diff --git a/.claude/tasks/TODO.md b/.claude/tasks/TODO.md
index 3981032..32b49df 100644
--- a/.claude/tasks/TODO.md
+++ b/.claude/tasks/TODO.md
@@ -114,3 +114,12 @@ Branch: feature/tmux-config (off develop, "met ca dans develop" = finish into de
 - [x] splits: prefix i (side by side) and prefix - (stacked), h/j/k/l kept
 - [x] Linux: deploy_tmux_config on both OSes (gated on tmux), clipboard if-shell (pbcopy else tmux buffer + OSC 52), XDG_CACHE_HOME in bashrc-linux
 - [x] Verified: shellcheck/bash -n, macOS test server, Ubuntu 24.04 container (tmux 3.4) full deploy + bindings + split + plugins + libtmux
+
+## Feature — identity asked at install, no hardcoded USER/EMAIL in tracked rc files (2026-10-06)
+Branch: feature/identity-prompt (off develop). Values were visible to anyone reading the repo.
+- [x] rc templates (bashrc-linux, bashrc-osx, zshrc-osx): `export USER="@USER@"` / `export EMAIL="@EMAIL@"`
+- [x] install.sh resolve_identity: existing ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc export wins silently → IDENTITY_USER/IDENTITY_EMAIL env → prompt (TTY) → default (id -un, empty email)
+- [x] install.sh: render_identity_template (generic, replaces render_gitconfig); bashrc + zshrc rendered, gitconfig unchanged (reads the rendered bashrc)
+- [x] vim/vimrc: g:_author / g:_email from $USER / $EMAIL
+- [x] README, CLAUDE.md (CHANGELOG left to the release step, like the tmux work)
+- [x] Verify: shellcheck, bash -n, zsh -n; temp-HOME render (env preset, existing rc reuse); vim reads the env
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 81e76d6..d584a64 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ install.sh            one-shot installer (OS auto-detected)
 vim/vimrc             vim config (pathogen, molokai, syntastic, NERDTree)
 vim/autoload/         pathogen loader (committed)
 vim/colors/           molokai colorscheme (committed)
-bash/bashrc-{linux,osx}          OS-detected bashrc (exports USER/EMAIL identity)
+bash/bashrc-{linux,osx}          OS-detected bashrc; USER/EMAIL identity = @USER@/@EMAIL@ placeholders,
+                                 asked at install (reused from an existing rc), never tracked
 gitconfig                        user-scope ~/.gitconfig template, @USER@/@EMAIL@ filled at install
 tmux.conf                        tmux config (vi keys, tpm plugins) → ~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf, both OSes (tmux ≥ 3.1)
 zsh/{zshrc-osx,bchanot.zsh-theme}  macOS zsh option: oh-my-zsh zshrc + theme porting the bash prompt
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a56a102..17dfe26 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ What it does:
 3. Moves any existing `~/.vim`, `~/.vimrc`, `~/.bashrc`, `~/.Sublivim` to `~/Oldconfig`.
 4. Clones the `syntastic` and `nerdtree` vim plugins into `~/.vim/bundle/`.
 5. Copies the tracked vim files into `~/.vim` and symlinks `~/.vimrc`.
-6. Picks the bashrc by OS: macOS → `bashrc-osx` (falls back to `bashrc-linux` if missing), everything else → `bashrc-linux`. Copies it to `~/.bashrc`. Then renders `gitconfig` into `~/.gitconfig` with that bashrc's `USER` / `EMAIL`. A different existing `~/.gitconfig` is saved as `~/.gitconfig.backup-<date>`; an identical one is left alone. It is the global level only: a repo's own `.git/config` still overrides it. `core.excludesfile` points at `~/.gitignore`, ignored by git when the file does not exist. Then deploys `tmux.conf` to `~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf` (both OSes, tmux ≥ 3.1: Ubuntu 22.04+, brew), clones [tpm](https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm) and fetches the listed plugins headlessly; details under [macOS](#macos) step 6, the step is the same. On Linux, `y` copies into tmux's buffer and the terminal clipboard through OSC 52; macOS uses `pbcopy`/`pbpaste`.
+6. Picks the bashrc by OS: macOS → `bashrc-osx` (falls back to `bashrc-linux` if missing), everything else → `bashrc-linux`. Renders it into `~/.bashrc` with the identity asked at the very start: a name and an email for git commits and vim headers. An `export USER=` / `export EMAIL=` already present in `~/.bashrc` or `~/.zshrc` is reused without asking, so a re-run never prompts twice; `IDENTITY_USER` / `IDENTITY_EMAIL` preset them; with no terminal attached it falls back to the login name and an empty email. The values live only in the deployed files, never in the repo. Then renders `gitconfig` into `~/.gitconfig` with the same `USER` / `EMAIL`. A different existing `~/.gitconfig` is saved as `~/.gitconfig.backup-<date>`; an identical one is left alone. It is the global level only: a repo's own `.git/config` still overrides it. `core.excludesfile` points at `~/.gitignore`, ignored by git when the file does not exist. Then deploys `tmux.conf` to `~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf` (both OSes, tmux ≥ 3.1: Ubuntu 22.04+, brew), clones [tpm](https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm) and fetches the listed plugins headlessly; details under [macOS](#macos) step 6, the step is the same. On Linux, `y` copies into tmux's buffer and the terminal clipboard through OSC 52; macOS uses `pbcopy`/`pbpaste`.
 7. Installs Python CLIs via `pipx` (`PyMuPDF` → `pymupdf`, `Markdown` → `markdown_py`) — skipped if `pipx` is absent.
 8. Copies the `bin/` scripts (`dt`, `dtach-router`, `claude-provider`) into `~/.local/bin`. The dtach session-resume menu ships in the deployed bashrc (both OSes), so every interactive shell offers it — including VS Code Remote-SSH terminals, which are non-login and never read `~/.profile`. The installer also strips any older dtach block left in `~/.profile` so a plain SSH login doesn't prompt twice.
 9. On Linux, installs `etc/profile.d/disk-usage-warning.sh` to `/etc/profile.d/` (needs `sudo`) so each login warns when `/` or `/home` cross 85% usage.
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ The same `./install.sh` detects macOS and replaces `apt-get` with Homebrew. It f
 5. Deploys `bashrc-osx`, then appends one line to `~/.bash_profile` that sources `~/.bashrc`: macOS terminals open login shells, which never read `~/.bashrc` on their own. Done for both choices, so `bash` stays usable.
 6. Deploys `tmux.conf` to `~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf` (same step on Linux), clones [tpm](https://github.com/tmux-plugins/tpm) into `~/.config/tmux/plugins/tpm` and fetches the listed plugins headlessly (resurrect + continuum restore your sessions, window-name renames windows after what runs in them). A `~/.tmux.conf` would be read instead, so one found is moved to `~/.tmux.conf.backup-<date>`; a differing `~/.config/tmux/tmux.conf` becomes `tmux.conf.backup-<date>`. `libtmux` (needed by window-name) goes in the python user site; brew's python blocks that by default, so the install retries with `--break-system-packages`. Both plugin steps only warn on failure: `prefix` + `I` inside tmux fetches the plugins. Prefix is `C-a`.
 7. **bash** chosen: makes brew's bash 5 the login shell (adds it to `/etc/shells` with `sudo`, then `chsh`, which asks for your password). macOS ships bash 3.2, too old for the bashrc.
-   **zsh** chosen: installs oh-my-zsh with its official script (unattended, skipped if `~/.oh-my-zsh` exists), deploys `zsh/zshrc-osx` to `~/.zshrc` and the `bchanot` theme to `~/.oh-my-zsh/custom/themes/`, then makes `/bin/zsh` the login shell. An existing `~/.zshrc` that differs from the repo's is saved as `~/.zshrc.backup-<date>` (outside `~/Oldconfig`, which every run wipes). Move your machine-specific lines (nvm, bun, tokens) into `~/.zshrc.local`: the deployed zshrc loads it.
+   **zsh** chosen: installs oh-my-zsh with its official script (unattended, skipped if `~/.oh-my-zsh` exists), renders `zsh/zshrc-osx` into `~/.zshrc` (same identity as the bashrc) and deploys the `bchanot` theme to `~/.oh-my-zsh/custom/themes/`, then makes `/bin/zsh` the login shell. An existing `~/.zshrc` that differs from the repo's is saved as `~/.zshrc.backup-<date>` (outside `~/Oldconfig`, which every run wipes). Move your machine-specific lines (nvm, bun, tokens) into `~/.zshrc.local`: the deployed zshrc loads it.
 8. Ends with the list of what the Linux install has and this one does not: `gcc` (Apple clang answers to `gcc`), `valgrind`, `dkms`, `net-tools`, `openssh-server` and the RDP desktop (both built into macOS, switched on in System Settings > Sharing), `cifs-utils`, `php-imagick`, the NVIDIA driver, the disk-usage warning, `cloudpex`, the security baseline and the two end-of-install offers.
 
 ### CLI scripts (`bin/`)
diff --git a/bash/bashrc-linux b/bash/bashrc-linux
index 17c3da5..a49c6e9 100644
--- a/bash/bashrc-linux
+++ b/bash/bashrc-linux
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@ fi
 #export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 
 
-# Identity for the vim header; install.sh also writes it into ~/.gitconfig
-export USER=bchanot
-export EMAIL=bchanot@gmail.fr
+# Identity for git commits and vim headers. Filled by install.sh (asked once,
+# reused from an existing ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc on re-runs), never stored here.
+export USER="@USER@"
+export EMAIL="@EMAIL@"
 
 ## Activate and custom bash completion
 #bind 'TAB:menu-complete'
diff --git a/bash/bashrc-osx b/bash/bashrc-osx
index 6004dcc..21c85b1 100644
--- a/bash/bashrc-osx
+++ b/bash/bashrc-osx
@@ -38,9 +38,10 @@ fi
 #export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 
 
-# Identity for the vim header; install.sh also writes it into ~/.gitconfig
-export USER=bchanot
-export EMAIL=bchanot@gmail.fr
+# Identity for git commits and vim headers. Filled by install.sh (asked once,
+# reused from an existing ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc on re-runs), never stored here.
+export USER="@USER@"
+export EMAIL="@EMAIL@"
 
 ## Activate and custom bash completion
 #bind 'TAB:menu-complete'
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 2ada84c..da5e97b 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ set -euo pipefail
 # Resolve the repo root so the script works from any working directory.
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
 
+# Helpers are defined below; the identity itself is resolved right before the
+# OS-specific steps, so every prompt comes before the long package installs.
+
 # Set up Docker's official Ubuntu apt repo, then install the engine + compose plugin.
 # Idempotent: skips entirely if docker is already on PATH. Ubuntu-only (uses the ubuntu repo).
 install_docker() {
@@ -392,26 +395,28 @@ install_oh_my_zsh() {
 # ~/.zshrc.backup-<date>, not in ~/Oldconfig: that dir is wiped on every run, so
 # a second run would destroy the original (and its nvm/bun lines).
 deploy_zsh_config() {
+	local name="$1" email="$2" rendered backup
 	local themes="$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom/themes"
-	local backup
 	backup="$HOME/.zshrc.backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"
-	if [ -e "$HOME/.zshrc" ] && ! cmp -s "$HOME/.zshrc" "$SCRIPT_DIR/zsh/zshrc-osx"; then
+	rendered="$(render_identity_template "$SCRIPT_DIR/zsh/zshrc-osx" "$name" "$email")"
+	if [ -e "$HOME/.zshrc" ] && ! printf '%s\n' "$rendered" | cmp -s - "$HOME/.zshrc"; then
 		echo "Saving the current ~/.zshrc to $backup"
 		mv "$HOME/.zshrc" "$backup"
 	fi
-	echo "Deploying zsh/zshrc-osx + bchanot theme"
-	cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/zsh/zshrc-osx" "$HOME/.zshrc"
+	echo "Deploying zsh/zshrc-osx + bchanot theme ($name <$email>)"
+	printf '%s\n' "$rendered" > "$HOME/.zshrc"
 	mkdir -p "$themes"
 	cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/zsh/bchanot.zsh-theme" "$themes/"
 }
 
-# The chosen macOS shell: zsh gets oh-my-zsh + its config; bash needs brew's
-# bash 5 (macOS ships 3.2, too old for the bashrc). Either way it becomes the
-# login shell, so new terminals load the matching config.
+# The chosen macOS shell ($1): zsh gets oh-my-zsh + its config rendered with the
+# identity ($2 name, $3 email); bash needs brew's bash 5 (macOS ships 3.2, too
+# old for the bashrc). Either way it becomes the login shell, so new terminals
+# load the matching config.
 setup_macos_shell() {
 	if [ "$1" = zsh ]; then
 		install_oh_my_zsh
-		deploy_zsh_config
+		deploy_zsh_config "$2" "$3"
 		set_login_shell /bin/zsh
 	else
 		set_login_shell "$(brew --prefix)/bin/bash"
@@ -486,15 +491,36 @@ rc_export_value() {
 	sed -n "s/^export $1=//p" "$2" | tail -n 1 | tr -d "\"'"
 }
 
-# Print the repo gitconfig template with @USER@ and @EMAIL@ replaced by $1 and
-# $2. Bash substitution, so the values need no sed escaping.
-render_gitconfig() {
-	local name="$1" email="$2" line
+# Print the template $1 with @USER@ and @EMAIL@ replaced by $2 and $3. Bash
+# substitution, so the values need no sed escaping.
+render_identity_template() {
+	local file="$1" name="$2" email="$3" line
 	while IFS= read -r line || [ -n "$line" ]; do
 		line="${line//@USER@/$name}"
 		line="${line//@EMAIL@/$email}"
 		printf '%s\n' "$line"
-	done < "$SCRIPT_DIR/gitconfig"
+	done < "$file"
+}
+
+# One identity value (USER or EMAIL, $1) for git commits, vim headers and the rc
+# exports. Never stored in the repo. An export already in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
+# wins silently (a re-run never asks twice), else IDENTITY_<VAR> from the
+# environment, else a prompt ($2 label, $3 default) when a terminal is attached,
+# else the default. Prints the value.
+resolve_identity() {
+	local var="$1" label="$2" default="$3" value="" rc envvar="IDENTITY_$1"
+	for rc in "$HOME/.bashrc" "$HOME/.zshrc"; do
+		[ -f "$rc" ] && value="$(rc_export_value "$var" "$rc")"
+		if [ -n "$value" ] && [ "$value" != "@$var@" ]; then
+			printf '%s\n' "$value"
+			return 0
+		fi
+	done
+	value="${!envvar:-}"
+	if [ -z "$value" ] && [ -t 0 ]; then
+		read -rp "$label [$default]: " value || true
+	fi
+	printf '%s\n' "${value:-$default}"
 }
 
 # Install the user-scope ~/.gitconfig (a repo's own .git/config still wins).
@@ -510,7 +536,7 @@ deploy_gitconfig() {
 		echo "USER/EMAIL not exported by $rc — skipping ~/.gitconfig" >&2
 		return 0
 	fi
-	rendered="$(render_gitconfig "$name" "$email")"
+	rendered="$(render_identity_template "$SCRIPT_DIR/gitconfig" "$name" "$email")"
 	if printf '%s\n' "$rendered" | cmp -s - "$HOME/.gitconfig"; then
 		echo "$HOME/.gitconfig already up to date — skipping"
 		return 0
@@ -553,6 +579,11 @@ as brew services instead of systemd units.
 EOF
 }
 
+# Identity for git, vim and the rc exports: reused from an existing rc, else asked.
+identity_name="$(resolve_identity USER "Name for git commits and vim headers" "$(id -un)")"
+identity_email="$(resolve_identity EMAIL "Email for git commits and vim headers" "")"
+echo "Identity: $identity_name <${identity_email:-no email}>"
+
 # System packages: apt-get on Debian/Ubuntu, Homebrew on macOS.
 if command -v apt-get >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 	sudo apt-get update
@@ -649,8 +680,8 @@ if [ "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ] && [ -f "$SCRIPT_DIR/bash/bashrc-osx" ]; then
 else
 	bashrc="bash/bashrc-linux"
 fi
-echo "Deploying $bashrc"
-cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/$bashrc" "$HOME/.bashrc"
+echo "Deploying $bashrc ($identity_name <$identity_email>)"
+render_identity_template "$SCRIPT_DIR/$bashrc" "$identity_name" "$identity_email" > "$HOME/.bashrc"
 
 # User-scope git config, identity taken from the bashrc just deployed.
 deploy_gitconfig "$SCRIPT_DIR/$bashrc"
@@ -691,7 +722,7 @@ fi
 # Linux install has that this one does not.
 if [ "$(uname -s)" = "Darwin" ]; then
 	wire_bash_profile
-	setup_macos_shell "${macos_shell:-bash}"
+	setup_macos_shell "${macos_shell:-bash}" "$identity_name" "$identity_email"
 	print_macos_gaps
 fi
 
diff --git a/vim/vimrc b/vim/vimrc
index e447159..65747a3 100644
--- a/vim/vimrc
+++ b/vim/vimrc
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 " Uset compatibility with Vii
 set nocompatible
 
-" add user info variable
-let g:_author = "Bastien Chanot"
-let g:_email = "chanot.bastien@gmail.com"
+" user info from the shell identity (USER / EMAIL exported by the deployed rc)
+let g:_author = $USER
+let g:_email = exists('$EMAIL') ? $EMAIL : ''
 
 " Enable pathogen for plugins
 execute pathogen#infect()
diff --git a/zsh/zshrc-osx b/zsh/zshrc-osx
index 24417d4..ae430c2 100644
--- a/zsh/zshrc-osx
+++ b/zsh/zshrc-osx
@@ -44,9 +44,10 @@ else
 	SAVEHIST=10000000
 fi
 
-# Identity for the vim header; install.sh also writes it into ~/.gitconfig
-export USER=bchanot
-export EMAIL=bchanot@gmail.fr
+# Identity for git commits and vim headers. Filled by install.sh (asked once,
+# reused from an existing ~/.bashrc / ~/.zshrc on re-runs), never stored here.
+export USER="@USER@"
+export EMAIL="@EMAIL@"
 
 # claude-dans-dtach : creer une session (claude tournant dans dtach, detache via Ctrl-\).
 # Usage : cd ~/projets/seo && cc seo   -> session nommee "seo".