NixOS Configuration

A comprehensive NixOS configuration using Nix Flakes for declarative system and user environment management across multiple machines.

Quick Start

1. Development Environment

Enter the development shell to get all necessary tools (make, nh, git, etc.):

# Option 1: Manual activation
nix develop

# Option 2: Automatic with direnv
direnv allow

2. Local System Management

# Switch NixOS configuration
make switch

# Switch home-manager configuration  
make home-switch

# Update flake inputs
make update

# Show all available commands
make help

VM Development

Set up a development VM for testing configurations:

# Get detailed VM setup instructions
make vm/setup-help

# Quick workflow (after VM setup):
export NIXADDR=root@VM_IP
make vm/bootstrap0        # Initial VM setup

export NIXADDR=przemek@VM_IP  
make vm/bootstrap         # Apply configuration
make vm/switch            # Deploy changes

WSL

Build and install NixOS WSL distribution with CLI tools from dev-vm configuration:

Building WSL Tarball

make wsl

This creates a WSL distribution tarball builder. To generate the actual tarball:

sudo result/bin/nixos-wsl-tarball-builder

This produces a nixos.wsl file ready for Windows installation.

Installing on Windows

1. Transfer the tarball: Copy nixos.wsl to your Windows machine

2. Install WSL distribution (run in PowerShell as Administrator):

   wsl --import NixOS C:\WSL\NixOS C:\path\to\nixos.wsl

3. Set as default (optional):

   wsl --set-default NixOS

4. Launch NixOS WSL:

   wsl -d NixOS

WSL Management

• List distributions: wsl --list --verbose
• Stop distribution: wsl --terminate NixOS
• Uninstall: wsl --unregister NixOS
• Update: Rebuild tarball and re-import

What's Included

The WSL configuration includes CLI development tools from dev-vm:

• Modern shell (Fish with completions)
• Development tools (git, nvim, tmux, fzf, ripgrep, etc.)
• Programming languages (Node.js, Python 3)
• Container tools (docker-compose)
• Network utilities (SSH, Tailscale)
• Nix package manager with flakes enabled

Machine Configurations

This flake supports multiple machines:

• ilum - Gaming desktop
• dathomir - Dell laptop
• dooku - Lenovo ThinkPad
• dev-vm - Development VM (universal: QEMU/KVM, Hyper-V, VirtualBox)

Architecture

• Modular design - Shared configuration with host-specific overrides
• Multiple nixpkgs channels - Stable, unstable, and legacy for compatibility
• Universal VM support - Works across different hypervisors
• Makefile automation - Simple commands for all operations

Key Features

• bspwm/Hyprland desktop environments
• Comprehensive app configurations (Neovim, Firefox, development tools)
• VM-optimized configurations for development
• Remote deployment with deploy-rs
• Automatic formatting and development tools

Resources

• NixOS & Flakes Book - Comprehensive guide
• devenv - Development environments
• Flake templates - Starting templates

Files

• flake.nix - Main flake configuration
• lib/mkSystem.nix - System configuration factory
• hosts/ - Machine-specific configurations
• Makefile - Development workflow automation
• CLAUDE.md - Claude Code assistant reference

Troubleshooting

# Check configuration syntax
make check

# Format Nix files
make fmt

# Clean broken symbolic links
find -L /nix/var/nix/gcroots/per-user/$USER -maxdepth 1 -type l -delete