loadout (one-line OS setup, in bash)

Pick the tags (apps + setup) you want and install them in one go (starting with Debian-family distros like Ubuntu): --dev, --gaming, etc.

Implementation detail: tags map to folders under _tags/ (e.g. _tags/dev/, _tags/gaming/).

One-liner usage

Base only (default):

wget -qO- https://loadout.timlind.net | bash

With tags:

wget -qO- https://loadout.timlind.net | bash -s -- --base --dev --gaming --optional

curl -fsSL https://loadout.timlind.net | bash -s -- --base --dev --gaming --optional

If you prefer to bypass loadout.timlind.net, you can use GitHub directly:

wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/timlindnet/loadout/main/bootstrap.sh | bash -s -- --base --dev --gaming --optional

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/timlindnet/loadout/main/bootstrap.sh | bash -s -- --base --dev --gaming --optional

The bootstrap also installs a helper command so you can later run:

loadout --dev --gaming

CLI quick reference (matches --help)

Modes:

• loadout --help (show help)
• loadout --list-tags (list tags and available add-ons)

Notes:

• Default tag: --base (when no tags are given)
• See what you can install: loadout --list-tags
• Install tags by name: loadout --base --dev --gaming
• Install all tags: loadout --all-tags
  • Include optional add-ons too: loadout --all-tags -o
• Include optional add-ons for selected tags: loadout --dev -o
• Install all add-ons for one tag: loadout --dev-optional
• Run a single add-on by name: loadout --dev--cursor
  • Names for add-ons are shown under optional/ and explicit/ in loadout --list-tags

Tags and add-ons

Tags correspond to folders under _tags/ (e.g. _tags/base/, _tags/dev/, _tags/gaming/) and are installed only when selected.

• Purpose: keep installs modular. You choose what kind of machine you're setting up by selecting tags.
• base: OS-level "foundation" changes meant to improve stability/security (packages, system settings, prerequisites). It should avoid app-specific installs.
• Naming: folders prefixed with _ (e.g. _lib/, _pre/, _req/) are internal and cannot be targeted as tags.

Add-ons live under _tags/<tag>/optional/ and _tags/<tag>/explicit/.

• Optional add-ons run with -o/--optional or --<tag>-optional.
• Explicit add-ons run only when named (--<tag>--<script>), and are never installed via -o/--optional.
• If both exist for the same name, explicit/ is preferred over optional/.

Examples:

loadout --dev--cursor
loadout --dev--aws-cli

Folder execution model

• Always runs:
  • _req/ (bootstrap tools like a downloader + certs)
  • _pre/ (e.g. apt update, apt upgrade)
• Runs tag folders only when selected:
  • _tags/base/, _tags/dev/, _tags/gaming/, etc.

Scripts within a folder run in lexicographic order (use prefixes like 10-...sh).

Script boilerplate

To keep scripts small, files under _req/, _pre/, and _tags/ are treated as snippets and are executed via lib/run-script.sh, which applies set -euo pipefail, sources lib/common.sh, then sources _lib/os.sh for the active OS layers and runs ensure_os for each script.

OS layering

The installer auto-detects your OS via /etc/os-release and builds a layer chain, e.g. on Ubuntu 24.04:

• debian/
• debian/ubuntu/
• debian/ubuntu/24.04/ (optional)

For each folder being run (_req/, _pre/, _tags/<tag>/...), scripts are merged across layers by filename: the most specific layer wins.