macOS 2026 web dev setup • walterra.dev

An updated setup guide for 2026, reflecting the latest best practices and tools. This builds on my previous 2025 setup with notable changes highlighted. I’m about to set up a 2022 Mac Studio M1 Max 32GB as a dev server so I thought I’d update the reference.

What’s changed since 2025

Key updates in this revision:

Terminal: Now using Ghostty with native panels instead of iTerm2 with tmux. I couldn’t get bothered anymore to debug keyboard bindings and esp. mouse selections in tmux.
AI coding: I started using Claude Code CLI but switched to pi-coding-agent in late 2025.

system updates & package manager

# Update macOS to the latest version through System Settings
# Install Xcode command line tools
xcode-select --install

# Install Homebrew (package manager)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv zsh)"
brew update

apps

1Password (password manager)
Photoshop/Lightroom (gave up on alternatives)
Claude for Desktop (LLM, still using this but I think 2026 I might not need it for much longer)
CleanShot X (screenshot management)
Final Cut Pro & Compressor (video editing & encoding)
Franz (messaging)
GoG (games)
Grand Perspective (file system analysis)
Kap (screencasts with GIF support)
Microsoft Office (don’t @ me)
Orion (kagi’s webkit browser)
Rectangle Pro (window management)
Reeder (rss reader)
Steam (more games!)
Fork (git ui, switch from SourceTree)

terminal … I switched to Ghostty

brew install --cask ghostty

Ghostty config (~/.config/ghostty/config):

font-family = "Hack Nerd Font"
theme = "GitHub Dark"
background-opacity = 0.95
macos-titlebar-style = transparent
# Supports Kitty Graphics Protocol for inline images

Terminal tools

brew install \
  wget \
  git \
  eza \
  graphicsmagick \
  commitizen \
  cmatrix \
  vips \
  htop \
  ruby \
  rbenv \
  ffmpeg

Note: eza replaces the unmaintained exa as the modern ls replacement:

# Add aliases to .zshrc
alias ls="eza"
alias ll="eza -l"
alias la="eza -la"
alias lt="eza --tree"

shell setup

# Install Oh My Zsh for better terminal experience
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

# Update Oh My Zsh:
omz update

# Install Starship prompt (fast, cross-shell)
brew install starship

# Add to end of ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval "$(starship init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

# Install Hack Nerd Font for icons
brew install font-hack-nerd-font

Oh My Zsh Plugins

zsh-autosuggestions

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

zsh-syntax-highlighting

brew install zsh-syntax-highlighting

# Add to end of .zshrc:
source /opt/homebrew/share/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh

Add plugins to ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(
    git
    zsh-autosuggestions
)

git

brew install git

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Improved git log
git config --global alias.lg "log --color --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset' --abbrev-commit"

# Generate SSH key for GitHub
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

nodejs

brew install nvm

# Add to .zshrc
echo 'source $(brew --prefix nvm)/nvm.sh' >> ~/.zshrc

nvm install --lts

Package managers

# pnpm is my preferred package manager
brew install pnpm

# yarn if needed
brew install yarn

development tools

brew install --cask visual-studio-code
brew install --cask postman
brew install --cask docker
brew install --cask google-chrome
brew install --cask firefox

agentic coding

The AI coding landscape has evolved significantly. I use a combination of tools depending on the task.

pi-coding-agent (primary)

pi-coding-agent by Mario Zechner is my daily driver for agentic coding. It’s a terminal-based coding agent with multi-model support, mid-session model switching, and a minimal, opinionated design.

Installation:

npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent

API Keys Setup:

Create ~/.pi/agent/auth.json:

{
  "anthropic": { "type": "api_key", "key": "sk-ant-..." },
  "openai": { "type": "api_key", "key": "sk-..." },
  "google": { "type": "api_key", "key": "..." }
}

Or use environment variables: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, GEMINI_API_KEY.

OAuth for subscriptions:

pi /login  # Authenticate with Claude Pro/Max, GitHub Copilot, or Google Gemini CLI

Terminal Setup (Ghostty):

Add to ~/.config/ghostty/config:

keybind = alt+backspace=text:\x1b\x7f
keybind = shift+enter=text:\n

Quick Start:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
pi

Key Features:

/model - switch models mid-session
/tree - navigate session history, branch conversations
/compact - summarize context when running long
@filename - fuzzy-search and include files
!command - run shell commands and add output to context
Ctrl+P - cycle through models
Skills system for specialized workflows (web search, browser automation, etc.)

Project Context:

Create AGENTS.md in your project root with instructions, conventions, and common commands. Pi loads these automatically.

VS Code extensions

tmux

I use Ghostty’s panels these days but tmux for subagent orchestration.

brew install tmux

# Install tmux plugin manager
git clone https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm ~/.tmux/plugins/tpm

Config file ~/.tmux.conf:

unbind C-b
set-option -g prefix C-a
bind C-a send-prefix
set-option -g mouse on

# Plugins
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tpm'
set -g @plugin 'tmux-plugins/tmux-resurrect'

# Initialize plugin manager (keep at bottom)
run '~/.tmux/plugins/tpm/tpm'

tmux commands:

New session: tmux new-session -s dev
Horizontal split: Prefix + %
Vertical split: Prefix + "
Detach: Prefix + d
Reattach: tmux attach-session -t dev
Save (resurrect): Prefix + Ctrl-s
Restore: Prefix + Ctrl-r

dotfiles with chezmoi

Chezmoi remains the best choice for dotfile management with its templating support and multi-machine sync:

# Initialize
brew install chezmoi
chezmoi init
chezmoi add ~/.zshrc

# On a new machine
chezmoi init git@github.com:walterra/dotfiles.git
chezmoi diff
chezmoi apply -v

Inspired by Robin Wieruch’s Mac Setup.