Server CLI Tools

Interactive installer for setting up a consistent shell environment on Ubuntu/Debian servers. Clone to any server, run the installer, pick what you need.

Quick start

git clone <repo-url> ~/server_cli_tools
cd ~/server_cli_tools
./install.sh              # interactive menu
./install.sh --all        # install everything
./install.sh --update     # pull latest + re-run menu
./install.sh --uninstall  # remove installed configs

What's included

#	Component	What it does
1	Core packages	vim, bat, eza, fzf, htop, tmux, zsh, ripgrep, fd-find, zoxide, git-delta
2	Zsh + Oh-My-Zsh	Shell, plugins (zsh-autosuggestions, zsh-syntax-highlighting, z), custom prompt theme
3	Aliases + tools	General, git, and docker aliases with a self-documenting help system (h)
4	Terminal configs	bat theme (base16)
5	Docker	docker.io via apt, service enabled, user added to docker group, management aliases
6	Git config	git-delta as pager with side-by-side diffs

Alias highlights

Type h after installation to see all aliases with descriptions. Some highlights:

ll    — eza with icons, groups, timestamps
pf    — fzf + bat file preview
cdf   — fuzzy cd into any subdirectory
mkcd  — mkdir + cd in one command
twd   — tar current directory
gdn   — numbered git diff (then gdn 3 to diff file #3)
gcpm  — git add -u + commit + push in one command
gstm  — git stash with mandatory message
ds    — toggle docker container start/stop
da    — docker ps -a

How it works

• Idempotent — safe to run multiple times; skips already-installed packages
• Non-destructive — existing configs are backed up to ~/.server_cli_tools_bkp/<timestamp>/
• Selective — interactive menu lets you toggle individual components
• Ubuntu/Debian — uses apt; warns on other distros (configs still work)

Repo structure

server_cli_tools/
  install.sh                    # main installer
  configs/
    aliases/
      .aliases                  # general aliases (server-adapted)
      .functions.sh             # helper functions + alias help system
      .git_aliases              # git shortcuts + stash management
      .docker_aliases           # docker management aliases
      .git_bash_autocomplete    # bash git completion
    custom_tools/
      backup_dotfiles.sh        # backup conflicting dotfiles
    bat/config                  # bat theme
    zsh/zhann-elvis.zsh-theme   # custom zsh prompt (git-aware)
    zshrc                       # .zshrc with oh-my-zsh + plugins

Customization

After installation, create local overrides that won't be tracked:

• ~/.config/aliases/.local_aliases — machine-specific aliases
• ~/.config/aliases/.custom_aliases — temporary/personal aliases

Use ea l to edit local aliases, ea c for custom, sa to re-source.

Troubleshooting

Terminal type / colors over SSH

Clients such as Ghostty set TERM to values like xterm-ghostty. SSH forwards that to the server, but the server usually has no matching terminfo entry. Symptoms include:

• 'xterm-ghostty': unknown terminal type when running ./install.sh (the interactive menu calls clear)
• Broken or missing colors in vim, htop, tmux, and other TUI programs

install.sh detects an unknown TERM at startup and falls back to the first available of xterm-256color, xterm, screen, or dumb. You can also use the non-interactive installer: ./install.sh --all.

For all future SSH sessions to any server, force a portable TERM on the client before connecting. Add a wrapper on your local machine (not the server). The function body is the same in bash and zsh; what differs is where you put it and how you check that it took effect.

Bash (~/.bashrc) — append at the end of the file:

unalias ssh 2>/dev/null
ssh() {
  TERM=xterm-256color command ssh "$@"
}

Zsh (~/.zshrc) — append at the end, after Oh-My-Zsh and other plugins so nothing loads later and overrides it:

unalias ssh 2>/dev/null
ssh() {
  TERM=xterm-256color command ssh "$@"
}

Zsh also allows function ssh { ... } with the same body; ssh() { ... } is equivalent. In both shells, command ssh calls the real binary and avoids recursion.

	Bash	Zsh
Config file	~/.bashrc	~/.zshrc
Placement	End of file	End of file, after OMZ/plugins
Clear alias first	unalias ssh (if present)	Same — plugins sometimes define ssh aliases
Argument forwarding	"$@"	"$@" — not "@"
Reload	exec bash or new terminal	exec zsh or new terminal
Check wrapper is active	type ssh	whence -v ssh (type can be ambiguous in zsh)

Verify:

# bash
type ssh
ssh myhost 'echo $TERM'

# zsh
whence -v ssh
ssh myhost 'echo $TERM'

Both should report a shell function and print xterm-256color on the remote host.

One-off:

TERM=xterm-256color ./install.sh

Optional: in ~/.ssh/config, SetEnv TERM=xterm-256color under Host * only works when the remote sshd accepts TERM via AcceptEnv — many servers do not, so the shell wrapper above is more reliable.