---
title: "Stow"
url: https://perrotta.dev/2025/11/stow/
last_updated: 2025-12-25
---


For a long time I wanted to write a blog post about `stow`.

My procrastination has paid off: [pbrisbin](https://pbrisbin.com/posts/stow/)
has written one first.

> I recently migrated my dotfiles from rcm to GNU Stow. I didn't really have a
> reason, I wasn't unhappy with rcm at all, but I saw Stow mentioned somewhere
> and felt like trying it out. After migrating, I still don't have strong
> feelings – both tools are appropriately good and boring – but I can at least
> now speak to the differences and maybe that would help someone out there
> decide for their own dotfiles.

I am also a former user of
[rcm](https://thoughtbot.com/blog/rcm-for-rc-files-in-dotfiles-repos). I share
the same considerations as the author.

I am quite happy with `stow` as a dotfiles manager. Every once in a while I
attempt to integrate Ansible to manage the rest of my dotfiles setup, but it
never sticks. Simplicity always wins in the test of time.