Applying Overlays

This guide covers the different ways to apply overlays to a git repository.

Basic usage

Apply an overlay from a local directory:

repoverlay apply /path/to/overlay

Apply from a GitHub repository:

repoverlay apply https://github.com/owner/repo

Targeting a specific repo

By default, repoverlay applies to the current directory. Use --target to specify a different repository:

repoverlay apply ./overlay --target /path/to/repo

Naming overlays

repoverlay auto-generates a name from the source. Use --name to set a custom name:

repoverlay apply ./overlay --name my-config

The name is used to identify the overlay in status, remove, and other commands.

Copy mode

Use --copy to copy files instead of creating symlinks:

repoverlay apply ./overlay --copy

This is useful when symlinks aren't supported or when you want independent copies that won't change when the source is modified.

GitHub-specific options

Branches and tags

# Specific branch
repoverlay apply https://github.com/owner/repo --ref develop

# Tag (via URL path)
repoverlay apply https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/v1.0.0

Subdirectories

Apply only a subdirectory of a GitHub repository:

repoverlay apply https://github.com/owner/repo/tree/main/overlays/rust