What is repoverlay?

repoverlay is a command-line tool that overlays config files into git repositories without committing them. Files are symlinked (or copied) from overlay sources and automatically excluded from git tracking.

OK, but why?

Many development workflows require configuration files that shouldn't be committed to a repository:

• AI assistant configs (.claude/, CLAUDE.md, .cursor/) — personal preferences that vary by developer
• Editor settings (.vscode/settings.json, .idea/) — team members use different editors
• Environment files (.envrc, .env.local) — machine-specific paths and secrets
• Dev tooling (.prettierrc, biome.json) — standards you apply across multiple repos

You could copy these files manually and add them to .gitignore, but then you have to keep them updated across dozens of repositories. And if someone runs git clean, they're gone.

How repoverlay helps

repoverlay lets you define overlay sources — local directories or GitHub repos — and apply them to any repository with a single command. Applied files are:

• Symlinked (or copied) into the target repo
• Excluded from git via .git/info/exclude (not .gitignore)
• Tracked in state files so they can be removed, restored, or updated
• Backed up externally so git clean doesn't destroy them

Key features

• Multiple sources — apply overlays from local directories, GitHub URLs, or shared overlay repositories
• Fork inheritance — overlays for upstream repos automatically apply to your forks
• Update & restore — pull remote changes with repoverlay update; recover after git clean with repoverlay restore
• Create & share — package your configs into overlays and share them via GitHub
• Overlay configuration — rename files, symlink directories atomically, and more via repoverlay.ccl