Workflow: Dotfiles Sync

Trigger

Run this workflow when you need to:

reconcile source-vs-target dotfile drift
inspect pending chezmoi changes before apply
promote intentional target changes back into source
perform a safe source-first sync across machines

Inputs

Active dotfiles source repo at /Users/jean-patricksmith/.local/share/chezmoi
Local target state under $HOME
dotfiles helper available on PATH
Optional handoff context in .lev/pm/handoffs/

Steps

Run dotfiles status and dotfiles sync.
Classify results into:
- source-only change
- target-only intentional drift
- same-area conflict
- runtime noise
Resolve intent into source first:
- source-only wins automatically
- target-only intentional drift may be promoted back into source
- same-area conflicts must pause and escalate
If source truth changed:
- review git -C ~/.local/share/chezmoi status --short
- commit
- pull --rebase
- push
Only after source truth is settled:
- run chezmoi apply --force on the chosen target set
Re-run dotfiles sync to verify the remaining drift is only expected runtime noise or clean.

Team

| Role | Responsibility | |------|---------------| | dotfiles operator | Reads dotfiles planner output, classifies drift, and updates source truth | | git reconciler | Commits, pulls, pushes the chezmoi source repo once intent is resolved | | escalation agent | Opens AgentPing or human review when same-area conflicts exist |

Outputs

Updated chezmoi source repo state
Updated target home state after apply
Dry-run report at ~/.local/state/lev/dotfiles-sync-plan.latest.txt
Optional handoff updates documenting decisions and escalation points

Validation

dotfiles sync completes without mutating state and produces a current report
Any committed source changes are pushed successfully
chezmoi apply --force completes only after source truth is reconciled
Same-area conflicts are escalated, never auto-merged
Final dotfiles status reflects either clean state or explicitly accepted runtime noise