Omarchy Skill

If you're about to edit a config file in ~/.config/ on this system, STOP and use this skill first.

Do NOT use this skill for Omarchy development tasks (editing files in ~/.local/share/arch/, creating migrations, or running arch-dev-* workflows).

Critical Safety Rules

For end-user customization tasks, NEVER modify anything in ~/.local/share/arch/ - but READING is safe and encouraged.

This directory contains Omarchy's source files managed by git. Any changes will be:

• Lost on next nix-update
• Cause conflicts with upstream
• Break the system's update mechanism

~/.local/share/arch/     # READ-ONLY - NEVER EDIT (reading is OK)
├── bin/                    # Source scripts (symlinked to PATH)
├── config/                 # Default config templates
├── themes/                 # Stock themes
├── default/                # System defaults
├── migrations/             # Update migrations
└── install/                # Installation scripts

Reading ~/.local/share/arch/ is SAFE and useful - do it freely to:

• Understand how arch commands work: cat $(which nix-theme-set)
• See default configs before customizing: cat ~/.local/share/arch/config/waybar/config.jsonc
• Check stock theme files to copy for customization
• Reference default hyprland settings: cat ~/.config/default/hypr/*

Always use these safe locations instead:

• ~/.config/ - User configuration (safe to edit)
• ~/.config/theme/themes/<custom-name>/ - Custom themes (must be real directories)
• ~/.config/theme/hooks/ - Custom automation hooks

If the request is to develop Omarchy itself, this skill is out of scope. Follow repository development instructions instead of this skill.

System Architecture

Omarchy is built on:

Command Discovery

Omarchy provides ~145 commands following arch-<category>-<action> pattern.

# List all arch commands
compgen -c | grep -E '^arch-' | sort -u

# Find commands by category
compgen -c | grep -E '^arch-theme'
compgen -c | grep -E '^arch-restart'

# Read a command's source to understand it
cat $(which nix-theme-set)

Command Categories

Configuration Locations

Hyprland (Window Manager)

~/.config/hypr/
├── hyprland.conf      # Main config (sources others)
├── bindings.conf      # Keybindings
├── monitors.conf      # Display configuration
├── input.conf         # Keyboard/mouse settings
├── looknfeel.conf     # Appearance (gaps, borders, animations)
├── envs.conf          # Environment variables
├── autostart.conf     # Startup applications
├── hypridle.conf      # Idle behavior (screen off, lock, suspend)
├── hyprlock.conf      # Lock screen appearance
└── hyprsunset.conf    # Night light / blue light filter

Key behaviors:

• Hyprland auto-reloads on config save (no restart needed for most changes)
• Use hyprctl reload to force reload
• Use nix-refresh-hyprland to reset to defaults

Waybar (Status Bar)

~/.config/waybar/
├── config.jsonc       # Bar layout and modules (JSONC format)
└── style.css          # Styling

Waybar does NOT auto-reload. You MUST run nix-restart-waybar after any config changes.

Commands: nix-restart-waybar, nix-refresh-waybar, nix-toggle-waybar

Terminals

~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf
~/.config/ghostty/config

Command: nix-restart-terminal

Other Configs

Safe Customization Patterns

Pattern 1: Edit User Config Directly

For simple changes, edit files in ~/.config/:

# 1. Read current config
cat ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf

# 2. Backup before changes
cp ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf.bak.$(date +%s)

# 3. Make changes with Edit tool

# 4. Apply changes
# - Hyprland: auto-reloads on save (no restart needed)
# - Waybar: MUST restart with nix-restart-waybar
# - Walker: MUST restart with nix-restart-walker
# - Terminals: MUST restart with nix-restart-terminal

Pattern 2: Make a new theme

1. Create a directory under ~/.config/theme/themes.
2. See how an existing theme is done via ~/.local/share/arch/themes/catppuccin.
3. Download a matching background (or several) from the internet and put them in ~/.config/theme/themes/[name-of-new-theme]
4. When done with the theme, run nix-theme-set "Name of new theme"

Pattern 3: Use Hooks for Automation

Create scripts in ~/.config/theme/hooks/ to run automatically on events:

# Available hooks (see samples in ~/.config/theme/hooks/):
~/.config/theme/hooks/
├── theme-set        # Runs after theme change (receives theme name as $1)
├── font-set         # Runs after font change
└── post-update      # Runs after nix-update

Example hook (~/.config/theme/hooks/theme-set):

#!/bin/bash
THEME_NAME=$1
echo "Theme changed to: $THEME_NAME"
# Add custom actions here

Pattern 4: Reset to Defaults -- ALWAYS SEEK USER CONFIRMATION BEFORE RUNNING

When customizations go wrong:

# Reset specific config (creates backup automatically)
nix-refresh-waybar
nix-refresh-hyprland

# The refresh command:
# 1. Backs up current config with timestamp
# 2. Copies default from ~/.local/share/arch/config/
# 3. Restarts the component

Common Tasks

Themes

arch-theme-list              # Show available themes
arch-theme-current           # Show current theme
nix-theme-set <name>        # Apply theme (use "Tokyo Night" not "tokyo-night")
arch-theme-next              # Cycle to next theme
nix-theme-bg-next           # Cycle wallpaper
arch-theme-install <url>     # Install from git repo

Keybindings

Edit ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf. Format:

bind = SUPER, Return, exec, xdg-terminal-exec
bind = SUPER, Q, killactive
bind = SUPER SHIFT, E, exit

View current bindings: nix-menu-keybindings --print

IMPORTANT: When re-binding an existing key:

1. First check existing bindings: nix-menu-keybindings --print
2. If the key is already bound, you MUST add an unbind directive BEFORE your new bind
3. Inform the user what the key was previously bound to

Example - rebinding SUPER+F (which is bound to fullscreen by default):

# Unbind existing SUPER+F (was: fullscreen)
unbind = SUPER, F
# New binding for file manager
bind = SUPER, F, exec, nautilus

Always tell the user: "Note: SUPER+F was previously bound to fullscreen. I've added an unbind directive to override it."

Display/Monitors

Edit ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf. Format:

monitor = eDP-1, 1920x1080@60, 0x0, 1
monitor = HDMI-A-1, 2560x1440@144, 1920x0, 1

List monitors: hyprctl monitors

Window Rules

CRITICAL: Hyprland window rules syntax changes frequently between versions.

Before writing ANY window rules, you MUST fetch the current documentation from the official Hyprland wiki:

• https://github.com/hyprwm/hyprland-wiki/blob/main/content/Configuring/Window-Rules.md

DO NOT rely on cached or memorized window rule syntax. The format has changed multiple times and using outdated syntax will cause errors or unexpected behavior.

Window rules go in ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf or a sourced file. Always verify the current syntax from the wiki first.

Fonts

arch-font-list               # Available fonts
arch-font-current            # Current font
arch-font-set <name>         # Change font

System

nix-update                  # Full system update
nix-version                 # Show Omarchy version
arch-debug --no-sudo --print # Debug info (ALWAYS use these flags)
nix-lock-screen             # Lock screen
arch-system-shutdown         # Shutdown
arch-system-reboot           # Reboot

IMPORTANT: Always run arch-debug with --no-sudo --print flags to avoid interactive sudo prompts that will hang the terminal.

Troubleshooting

# Get debug information (ALWAYS use these flags to avoid interactive prompts)
arch-debug --no-sudo --print

# Upload logs for support
arch-upload-log

# Reset specific config to defaults
nix-refresh-<app>

# Refresh specific config file
# config-file path is relative to ~/.config/
# eg. nix-refresh-config hypr/hyprlock.conf will refresh ~/.config/hypr/hyprlock.conf
nix-refresh-config <config-file>

# Full reinstall of configs (nuclear option)
arch-reinstall

Decision Framework

When user requests system changes:

1. Is it a stock arch command? Use it directly
2. Is it a config edit? Edit in ~/.config/, never ~/.local/share/arch/
3. Is it a theme customization? Create a NEW custom theme directory
4. Is it automation? Use hooks in ~/.config/theme/hooks/
5. Is it a package install? Use arch-pkg-add (or arch-pkg-aur-add for AUR-only packages)
6. Unsure if command exists? Search with compgen -c | grep arch

Out of Scope

This skill intentionally does not cover Omarchy source development. Do not use this skill for:

• Editing files in ~/.local/share/arch/ (bin/, config/, default/, themes/, migrations/, etc.)
• Creating or editing migrations
• Running arch-dev-* commands

Example Requests

• "Change my theme to catppuccin" -> nix-theme-set catppuccin
• "Add a keybinding for Super+E to open file manager" -> Check existing bindings first, add unbind if needed, then add bind in ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf
• "Configure my external monitor" -> Edit ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf
• "Make the window gaps smaller" -> Edit ~/.config/hypr/looknfeel.conf
• "Set up night light to turn on at sunset" -> nix-toggle-nightlight or edit ~/.config/hypr/hyprsunset.conf
• "Customize the catppuccin theme colors" -> Create ~/.config/theme/themes/catppuccin-custom/ by copying from stock, then edit
• "Run a script every time I change themes" -> Create ~/.config/theme/hooks/theme-set
• "Reset waybar to defaults" -> nix-refresh-waybar