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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/shawal-mbalire/dotfiles/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

This configuration uses Nerd Fonts for icon support across terminal applications and includes specific fonts for different UI elements.

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Installed Fonts

The following fonts are included in ~/.local/share/fonts/:

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Primary Fonts

FontUsageFeatures
JetBrains Mono Nerd FontTerminal, code editingMonospaced, ligatures, Nerd Font icons
SonoWaybar, UI elementsModern sans-serif
ComfortaaUI accentsRounded, friendly appearance
Hack Nerd FontAlternative terminal fontMonospaced, Nerd Font icons

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Additional Fonts

FontPurpose
Iosevka Nerd FontAlternative coding font
AmiriArabic script support
Scheherazade NewArabic typography
GrapeNutsDisplay font
Icomoon FeatherIcon font

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Installing Nerd Fonts

Nerd Fonts add thousands of icons and glyphs for terminal applications like ls, git prompts, and more.

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Arch Linux

yay -S ttf-hack-nerd

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Fedora

# Add COPR repository
sudo dnf copr enable zawertun/hack-fonts

# Install Hack Nerd Font
sudo dnf install hack-fonts

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JetBrains Mono Nerd Font (All Distros)

# Download latest release
curl -OL https://github.com/ryanoasis/nerd-fonts/releases/latest/download/JetBrainsMono.tar.xz

# Extract to fonts directory
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts/JetBrainsMono
tar -xf JetBrainsMono.tar.xz -C ~/.local/share/fonts/JetBrainsMono/

# Refresh font cache
fc-cache -fv

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Other Nerd Fonts

Visit Nerd Fonts releases for more options:
  • FiraCode - Popular programming font with ligatures
  • Iosevka - Slender monospace font
  • SourceCodePro - Adobe’s coding font
  • Meslo - Customized Apple Menlo font

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Font Configuration by Application

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Waybar

Location: ~/.config/waybar/style.css 
* {
    font-family: "Sono Medium", "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font", sans-serif;
    font-size: 16px;
}
Customizing Waybar font: 
/* Change font family */
* {
    font-family: "Your Font Name", "Fallback Font", sans-serif;
}

/* Adjust font size */
* {
    font-size: 14px;  /* Smaller */
}

/* Specific modules */
#clock {
    font-family: "Comfortaa";
    font-size: 18px;
    font-weight: bold;
}

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Kitty Terminal

Location: ~/.config/kitty/kitty.conf (if it exists) 
# Font family
font_family      JetBrainsMono Nerd Font
bold_font        JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Bold
italic_font      JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Italic
bold_italic_font JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Bold Italic

# Font size
font_size 12.0

# Font features (ligatures, etc.)
disable_ligatures never

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GTK Applications

System font settings for Nautilus, settings, etc. Using gsettings (GNOME/GTK): 
# Interface font
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface font-name 'Cantarell 11'

# Document font
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface document-font-name 'Sans 11'

# Monospace font (terminal apps)
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface monospace-font-name 'JetBrainsMono Nerd Font 10'
Using dconf-editor:
  1. Install: sudo dnf install dconf-editor or yay -S dconf-editor
  2. Navigate to: /org/gnome/desktop/interface/
  3. Edit font-name, monospace-font-name, etc.

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Rofi

Location: ~/.config/rofi/config.rasi or theme files 
* {
    font: "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font 12";
}

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VS Code / Code Insiders

Settings UI:
  1. Open Settings (Ctrl + ,)
  2. Search “font family”
  3. Set: 'JetBrainsMono Nerd Font', 'Fira Code', monospace
settings.json: 
{
    "editor.fontFamily": "'JetBrainsMono Nerd Font', 'Fira Code', monospace",
    "editor.fontSize": 14,
    "editor.fontLigatures": true,
    "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "'JetBrainsMono Nerd Font'",
    "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 13
}

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Neovim

Neovim inherits terminal font settings. Configure your terminal emulator (Kitty) instead.

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Font Features

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Nerd Font Icons

Nerd Fonts include icons from:
  • Font Awesome
  • Material Design Icons
  • Weather Icons
  • Powerline symbols
  • File type icons
Test icon rendering: 
echo "   "
You should see: folder, git branch, check mark, terminal icons.

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Ligatures

Programming ligatures combine characters:
  • == → single equals symbol
  • != → not-equals symbol
  • -> → arrow
  • >= → greater-than-or-equal
Fonts with ligatures:
  • JetBrains Mono
  • Fira Code
  • Cascadia Code
  • Iosevka
Enable in your editor/terminal config (shown above).

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Installing Custom Fonts

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System-Wide Installation

# Copy fonts to system directory
sudo cp MyFont.ttf /usr/share/fonts/

# Or create a dedicated directory
sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/fonts/custom
sudo cp MyFont.ttf /usr/share/fonts/custom/

# Refresh font cache
sudo fc-cache -fv

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User-Only Installation

# Create fonts directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/fonts

# Copy font files
cp MyFont.ttf ~/.local/share/fonts/

# Refresh font cache
fc-cache -fv

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Font Formats

Supported formats:
  • .ttf - TrueType Font (most common)
  • .otf - OpenType Font
  • .woff / .woff2 - Web fonts (can be converted)

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Verifying Font Installation

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List installed fonts

# All fonts
fc-list

# Filter by name
fc-list | grep -i "jetbrains"

# Show font details
fc-list : family style file | grep -i "jetbrains"

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Test font in terminal

# View sample text
fc-match "JetBrainsMono Nerd Font"

# Check which font is used for a character
fc-match --format="%{family}\n" :charset=1F4C1

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Verify Nerd Font icons

echo -e "\ue0b0 \ue0b1 \ue0b2 \ue0b3"  # Powerline triangles
echo -e "\uf015 \uf07c \uf121"        # Home, folder, git

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Troubleshooting

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Icons showing as boxes/questions marks

Cause: Nerd Font not installed or not selected Solution:
  1. Install Nerd Font variant (see above)
  2. Set font in terminal config
  3. Refresh font cache: fc-cache -fv
  4. Restart terminal

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Font looks blurry

Solution: Enable font antialiasing and hinting 
# Create/edit ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf
mkdir -p ~/.config/fontconfig

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE fontconfig SYSTEM "fonts.dtd">
<fontconfig>
  <match target="font">
    <edit name="antialias" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hinting" mode="assign">
      <bool>true</bool>
    </edit>
    <edit name="hintstyle" mode="assign">
      <const>hintslight</const>
    </edit>
    <edit name="rgba" mode="assign">
      <const>rgb</const>
    </edit>
  </match>
</fontconfig>

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Font not showing in application

  1. Check if font is installed: fc-list | grep "FontName"
  2. Refresh font cache: fc-cache -fv
  3. Restart application
  4. Check font name is exact (case-sensitive)

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Waybar not using correct font

  1. Verify font name in style.css matches installed font
  2. Check for typos in font-family declaration
  3. Restart Waybar: killall waybar && waybar &

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Font Recommendations

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For Terminal

  1. JetBrains Mono Nerd Font - Best all-around
  2. Fira Code Nerd Font - Excellent ligatures
  3. Hack Nerd Font - Clean and readable
  4. Iosevka Nerd Font - Space-efficient

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For UI Elements

  1. Inter - Modern, readable UI font
  2. Roboto - Google’s material design font
  3. San Francisco - Apple’s system font
  4. Cantarell - GNOME’s default font

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For Waybar

  1. Sono (current) - Modern, clean
  2. Comfortaa (current) - Friendly, rounded
  3. Outfit - Geometric sans-serif
  4. Manrope - Professional, versatile

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Font Size Guidelines

ElementRecommended Size
Terminal11-13px
Code editor12-14px
Waybar14-16px
UI elements10-12px
Document text11-12px
Adjust based on screen size and DPI settings.

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