Example config

Configuration covers the mechanics — where init.scm lives, how it loads, the options you can set. This page is the other half: a complete, real config you can read top to bottom and crib from.

It's a working ~/.config/macros/init.scm — a Doom/Spacemacs-style evil-mode + SPC-leader setup ported over from an Emacs/evil-leader config. It turns on modal editing, wires a Spacemacs-style leader, defines a handful of personal commands, and sets up per-major-mode LSP and Org bindings.

The absolute paths in here (/Users/me/workspace/org/…) are personal — change them to yours. They're spelled out in full rather than using ~ so the examples are unambiguous.

The whole file

(set-option "font-family" "JetBrains Mono")
(set-option "auto-revert" #t)

;; Make C-c C-t cycle through ONLY these labels (drop the built-in TODO vocab),
;; so the rotation is: nothing -> BUG -> FEATURE -> IDEA -> nothing.
(set! *org-todo-keywords* '())
(set! *org-custom-keywords* (list "BUG" "FEATURE" "IDEA"))

;; Optional: give some/all a color (omitted labels inherit the title color).
(set! *org-custom-keyword-colors*
  (list (cons "BUG"     "#fb4934")
        (cons "FEATURE" "#83a598")
        (cons "IDEA"    "#fabd2f")))
(org--register-custom-keyword-faces)

;; BUG/FEATURE/IDEA now join the built-in C-c C-t rotation automatically
;; (nothing -> TODO -> ... -> CANCELLED -> BUG -> FEATURE -> IDEA -> nothing),
;; so no custom rotate command is needed. Keep these only if you also want a key
;; that jumps STRAIGHT to a label (and toggles it off when pressed again).
(define (org-toggle-bug)     (org-set-keyword "BUG"))
(define (org-toggle-feature) (org-set-keyword "FEATURE"))
(define (org-toggle-idea)    (org-set-keyword "IDEA"))
(bind-key "org-mode" "ctrl-c ctrl-b" 'org-toggle-bug)
(bind-key "org-mode" "ctrl-c ctrl-f" 'org-toggle-feature)
(bind-key "org-mode" "ctrl-c ctrl-i" 'org-toggle-idea)

;;; ============================================================================
;;; EVIL MODE + SPC LEADER
;;; ============================================================================
;; Opt in to Vim modal editing. SPC is used as a Doom/Spacemacs-style leader by
;; binding "space …" chords in the evil-normal keymap (global) and in the
;; per-major-mode evil keymaps.
(evil-mode)

;; --- helper commands the leader binds to ------------------------------------
(define (my/scratch) (switch-to-buffer "*scratch*"))
(define (my/notes)   (open-file "/Users/me/workspace/org/notes.org"))

;; Helm picker over my org directory.
(define (my/org-files)
  (helm-from "/Users/me/workspace/org/"
             (list (list "Files" 'find-file-candidates 'open-file))))

;; Kill every buffer, then land on *scratch*.
(define (my/kill-all-buffers)
  (for-each (lambda (b) (kill-buffer-named b)) (buffer-names))
  (switch-to-buffer "*scratch*"))

;; Open this config.
(define (my/edit-config)
  (open-file "/Users/me/.config/macros/init.scm"))

;; Insert a Ruby source block and drop the cursor on the empty body line.
(define (my/org-insert-src-ruby)
  (insert "#+BEGIN_SRC ruby :results none\n\n#+END_SRC\n")
  (previous-line) (previous-line))

;; Leader key — SPC by default. Change it here (before the bindings below) and
;; every leader chord moves with it, e.g. (evil-set-leader "comma").
(evil-set-leader "space")

;; --- global leader bindings -------------------------------------------------
;; Config
(evil-leader-set "c o" 'my/edit-config)

;; Project
(evil-leader-set "v u" 'compile)

;; Buffer / window management
(evil-leader-set "n k" 'my/kill-all-buffers)
(evil-leader-set "n n" 'next-buffer)
(evil-leader-set "n p" 'previous-buffer)
(evil-leader-set "n o" 'delete-other-windows)
(evil-leader-set "n d" 'kill-buffer-and-window)
(evil-leader-set "n b" 'helm-mini)
(evil-leader-set "n r" 'my/scratch)
(evil-leader-set "n a" 'my/notes)
(evil-leader-set "n m" 'my/org-files)
(evil-leader-set "n f" 'projectile-find-file)
(evil-leader-set "n g" 'projectile-grep)
(evil-leader-set "n t" 'dired-sidebar)
(evil-leader-set "n l" 'helm-buffers-list)

;; Window splits
(evil-leader-set "_" 'split-window-below)
(evil-leader-set "|" 'split-window-right)

;; Scrolling
(evil-leader-set "j" 'evil-scroll-down)
(evil-leader-set "k" 'evil-scroll-up)

;; Git / Magit
(evil-leader-set "m s" 'magit)
(evil-leader-set "m b" 'magit-blame-toggle)
(evil-leader-set "m f" 'magit-log-file)

;; --- per-major-mode leader: LSP ---------------------------------------------
(evil-leader-set-for-modes
  '("rust" "go" "typescript" "steel")
  (list (cons "g g" 'lsp-find-definition)
        (cons "g l" 'lsp-find-references)
        (cons "g p" 'xref-pop-marker)
        (cons "g r" 'lsp-rename)
        (cons "t"   'lsp-hover)
        (cons "g u" 'enable-lsp)))

;; --- per-major-mode leader: Org ---------------------------------------------
(evil-leader-set-for-modes
  '("org-mode")
  (list (cons "r r" 'org-babel-execute)
        (cons "u"   'org-todo)
        (cons "i"   'my/org-insert-src-ruby)))

That's the entire file. The rest of this page walks through what each part is doing.

Options up top

(set-option "font-family" "JetBrains Mono")
(set-option "auto-revert" #t)

Two overrides of the built-in defaults: a different font, and auto-revert turned on so buffers re-read themselves when their file changes on disk (a git checkout, a formatter, another editor). Everything else is left at its default — you only write the lines you want to change.

Customizing Org TODO keywords

(set! *org-todo-keywords* '())
(set! *org-custom-keywords* (list "BUG" "FEATURE" "IDEA"))

(set! *org-custom-keyword-colors*
  (list (cons "BUG"     "#fb4934")
        (cons "FEATURE" "#83a598")
        (cons "IDEA"    "#fabd2f")))
(org--register-custom-keyword-faces)

This drops the stock TODO vocabulary and replaces it with BUG / FEATURE / IDEA, each with its own color. After org--register-custom-keyword-faces, those labels join the C-c C-t cycle automatically. The three org-toggle-* commands below add keys that jump straight to one label:

(define (org-toggle-bug)     (org-set-keyword "BUG"))
(bind-key "org-mode" "ctrl-c ctrl-b" 'org-toggle-bug)

bind-key's first argument is the keymap — "org-mode" scopes the binding to Org buffers only. The command is given as a 'name symbol (the command's name, quoted). See Org mode for the full feature set.

(evil-mode)

One line opts the whole editor into Vim-style modal editing. This is vanilla evil — Normal/Insert/Visual states, hjkl, operators, text objects — with no leader of its own. The leader is layered on top below. See Modal editing.

Personal commands

Before binding any keys, the config defines the commands those keys will call. A command is just a Scheme function — and once defined, it's also callable by name from M-x.

(define (my/scratch) (switch-to-buffer "*scratch*"))
(define (my/notes)   (open-file "/Users/me/workspace/org/notes.org"))

Some are richer. my/org-files opens a Helm picker scoped to one directory:

(define (my/org-files)
  (helm-from "/Users/me/workspace/org/"
             (list (list "Files" 'find-file-candidates 'open-file))))

my/kill-all-buffers iterates every buffer, kills it, then lands on *scratch*:

(define (my/kill-all-buffers)
  (for-each (lambda (b) (kill-buffer-named b)) (buffer-names))
  (switch-to-buffer "*scratch*"))

These are ordinary Steel — let, cond, for-each, list operations. Scripting with Steel is the full reference; the Anvil REPL lets you prototype them live.

The SPC leader

(evil-set-leader "space")

evil-set-leader picks the leader key — SPC here. Every evil-leader-set chord below hangs off it. Change this one line (e.g. (evil-set-leader "comma")) and the entire leader map moves with it.

Global leader bindings map a chord to a command by name (a 'name symbol, so your own my/… commands work exactly like built-ins):

(evil-leader-set "c o" 'my/edit-config)     ; SPC c o — open this config
(evil-leader-set "n f" 'projectile-find-file)
(evil-leader-set "n g" 'projectile-grep)
(evil-leader-set "m s" 'magit)              ; SPC m s — git status

So SPC n f finds a file in the project and SPC m s opens Magit. The grouping is Spacemacs-flavored — n for buffers/windows, m for git, g (per-mode, below) for code navigation.

Per-mode leader bindings

evil-leader-set-for-modes binds leader chords that only exist in certain major modes — the analogue of evil-leader/set-key-for-mode. The LSP block gives every code mode the same navigation keys:

(evil-leader-set-for-modes
  '("rust" "go" "typescript" "steel")
  (list (cons "g g" "lsp-find-definition")
        (cons "g l" "lsp-find-references")
        (cons "g r" "lsp-rename")
        (cons "t"   "lsp-hover")
        (cons "g u" "enable-lsp")))

In any Rust/Go/TypeScript/Steel buffer, SPC g g jumps to definition, SPC g r renames, SPC t shows hover docs. See Language servers. The Org block does the same for Org-only actions:

(evil-leader-set-for-modes
  '("org-mode")
  (list (cons "r r" "org-babel-execute")
        (cons "u"   "org-todo")
        (cons "i"   "my/org-insert-src-ruby")))

Where to go next

Configuration — the reference: config paths, the full option list, splitting your config across files.
Keybindings — every default binding and the bind-key form.
Modal editing — the evil layer this config builds on.
Scripting with Steel — write commands like the my/… ones above.
Packages — pull in third-party Steel extensions with package-install.

Example config

The whole file#

Options up top#

Customizing Org TODO keywords#

Turning on modal editing#

Personal commands#

The SPC leader#

Per-mode leader bindings#

Where to go next#