ask-server-shell-setup
Guide to server-shell-setup (packages/server-shell-setup), the one-command dev-environment bootstrap for fish, nushell, nvim, helix, node via Volta, bun, docker, starship, code-server and more — interactive vs unattended installs, selecting individual components, the fish aliases it adds, and the supported distros. Use when working with server-shell-setup or troubleshooting it — the installer aborting on a fresh server, sudo or password prompts, a shell that doesn't become the default, docker rootless issues, or components that silently skip on an unsupported distro.
Install
npx skillscat add opensourceagi/dev-tools-starter-agent/ask-server-shell-setup Install via the SkillsCat registry.
Working With server-shell-setup
The shell scripts in packages/server-shell-setup (install-shell.sh, plus get-node.sh and clean-server-disk.sh). It's not an npm package — it's a bash installer you pipe from the network, aimed at a fresh VPS, container, or Termux session.
Supported systems: Arch, Ubuntu/Debian, Android (Termux), macOS, Fedora, Alpine. The script detects the OS and picks the right package manager; unsupported combinations skip the component rather than aborting the run.
Setup
On a brand-new server, set passwords first (many providers ship with none, which makes sudo fail in confusing ways):
sudo passwd # root
sudo passwd $USER # your userThen pick an install mode:
wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash # interactive menu
wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash -s -- all # everything, unattended
wget -qO- tinyurl.com/shellsetup | bash -s -- starship,docker,node # specific componentsThe -s -- is what forwards arguments through the pipe to bash — dropping it silently gives you the interactive menu instead.
Components
| Name | What you get |
|---|---|
fish |
Fish with oh-my-fish, fzf, z, pisces |
nushell |
Structured-data shell |
nvim |
Neovim preconfigured with NvChad |
helix |
Modal editor, no config needed |
node |
Node via Volta (no sudo/permission problems), plus pnpm, yarn, git0, vite, turbo |
bun |
Bun runtime + package manager |
docker |
Docker with rootless mode |
starship |
Prompt wired into bash, fish, and nushell |
systeminfo |
The about-system greeting on login |
pacstall |
AUR-style package manager for Ubuntu/Debian |
code |
code-server (VS Code in the browser) |
sudo |
Passwordless sudo for the current user |
Fish aliases it installs
| Alias | Runs |
|---|---|
in <pkg> |
sudo apt install <pkg> |
e <file> |
nvim <file> |
del <path> |
sudo rm -rf <path> |
setup |
Re-runs this installer |
killport |
fzf picker to kill the process holding a port |
search <query> |
Search filenames and contents via ripgrep |
service_manager |
fzf picker to start/stop/restart/inspect systemd services |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause → fix |
|---|---|
| Arguments ignored, menu appears anyway | You piped without -s --. Use bash -s -- all. |
| Menu appears but you're in CI | The interactive path needs a TTY. Always pass an explicit component list or all in automation. |
sudo: no password / repeated prompts |
Set the passwords first (above). The sudo component enables passwordless sudo, but it can't run before you can sudo at all. |
| Fish installed but the shell didn't change | The default shell change needs chsh -s $(which fish) and a new login session; in containers there's often no login shell at all — invoke fish from your entrypoint. |
Docker installed but docker ps fails |
Rootless Docker needs its user daemon running and the socket env var set — log out and back in, then check systemctl --user status docker. In containers without systemd, rootless mode won't come up. |
| A component silently didn't install | It isn't available for the detected OS. Re-run just that component to see the output rather than scrolling the full log. |
Node installed but node isn't found |
Volta puts shims in ~/.volta/bin, added to the shell config it edited. Open a new shell, or source the config for the shell you're actually using. |
killport/service_manager do nothing |
They depend on fzf (fish component) and on systemd (service_manager), neither of which exists in a minimal container. |
| Running it twice broke something | It's re-runnable (setup alias exists for that), but shell config edits can stack. Check ~/.config/fish/config.fish for duplicate lines. |
| Disk fills up mid-install | clean-server-disk.sh in the same folder clears package caches and old images. |
Install
npx skillscat add opensourceagi/dev-tools-starter-agent/ask-server-shell-setup Install via the SkillsCat registry.