• We do not store secrets on the system in plaintext.

Install mise, then run the suite from the repository root. Mise selects the Go version from the root go.mod:

mise run test:integration

On a normal machine, this runs the installed pre-commit hook test in an isolated repository and reports the bootstrap test as skipped. The bootstrap test installs packages and changes machine settings. To run the full suite, use a disposable macOS or Linux VM and run:

DOTFILES_INTEGRATION_DISPOSABLE=1 mise run test:integration

GitHub Actions runs the full suite on disposable macOS and Linux runners.

Managed macOS defaults live in files/home/.config/mise/config.macos.toml. This repository tracks only intentional preferences that are either documented by macos-defaults or isolated by a reviewed, single-setting before/after audit. It does not manage system-wide defaults, third-party application state, or values merely because they appear in a broad audit.

Run the commands in this section from the repository root. To add one preference after changing it in System Settings:

mise -C files/home/.config/mise run macos-defaults:record

The interactive, vendored script captures a before/after diff in vendor/macos-defaults/diffs/<name> (ignored by Git). Change only one preference while it waits. Match the reported domain and key to the upstream catalog; then add the typed value to files/home/.config/mise/config.macos.toml, along with the upstream-derived description and any documented activation action. Do not add a preference merely because it appears in an audit or a diff.

For host-scoped or complex Apple preferences, use bin/macos-defaults-audit to take focused before/after snapshots. Its reviewed mise-candidates.toml output uses [bootstrap.macos.defaults] for ordinary preferences and [[bootstrap.macos.defaults_entries]] with host = "current" for ByHost preferences. Arrays and dictionaries are supported; plist dates and binary data remain unsupported. The earlier fresh-user audit remains useful for broad investigation, but it is not an import source because its candidates include ordinary application and account state as well as preferences.

Check the mise-managed desired state without writing:

mise -C files/home/.config/mise bootstrap macos defaults status --missing

Inspect writes with --dry-run, then explicitly apply them:

mise -C files/home/.config/mise bootstrap macos defaults apply --dry-run
mise -C files/home/.config/mise bootstrap macos defaults apply

On macOS, bin/setup.sh runs mise run betterdisplay:export to update the portable synchronization profile at files/macos/BetterDisplay.plist. The profile enables BetterDisplay's all-display mostAppropriateBrightness synchronization without tracking machine-specific display identities or current brightness values. Use mise run betterdisplay:check to inspect profile drift, or mise run betterdisplay:import to apply it. Import asks for confirmation, saves the current full preferences to /tmp, preserves local display-specific preferences, and restarts BetterDisplay.

Website explaining launchd, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons: https://www.launchd.info

LaunchControl

LaunchControl is a fully-featured launchd GUI allowing you to create, manage and debug system- and user services on your Mac

• Hard to discover tips and apps for making macOS pleasant
• https://sourabhbajaj.com/mac-setup/