elianiva's dotfiles

Nix-managed dotfiles for macOS (nix-darwin + home-manager) and Linux (home-manager standalone) with full feature parity. Built on Determinate Nix (nixd).

Here are some of the screenshots from time to time (the config may or may not be still here, idk):

Architecture

Built with Den — aspect-oriented Nix. Every file under modules/ is loaded by import-tree, and each one contributes either an aspect (den.aspects.<name>), an entity (den.hosts / den.homes), or a global default. Den resolves those into the flake outputs.

flake.nix                             # inputs + evalModules + import-tree, nothing else
└── modules/
    ├── den.nix                       # Den wiring: schema defaults + den.default (stateVersion, …)
    ├── hosts.nix                     # den.hosts (melon) + den.homes (linux)
    ├── user.nix                      # den.aspects.elianiva + platform variants
    ├── _lib/                         # ignored by import-tree: plain data & helpers
    │   ├── identity.nix              # username / home dir / git identity
    │   ├── fonts.nix
    │   └── brews.nix  casks.nix  vp-global-packages.nix
    └── aspects/                      # one concern per file, all platforms
        ├── host-darwin.nix           # melon: system defaults, nixpkgs overlays, home-manager opts
        ├── homebrew.nix              # nix-homebrew taps + homebrew brews/casks
        ├── home-linux.nix            # genericLinux + nixGL + nix.gc
        ├── packages.nix  fonts.nix  go.nix
        ├── programs.nix              # direnv, bat, btop, fzf, carapace, zoxide, starship
        ├── git.nix  gpg.nix  agents.nix  shell-files.nix  vp-global-packages.nix
        └── nvim.nix  fish.nix  nushell.nix  ghostty.nix  kitty.nix  …

Resolved outputs:

darwinConfigurations.melon           aarch64-darwin — nix-darwin + home-manager + nix-homebrew
homeConfigurations.elianiva          aarch64-linux  — home-manager standalone
homeConfigurations.elianiva@intel    x86_64-linux
homeConfigurations.elianiva@asahi    aarch64-linux

An aspect holds the config a single concern needs in every class it touches, e.g. aspects/packages.nix puts CLI tools in darwin.environment.systemPackages and in (Linux) homeManager.home.packages; aspects/ghostty.nix holds the config symlink, the macOS Library/Application Support symlink, and the Linux nixGL-wrapped package. Hosts/users/homes only pick aspects (den.aspects.elianiva.includes, den.aspects.elianiva-linux.includes, den.aspects.melon.includes).

Shared sources of truth:

Concern	Defined once	Used by
CLI tools & editors	`aspects/packages.nix`	darwin `environment.systemPackages`, linux `home.packages`
Rust toolchain (fenix)	`aspects/rust.nix`	same split
Go toolchain + dev tools (delve, golangci-lint, gofumpt)	`aspects/go.nix`	same split
Fonts (MonaSpace, Inter, Lora, Lilex, Departure Mono, Ioshelfka, Iosevka 34.8 TTC)	`_lib/fonts.nix` via `aspects/fonts.nix`	darwin `fonts.packages`, linux `home.packages` + `fonts.fontconfig`
Terminal configs (ghostty/kitty/wezterm)	their own aspect	both — `aspects/ghostty.nix` carries the nixGL wrap and the macOS Application Support symlink
Direnv integrations, shell programs	`aspects/programs.nix`	both

Platform extras are thin:

aspects/host-darwin.nix — macOS system defaults, nixpkgs.overlays (fenix, jj-starship), home-manager.useGlobalPkgs
aspects/homebrew.nix — nix-homebrew taps + homebrew brews/casks
aspects/home-linux.nix — targets.genericLinux, nixGL, nix.gc
Darwin-only [ iina ] and Linux-only [ pinentry-gnome3, nixGLIntel, lazydocker, zathura ] live next to the shared list in aspects/packages.nix

Prerequisites

Nix: Determinate Nix is assumed throughout. It ships nixd (determinate-nixd), manages /etc/nix/nix.conf (including nix.custom.conf), enables flakes + nix-command by default, and provides FlakeHub caching. Stock nix works too, but commands below use Determinate's layout.
Git & curl: needed to clone and fetch flakes.
Identity: default user is elianiva (/Users/elianiva on macOS, /home/elianiva on Linux) and hostname melon — see modules/_lib/identity.nix and the host/home names in modules/hosts.nix. If your username/home differs, edit those before the first switch (or pass --impure with an override — not recommended).
Dotfiles location: ~/.dotfiles must remain at ~/.dotfiles — configs are linked via mkOutOfStoreSymlink to that path. Moving it breaks all xdg.configFile/home.file symlinks until you re-switch.

Bootstrap — Empty Linux Box (Determinate Nix)

Tested on Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora/Arch (x86_64-linux). For aarch64-linux, see notes at the end.

1. Install Determinate Nix

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install
# restart shell so /nix/var/nix/profiles/default/etc/profile.d/nix.sh is sourced
exec $SHELL -l
nix --version  # should print: nix (Determinate Nix 3.x) 2.28.x

Determinate writes:

/etc/nix/nix.conf (managed, includes nix.custom.conf and FlakeHub extra-substituters)
/etc/nix/nix.custom.conf — your trusted-users etc. (installer adds trusted-users = root <you>)
/nix store + determinate-nixd daemon

Verify daemon:

sudo determinate-nixd status 2>/dev/null || systemctl status determinate-nixd 2>/dev/null | head -n 20

No manual experimental-features edit needed — Determinate enables nix-command flakes out of the box (lazy-trees as well).

2. Install git & clone

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y git curl

# Fedora
sudo dnf install -y git curl

# Arch
sudo pacman -S --needed git curl

git clone git@github.com:elianiva/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles
# or HTTPS if no SSH key yet:
# git clone https://github.com/elianiva/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

3. First switch (no `nh` yet)

nh (nix helper) is in packages.nix so it will be available after the first switch. Bootstrap with nix run:

# From inside ~/.dotfiles
nix run home-manager -- switch --flake .#elianiva --print-build-logs

What this does:

Each den.homes.<system>.<name> gets its own pkgs: nixpkgs with allowUnfree = true + fenix + jj-starship overlays (modules/hosts.nix)
den.aspects.packages + den.aspects.go + den.aspects.fonts contribute home.packages through their Linux branch
den.aspects.home-linux enables targets.genericLinux + nixGL (mesa wrapper), nix.gc
Symlinks everything via mkOutOfStoreSymlink, one aspect per tool — ~/.config/nvim, ~/.config/ghostty, fish, nushell, jjui, yazi, etc. all point into ~/.dotfiles

First-run conflict handling: if you have existing ~/.config/fish, ~/.bashrc, etc., home-manager will error with existing file ... would be clobbered. Either back up and remove:

mv ~/.config/fish ~/.config/fish.bak 2>/dev/null; mv ~/.bashrc ~/.bashrc.bak 2>/dev/null
nix run home-manager -- switch --flake .#elianiva --print-build-logs -b bak
# -b bak tells home-manager to move conflicts to *.bak automatically

Re-login or source the new shell:

exec $SHELL -l
# or if using fish/nushell:
# exec fish -l

4. Daily usage after bootstrap

nh and just are now in PATH:

# rebuild after editing dotfiles
just linux
# equivalent to: nh home switch --flake .#elianiva --print-build-logs

# update flake inputs
nix flake update
just linux

# garbage collect
just clean   # nh clean
nix-collect-garbage -d

# Determinate upgrade (when Determinate publishes a new Nix)
sudo determinate-nixd upgrade

5. Post-bootstrap checks

home-manager generations | head
ghostty --version        # wrapped via nixGL.mesa on non-NixOS
fc-list | grep -i iosevka | head
gpg --list-keys
jj --version
cargo --version          # fenix rust

GPU (nixGL): modules/aspects/ghostty.nix wraps ghostty with nixGLIntel + targets.genericLinux.nixGL.defaultWrapper = "mesa". On non-NixOS you need Mesa/Intel drivers from the host. If ghostty fails with GL errors, try nix run nixGL -- ghostty or install host mesa-utils.

Fonts: fonts.fontconfig is enabled with defaultFonts.monospace = ["JetBrainsMono"]. All fonts from _lib/fonts.nix are in home.packages; fc-cache -f runs automatically via home-manager.

Linux notes & gotchas

Username/home mismatch: edit modules/_lib/identity.nix (homeDirFor) before the first switch, otherwise home-manager creates /home/elianiva while your actual $HOME is different.
aarch64-linux: modules/hosts.nix declares aarch64-linux homes (elianiva, elianiva@asahi) and an x86_64-linux one (elianiva@intel) — add another den.homes.<system>.<name> entry for a new machine. nixGLIntel is Intel-only and is already skipped on isAarch64.
Nix-managed Nix: modules/aspects/home-linux.nix sets nix.enable = true (home-manager manages Nix). This is intentional for standalone home-manager — on NixOS you'd disable it. On macOS, nix.enable = false because Determinate manages Nix.
Docker: lazydocker + zathura are Linux-only extras; install Docker Engine separately (sudo apt install docker.io etc.) — not managed by this flake.
FlakeHub 401 warning (unable to download https://cache.flakehub.com/nix-cache-info): harmless if you haven't run determinate-nixd auth login. Either determinate-nixd login or ignore — cache.nixos.org + nix-community are still used via nixConfig.

Bootstrap — macOS (Determinate Nix + nix-darwin)

1. Install Determinate Nix

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | sh -s -- install
exec $SHELL -l
nix --version

2. Install Xcode CLI & clone

xcode-select --install
# verify
xcode-select -p

git clone git@github.com:elianiva/dotfiles ~/.dotfiles
cd ~/.dotfiles

3. First switch

nix-darwin needs sudo on first run to install the system profile and create /etc/nix/nix.conf integration. Determinate already manages Nix, so darwin-config.nix sets nix.enable = false.

# first time — builds darwin system + home-manager generation
sudo nix run nix-darwin -- switch --flake .

# after that, via just/nh (nh is in systemPackages after first switch)
just darwin
# equivalent to: nh darwin switch .

What this does:

den.hosts.aarch64-darwin.melon → darwinConfigurations.melon, with nixpkgs.overlays = fenix + jj-starship (aspects/host-darwin.nix)
den.aspects.homebrew declaratively taps homebrew/core, cask, bundle, BarutSRB, onevcat (mutableTaps = false)
homebrew brews/casks from modules/_lib/brews.nix/casks.nix (onActivation.cleanup = "zap")
environment.systemPackages from the darwin branch of aspects/packages.nix + aspects/go.nix
fonts.packages from the darwin branch of aspects/fonts.nix (includes Iosevka 34.8 TTC)
home-manager user elianiva = den.aspects.elianiva (every tool aspect + git + gpg), sharing the host pkgs via useGlobalPkgs
Symlinks ~/Library/Application Support/nushell and …/com.mitchellh.ghostty from the nushell/ghostty aspects, plus ~/.config/*, via mkOutOfStoreSymlink

4. Daily usage

just darwin
# or: nh darwin switch .

nix flake update
just darwin

just clean
sudo determinate-nixd upgrade

macOS notes

Hostname: the host name (and networking.hostName, via den.batteries.hostname) comes from den.hosts.aarch64-darwin.melon in modules/hosts.nix; change it there or sudo scutil --set HostName <new> before switch.
Homebrew: managed declaratively. Do not brew install manually — add to modules/_lib/brews.nix/casks.nix. mutableTaps = false means manual brew tap will be reverted.
Rosetta: nix-homebrew.enableRosetta = true allows x86 brews on Apple Silicon.
Touch ID for sudo: security.pam.services.sudo_local.touchIdAuth = true — works after first switch.
Determinate nix.conf: /etc/nix/nix.conf is owned by Determinate (!include nix.custom.conf). Do not edit directly — use nix.custom.conf or nixConfig in flake.nix.

Common Tasks

Task	macOS	Linux
Rebuild	`just darwin`	`just linux`
Update inputs	`nix flake update && just darwin`	`nix flake update && just linux`
Check flake	`nix flake check`	same
Dry build	`nix build .#darwinConfigurations.melon.system --dry-run`	`nix build .#homeConfigurations.elianiva.activationPackage --dry-run`
GC	`just clean`	same
Edit identity (user/home/host)	`modules/_lib/identity.nix` + `modules/hosts.nix`	same
Add CLI tool	`modules/aspects/packages.nix`	same (shared)
Add font	`modules/_lib/fonts.nix`	same
Add macOS-only package	`modules/aspects/packages.nix` (`mkDarwin`)	—
Add Linux-only package	—	`modules/aspects/packages.nix` (`mkLinux`)
Add a tool/config	new file in `modules/aspects/` + add it to `den.aspects.elianiva.includes` (`modules/user.nix`)	same
Add a machine	`den.hosts.<system>.<host>` (`modules/hosts.nix`)	`den.homes.<system>.<name>`
Add brew/cask	`modules/_lib/brews.nix` / `casks.nix`	n/a (use nixpkgs)

Troubleshooting

existing file … would be clobbered on first switch — backup or use -b bak:

nix run home-manager -- switch --flake .#elianiva -b bak
sudo nix run nix-darwin -- switch --flake . -b bak

attribute 'aarch64-darwin' missing for ioshelfka — _lib/fonts.nix already guards with if ioshelfka.packages ? system then ... else []. If you add a new font flake, guard similarly.

error: Path 'modules/…' is not tracked by Git — git add modules/… (Nix only sees git-tracked files for flakes; modules/_lib is intentionally not imported as modules, but its files still need to be tracked because aspects import them).

command not found: nh before first switch — expected. Use nix run nixpkgs#nh -- home switch --flake .#elianiva or nix run home-manager -- switch ... for bootstrap.

Linux ghostty GL errors — ensure nixGLIntel matches your GPU. For AMD/Generic Mesa: change targets.genericLinux.nixGL.defaultWrapper = "mesa" is already set; for NVIDIA use nixGLNvidia.

Home not at ~/.dotfiles — re-clone to ~/.dotfiles, or change the dotfiles field produced by modules/_lib/identity.nix and the ${config.home.homeDirectory}/.dotfiles paths used by the tool aspects.

License

Personal dotfiles — no license, use at your own risk.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
agents		agents
direnv		direnv
fish		fish
ghostty		ghostty
gitconfig		gitconfig
helix		helix
herdr		herdr
hunk		hunk
jjui		jjui
karabiner		karabiner
kitty		kitty
legacy		legacy
misc		misc
modules		modules
nushell		nushell
nvim		nvim
qmd		qmd
screenshots		screenshots
walls		walls
wezterm		wezterm
yazi		yazi
zellij		zellij
.DS_Store		.DS_Store
.gitignore		.gitignore
.gitmodules		.gitmodules
README.md		README.md
flake.lock		flake.lock
flake.nix		flake.nix
justfile		justfile

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elianiva's dotfiles

Architecture

Prerequisites

Bootstrap — Empty Linux Box (Determinate Nix)

1. Install Determinate Nix

2. Install git & clone

3. First switch (no `nh` yet)

4. Daily usage after bootstrap

5. Post-bootstrap checks

Linux notes & gotchas

Bootstrap — macOS (Determinate Nix + nix-darwin)

1. Install Determinate Nix

2. Install Xcode CLI & clone

3. First switch

4. Daily usage

macOS notes

Common Tasks

Troubleshooting

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elianiva's dotfiles

Architecture

Prerequisites

Bootstrap — Empty Linux Box (Determinate Nix)

1. Install Determinate Nix

2. Install git & clone

3. First switch (no nh yet)

4. Daily usage after bootstrap

5. Post-bootstrap checks

Linux notes & gotchas

Bootstrap — macOS (Determinate Nix + nix-darwin)

1. Install Determinate Nix

2. Install Xcode CLI & clone

3. First switch

4. Daily usage

macOS notes

Common Tasks

Troubleshooting

License

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3. First switch (no `nh` yet)