WSL Dev Pack

A portable installer pack that bootstraps a complete Windows WSL development environment from almost any starting point.

It can install or repair a developer setup automatically, including Git, SSH, GitHub CLI, terminal tooling, Docker Desktop integration checks, and optional repository scaffolding.

Features

WSL setup

• Installs WSL if not already installed
• Installs a chosen Linux distribution, with Ubuntu as the default
• Configures WSL2
• Writes %USERPROFILE%\.wslconfig
• Writes /etc/wsl.conf
• Enables systemd

Linux environment bootstrap

Installs common developer tools, including:

• git
• curl
• wget
• gh (GitHub CLI)
• PowerShell (pwsh) on Ubuntu
• python3 / pip
• ripgrep
• fd-find
• fzf
• bat
• tree
• jq
• htop
• tmux
• zoxide
• bash-completion

Git and SSH setup

Optionally configures:

• Git username and email
• SSH configuration
• SSH key generation
• GitHub SSH key upload

GitHub CLI integration

Optional flows include:

• gh auth login
• automatic SSH public key registration on GitHub

Docker Desktop integration checks

Checks for:

• Docker Desktop installation
• Docker Desktop settings presence
• WSL integration availability
• Docker CLI visibility from WSL

The pack reports findings, but does not force Docker Desktop settings changes.

Repository bootstrap

Optional flows include:

• cloning any Git repository
• scaffolding a generic .devcontainer
• scaffolding .vscode/extensions.json

Shell environment

Creates a ready-to-use .bashrc including:

• git branch prompt
• ssh-agent auto start
• ssh key auto load
• zoxide integration
• useful git aliases

What this project is for

This project is intended for:

• developer onboarding
• portable dev environment installers
• quick machine rebuilds
• WSL recovery
• reproducible local setup

What this project does not do

This pack intentionally does not:

• install IDEs
• store credentials
• configure API keys
• install Docker Desktop automatically
• modify repositories without explicit user input

Manual prerequisites

Users must complete these prerequisites themselves before running the installer:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• Administrator privileges
• Internet access
• BIOS or UEFI virtualization enabled if WSL2 is not already working
• Permission to reboot and sign back into the same Windows account if required

Quick start

1. Download the latest release ZIP.
2. Extract the archive.
3. Double-click setup-wsl-dev.bat (supported entrypoint).
4. Follow the prompts.

Typical workflow

Download pack
↓
Run installer
↓
Install WSL
↓
Configure Linux environment
↓
Login to GitHub CLI
↓
Upload SSH key
↓
Clone repo
↓
Start development

Repository structure

WSL-Dev-Pack
│
├─ setup-wsl-dev.bat
├─ setup-wsl-dev.ps1
├─ README-FIRST.md
├─ CHANGELOG.md
│
├─ templates
│   ├─ devcontainer
│   │   ├─ devcontainer.json
│   │   ├─ Dockerfile
│   │   └─ post-create.sh
│   │
│   └─ codex
│       └─ README-CODEX.md

Logging and safety

The installer includes:

• confirmation prompts
• backups where practical
• transcript logging after elevation succeeds
• non-destructive repo scaffolding
• visible launcher failures instead of an instant close

Logs are stored in the following location after elevation succeeds:

C:\ProgramData\WSLDevPack\logs

Supported distros

Tested primarily with Ubuntu. Other WSL distributions may work, but are not guaranteed.

Recommended use cases

Developer onboarding

Send the pack to new contributors so they can install everything with a single script.

Open-source projects

Bundle the pack with your project to simplify contributor setup.

Internal engineering teams

Provide a consistent development environment across machines.

Rebuilding a broken WSL environment

Use the pack to repair or recreate common WSL setups.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Useful areas for improvement include:

• additional distro support
• devcontainer customization
• Docker Desktop validation
• IDE integrations
• CI environment support

See CONTRIBUTING.md for workflow guidance.

Security

Please review SECURITY.md before disclosing vulnerabilities.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.