# RichiH/vcsh

config manager based on Git

Repository: https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/vcsh
Language: Shell
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: dotfiles, dotfiles-linux, dotfiles-macos, dotfiles-manager, dotfiles-installer, dotfiles-automation, dotfiles-install, dotfiles-resources, dotfiles-windows, dotfiles-setup, dotfiles-wsl, posix, posix-sh, command-line-tool, command-line, bootstrap
Last push: 2025-12-29T22:56:16+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 49/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 59, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5606, "days_push": 247, "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 2275, forks 128 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:33.398646+00:00)

## What it is
vcsh is a shell-based tool that manages multiple Git repositories in $HOME, letting each application's dotfiles live in its own repository without interfering with others. It wraps Git with a familiar command interface so users can version, clone, and mix configuration sets across machines.

## Use cases
- manage my dotfiles with git
- keep separate git repos for vim, zsh, and ssh configs in home
- sync my shell configuration across machines
- clone only some config repos onto a server
- version control my home directory without clobbering repos
- bootstrap a new machine with my dotfiles
- maintain different ssh configs for work and personal machines

## When to choose
- you want per-application dotfiles repositories instead of one monolithic repo
- you prefer plain Git semantics and POSIX shell with no runtime dependencies
- you need to pick and mix which configs deploy to which machines or users
- you want a mature, lightweight tool that works on servers and WSL

## When to avoid
- you want a declarative dotfiles manager with templating or secret handling
- you prefer a single-repo dotfiles setup with symlinks (e.g. GNU Stow style)
- you need GUI or non-CLI workflows
- you want built-in package installation or bootstrap scripting beyond Git operations

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: stable
- function: version-control, configuration-management, developer-tools, cli
- domain: developer-tools, version-control
- platform: windows, cli, cross-platform
- tags: dotfiles, dotfiles-manager, git, posix-shell, home-directory, config-sync, command-line, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- RichiH/vcsh (main) score 49

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.398646+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 2026-08-30T02:41:28.485743+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/RichiH/vcsh (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:33.398646+00:00, sha 32539ba34ba2)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.