Getting started

New to obtain? This walks you through your first config and your first download. If you haven't installed it yet, start with Installation.

Create a config

obtain edit

This opens the config in $VISUAL, then $EDITOR, then vi. If the file doesn't exist yet it is created from a commented starter template. An existing config is never touched.

The default location is $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/obtain/config.yaml, falling back to ~/.config/obtain/config.yaml.

Add a file and a pack:

files:
  editorconfig:
    filename: .editorconfig
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/example/dotfiles/main/.editorconfig
  license:
    filename: LICENSE
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/example/dotfiles/main/LICENSE

packs:
  go-project: [editorconfig, license]

Check it:

obtain doctor

Fetch files

obtain file editorconfig        # one file
obtain file editorconfig license
obtain pack go-project          # every file in the pack

Files land in the current directory. Use --dir to save elsewhere:

obtain --dir ./my-project pack go-project

An existing file is never overwritten: obtain stops with an error. Pass --force to overwrite.

TIP

Global flags go before the subcommand: obtain -d ./out --force pack go-project.

Next steps

• Configuration for every field and how validation works
• Variables to template downloaded files
• Cookbook for complete, copy-pasteable setups