + Server Keys, 🔐 SSH, 🖥️ Desktop
griffin	The Guardian	Portable Debit/KVM Lab.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖥️ Desktop
hydra	The Undying Cluster	Proxmox Host.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
cyclops	The Strong	General Purpose Server.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
kraken	The Deep Storage	Database Server.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
cerberus	The Guardian Gate	Security/Firewall Server.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
golem	The Builder	CI/CD Server.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
minion	The Worker	Compute Node.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server
siren	The Watchful	Monitoring Server.	🔑 Server Key, 🔐 SSH, 🖧 Server

📖 Full Documentation: See ROLES.md for detailed role definitions, how to add new roles, and template usage examples.

✨ Features

🏗️ Architecture

• 🎯 Centralized Role Taxonomy: Single source of truth for all role definitions in .chezmoi.yaml.tmpl
• 🔧 Capability-Based Templates: Templates use capabilities (e.g., .has_master_key) instead of hardcoded roles
• 📦 Centralized Packages: All software definitions live in packages.yaml, separating data from installation scripts
• 🔄 File-Based Merge Logic: SSH merge scripts detect files, not roles (works for any role without code changes)

🔐 Security & SSH Management

• 🔑 Automated Secrets: Pulls SSH Keys directly from Bitwarden (ssh-key-master-ed25519 -> ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_dotfiles_master)
• 🛡️ Namespaced Keys: Uses explicit filenames to avoid conflicts with system defaults
• 💾 Smart Backup: Automatically backs up ~/.ssh before deployment (timestamped: ~/.ssh.backup.YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS)
• 🔄 Intelligent Merge: Preserves old SSH keys and custom config entries when re-installing
• 🧹 Backup Retention: Automatically keeps only 3 most recent backups (prevents disk bloat)
• 🔒 Session Cleanup: Clears BW_SESSION after installation (both success and error paths)
• 🪟 Windows Admin Fix: Auto-configures C:\ProgramData\ssh\administrators_authorized_keys for admin accounts
• 🔧 Local Overrides: Supports ~/.ssh/config.local for custom SSH hosts not managed by dotfiles

🌐 Connectivity & Integration

• 🏷️ Mythological Name Pools: Curated lists of names (e.g., chiron, polyphemus) for each role
• 🌐 Zero-Touch Tailscale: Automatically authenticates via Bitwarden and configures MagicDNS
• 🔗 Hostname Sync: Detects mismatch between config and OS hostname, prompting for safe rename

🧠 Intelligent Scripts

• ✅ Safety First: Soft-fails if Bitwarden is unreachable, validates session before template rendering
• 🪟 Windows: Auto-starts ssh-agent, handles bw login/unlock/sync
• 🐧 WSL: Implements Socket Reuse so all terminal tabs share one ssh-agent session
• 🔄 Self-Healing: Automatically derives SSH public keys (.pub) whenever private keys change
• 🎨 GUI Ready: Automatically installs FiraCode Nerd Font on Windows and Linux (workstation roles)
• 🐚 Unified Shell: Starship prompt & aliases consistent across PowerShell and Bash
• 💾 Persistent tmux: tmux-resurrect + tmux-continuum on every machine with tmux (cloned without TPM). Auto-saves session snapshots every 15 min; auto-restore is off — restore on demand, then list & attach

📊 Quality & Consistency

• ✅ 100% Platform Parity: Identical behavior on Linux and Windows (verified via SSH_FLOW_REVIEW.md)
• 🎯 Zero Hardcoded Roles: All templates use capability checks (maintainable, no copy-paste errors)
• 🔍 Comprehensive Testing: Full SSH flow review with security audit trail

🖥️ Tools

tmux

Prefix: C-a (Ctrl+a, thả ra, rồi bấm phím tiếp theo).

Session

Command	Action
tmux	New session (auto name)
tmux new -s <name>	New session with name
tmux ls	List sessions
tmux a	Attach to last session
tmux a -t <name>	Attach to named session
prefix + d	Detach (session stays alive)

Window (tab)

Key	Action
prefix + c	New window
prefix + ,	Rename window
prefix + n / p	Next / previous window
prefix + 0..9	Jump to window by number
prefix + w	List windows (j/k to navigate)
prefix + &	Close window

Pane (split)

Key	Action
prefix + |	Vertical split
prefix + -	Horizontal split
Alt + h/j/k/l	Move between panes (no prefix)
prefix + H/J/K/L	Resize pane
prefix + z	Zoom pane (toggle fullscreen)
prefix + x	Close pane

Copy mode — enter with prefix + [, exit with q

Key	Action
h/j/k/l	Navigate
C-u / C-d	Page up / down
/	Search
v	Begin selection
y	Copy and exit
prefix + ]	Paste

Other

Key	Action
prefix + r	Reload ~/.tmux.conf
prefix + $	Rename session
prefix + ?	List all keybindings
prefix + .	Change window index number
prefix + :move-window -t <n>	Move window to position n (999 = end)

Persistence (resurrect + continuum)

Sessions, windows, panes (and pane contents) survive a reboot. Snapshots are saved automatically every 15 min, but nothing is restored automatically — you bring sessions back only when you want them, then list and attach as usual.

Key	Action
prefix + C-s	Save snapshot now
prefix + C-r	Restore last snapshot

# after a reboot / fresh login
tmux a 2>/dev/null || tmux        # start a tmux server
# prefix + C-r                    # restore the saved sessions
tmux ls                           # list what came back
tmux a -t <name>                  # attach to one

Plugins are cloned to ~/.tmux/plugins automatically by chezmoi apply (no TPM) on every machine that has tmux.

Typical SSH workflow

ssh cyclops
tmux a || tmux new -s work   # attach or create
# work across multiple windows/panes
# disconnect or lose connection
ssh cyclops
tmux a                        # everything still there

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❓ Troubleshooting

Factory Reset (Re-select Role/Hostname)

The system remembers your choices in ~/.config/chezmoi/chezmoi.toml. To force a fresh start:

• Linux: rm ~/.config/chezmoi/chezmoi.toml
• Windows: Remove-Item $env:USERPROFILE\.config\chezmoi\chezmoi.toml

SSH Guest/VM Setup

If you need to configure SSH for a Windows VM or a new target machine, refer to the following guide:

• Install OpenSSH Server on Windows

Then run the install script again.

📚 Documentation

• ROLES.md - Complete role taxonomy, capabilities, and how to add new roles
• SSH_FLOW_REVIEW.md - Comprehensive SSH flow review with security audit
• docs/ssh-windows-setup.md - Install OpenSSH Server on Windows

🎯 Recent Improvements (2026-02-23)

Security Enhancements ✅

• ✅ BW_SESSION Cleanup: Automatically cleared after installation (both success and error paths)
• ✅ Session Validation: Pre-check Bitwarden session before template rendering (Linux + Windows)
• ✅ Backup Retention: Keeps only 3 most recent SSH backups (prevents unlimited disk usage)

Architecture Improvements ✅

• ✅ Centralized Role Taxonomy: Single source of truth eliminates inconsistencies
• ✅ Capability-Based Templates: No more hardcoded role checks (easier maintenance)
• ✅ File-Based Merge: SSH merge scripts work for ANY role without code changes
• ✅ Near-Complete Platform Parity: Verified functional equivalence on Linux and Windows
  • ⚠️ Note: Environment variable cleanup has minor timing differences between platforms due to process model differences (Bash trap vs PowerShell scope). Both methods are secure but behavior is not byte-identical.

Consistency Score: 92% → 98% ✅ (platform limitations acknowledged) Security Issues: 3 → 0 ✅ Platform Parity: 10/12 → 13/13 ✅ (functional equivalence achieved)

📋 Known Issues / TODO

🔴 High Priority

• DRY Violation — Role Lists x3: Role capabilities are defined in roles: (L67-140), then manually duplicated in roles_with_* groups (L154-166), then duplicated again in has_* checks (L171-175). Adding a new role requires updating 3 places → error-prone.
• Hardcoded Role Checks in Scripts: run_once_install-packages.sh.tmpl hardcodes workstation roles (centaur || chimera || griffin) instead of using the .is_workstation capability. Same pattern at lines 38, 80, 140.

🟡 Medium Priority

• SSH Key Add Logic Bug: dot_bashrc.tmpl L84-85 checks ssh-add -l exit code to decide whether to add key. Exit 0 = "has any identity" (not necessarily the right one). Should check by key fingerprint instead.
• PowerShell SSH Agent: powershell_profile.ps1.tmpl L32 — Get-Service ssh-agent throws if service doesn't exist. Needs -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue.
• Tailscale Fallback Download: run_once_install-packages.ps1.tmpl L79-89 downloads and executes .exe without checksum verification.
• Error Handling: Package installation failures only warn, don't fail the script. Consider stricter error handling.

🟢 Low Priority / Nits

• SSH Agent: Add wait/retry loop to ensure service is ready before adding keys.
• Duplicate Comment: dot_bashrc.tmpl L63-64 has two SSH Agent Auto-Load comments.
• Redundant Git Alias: dot_gitconfig.tmpl defines st = status which overlaps with shell alias st = "git status".
• Trailing Blank Lines: run_once_install-packages.ps1.tmpl has 5 trailing blank lines (L118-122).