> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.jylhis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# early-init.el

> Pre-package, pre-GUI initialisation

# early-init.el

`early-init.el` is loaded before `package.el` runs, before the first frame is drawn, and before `init.el` is evaluated. Anything that *must* happen that early lives here; everything else lives in `init.el` or one of the `lisp/init-*.el` modules.

## Garbage collection

The GC threshold is bumped to "effectively never" during startup; `init-core` restores a 16 MiB runtime value.

```elisp theme={}
(setq gc-cons-threshold most-positive-fixnum
      gc-cons-percentage 0.6)
```

## Bidirectional text

Jotain targets LTR-only usage, so disable the bidirectional reordering and parenthesis algorithms — they otherwise run on every redisplay and are measurable on large files.

```elisp theme={}
(setq-default bidi-display-reordering nil
              bidi-paragraph-direction 'left-to-right)
(setopt bidi-inhibit-bpa t)
```

## Load preference

Prefer newer source files to stale `.elc` in batch mode only. Interactive sessions keep `.elc` preference for speed.

```elisp theme={}
(setq load-prefer-newer noninteractive)
```

## package.el and use-package

`package.el` stays on and `package-quickstart` is enabled — Nix (and, in dev, devenv) already provides most packages via `load-path`, so startup is fast without any trickery. `use-package` is built in on Emacs 29+, so the only thing we configure before `init.el` loads is imenu support and `use-package-always-ensure`.

```elisp theme={}
(setq package-quickstart-file
      (expand-file-name "var/package-quickstart.el" user-emacs-directory)
      package-quickstart t)
(setq use-package-enable-imenu-support t
      use-package-always-ensure t)
```

`package-quickstart-file` **must** be pinned here, not in `init.el`: `startup.el` runs its automatic `package-activate-all` between `early-init.el` and `init.el`, and looks up the quickstart file at whatever path `package-quickstart-file` holds at that moment. Leaving it at its default puts the file outside `var/`, and Emacs never finds it on later startups — quickstart ends up paying its refresh + byte-compile cost on every `package-install` without providing any actual speedup.

With `use-package-always-ensure` set to `t`, every `use-package` block defaults to "install if missing". Built-ins must opt out with `:ensure nil`.

### Silencing a quickstart false-positive

`package-quickstart-refresh` (called after every `package-install` via `package--quickstart-maybe-refresh`) internally re-calls `package-initialize`, which trips the "Unnecessary call to `package-initialize` in init file" warning even though the call is legitimate. Emacs's own code can't distinguish that internal self-call from a user one, so we suppress the warning type directly:

```elisp theme={}
(with-eval-after-load 'warnings
  (add-to-list 'warning-suppress-log-types '(package reinitialization)))
```

## Frame chrome

GUI chrome is disabled in `default-frame-alist` *before* the first frame is drawn — this is much faster than toggling the modes off afterwards.

```elisp theme={}
(push '(menu-bar-lines . 0) default-frame-alist)
(push '(tool-bar-lines . 0) default-frame-alist)
(push '(vertical-scroll-bars) default-frame-alist)
(when (featurep 'ns)
  (push '(ns-transparent-titlebar . t) default-frame-alist)
  (push '(ns-appearance . dark) default-frame-alist))

(setq inhibit-startup-screen t
      inhibit-startup-message t
      inhibit-startup-echo-area-message user-login-name
      initial-scratch-message nil)
```

## Byte-compiler noise

Silence obsolete-symbol warnings from third-party packages we do not control. Real warnings still surface.

```elisp theme={}
(setq byte-compile-warnings '(not obsolete))
```

## Font caches

Trade a bit of RAM for smoother redisplay.

```elisp theme={}
(setq inhibit-compacting-font-caches t)
(when (eq system-type 'darwin)
  (setq ns-use-thin-smoothing t))
```

## Native compilation

On Emacs 30 with native compilation available, keep the eln-cache out of the config directory, silence the firehose of async warnings during init, and crank native-comp speed.

```elisp theme={}
(when (and (fboundp 'native-comp-available-p)
           (native-comp-available-p))
  (setq native-comp-async-report-warnings-errors nil
        native-comp-speed 2)
  (when (fboundp 'startup-redirect-eln-cache)
    (startup-redirect-eln-cache
     (convert-standard-filename
      (expand-file-name "var/eln-cache/" user-emacs-directory)))))
```

## Tree-sitter grammars

Nix sets `TREE_SITTER_DIR` to point at the grammar bundle produced by `default.nix`; `early-init.el` picks it up and wires it into `treesit-extra-load-path`.

```elisp theme={}
(when-let* ((ts-dir (getenv "TREE_SITTER_DIR")))
  (setq treesit-extra-load-path (list ts-dir)))
```

## Terminal aliases

Ghostty advertises `TERM=xterm-ghostty`, but Emacs does not ship `term/xterm-ghostty.el`. Aliasing to `xterm-256color` makes `term/xterm.el` load instead, restoring `modifyOtherKeys` and 24-bit colour. This must be set in `early-init.el` because `tty-run-terminal-initialization` fires before `init.el`.

```elisp theme={}
(add-to-list 'term-file-aliases '("xterm-ghostty" . "xterm-256color"))
```