MacOS Setup Guide

This is my almanac for setting up a new macOS machine to my workflows.

Initial System Setup

Step 1: Basic macOS Configuration

Before installing any applications, let's configure macOS for optimal productivity:

Wallpapers & Visual Setup

Desktop Wallpapers

My collection of desktop wallpapers:

Twitter Banners

For your Twitter account banners and social media:

Profile Pictures

For consistency across all your accounts:

Installing Homebrew & Core Applications

Step 1: Install Homebrew

Homebrew is the essential package manager for macOS. It simplifies installing and managing applications.

After installation, add Homebrew to your PATH:

Step 2: Install Essential Applications

Now let's install all the applications you'll need. I've organized them by category with detailed explanations:

One-Command Installation

Install everything at once with this single command:

Core Command Line Tools

Browsers

Development Tools

Productivity & System Tools

File Management

Office & Documents

Communication

Creative & Media Tools

Media Players

Security & Privacy

Terminal Setup with Oh My Zsh

Step 1: Install Oh My Zsh

Oh My Zsh is a framework for managing your Zsh configuration with tons of helpful features.

Step 2: Install Powerlevel10k Theme

The most powerful and customizable Zsh theme:

Then edit your ~/.zshrc:

Step 3: Install Essential Zsh Plugins

zsh-autosuggestions

Suggests commands as you type based on your history:

zsh-syntax-highlighting

Provides syntax highlighting for your shell commands:

zsh-fast-syntax-highlighting

Faster and more feature-rich syntax highlighting:

zsh-autocomplete

Real-time auto-completion as you type:

Enabling the Plugins

Edit your ~/.zshrc file and update the plugins line:

Apply the changes:

Step 4: Advanced Terminal Tools Setup

Initialize Shell History with Atuin

Set up magical shell history sync:

Configure Zoxide for Smart Navigation

Initialize zoxide in your shell:

Setup FZF Integration

Add fuzzy finding to your shell:

macOS UI Customization (Advanced)

For power users who want to customize the macOS interface:

• JankyBorders - Add colored borders around windows
• SketchyBar - Highly customizable status bar
• Simple Bar - Alternative clean status bar
• fzf-git - Enhanced Git workflows with fuzzy finding

iTerm2 Configuration

Essential iTerm2 Settings

Configure iTerm2 for the optimal terminal experience:

Enable Natural Text Editing

Transparency and Blur Settings

Auto-Activate Python Virtual Environments

Add this to your ~/.zshrc for automatic virtual environment activation:

# Auto-activate Python virtual environment if .env or .venv exists (no auto-deactivate)

function auto_activate_env() {
  local dir=$PWD
  while [ "$dir" != "/" ]; do
    if [ -d "$dir/.venv" ]; then
      source "$dir/.venv/bin/activate"
      echo "✅ Activated virtual environment ($dir/.venv)"
      return
    fi
    dir=$(dirname "$dir")
  done
}

autoload -U add-zsh-hook
add-zsh-hook chpwd auto_activate_env

# Also activate immediately on shell startup
auto_activate_env

# pnpm
export PNPM_HOME="/Users/wimpy/Library/pnpm"
case ":$PATH:" in
  *":$PNPM_HOME:"*) ;;
  *) export PATH="$PNPM_HOME:$PATH" ;;
esac
# pnpm end

Hyper Key Setup & Macros

Ultimate Productivity Shortcuts

Using BetterTouchTool's Hyper Key (⌘⌥⌃⇧). Never use your eyes for navigation (vision search is slow), use your muscle memory:

Development Environment Setup

Node.js & npm

Install Node Version Manager (nvm) for managing Node.js versions:

Install the latest LTS Node.js:

Python Environment

Install pyenv for Python version management:

Install Python:

Git Configuration

Set up your Git identity and preferences:

SSH Keys for GitHub

Generate and add SSH keys for secure GitHub access:

System Maintenance

Regular Updates

Keep your system and applications up to date:

Essential Extensions & Productivity Tools

Raycast Extensions

Supercharge your macOS workflow with these must-have Raycast extensions:

• GitHub - Search repos, issues, and PRs
• Linear - Task management integration
• Kill Process - Quickly terminate hanging processes
• Clipboard History - Access your clipboard history
• Window Management - Alternative to Rectangle
• Speedtest - Quick internet speed tests
• Color Picker - Pick colors from anywhere

VS Code Extensions

These are some very useful VScode Extensions:

Core Productivity Extensions

• All Autocomplete - Enhanced autocomplete across all files
• AutoClose Find - Automatically close find dialog when you stop typing
• Better Comments - Styled comments with alerts, todos, and highlights
• Code Spell Checker - Catch spelling errors in your code
• Color Highlighter - Highlight color values in your code
• Error Lens - See errors and warnings inline with your code
• Path Intellisense - Autocomplete for file paths
• Todo Highlight - Highlight TODO, FIXME comments

Theme & Icons

• Dracula Theme Official - The perfect dark theme for long coding sessions
• Material Icon Theme - Beautiful file and folder icons

Git Integration

• GitLens - Supercharge Git capabilities with blame annotations
• Git History - View git log, file history, and compare branches

Code Quality & Formatting

• ESLint - JavaScript/TypeScript linting
• Prettier - Code Formatter - Opinionated code formatter

Python Development

• Python - Core Python language support
• Pylance - Fast, feature-rich Python language server
• Python Debugger - Debug Python code with breakpoints
• isort - Sort Python imports automatically

Web Development

• Live Server - Launch local development server with live reload

Data & Documentation

• Rainbow CSV - Highlight CSV files with colors
• Markdown Preview Enhanced - Enhanced markdown preview with math support

Final Tips & Tricks

Quick Look Enhancements

Enhance Quick Look (spacebar preview) with plugins:

Touch ID for sudo

Enable Touch ID for sudo commands:

Show Path Bar in Finder

Faster Dock Auto-Hide

Paste Without Formatting (Essential for Cursor)

Set up ⌘⇧V for paste without formatting - crucial when working in Cursor:

Reference: Reddit guide on paste without formatting

CleanShot X Auto Copy Setup

Enable auto copy to clipboard in CleanShot X for seamless screenshot workflow:

Remove Full Screen Shortcut Conflict

Disable ⌘⇧F full screen shortcut to avoid conflicts with code search:

VS Code Auto Close Tags

Enable automatic tag closing in VS Code for faster HTML/JSX editing:

VS Code Block Highlighting & Bracket Colorization

Enhanced code readability with Dracula-themed bracket colors and block highlighting:

{
  // --- Block Highlighter core settings ---
  // Semi-transparent Dracula purple (#bd93f9) with ~10% alpha
  "blockHighlighter.background": [189, 147, 249, 0.10], // RGBA
  "blockHighlighter.isWholeLine": true,
  "blockHighlighter.omit": ["plain", "markdown"],

  // --- Bracket pair colorization (VS Code built-in) ---
  "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true,
  "editor.guides.bracketPairs": "active",
  "editor.guides.bracketPairsHorizontal": "active",

  // --- Theme-scoped workbench colors for Dracula ---
  "workbench.colorCustomizations": {
    "[Dracula]": {
      // Keep the highlight subtle against Dracula background
      "editor.selectionHighlightBackground": "#bd93f933",
      "editor.wordHighlightBackground": "#8be9fd22",
      // Bracket highlights that echo Dracula palette
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground1": "#bd93f9",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground2": "#50fa7b",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground3": "#ff79c6",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground4": "#8be9fd",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground5": "#ffb86c",
      "editorBracketHighlight.foreground6": "#f1fa8c",
      "editorBracketHighlight.unexpectedBracket.foreground": "#ff5555"
    }
  },

  // Optional: fine-tune token colors only when Dracula is active
  "editor.tokenColorCustomizations": {
    "[Dracula]": {
      "textMateRules": [
        {
          "scope": "punctuation.definition.block",
          "settings": { "foreground": "#bd93f9" }
        },
        {
          "scope": "punctuation.section.block",
          "settings": { "foreground": "#bd93f9" }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Shortcuts to Live By

These keyboard shortcuts will save you time:

VS Code / Cursor Shortcuts

• ⌘ + ← Collapse all folders in file explorer

Dracula Theme Setup

For complete Dracula theming across all your applications, check out my detailed guide here.

This guide covers theming for VS Code, iTerm2, browsers with Stylus, Discord, Obsidian, and more!