Private Git Config

The git and GitHub tooling reads a private YAML config that lists the repositories to track and how. It lives in the private overlay at $DOTFILES_PRIVATE_DIR/dot-git.yml by default (override with DOT_GIT_CONFIG_FILE).

It is consumed by dot git-diff, dot git-notifications --bar-json, dot notes-capture-sync, dot stow, dot update, and dot doctor.

Per-repo keys

Each repo entry has two required sections, each with an explicit enabled flag and a 5-field cron schedule:

The optional aliases list generates Zsh repository shortcuts during dot stow and dot update. The same entries feed Herdr’s repository picker alongside ~/ and ~/repos. Inside Herdr, a shortcut changes directory in the current tab when it already belongs to the repository workspace; otherwise it creates or focuses that workspace using the repository’s name. Outside Herdr, it changes directory normally:

- name: "[HA] Frontend"
  path: ~/repos/home-assistant/frontend
  aliases: [haf]

Top-level shortcuts use the same name, path, and aliases keys for directories that are not managed repositories, such as the private dotfiles checkout or a repository group directory.

Open the Herdr picker with prefix+s. Its cache is regenerated from validated dot-git.yml data by dot stow and dot update. The Home and Repos entries leave the workspace title unset.

An optional post_update command runs from the repository root when dot update successfully pulls that repo to a new HEAD. Use it for local generated artefacts that must match the checkout, such as rebuilding an unpacked browser extension:

post_update: mise run build

The command does not run when the repo is already current or its pull is skipped. A failure or five-minute timeout stops the update so stale build output is not silently retained.

• activity — include the repo in dot git-diff and pull it during dot update.
• notifications — include the repo in GitHub notification checks and in the notes capture repository picker generated by dot notes-capture-sync.

dot notes-capture-sync finds the managed timmo001/notes checkout, mirrors the active Worker’s non-secret variables and KV bindings into its ignored capture/wrangler.local.jsonc, and updates vars.CAPTURE_REPOSITORIES. Secret values are never written locally. When the live picker differs, the command deploys the capture Worker; keep_vars preserves dashboard-managed runtime variables and secrets on later Git-connected builds. Run it explicitly or from the Dot TUI when watched repositories change.

• notifications — include the repo in the notification inbox surfaces.

The notifications.bar.ignore_bot_activity key controls status-bar bot noise. A repo’s remote.upstream.url lets upstream notifications match a managed fork.

Private by default

dot-git.yml lives in the private dotfiles overlay because it contains a machine- and user-specific repository list. The public dotfiles only contain the logic that reads it.

Requirements

• dot git-notifications requires gh authenticated with a classic token carrying the notifications or repo scope.
• dot doctor verifies dot-git.yml and GitHub notification access.