180 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
180 lines
6.4 KiB
Markdown
# Nix Darwin Configuration
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This repository contains a multi-host, multi-user Darwin system configuration using Nix flakes. It leverages `nix-darwin` and `home-manager` to manage macOS configurations declaratively.
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## Description
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The flake configuration is designed to support multiple hosts and users with specific configurations for each. It uses let-bindings and strict commas for better readability and maintainability.
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These variables can then be used throughout the flake configuration to customize settings for each host and user.
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## License
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This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
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## Table of Contents
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- [Overview](#overview)
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- [Requirements](#requirements)
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- [Modules](#modules)
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- [How to Use](#how-to-use)
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- [Building and Switching](#building-and-switching)
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- [Common Commands](#common-commands)
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- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
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- [Dirty Git Tree](#dirty-git-tree)
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- [Path Does Not Exist](#path-does-not-exist)
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- [References](#references)
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## Overview
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- **nix-darwin**: Brings the power of Nix on macOS for system-wide configurations.
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- **Home Manager**: Manages user-level configuration (dotfiles, shells, packages) using Nix.
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- **nix-homebrew**: Allows declarative management of Homebrew (including taps, casks, etc.) via Nix.
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By splitting the configuration into multiple files under `./modules/`, each file focuses on a specific area (e.g., system packages, services, dotfiles, etc.).
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## Requirements
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- **Nix**: You need Nix installed.
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- **nix-darwin**: The Darwin modules rely on nix-darwin.
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- **Git**: This is a Flake-based workflow, so your configuration should be in a Git repository.
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After installing Nix, you can install nix-darwin (one recommended approach is from the official Nix-Darwin docs).
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## Modules
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- **flake.nix**: The top-level file defining all inputs (nixpkgs, nix-darwin, home-manager, nix-homebrew) and outputs (your nix-darwin configuration). Imports each module (e.g., `./modules/darwin/homebrew.nix`) into `darwinConfigurations.<hostname>.modules`.
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- **modules/darwin/apps/**:
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- `homebrew.nix`: Holds Homebrew-related configurations (brew packages, casks, etc.).
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- `nixpackages.nix`: Holds your `environment.systemPackages`.
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- `services.nix`: Configures system services (e.g., Tailscale, nix-daemon, security/pam).
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- `default.nix`: Aggregates all .nix files in the directory for easier reference by the flake.
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- **modules/darwin/security/**:
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- `default.nix`: Consolidated configurations for security related settings.
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- **modules/darwin/system/**:
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- `appearance.nix`: Appearance related settings (e.g., dock, interface, login window settings, etc ).
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- `finder.nix`: Finder related customizations.
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- `system.nix`: System configuration (e.g., trackpad, keyboard mapping, screenshot default location, etc...).
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- `default.nix`: Aggregates all .nix files in directory for easier reference by the flake
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- **modules/home/**:
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- `<username>/dotfiles.nix`: Holds user-level dotfiles managed by Home Manager (e.g., `~/.gitconfig`, `~/.ssh/config`).
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- **rebuild.sh**: A convenience script that typically runs something like:
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```sh
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#!/usr/bin/env bash
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darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#<hostname>
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```
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## How to Use
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In the `flake.nix` file, you can define host-specific and user-specific variables using let-bindings. Examples shown in the `flake.nix` file.
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To add a new host or user, update the `hostVars` and `userVars` sections in the `flake.nix` file with the new configurations. Follow the existing structure to ensure consistency.
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Execution:
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1. **Clone the repository**:
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```sh
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git clone https://github.com/your-username/nix-darwin-config.git
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cd nix-darwin-config
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```
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2. **Install Nix**:
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Follow the instructions on the [Nix website](https://nixos.org/download.html) to install Nix.
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3. **Enable Flakes**:
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Ensure that flakes are enabled in your Nix configuration:
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```sh
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mkdir -p ~/.config/nix
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echo "experimental-features = nix-command flakes" >> ~/.config/nix/nix.conf
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```
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4. **Apply Configuration**:
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To apply the configuration for a specific host, run:
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```sh
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nix build .#darwinConfigurations.<hostname>.system
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./result/sw/bin/darwin-rebuild switch --flake .
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```
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Replace `<hostname>` with the actual hostname defined in the `flake.nix` file (e.g., `swaphb-mba`).
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## Building and Switching
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1. Clone this repo (or ensure you have your local copy).
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2. Install nix-darwin if you haven’t already.
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3. From the root of this repository (where `flake.nix` resides), run:
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```sh
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darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#<hostname>
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```
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Replace `<hostname>` with the actual name of your system defined in `flake.nix` (e.g., `swaphb-mba`).
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Alternatively, if you have a script `rebuild.sh`, run:
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```sh
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./rebuild.sh
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```
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which should do the same command under the hood.
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## Common Commands
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- **Build without switching**:
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```sh
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darwin-rebuild build --flake .#<hostname>
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```
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This only builds the configuration but doesn’t apply it.
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- **Show changes**:
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```sh
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darwin-rebuild dry-activate --flake .#<hostname>
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```
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See what changes will be made without applying them.
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- **List available flake outputs**:
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```sh
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nix flake show
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```
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- **Build with switching**
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```sh
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darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#<hostname>
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```
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- **Update upstream flakes**
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```sh
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nix flake update
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```
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## Troubleshooting
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### Dirty Git Tree
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If you see warnings like:
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```
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warning: Git tree '/path/to/your/repo' is dirty
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```
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It means you have uncommitted changes.
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**Solution**: Either commit the changes or pass `--impure` (not recommended), or stage/commit the changes to keep the flake happy:
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```sh
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git add -A
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git commit -m "Commit message"
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```
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### Path Does Not Exist
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If you get an error similar to:
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```
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error: path '/nix/store/...-source/modules/darwin/homebrew.nix' does not exist
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```
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It usually means:
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- You haven’t actually created or committed the file.
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- There’s a typo or case mismatch in the file name.
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- The file is in a different directory than you think.
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**Solution**: Make sure the file exists, check for correct spelling/capitalization, and commit it to Git.
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## References
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- [NixOS Wiki: Flakes](https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Flakes)
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- [nix-darwin](https://github.com/LnL7/nix-darwin)
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- [Home Manager](https://github.com/nix-community/home-manager)
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- [nix-homebrew (zhaofengli-wip)](https://github.com/zhaofengli/nix-homebrew)
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With this multi-file approach, you can easily add, remove, or tweak individual modules without having a giant monolithic `flake.nix`. |