My Arch Linux Setup: Minimal Base + Omarchy Theming

This is mostly documentation for myself so I can recreate this setup quickly, but figured I’d share it in case anyone else finds it useful. I run a pretty clean Arch Linux desktop that combines a minimal base installation with Omarchy’s excellent defaults and theming.

Installation Process: Minimal First, Polish Later

I don’t use Omarchy’s full installer. Instead, I start with a completely minimal Arch installation using the standard archinstall command, then layer Omarchy on top for the polish.

Step 1: Minimal Arch Base

# Use archinstall for a bare minimum system
archinstall

I select only the essentials: base packages, a bootloader, and basic networking. No desktop environment, no extra packages - just enough to boot and connect to the internet.

Step 2: Add Omarchy for Defaults and Theming

# Install Omarchy's base without the applications
wget -qO- https://omarchy.org/install-bare | bash

This gives me all of Omarchy’s excellent Hyprland configuration, theming, and utilities without installing a bunch of applications I don’t want. I get the polish without the bloat.

Application Strategy: One Command to Rule Them All

After the base is set up, I install everything I actually use in one go:

yay -S mullvad-vpn discord partitionmanager steam vscodium warp-terminal-bin termius zen-browser bitwarden localsend postman signal-desktop zed spotify ttf-jetbrains-mono-nerd nodejs npm pnpm bun go gcc clang cmake ninja

This covers:

Development: VSCodium, Postman, Node.js ecosystem, Go, GCC, Clang (for formatting), CMake, Ninja
Communication: Discord, Signal
Browsing: Zen Browser, Chromium for web apps
Entertainment: Steam, Spotify
Security: Mullvad VPN, Bitwarden
Utilities: LocalSend, Partition Manager, Termius
Fonts: JetBrains Mono Nerd Font

AI-Assisted Development: Essential for Modern Productivity

AI has become an essential part of my development workflow. I install Claude Code alongside my other development tools:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | sh

The way I see it, AI fundamentally changes how we should spend our time as developers. Instead of grinding through boilerplate and syntax, I let Claude Code handle the initial code generation and focus my energy on the more valuable work: reviewing, auditing, and architecting solutions.

This shift in workflow means:

Less time writing - AI handles repetitive patterns and boilerplate
More time auditing - I spend energy reviewing logic, security, and architecture
Faster iteration - Get to working prototypes quickly, then refine
Better quality - More mental bandwidth for catching edge cases and potential issues

AI doesn’t replace thinking about code - it amplifies it. I’m shipping safer, higher-quality code faster because I can focus on the parts that actually require human judgment and experience.

Hyprland Configuration: Layered Approach

My Hyprland setup leverages Omarchy’s defaults and then overrides specific things. Here’s how ~/.config/hypr/hyprland.conf looks:

# Use Omarchy defaults first
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/autostart.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/bindings/media.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/bindings/tiling.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/bindings/utilities.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/envs.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/looknfeel.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/input.conf
source = ~/.local/share/omarchy/default/hypr/windows.conf
source = ~/.config/omarchy/current/theme/hyprland.conf

# Then override with my own customizations
source = ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf
source = ~/.config/hypr/input.conf
source = ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf
source = ~/.config/hypr/envs.conf
source = ~/.config/hypr/autostart.conf

# A bit of "look and feel" adjustments since omarchy doesn't want me to modify looknfeel.conf
decoration {
  rounding = 4

  # https://wiki.hyprland.org/Configuring/Variables/#blur
  blur {
    enabled = true
    size = 3
    passes = 2
  }
}

This way I get all of Omarchy’s sensible defaults, but I can override anything I want in my own config files.

Custom Keybindings: Quick Access to Everything

In ~/.config/hypr/bindings.conf, I set up my most-used applications and web apps:

# My essential apps
bindd = SUPER, return, Terminal, exec, uwsm app -- alacritty
bindd = SUPER, B, Browser, exec, uwsm app -- zen-browser
bindd = SUPER, M, Music, exec, uwsm app -- spotify
bindd = SUPER, G, Signal, exec, uwsm app -- signal-desktop

# Web apps using Chromium
bindd = SUPER, A, ChatGPT, exec, $webapp="https://chatgpt.com"
bindd = SUPER SHIFT, A, Claude, exec, $webapp="https://claude.ai"
bindd = SUPER, Y, YouTube, exec, $webapp="https://youtube.com/"
bindd = SUPER SHIFT, G, WhatsApp, exec, $webapp="https://web.whatsapp.com/"

I use a dual-browser approach: Zen Browser for regular browsing and Chromium for web apps. The $webapp variable launches Chromium with the --app flag, creating isolated web app windows that feel more like native applications.

Input and Display Configuration

Input tweaks in ~/.config/hypr/input.conf:

input {
  kb_options = compose:caps,altwin:swap_alt_win
  repeat_rate = 40
  repeat_delay = 600
  sensitivity = -0.95
  touchpad {
    scroll_factor = 0.4
  }
}

I justreduce my sensitivity as I use 1600 DPI as its more precise than using 800 DPI. Hard to notice sure but gotta stay consistent.

Monitor setup in ~/.config/hypr/monitors.conf:

env = GDK_SCALE,1
monitor=,preferred,auto,1

I keep it simple with 1x scaling since I’m not using a high DPI monitor.

Terminal: Alacritty with Omarchy Theming

My ~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml is just editing the fonts to use the JetBrains Mono font.

[font]
normal = { family = "JetbrainsMono Nerd Font", style = "Regular" }
bold = { family = "JetbrainsMono Nerd Font", style = "Bold" }
italic = { family = "JetbrainsMono Nerd Font", style = "Italic" }
size = 16

Clean, functional, and consistent with the overall theme.

Waybar: Minimal Styling Changes

Similarly for the status bar, I also just make tiny adjustments in ~/.config/waybar/style.css to change the font family, size and add some padding:

@import "../omarchy/current/theme/waybar.css";

* {
  font-family: JetBrainsMono Nerd Font;
  font-size: 15px;
  padding: 2px;
}

Other Fonts

# Install fonts for non english languages
sudo pacman -S noto-fonts noto-fonts-cjk noto-fonts-extra

# Rebuild font cache
fc-cache -fv

Why This Approach Works

Benefits of minimal base + Omarchy:

Start with exactly what you need, no cruft
Get professional theming and configuration without the learning curve
Easy to customize since you understand what you’ve added
Quick to replicate on new machines

Migration process:

Fresh Arch install with archinstall
Run wget -qO- https://omarchy.org/install-bare | bash
Run my application installation one-liner
Copy over my ~/.config customizations
Reboot and I’m back to exactly where I was

Development Environment

My development setup covers multiple languages and build systems for modern development:

Languages: Node.js/JavaScript, Go for backend services, C/C++ development
Build orchestration: CMake for configuration, Ninja for fast parallel builds (way faster than Make)
Compilers: GCC for C/C++ compilation
Code formatting: Clang-format for consistent C/C++ code style
Multiple package managers: npm, pnpm, bun for different projects
AI-assisted coding: Claude Code integrated into my workflow
Code editor: VSCodium for development
API development: Postman for testing and development

This combination lets me move fast while maintaining code quality. AI handles the grunt work, multiple package managers give me flexibility, and VSCodium gives me all the power of VS Code without Microsoft’s telemetry. Having Go and a complete C/C++ toolchain (CMake → Ninja → GCC pipeline with Clang-format for styling) means I can jump into systems programming or backend development without any setup friction.

This setup gives me a desktop that’s both minimal and polished, fast and beautiful, customizable and stable. It’s taken me a while to find this balance, but I’m really happy with how it works in practice.

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My Arch Linux Setup