server-shell-setup

🤖 Agent skill — npx skills@latest add https://github.com/OpenSourceAGI/dev-tools-starter-agent --skill server-shell-setup (what it covers)

The Devil Is In The Defaults

If you hold a unix shell up to your ear, can you hear the C?

One-command setup for a modern dev environment: fish, nvim, nushell, bun, node, helix, yazi, starship, docker, and more. Includes fish aliases for service_manager, killport, search, and others.

Supported systems: Arch, Ubuntu/Debian, Android (Termux), macOS, Fedora, Alpine

Contents

• Install — how to run the installer
• Components — what each component installs
• Fish Aliases — the functions this script adds to fish
• Command Reference — common commands for every tool installed
• Files This Script Touches
• Companion Scripts
• Troubleshooting
• Reference Docs

Install

On a fresh server, the installer checks whether root has a password before it installs anything. If root has none, it prompts you to set one on a terminal; in an unattended run it sets root to the user password you pass in. The root and user password can be the same:

# One password for both root and your user (env var keeps it out of `ps`)
SETUP_PASSWORD='...' bash install-shell.sh --components all --yes

# Or separately
bash install-shell.sh --root-password '...' --user-password '...' --components all --yes

# Only set passwords, install nothing
SETUP_PASSWORD='...' bash install-shell.sh --yes

Option	Env var	Effect
--root-password PW	SETUP_ROOT_PASSWORD	Always sets root's password
--user-password PW	SETUP_USER_PASSWORD	Sets your user's password, and root's when root has none
--password PW	SETUP_PASSWORD	Same value for both

An existing root password is only replaced when --root-password/--password is given.

Interactive menu — pick what to install:

wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash

curl -sSL https://tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash

Install everything unattended:

wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash -s -- all

Install specific components only:

wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash -s -- starship,docker,node

The -s -- is what forwards arguments through the pipe to bash. Dropping it silently gives you the interactive menu instead.

Install Modes

Invocation	Behavior
| bash	Interactive numbered menu, re-prompts until a valid selection is given
| bash -s -- all	Everything, unattended
| bash -s -- fish,node,docker	Only the named components, unattended
| bash -s -- sudo	Passwordless sudo only (CLI-only, not in the menu)

Valid CLI component names: fish, nushell, nvim, helix, yazi, node, bun, pacstall, docker, starship, systeminfo, code, sudo. An unrecognized name exits with an error and lists the valid ones.

Two things to know about all:

• The interactive menu's "Install Everything" includes code (code-server); the CLI all argument does not. Pass code explicitly if you want it unattended.
• Neither form of all includes sudo — passwordless sudo is always opt-in.

Base dependencies (git, wget, curl, fzf, ripgrep, python3, python3-pip, unzip, util-linux) are installed on every run regardless of which components you select, because the fish functions depend on fzf and ripgrep.

When the run finishes, the script execs into fish if fish is on the PATH — so your terminal drops straight into the new shell.

Components

Name	Description	Installed via	Verify with
fish	Modern shell with auto-suggestions, syntax highlighting, and plugins (oh-my-fish, fzf, z, pisces). Set as your default login shell.	distro package + oh-my-fish	fish --version
nushell	Data-oriented shell that handles structured data natively	npm i -g nushell (pkg on Termux)	nu --version
nvim	Neovim with NvChad config pre-installed	distro package + git clone	nvim --version
helix	Modal terminal editor written in Rust, no config needed	distro package	hx --version
yazi	Yazi terminal file manager, plus a y wrapper for bash, fish, and nushell that cds into the last directory on quit	distro package on Arch, Alpine, macOS, Termux; official prebuilt release to /usr/local/bin on Debian/Ubuntu and Fedora/RHEL	yazi --version
node	Node.js via Volta version manager (no sudo issues); also installs pnpm, yarn, git0, vite, turbo	get.volta.sh	node -v, volta -v
bun	Fast JavaScript runtime, bundler, and package manager	bun.sh/install	bun --version
docker	Docker with rootless mode enabled	get.docker.com + rootless setuptool	docker version
starship	Cross-shell prompt configured for bash, fish, and nushell	starship.rs/install.sh	starship --version
systeminfo	Prints system stats (user, host, disk, RAM, CPU, uptime, IP, location, open ports) on login	npx about-system@latest in shell configs	open a new shell
pacstall	AUR-like package manager for Ubuntu/Debian	pacstall.dev/q/install	pacstall -V
code	code-server — VSCode in the browser	code-server.dev/install.sh	code-server --version
sudo	Enable passwordless sudo for current user	writes /etc/sudoers.d/$USER	sudo -n true

pacstall is Ubuntu/Debian only — on any other distro the script prints an error for that component and continues with the rest.

Fish Aliases

These are written as fish functions into ~/.config/fish/functions/ when the fish component is installed. Each is a real file you can edit or delete.

Alias	Expands to	Notes
in <pkg>	sudo apt install <pkg>	Hardcoded to apt — edit in.fish on non-Debian systems
e <file>	nvim <file>
del <path>	sudo rm -rf <path>	No confirmation prompt
setup	Re-run this install script	Fetches the latest installer and runs the menu
killport	Interactive fzf menu to kill a process by port	Lists listening TCP ports via lsof, then kill -9. Falls back to a numbered menu without fzf
search <query>	Search file names and file contents (via ripgrep)	Prints filename matches, then content matches with 3 words of context on each side
service_manager	Interactive fzf menu to start/stop/restart/view systemd services	Lists both system and --user units; actions: journal, start, stop, restart, status, edit, enable, disable

Command Reference

Everything below ships with a default all install. This is the day-to-day cheat sheet — the commands you actually reach for on Linux.

fish — the shell

Fish is not POSIX-compatible. Scripts written for bash won't run unmodified; use bash script.sh for those.

Command	What it does
fish_config	Open the web-based config UI (themes, prompt, functions)
fish_config theme choose <name>	Switch color theme from the terminal
funced <name>	Edit a function interactively
funcsave <name>	Persist a function to ~/.config/fish/functions/
functions	List all defined functions
functions <name>	Print a function's source
abbr -a gc git commit	Add an abbreviation that expands as you type
set -x VAR value	Export an environment variable for this session
set -U VAR value	Set a universal variable (persists across sessions)
set -e VAR	Erase a variable
fish_add_path ~/.local/bin	Append to $PATH permanently and idempotently
history search <term>	Search shell history
history delete --contains <term>	Remove matching entries from history
bind	List current key bindings
type -q cmd	Test whether a command exists (used by the bundled functions)
exec fish	Reload the shell in place after editing config

Key bindings worth knowing:

Keys	Action
→ / Ctrl+F	Accept the autosuggestion
Alt+→	Accept one word of the autosuggestion
↑ / ↓	History search filtered by what you've typed
Alt+↑ / Alt+↓	Search history for the token under the cursor
Ctrl+R	fzf history search (from the fzf omf plugin)
Ctrl+T	fzf file finder (from the fzf omf plugin)
Alt+C	fzf cd into a subdirectory (from the fzf omf plugin)
Alt+E	Edit the current command line in $EDITOR
Alt+S	Prepend sudo to the current or previous command
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+D	Cancel line / exit shell

Fish plugins this script installs:

Plugin	What it adds
oh-my-fish (omf)	Plugin/theme manager: omf install <pkg>, omf update, omf list, omf remove <pkg>, omf theme <name>
fzf	Fuzzy bindings: Ctrl+T find file, Ctrl+R history, Alt+C cd into a subdirectory, Alt+O open in $EDITOR (legacy bindings stay enabled by default)
z	Frecency directory jumping: z proj cd's to the project dir you use most
pisces	Auto-closes brackets and quotes as you type

nushell — structured data shell

Nushell pipes tables, not text. Every command emits structured data you can filter with the same verbs.

Command	What it does
nu	Start nushell
ls | where size > 1mb	Filter the directory listing as a table
ls | sort-by modified | last 10	Ten most recently modified files
ps | where cpu > 10	Processes above 10% CPU
sys host	Structured host info (uptime, kernel, hostname)
open file.json	Parse JSON/YAML/TOML/CSV/XLSX into a table automatically
open data.csv | get column_name	Extract one column
open x.json | to yaml	Convert between formats
$env.PATH	Inspect environment as a list
$env.PATH | split row (char esep)	PATH as a proper list
help commands	Browse all builtins
config nu	Edit the nushell config in $EDITOR
^ls	Escape to the external binary instead of the builtin

The script writes ~/.config/nushell/config.nu with the startup banner disabled and $env.EDITOR set to nvim.

nvim — Neovim with NvChad

The script clones the NvChad starter to ~/.config/nvim and runs a headless Lazy! sync to install plugins. An existing config is moved to ~/.config/nvim.bak first.

Keys / command	What it does
Space	Leader key
Space + th	Theme picker (NvChad)
Space + ff	Find files (Telescope)
Space + fw	Live grep across the project
Space + fb	Browse open buffers
Space + fo	Recently opened files
Ctrl+n	Toggle the file tree (nvim-tree)
Space + e	Focus the file tree
Tab / Shift+Tab	Next / previous buffer
Space + x	Close current buffer
Space + ch	NvChad cheatsheet — all mappings in one screen
Space + /	Toggle comment on line or selection
Ctrl+h/j/k/l	Move between splits
:Lazy	Plugin manager UI (install, update, profile)
:Mason	Install LSP servers, formatters, linters
:LspInfo	Which language servers are attached
:checkhealth	Diagnose a broken install
:w / :q / :wq / :q!	Write / quit / write+quit / force quit

yazi — terminal file manager

Run y (not yazi) so that quitting leaves your shell in the directory you browsed to.

Key	Action
h/j/k/l	Parent / down / up / enter
Space	Toggle selection
y / x / p	Yank / cut / paste
d / r / a	Trash / rename / create (end with / for a directory)
/ / z	Find in directory / jump with fzf
.	Toggle hidden files
q	Quit (and cd there, via y)

helix — modal editor, batteries included

Helix is selection-first: you select, then act (the reverse of vim). No config or plugins needed for LSP.

Keys / command	What it does
hx <file>	Open a file
hx --health	Check which language servers are detected
Space + f	Open file picker
Space + /	Global search across the workspace
Space + b	Buffer picker
Space + k	Show hover documentation
Space + r	Rename symbol (LSP)
Space + a	Code actions
gd / gr	Go to definition / find references
gg / ge	Top / end of file
x	Select the current line (repeat to extend)
d / c / y / p	Delete / change / yank / paste the selection
mi( / ma(	Select inside / around parentheses
Ctrl+w then v/s	Vertical / horizontal split
:w / :q / :wq	Write / quit / write+quit
:tutor	Built-in interactive tutorial
:config-open	Edit ~/.config/helix/config.toml

node, volta, and the package managers

Volta installs Node per-user under ~/.volta, so global installs never need sudo and each project can pin its own toolchain version.

Command	What it does
volta install node	Install the latest Node and make it default
volta install node@20	Install and default to a specific major
volta install pnpm yarn	Manage package managers through Volta too
volta pin node@20	Pin this project's Node version in package.json
volta list	Show installed and pinned tools
volta which node	Resolve which binary actually runs here
node -v / node script.js	Version / run a script
node --watch script.js	Re-run on file change
npx <pkg>	Run a package without installing it
npm i -g <pkg>	Install a CLI globally (no sudo, thanks to Volta)
npm ci	Clean, lockfile-exact install (use in CI)
npm outdated / npm audit fix	Find and patch stale or vulnerable deps
npm run <script>	Run a package.json script

Also installed globally by the node component:

Tool	Common commands
pnpm	pnpm i, pnpm add <pkg>, pnpm dlx <pkg>, pnpm up -i, pnpm store prune
yarn	yarn, yarn add <pkg>, yarn dlx <pkg>, yarn why <pkg>
git0	git0 <repo-url> — clone a repo, install deps, and open it in one step
vite	vite (dev server), vite build, vite preview
turbo	turbo run build, turbo run dev --filter=<pkg>, turbo prune <pkg> (--scope= in Turbo 1.x)

bun — runtime and package manager

Command	What it does
bun run <file.ts>	Run TypeScript/JSX directly, no build step
bun install	Install dependencies (drop-in for npm i, much faster)
bun add <pkg> / bun add -d <pkg>	Add a runtime / dev dependency
bun remove <pkg>	Remove a dependency
bun x <pkg>	Run a package without installing (like npx)
bun run --watch <file>	Re-run on change
bun test	Built-in Jest-compatible test runner
bun build <entry> --outdir dist	Bundle for production
bun build <entry> --compile	Produce a single-file executable
bun init	Scaffold a new project
bun upgrade	Update bun itself
bun pm ls / bun pm cache rm	Inspect / clear the package cache

docker — rootless containers

The script installs Docker and then runs dockerd-rootless-setuptool.sh install, so the daemon runs as your user. Containers cannot bind ports below 1024 in rootless mode without extra capability configuration.

Command	What it does
docker ps / docker ps -a	Running / all containers
docker run -it --rm <img> <cmd>	Run a throwaway interactive container
docker run -d -p 8080:80 <img>	Run detached with a port mapping
docker exec -it <ctr> bash	Shell into a running container
docker logs -f <ctr>	Follow container logs
docker stop <ctr> / docker rm <ctr>	Stop / remove a container
docker images / docker rmi <img>	List / remove images
docker build -t <name> .	Build from the Dockerfile here
docker stats	Live CPU/memory per container
docker inspect <ctr>	Full JSON config of a container
docker cp <ctr>:/path ./here	Copy files out of a container
docker system df	How much disk images/containers/volumes use
docker system prune -af --volumes	Reclaim all unused space (destructive)
docker compose up -d / down	Start / stop a compose stack
docker compose logs -f <svc>	Follow one service's logs
systemctl --user status docker	Rootless daemon status (note --user)
systemctl --user restart docker	Restart the rootless daemon

starship — the prompt

Configured for bash, fish, and nushell in one pass. The script writes ~/.config/starship.toml setting the prompt character to ƒ.

Command	What it does
starship config	Open ~/.config/starship.toml in $EDITOR
starship preset nerd-font-symbols -o ~/.config/starship.toml	Apply a built-in preset
starship preset --list	List available presets
starship explain	Explain what each segment of your prompt is showing
starship timings	Find which modules are making the prompt slow
starship module <name>	Render a single module for debugging
starship init fish | source	Manually load in the current fish session

fzf — fuzzy finder

Installed as a base dependency; killport and service_manager both build on it.

Command	What it does
fzf	Fuzzy-pick from stdin (or the file list)
<cmd> | fzf	Filter any command's output interactively
fzf --preview 'cat {}'	Show a preview pane for the highlighted line
fzf -m	Multi-select with Tab
vim (fzf)	Open the picked file (fish command substitution)
kill -9 (ps -ef | fzf | awk '{print $2}')	Pick a process and kill it

Inside fzf: type to filter, Ctrl+J/Ctrl+K to move, Tab to multi-select, Enter to accept, Esc to cancel.

ripgrep (rg) — search

Also a base dependency, and what the search function uses under the hood.

Command	What it does
rg <pattern>	Recursive search, respecting .gitignore
rg -i <pattern>	Case-insensitive
rg -w <pattern>	Whole-word matches only
rg -l <pattern>	List matching filenames only
rg -c <pattern>	Count matches per file
rg -C 3 <pattern>	Show 3 lines of context around each hit
rg -t py <pattern>	Restrict to one file type
rg -g '*.ts' <pattern>	Restrict by glob
rg -uu <pattern>	Search hidden and gitignored files too
rg --files | rg <name>	Search filenames instead of contents
rg --files-without-match <pattern>	Find files that don't match

systemd — services and logs

What service_manager wraps. Drop sudo and add --user for user-scoped units.

Command	What it does
systemctl status <unit>	Current state, recent log lines
sudo systemctl start|stop|restart <unit>	Control a unit now
sudo systemctl enable --now <unit>	Start it and start it on every boot
sudo systemctl disable --now <unit>	Stop it and don't start on boot
systemctl list-units --type=service	Loaded services
systemctl list-unit-files --type=service	All installed unit files and their enablement
systemctl --failed	Everything currently broken
sudo systemctl edit --full <unit>	Edit a unit file safely
sudo systemctl daemon-reload	Reload after editing unit files by hand
journalctl -u <unit> -f	Follow one service's logs
journalctl -u <unit> --since "1 hour ago"	Time-filtered logs
journalctl -p err -b	Errors from this boot
journalctl --disk-usage	How much disk the journal is using
sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=3d	Trim the journal to the last 3 days

pacstall — AUR for Ubuntu/Debian

Command	What it does
pacstall -I <pkg>	Install a package from the pacstall repos (like apt install)
pacstall -S <term>	Search available packages (like apt search)
pacstall -R <pkg>	Remove a package
pacstall -U	Update pacstall's recipe scripts
pacstall -Up	Upgrade installed pacstall packages
pacstall -L	List installed pacstall packages
pacstall -A <repo>	Add a package repository
pacstall -h	Full flag reference

code-server — VS Code in the browser

Command	What it does
code-server	Start on 127.0.0.1:8080
code-server --bind-addr 0.0.0.0:8080	Expose on the network (put it behind TLS/a proxy)
sudo systemctl enable --now code-server@$USER	Run it as a service on boot
cat ~/.config/code-server/config.yaml	Read the generated password and bind address
code-server --install-extension <id>	Install an extension by marketplace ID
code-server --list-extensions	List installed extensions

Package managers by distro

The installer picks the right one automatically; these are for when you're doing it by hand afterward.

Distro	Install	Update all	Search	Remove
Ubuntu/Debian	sudo apt install <pkg>	sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade	apt search <term>	sudo apt remove <pkg>
Fedora	sudo dnf install <pkg>	sudo dnf upgrade	dnf search <term>	sudo dnf remove <pkg>
Arch	sudo pacman -S <pkg>	sudo pacman -Syu	pacman -Ss <term>	sudo pacman -Rns <pkg>
Arch (AUR)	yay -S <pkg>	yay -Syu	yay -Ss <term>	yay -Rns <pkg>
Alpine	sudo apk add <pkg>	sudo apk update && sudo apk upgrade	apk search <term>	sudo apk del <pkg>
macOS	brew install <pkg>	brew update && brew upgrade	brew search <term>	brew uninstall <pkg>
Termux	pkg install <pkg>	pkg upgrade	pkg search <term>	pkg uninstall <pkg>

On Arch, the script bootstraps yay first (initializing pacman keys and building yay-bin from the AUR) if it isn't already present.

Termux extras

On Android the script switches the Termux mirror to a faster one, installs the base tools, and sets up a full Ubuntu userland via proot.

Command	What it does
proot-distro list	Show installable and installed distros
proot-distro install ubuntu	Install the Ubuntu rootfs
proot-distro login ubuntu	Enter the Ubuntu environment
proot-distro login ubuntu -- <cmd>	Run one command inside it
proot-distro remove ubuntu	Delete the rootfs
termux-setup-storage	Grant access to shared Android storage

The script creates an ubuntu user inside the proot distro with passwordless sudo. A startxfce4_ubuntu.sh script is downloaded for optional XFCE desktop use but is left uncalled — run it yourself if you want a GUI.

Files This Script Touches

Useful for auditing before you run it, or for undoing parts afterward.

Path	Written by	Contents
~/.config/fish/config.fish	fish, starship, systeminfo, docker	Prompt init, greeting, about-system call, PATH additions
~/.config/fish/functions/*.fish	fish, yazi	in, e, del, setup, search, killport, service_manager, y
~/.config/nushell/config.nu	nushell, starship, systeminfo, yazi	Banner off, EDITOR=nvim, starship autoload, about-system call
~/.config/nvim	nvim	NvChad starter clone (existing config moved to ~/.config/nvim.bak)
~/.config/starship.toml	starship	Overwritten with the ƒ prompt character config
~/.bashrc	node, starship, systeminfo, docker, yazi	Volta PATH, starship init, about-system call, /usr/bin on PATH, y function
~/.volta/	node	Volta toolchain and shims
~/.hushlogin	systeminfo	Suppresses the default login banner
/etc/motd, /etc/update-motd.d	systeminfo	Deleted so the custom greeting is the only banner
/etc/sudoers.d/$USER	sudo	NOPASSWD:ALL for your user
Login shell (chsh)	fish	Changed to fish for $USER

Note that systeminfo deletes the system MOTD files and starship overwrites ~/.config/starship.toml wholesale — back those up first if they matter to you.

Companion Scripts

Two extra scripts live alongside the installer and are run directly, not through the component menu.

get-node.sh — reinstall the JS toolchain

A standalone, POSIX-sh script that wipes and reinstalls Volta, Node, Yarn, and Bun, then prints one summary line with all four versions. Use it when a toolchain install got into a bad state.

sh get-node.sh

It removes ~/.volta and ~/.bun if they already exist, so anything pinned through Volta will need reinstalling afterward. It exits with a clear error if curl is missing or any install step fails.

clean-server-disk.sh — aggressive disk cleanup

Frees space on a full server and reports how much it recovered. Must be run as root, and it is destructive — read it before running it.

sudo bash clean-server-disk.sh

Stage	What it removes
Package manager	apt/yum/dnf caches, autoremovable packages, /var/lib/apt/lists
Docker	docker system prune -af --volumes, build cache, ~/.docker/buildx
Logs	Truncates /var/log/*.log; deletes rotated logs; vacuums journal to 3 days / 100 MB
Caches	~/.cache and cache/ contents under /home and /root, thumbnails, font and man caches
Temp	/tmp, /var/tmp, *.tmp files, crash reports and core dumps (and disables core dumps)
Kernels	Purges old kernel packages, keeping the running one
App caches	pip, npm, yarn, snap, unused flatpak runtimes
User dirs	~/Downloads files untouched for 30+ days, bash history

It finishes by syncing and dropping the kernel page cache. The Docker prune deletes all unused volumes — stop and check anything holding data you care about first.

misc-setup/

File	Purpose
setup-windows.ps1	PowerShell equivalent for Windows — installs Neovim, Starship, nushell, Git, VS Code, nvm, bun, and more via winget; defines a setup alias. Save it as $PSHOME\Profile.ps1.
chrome-extensions.md	Curated list of developer and general-purpose Chrome extensions

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
Installer aborts immediately on a fresh server	Many images ship with no passwords, which makes sudo fail confusingly. Re-run with SETUP_PASSWORD=... (or --password) so the installer sets them first
Piped install shows the menu instead of running unattended	You dropped -s -- — it's bash -s -- all, not bash all
Shell is still bash after login	chsh may have failed silently; run chsh -s $(which fish) and open a new session
Invalid component: <name>	Check the name against the valid list above; the script exits rather than guessing
pacstall reports an error	It's Ubuntu/Debian only — expected on other distros, the rest of the run continues
docker commands fail after install	Rootless docker runs as a user service: systemctl --user status docker, and open a new shell to pick up the PATH change
Node installed but node not found	Open a new shell, or run fish_add_path ~/.volta/bin — Volta's shims live in ~/.volta/bin
Neovim opens with errors on first launch	Plugin sync runs in the background; wait for it, or run nvim --headless "+Lazy! sync" +qa again
Login greeting is missing	systeminfo shells out to npx about-system@latest, which needs Node and network access on each login

Example: System Info on Login

👤 deck 🏠 steamdeck 📁 90% 💾 2/14GB 🔝 6% cursor ⏱️  1d 7h 18m 🌎 174.194.193.230
📍 San Jose 🔗 http://230.sub-174-194-193.myvzw.com 👮 Verizon Business ⚡ SteamOS
📈 AMD Custom APU 0405 💻 Jupiter 🔧 6.11.11-valve12-1-neptune 🐚 fish 🚀 npm pip docker nvim bun
🔌 57343stea 46583stea 27060stea 📦 docker-node

Reference Docs

• Cursor AI Editor
• Cursor MCP Servers
• VSCode Docs
• VSCode Extensions
• Fish Features Overview
• Fish Playground
• git0 Installer
• Bun.js Runtime Docs
• Node.js Best Packages
• Volta Node Installer
• pnpm Package Installer
• Starship Prompt
• Helix Editor
• Neovim
• Neovim LazyVim Config
• gh GitHub CLI
• DevDocs.io
• Terminal Best Tools

---

Please star this repo for updates! 🌟