# thoughtbot/rcm

rc file (dotfile) management

Repository: https://github.com/thoughtbot/rcm
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/rcm
Homepage: https://thoughtbot.github.io/rcm/rcm.7.html
Language: Perl
License: BSD-3-Clause
License Family: permissive
Topics: unix
Last push: 2025-05-23T15:40:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 33/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 23, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4835, "days_push": 467, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3255, forks 139 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:52.236951+00:00)

## What it is
rcm is a suite of command-line tools (rcup, mkrc, rcdn, lsrc) for managing dotfiles via a central dotfiles directory and symlinks. It supports tags, host-specific files, and multiple source directories across Unix-like systems.

## Use cases
- manage my dotfiles across machines
- symlink config files from a dotfiles repo
- add a new rc file to my dotfiles directory
- sync shell and editor configs between computers
- manage host-specific dotfiles with tags
- list where my dotfiles would be linked

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight, scriptable dotfile manager on Unix-like systems
- you need tags or host-specific dotfile handling
- you prefer symlink-based management over templating

## When to avoid
- you want templating or secret encryption features built in
- you need a cross-platform tool including Windows
- you prefer a declarative config management system like Nix or Ansible

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: developer-tools, file-system, configuration-management
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: bsd, cli
- tags: dotfiles, symlink-management, shell, perl, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- thoughtbot/rcm (main) score 33

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:52.236951+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:24:23.352306+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/thoughtbot/rcm (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:52.236951+00:00, sha cb888bfb669d)
  - homepage: https://thoughtbot.github.io/rcm/rcm.7.html (fetched 2026-08-29T09:36:51.409178+00:00, sha 7cac5ae4b193)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.