Install Blocks

Install blocks define software to install from various sources. dottie supports multiple installation types that can be combined.

Overview

install:
  apt: [...]           # APT packages
  aptRepos: [...]      # APT repositories
  github: [...]        # GitHub releases
  scripts: [...]       # Custom scripts
  fonts: [...]         # Font files
  snaps: [...]         # Snap packages

APT Packages

Install packages from the system's APT repositories:

install:
  apt:
    - git
    - curl
    - vim
    - build-essential

Packages already installed are automatically skipped.

Supports variable substitution — all architecture and OS release variables are available in package names.

APT Repositories

Add third-party APT repositories and install their packages:

install:
  aptRepos:
    - name: docker
      key_url: https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg
      repo: "deb https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu jammy stable"
      packages:
        - docker-ce
        - docker-ce-cli

    - name: github-cli
      key_url: https://cli.github.com/packages/githubcli-archive-keyring.gpg
      repo: "deb https://cli.github.com/packages stable main"
      packages:
        - gh

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Identifier for the repository
key_url	Yes	URL to the GPG key
repo	Yes	APT repository line
packages	Yes	Packages to install from this repo

Supports variable substitution in repo, key_url, and packages fields — all architecture and OS release variables are available. The deferred ${SIGNING_FILE} variable is also available in repo for repos that require a signed-by clause.

GitHub Releases

Download binaries from GitHub releases:

install:
  github:
    - repo: BurntSushi/ripgrep
      asset: ripgrep-${ARCH}-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
      binary: rg

    - repo: sharkdp/fd
      asset: fd-v${RELEASE_VERSION}-${ARCH}-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
      binary: fd
      version: 9.0.0  # Optional: specific version

    - repo: junegunn/fzf
      asset: fzf-${RELEASE_VERSION}-linux_amd64.tar.gz
      binary: fzf

Field	Required	Description
repo	Yes	GitHub repository (owner/repo)
asset	Yes	Asset filename pattern
binary	Yes	Binary name after extraction
version	No	Specific version (default: latest)

Supports variable substitution in asset and binary fields — all architecture and OS release variables, plus the deferred ${RELEASE_VERSION} variable.

Architecture Placeholders

Use ${ARCH} in asset names for architecture-aware downloads:

Variable	x86_64 Value	arm64 Value
${ARCH}	x86_64	aarch64
${MS_ARCH}	amd64	arm64

Binaries are installed to ~/bin/.

Scripts

Run custom shell scripts:

install:
  scripts:
    - scripts/setup-nvm.sh
    - scripts/configure-docker.sh
    - scripts/${ID}/post-install.sh    # resolves e.g. scripts/ubuntu/post-install.sh

Security

Scripts must be located within your repository. External scripts are not allowed.

Scripts are run from the repository root with the user's shell.

Supports variable substitution — all architecture and OS release variables are available in script paths, allowing OS-specific or architecture-specific script selection.

Fonts

Install fonts from URL downloads:

install:
  fonts:
    - url: https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/download/v3.0.2/FiraCode.zip
    - url: https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/download/v3.0.2/JetBrainsMono.zip

Fonts are extracted to ~/.local/share/fonts/ and the font cache is refreshed.

Snap Packages

Install applications from the Snap store:

install:
  snaps:
    - name: code
      classic: true

    - name: slack
      classic: true

    - name: htop
      # classic: false is the default

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Snap package name
classic	No	Install with classic confinement (default: false)

Installation Order

dottie installs in a specific order to handle dependencies:

1. GitHub Releases → ~/bin/
2. APT Packages → System
3. APT Repositories → System (repos added, then packages installed)
4. Scripts → Run in order listed
5. Fonts → ~/.local/share/fonts/
6. Snap Packages → System

Idempotency

All installation types detect existing installations:

• APT: Checks dpkg -l
• GitHub: Checks for binary in ~/bin/
• Fonts: Checks font directory
• Snaps: Checks snap list

Re-running dottie install is safe and efficient.

Example: Complete Install Block

install:
  apt:
    - git
    - curl
    - vim
    - tmux

  github:
    - repo: BurntSushi/ripgrep
      asset: ripgrep-${ARCH}-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
      binary: rg
    - repo: sharkdp/fd
      asset: fd-v${RELEASE_VERSION}-${ARCH}-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
      binary: fd
    - repo: sharkdp/bat
      asset: bat-v${RELEASE_VERSION}-${ARCH}-unknown-linux-musl.tar.gz
      binary: bat

  fonts:
    - url: https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/download/v3.0.2/FiraCode.zip

  snaps:
    - name: code
      classic: true

  aptRepos:
    - name: docker
      key_url: https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg
      repo: "deb https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu jammy stable"
      packages:
        - docker-ce

  scripts:
    - scripts/post-install.sh