Configuration Reference

All dotfiler configuration: zstyle keys, the exclusions file, and environment variables. Set zstyles in your .zshrc before sourcing check_update.zsh.

---

Paths — :dotfiles:*

Source: helpers.zsh. Each key reads the style named path; relative values resolve against the dotfiles directory.

Key	Default	Description
':dotfiles:directory' path	auto-detected	The dotfiles repo location.
':dotfiles:scripts' path	.nounpack/dotfiler inside the repo	Where dotfiler's scripts live (set for standalone installs).
':dotfiles:install' path	.nounpack/install inside the repo	The install-modules directory.
':dotfiles:exclude' path	dotfiles_exclude in the repo root	The exclusions file.

zstyle ':dotfiles:directory' path '/path/to/dotfiles'
zstyle ':dotfiles:scripts'   path "$HOME/.dotfiler"     # standalone install
zstyle ':dotfiles:install'   path '/path/to/install'
zstyle ':dotfiles:exclude'   path '/path/to/my-exclusions.txt'

Updates — :dotfiler:update

Source: check_update.zsh, update_core.zsh. See How Updates Work for behavior; Update Internals for mechanics.

Key	Default	Description
mode	prompt	Login-check behavior: prompt | auto | background | reminder | disabled.
frequency	3600	Seconds between login checks (also gates self-update; env fallback UPDATE_DOTFILE_SECONDS).
release-channel	release	Round 2 targets: release (semver-tagged commits only) | any (branch tip).
branch	(empty)	Explicit Round 2 branch override — actively checked out when set.
in-tree-commit	auto	Pointer/marker recording after component updates: auto | prompt | none.
subtree-remote	dotfiler	Subtree topology: '<remote>' or '<remote> <branch>'. Prefer the single-word form — an explicit branch in the spec hard-pins it and bypasses the branch zstyle and the rest of the resolution chain.
subtree-url	canonical repo URL	Remote URL for subtree pulls (set for forks; auto-registers the remote if missing).
verbose	default	Set silent to pass -q to the login-triggered update run.

Component scopes mirror these keys — e.g. ':zdot:update' branch, release-channel for zdot, or ':my-component:update' for your own hooks.

OMZ compatibility: when ':dotfiler:update' mode is unset, ':omz:update' mode is consulted, then the legacy DISABLE_UPDATE_PROMPT=true (→ auto) and DISABLE_AUTO_UPDATE=true (→ disabled) env vars.

Hooks — :dotfiler:hooks

Key	Default	Description
dir	$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/dotfiler/hooks	Directory scanned for component update hooks (Update Hooks).

The exclusions file

gitignore-style patterns deciding which files are skipped during auto-ingest and unpack. Default location: dotfiles_exclude in the repo root (copy the shipped example to start).

.git/              # never track version control internals
.nounpack/         # never track dotfiler itself
dotfiles_exclude   # never track the exclusion file
node_modules/
.DS_Store
*.swp

Pattern types: trailing / matches a directory and its contents; a pattern containing / matches the full relative path; a bare name matches the filename anywhere; shell globs apply. Exclusions are the authoritative gate for what gets unpacked — files under .nounpack/ are never included.

Environment variables

Variable	Description
DOTFILER_VERBOSE	Progress output from the update machinery.
DOTFILER_DEBUG	Debug tracing (implies verbose).
GH_TOKEN / GITHUB_TOKEN	Authenticated GitHub API requests for update checks (raises rate limits).
UPDATE_DOTFILE_SECONDS	Fallback for ':dotfiler:update' frequency.
INSTALL_PROFILE	Install profile for dotfiler install (default full).
FORCE_INSTALL	Set automatically by install --force; read by install modules.