Nix Darwin Configuration

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.

Description

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.

These variables can then be used throughout the flake configuration to customize settings for each host and user.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Requirements
• Modules
• How to Use
• Building and Switching
• Common Commands
• Troubleshooting
• References

Overview

• nix-darwin: Brings the power of Nix on macOS for system-wide configurations.
• Home Manager: Manages user-level configuration (dotfiles, shells, packages) using Nix.
• nix-homebrew: Allows declarative management of Homebrew (including taps, casks, etc.) via Nix.

By splitting the configuration into multiple files under ./modules/, each file focuses on a specific area (e.g., system packages, services, dotfiles, etc.).

Requirements

• Nix: You need Nix installed.
• nix-darwin: The Darwin modules rely on nix-darwin.
• Git: This is a Flake-based workflow, so your configuration should be in a Git repository.

After installing Nix, you can install nix-darwin (one recommended approach is from the official Nix-Darwin docs).

Modules

• flake.nix: The top-level file defining all inputs (nixpkgs, nix-darwin, home-manager, nix-homebrew) and outputs.
• modules/darwin/apps/:
  • homebrew.nix: Holds Homebrew-related configurations (brew packages, casks, etc.).
  • default.nix: Aggregates all .nix files in the directory.
• modules/darwin/security/:
  • default.nix: Consolidated configurations for security related settings.
• modules/darwin/system/:
  • system.nix: System configuration (e.g., trackpad, keyboard mapping, screenshot default location, etc.).
  • default.nix: Aggregates all .nix files in directory.
• modules/home/:
  • <username>/: User-specific configurations
  • <username>/terminal/: Terminal-related configurations including shell setup
  • <username>/terminal/starship/: Starship prompt configurations

Management Script

The repository includes an interactive management script (manage.sh) that provides a unified interface for common tasks:

./manage.sh

The script offers the following options:

1. Rebuild configuration: Rebuilds the current configuration
2. Update flakes and rebuild: Updates all flake inputs and rebuilds
3. Clean nix store: Runs garbage collection on the Nix store
4. Exit: Exits the script

For rebuild operations (options 1 and 2), the script will:

• Prompt for the hostname (defaults to "swaphb-mba" if not specified)
• Execute the appropriate commands

How to Use

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/nix-darwin-config.git
   cd nix-darwin-config

2. Install Nix: Follow the instructions on the Nix website to install Nix.

3. Enable Flakes:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/nix
   echo "experimental-features = nix-command flakes" >> ~/.config/nix/nix.conf

4. Apply Configuration:

   ./manage.sh

   Select option 1 to rebuild the configuration, and enter your hostname when prompted.

Common Commands

All common commands are now available through the management script (./manage.sh). However, you can still run commands manually if needed:

• Build without switching:

  darwin-rebuild build --flake .#<hostname>

• Show changes:

  darwin-rebuild dry-activate --flake .#<hostname>

• List available flake outputs:

  nix flake show

Troubleshooting

Dirty Git Tree

If you see warnings about a dirty Git tree:

warning: Git tree '/path/to/your/repo' is dirty

Solution: Commit your changes:

git add -A
git commit -m "Commit message"

Path Does Not Exist

If you get path-related errors:

error: path '/nix/store/...-source/modules/darwin/homebrew.nix' does not exist

Solution:

• Verify the file exists
• Check for correct spelling/capitalization
• Ensure the file is committed to Git

References

• NixOS Wiki: Flakes
• nix-darwin
• Home Manager
• nix-homebrew (zhaofengli-wip)