db

      ,p6"bo   ,6"Yb.  `7MM  `7MMpMMMb.
     6M'  OO  8)   MM    MM    MM    MM
     8M        ,pm9MM    MM    MM    MM
     YM.    , 8M   MM    MM    MM    MM
      YMbmd'  `Moo9^Yo..JMML..JMML  JMML.

Collects And INstalls

cain is my dotfiles / keybindings / programs manager, written in C with no dependencies. It works on any Linux distro, macOS and Windows. If you install it, your configs and keys become mine.

Everything lives in one file, cain.json:

section	what it is
packages	programs to install (apt/dnf/pacman/zypper/apk/xbps, brew, winget). "terminal": true ones also go on servers
files	dotfiles copied between files/ and your home folder
remaps	key remaps, e.g. alt+h -> left, capslock -> esc
shortcuts	desktop shortcuts, e.g. alt+comma closes a window, alt+t opens a terminal
settings	wallpaper, dark mode, Mac key behavior

Write keys once, in a neutral format (alt, lalt, ralt, ctrl, rctrl, shift, super

• a key name: see the top of src/keys.c). cain turns them into whatever each OS needs:

OS	key remaps	shortcuts
Linux	keyd (/etc/keyd/default.conf). Works on X11 and Wayland	Cinnamon, GNOME, KDE Plasma, XFCE settings
Windows	AutoHotkey v2 script in your Startup folder	same script
macOS	Karabiner-Elements rules	same rules

Install

Linux / macOS (needs a C compiler: sudo apt install build-essential, or xcode-select --install):

cd && git clone https://github.com/v3ai/cain && cd cain && make && ./cain -i

Windows (PowerShell): clone the repo, put cain.exe from the latest release in the cain folder, then:

cd ~; git clone https://github.com/v3ai/cain; cd cain; .\cain.exe -i

(Or build it yourself with build.bat from a Visual Studio developer prompt, or make windows with MinGW.)

VPS / server

On a fresh Linux server (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Rocky/Alma/CentOS/RHEL, Arch, openSUSE, Alpine, Void), as root or a sudo user:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/v3ai/cain/master/vps.sh | sh

(no curl? wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/v3ai/cain/master/vps.sh | sh)

vps.sh installs git and a C compiler, clones cain to ~/cain, builds it and runs cain vps. That installs only what's used in the terminal and skips keybindings, desktop settings and GUI apps:

• every package marked "terminal": true in cain.json: bash, sudo, curl, git, micro, nano, python3 + pip + venv, tree, nnn, fzf, nmap, ffmpeg, yt-dlp, ssh, ... with the right package name for each distro. On Rocky/Alma/CentOS/RHEL it turns on EPEL first. If a distro doesn't package something (e.g. micro or yt-dlp), its "fallback" command installs it into ~/.local/bin instead.
• the dotfiles (micro, nano, cain.sh), git name/email, cain itself on your PATH
• the shell block in ~/.bashrc, plus a line in ~/.profile / ~/.bash_profile so SSH logins load it. If your login shell isn't bash or zsh (Alpine's ash), cain switches it to bash.

Already cloned? cd ~/cain && ./vps.sh, or make && ./cain vps. Re-running is safe. Just some steps: cain vps packages shell.

Install copies cain to ~/.local/bin and puts that on your PATH. After that, open a new terminal and just type cain. The repo can live anywhere: cain remembers where it is.

Usage

cain                  menu: Install or Collect
cain -c               collect: copy this machine's configs into the repo, commit, push
cain -i               menu: pick what to install (see below)
cain -i -y            install everything, no menu
cain install light    pick a preset without the menu: full light dotfiles keybindings server
cain install keys     only some steps: packages git files bin shell keys desktop
cain keys             re-apply keybindings after editing cain.json
cain generate macos   print the keyd / AutoHotkey / Karabiner config for any OS
cain vps              set up a Linux server: terminal programs, configs, shell (no desktop)
cain -i --dry-run     show what would happen without changing anything
cain booklister       pick a book from ~/Desktop/books and open it ($CAIN_BOOKS_DIR to change)
cain listlauncher     edit list.html on the website, then commit and push ($CAIN_SITE_DIR)

cain -i opens a menu (arrow keys or j/k, Enter to pick, q to quit):

What should cain install?

 > Full         programs, dotfiles, keybindings and desktop settings
   Light        dotfiles and keybindings; no programs, no desktop changes
   Dotfiles     just configs, shell aliases and git settings
   Keybindings  just key remaps and shortcuts
   Server       terminal programs and dotfiles, nothing graphical   (Linux)
   Custom       tick each part yourself

Custom shows a checklist of the install steps (Space ticks, a toggles all). When cain isn't run from a terminal (a script, CI) it skips the menu and installs everything, like -y.

Files that install overwrites are backed up to ~/.cain-backup/<date>/ first.

Per-OS notes

• Linux: keyd needs sudo once to install. If your distro doesn't package it, cain builds it from source. If input-remapper is running, cain offers to turn it off so keys aren't remapped twice. On Cinnamon, cain -c also saves the whole dconf dump (theme, panels, ...), and install loads it back. booklister uses dmenu, rofi, fuzzel, wofi or zenity, whichever is installed.
• Windows: the AutoHotkey script is at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup\cain.ahk. Shell aliases go in your PowerShell profile (files/shell/cain.ps1). booklister opens a small search-as-you-type window.
• macOS: the first time, open Karabiner-Elements and allow it in System Settings > Privacy & Security. With "mac_translate": true, outputs become Mac-style: ctrl+c -> cmd+c, ctrl+left -> option+left, home -> cmd+left. "mac_alt": "option" uses the Option key as your Alt. Set it to "command" to use the key under your thumb instead.
• Any remap can be overridden per OS: {"from": "lalt+v", "to": "ctrl+shift+v", "macos": "cmd+v"}. Use null to skip it on that OS. Any entry can be limited with "os": ["linux"].
• Packages: {"name": "ssh", "apt": "openssh-client", "pacman": "openssh"} sets the name per package manager (apt dnf yum pacman zypper apk xbps brew winget, or linux for all of them). null skips it there. "fallback": "<shell command>" runs if the package manager can't install it; "bin" is the command to look for if it isn't the same as name. CAIN_PM=apk cain vps -n shows what a distro would get.
• Shortcuts can run anything: {"action": "editor", "keys": ["alt+e"], "run": {"linux": "kate", "windows": "notepad.exe"}}.

Shell

files/shell/cain.sh (bash and zsh) and files/shell/cain.ps1 (PowerShell) hold my aliases and functions. install, update, upgrade and the rest use whatever package manager the machine has. cain adds a small # >>> cain >>> block to ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc / $PROFILE that loads them. Edit them with rc.

Hacking

make          build ./cain
make test     check the generated configs against tests/expected/
make windows  cross-compile cain.exe with MinGW

The code is in src/: main.c (commands, install steps and presets), tui.c (the menu), keys.c (key names for every backend), keyd.c / ahk.c / karabiner.c / linux_desktop.c (the backends), packages.c, desktop.c, tools.c (booklister, listlauncher), json.c and util.c. GitHub Actions builds and tests on all three OSes. Push a v* tag to publish binaries.

MIT licensed, check the dotfiles for ideas. ASCII art made with figlet -f Georgia11.flf cain.