Zinit ZSH Plugin Manager

Manage zsh plugins, CLI binary installs, and completions with zinit in a dotfiles repo.

Repo Structure

A conventional zinit dotfiles layout. Where the repo is managed with GNU Stow these files symlink into $HOME; adapt the paths for bare-git, chezmoi, or plain copies.

• .zshrc - main zinit config, plugin definitions, binary installs
• .config/zsh/ - modular zsh configs loaded via zinit snippet
  • plugins.zsh - additional plugin loads
  • aliases.zsh - shell aliases
  • exports.zsh - PATH and env vars
  • completions.zsh - completion setup
  • completions/ - custom completion files (_just, _inv, etc.)
  • history.zsh, keys.zsh, styles.zsh - other configs

Quick Reference

Binary Install Pattern (gh-r)

zinit as"null" wait lucid from"gh-r" for \
    sbin"binary-name"  owner/repo

With Completion Generation

zinit for \
    from'gh-r' \
    sbin'tool' \
    atclone'./tool completion zsh > _tool' atpull'%atclone' as'completion' \
  @owner/repo

OMZ Plugin/Snippet

zinit wait lucid for \
    OMZP::plugin-name \
    OMZL::lib-file.zsh

Build from Source

zinit for \
    as'null' \
    configure'--prefix=$PWD' \
    make'install' \
    sbin \
  @owner/repo

Key Ice Modifiers

Ice	Purpose
from'gh-r'	Download from GitHub releases
sbin'pattern -> name'	Create bin symlink in $ZPFX/bin
wait"N"	Turbo load after N seconds
lucid	Suppress "Loaded..." message
atclone"cmd"	Run on clone
atpull'%atclone'	Run atclone on update
as'completion'	Register as completion
as'null'	Don't source as plugin

Detailed References

For comprehensive patterns and troubleshooting, see:

• references/ice-modifiers.md - all ice options with examples
• references/patterns.md - common install patterns (gh-r, OMZ, turbo)
• references/patterns-advanced.md - external tools, prompts, syntax highlighting
• references/troubleshooting.md - load order, debugging