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The Mac Dev Playbook is an Ansible-based automation playbook designed to fully configure a Mac for web and software development from scratch. It handles everything from installing Homebrew and CLI tools to configuring dotfiles, apps, system preferences, and macOS behavior. The goal is to make provisioning a new Mac (or re-provisioning an existing one) fast, reliable, and repeatable. The playbook integrates roles for common functionality, uses tagged tasks to allow fine-grained selection (e.g., only dotfiles or only Homebrew apps), and provides default configurations that can easily be overridden via a config.yml. Because many steps in macOS setup are manual or brittle (especially GUI apps, App Store installs, system preferences), this playbook bridges the gap between a “clean install” and a fully configured dev machine. It’s especially useful for developers who frequently set up machines, join new teams, or want to maintain consistent environments across multiple Macs.
Features
- Full Ansible playbook that installs Homebrew, CLI tools, GUI apps, and macOS settings
- Tagged tasks enabling selective runs (e.g., only dotfiles or only app installs)
- Overridable configuration via default.config.yml and optional config.yml for customization
- Support for remote Mac provisioning (SSH via inventory configuration)
- Integration of dotfiles management, shell environment, and macOS preferences
- Tested on macOS via GitHub Actions to ensure reproducible setup
Project Samples
