README.md

@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ mkdir /Volumes/usbstick/mybackup
 # (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access), otherwise
 # the backup will abort with a permission error on protected directories
 
-# run your first backup (the default config backs up ~ and /Applications
-# with sensible excludes)
+# run your first backup (the default config backs up ~, and /Applications
+# on macOS only, with sensible excludes)
 vaultik snapshot create
 
 # see what you have

TODO.md

@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ owner's; a `v*` tag runs the release build in
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-11-10: Made `config init` write the `apps` snapshot, which backs
+  up `/Applications`, only on macOS
+  ([issue #408](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/vaultik/issues/408)). On
+  Linux the first `snapshot create` stopped on the missing directory.
+
 - 2026-10-15: Stopped `snapshot create --prune` pruning after a backup
   in which a volume mounted below a configured path in an earlier
   snapshot of the same name was not mounted

internal/cli/config.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"os/exec"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"reflect"
+	"runtime"
 	"slices"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ const configSetArgs = 2
 // parent config dirs (e.g. ~/.config) are conventionally traversable.
 const configDirMode = 0o755
 
-// configYAMLIndent matches the 2-space indentation of defaultConfigTemplate,
+// configYAMLIndent matches the 2-space indentation of the default config,
 // so `config set` writes the file back with the same indentation rather than
 // yaml.Marshal's 4-space default.
 const configYAMLIndent = 2
@@ -50,7 +51,22 @@ var (
 			"so the file was not changed")
 )
 
-const defaultConfigTemplate = `# vaultik configuration
+// macOS is the value of runtime.GOOS on macOS.
+const macOS = "darwin"
+
+// defaultConfigText returns the file `config init` writes on the operating
+// system goos, named as runtime.GOOS names it. Only macOS gets the apps
+// snapshot, since /Applications exists nowhere else.
+func defaultConfigText(goos string) string {
+	if goos == macOS {
+		return defaultConfigHead + appsSnapshotConfig + defaultConfigTail
+	}
+
+	return defaultConfigHead + defaultConfigTail
+}
+
+// defaultConfigHead is the default config up to the end of the home snapshot.
+const defaultConfigHead = `# vaultik configuration
 # Documentation: https://sneak.berlin/go/vaultik
 
 # ─── REQUIRED ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -168,7 +184,10 @@ snapshots:
       - "/Movies/ProxyMedia"
       - "/Music/iTunes/Album Artwork"
       - "/Pictures/iPod Photo Cache"
+`
 
+// appsSnapshotConfig is the apps snapshot of the default config.
+const appsSnapshotConfig = `
   # Third-party applications. OS-provided apps live in /System/Applications
   # on modern macOS and are never in /Applications, but Apple-installed
   # App Store apps (Safari, GarageBand, iWork, iMovie) are excluded since
@@ -189,7 +208,10 @@ snapshots:
       - "/Steam.app"
       - "/VirtualBox.app"
       - "/Utilities/Adobe Installers"
+`
 
+// defaultConfigTail is the default config after the snapshots.
+const defaultConfigTail = `
 # Storage backend (pick ONE of the three forms below).
 #
 # S3-compatible:
@@ -311,7 +333,8 @@ on macOS, ~/.config/ on Linux, /etc/vaultik/ as root).`,
 				return fmt.Errorf("creating config directory %s: %w", dir, err)
 			}
 
-			err = os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigTemplate), configFileMode)
+			err = os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigText(runtime.GOOS)),
+				configFileMode)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("writing config file: %w", err)
 			}
@@ -560,7 +583,7 @@ func yamlPathOnly(root *yaml.Node, keys []string) (*yaml.Node, error) {
 }
 
 // marshalConfigYAML renders a config document tree with 2-space indentation,
-// matching defaultConfigTemplate. yaml.Marshal defaults to 4 spaces, which
+// matching the default config. yaml.Marshal defaults to 4 spaces, which
 // would reindent the whole file on the first `config set` despite the promise
 // to preserve formatting.
 func marshalConfigYAML(root *yaml.Node) ([]byte, error) {

internal/cli/config_test.go

@@ -13,14 +13,15 @@ import (
 	"sneak.berlin/go/vaultik/internal/ui"
 )
 
-// TestDefaultConfigTemplateParses ensures the init template is valid YAML
-// that unmarshals into the Config struct with the expected snapshots.
-func TestDefaultConfigTemplateParses(t *testing.T) {
+// TestDefaultConfigParsesOnMacOS ensures the config `config init` writes on
+// macOS is valid YAML that unmarshals into the Config struct with the
+// expected snapshots.
+func TestDefaultConfigParsesOnMacOS(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
 	var cfg config.Config
 
-	err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(defaultConfigTemplate), &cfg)
+	err := yaml.Unmarshal([]byte(defaultConfigText("darwin")), &cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("default config template is not valid YAML: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -58,6 +59,39 @@ func TestDefaultConfigTemplateParses(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestDefaultConfigOnLinux checks that the config `config init` writes on
+// Linux loads with its home snapshot and without the apps snapshot, whose
+// /Applications exists only on macOS.
+func TestDefaultConfigOnLinux(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "config.yml")
+
+	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigText("linux")), configFileMode)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write config: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	err = writeConfigSet(ui.NewWithColor(&bytes.Buffer{}, false),
+		path, "storage_url", "file:///mnt/backups")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("config set storage_url: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	cfg, err := config.Load(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("config.Load: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := cfg.Snapshots["home"]; !ok {
+		t.Error("expected 'home' snapshot in the Linux default config")
+	}
+
+	if _, ok := cfg.Snapshots["apps"]; ok {
+		t.Error("the Linux default config should have no 'apps' snapshot")
+	}
+}
+
 // testRecipient is a valid age public key.
 const testRecipient = "age1278m9q7dp3chsh2dcy82qk27v047zywyvtxwnj4cvt0z65jw6a7q5dqhfj"
 
@@ -71,7 +105,7 @@ func TestConfigSetRecipientOnFreshConfig(t *testing.T) {
 
 	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "config.yml")
 
-	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigTemplate), configFileMode)
+	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigText(macOS)), configFileMode)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write config: %v", err)
 	}
@@ -220,7 +254,7 @@ func TestConfigSetKeepsFileThatWouldNotLoad(t *testing.T) {
 		{levelReference, "blob_size_limit", "1MB",
 			"blob_size_limit must be at least"},
 		// The type check on a config that does not load yet.
-		{defaultConfigTemplate, "snapshots.apps.paths", "/srv",
+		{defaultConfigText(macOS), "snapshots.apps.paths", "/srv",
 			"into []string"},
 		// The type check on a config that cannot be read here.
 		{configWithUnsetReference, "snapshots.home.paths", "/x",
@@ -380,7 +414,7 @@ func loadAfterConfigSet(t *testing.T, key, value string) *config.Config {
 
 	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "config.yml")
 
-	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigTemplate), configFileMode)
+	err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(defaultConfigText(macOS)), configFileMode)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write config: %v", err)
 	}