🏠 Cross-Platform Nix Configuration

A comprehensive, declarative development environment for macOS and Linux with integrated AI tooling

This configuration provides a unified development setup across Apple Silicon Macs and ARM64 Linux environments, featuring seamless package management, shell customization, and Claude Code integration for enhanced productivity.

✨ What's Included

🛠️ Development Tools

• Git & GitHub CLI - Version control with seamless GitHub integration
• Neovim - Modern Vim with LazyVim configuration and LSP support
• tmux - Terminal multiplexer with custom configuration
• Ripgrep, Ack, Bat - Enhanced search and file viewing tools
• Direnv - Per-directory environment management
• Docker & Docker Compose - Containerization support (Linux)

🖥️ Terminal & Shell

• ZSH - Feature-rich shell with Oh My Posh theming
• Zoxide - Smart directory navigation
• Eza - Modern ls replacement with colors and icons
• Carapace - Universal shell completion for CLI tools
• fzf - Interactive fuzzy finder for command line
• gh-dash - GitHub CLI dashboard for PRs and issues (alias: ghd)

🎨 macOS Applications (via Homebrew)

• Productivity: Raycast, Notion Calendar, SuperWhisper
• Development: Orbstack, Ghostty terminal
• Security: 1Password, 1Password CLI
• Communication: Linear, Slack, Claude desktop
• Media: Spotify, VLC

🤖 AI Integration

• Claude Code - Advanced AI coding assistant with custom commands
• Linear Commands - Project management integration
• Custom Hooks - Automated linting and quality checks
• MCP Servers - Extended AI capabilities

☁️ Cloud & Infrastructure

• Tailscale - Secure networking across devices
• AWS CLI & Tools - Cloud development support
• SSH Configuration - 1Password integration for seamless key management
• Kubernetes Tools - Container orchestration support

🚀 Installation

macOS (Apple Silicon)

# Install Nix
sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install)

# Clone and apply
git clone https://github.com/svnlto/nix-config.git ~/.config/nix
cd ~/.config/nix
nixswitch

Linux Desktop (x86_64 or ARM64)

# Install Nix
sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --daemon

# Clone and apply (first time - specify architecture)
git clone https://github.com/svnlto/nix-config.git ~/.config/nix
cd ~/.config/nix
home-manager switch --flake .#desktop-x86   # x86_64 (Intel/AMD)
# OR
home-manager switch --flake .#desktop-arm   # ARM64

# After first install, auto-detects architecture:
nixswitch

Linux Server/Container (minimal)

# Install Nix
sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --daemon

# Clone and apply (first time)
git clone https://github.com/svnlto/nix-config.git ~/.config/nix
cd ~/.config/nix
home-manager switch --flake .#minimal-x86   # x86_64
# OR
home-manager switch --flake .#minimal-arm   # ARM64 (EC2, DevPods)

# After first install:
nixswitch

📁 Configuration Management

Architecture Overview

├── flake.nix              # 🎯 Main orchestrator - all configurations
├── common/                # 🔄 Shared across platforms
│   ├── packages.nix       # 📦 Centralized package definitions
│   ├── profiles/          # 🎨 Optional features (Hyprland, etc.)
│   ├── claude-code/       # 🤖 AI assistant integration
│   ├── neovim/           # ⚡ Editor configuration
│   ├── tmux/             # 🖥️  Terminal multiplexer
│   └── zsh/              # 🐚 Shell environment
└── systems/
    ├── aarch64-darwin/   # 🍎 macOS-specific (nix-darwin)
    │   ├── homebrew.nix  # 🍺 GUI applications
    │   ├── defaults.nix  # ⚙️  System preferences
    │   └── dock.nix      # 📱 Dock configuration
    └── aarch64-linux/    # 🐧 Linux-specific (home-manager)
                          #    Works on both x86_64 and ARM64

Package Categories

• Core Packages: Essential CLI tools (eza, bat, zoxide, fzf)
• Dev Packages: Development utilities (gh, lazygit, ripgrep, tmux)
• System Packages: macOS system-level tools (git, tree)
• GUI Applications: macOS apps via Homebrew

Adding New Packages

# Add to all systems
echo 'new-package' >> common/packages.nix

# macOS GUI applications
echo '"new-app"' >> systems/aarch64-darwin/homebrew.nix

# Linux-specific packages
echo 'package-name' >> systems/aarch64-linux/home-linux.nix

🎛️ Commands & Shortcuts

Core Commands

# Apply configurations (works on macOS and Linux)
nixswitch              # Auto-detects platform, architecture, and config type

# Update and rebuild
git pull && nixswitch  # Update flake inputs and rebuild

# Development
nix develop            # Enter development shell with tools
nix flake check        # Validate configuration

Available Configurations

# Linux Desktop (with Hyprland)
.#desktop-x86          # x86_64 (Intel/AMD laptops/desktops)
.#desktop-arm          # ARM64 (cloud instances, DevPods)

# Linux Minimal (servers/containers)
.#minimal-x86          # x86_64 servers
.#minimal-arm          # ARM64 (EC2, cloud instances)

# macOS
.#rick                 # Auto-detects via hostname

Maintenance Commands

# System status
nix-status             # Detailed system information

# Cleanup (macOS only, set CLEANUP_ON_REBUILD=true)
CLEANUP_ON_REBUILD=true nixswitch

# Rollback
sudo darwin-rebuild rollback     # macOS
home-manager generations         # Linux (shows available)

Development Tools

# Code formatting and linting
nixfmt-classic **/*.nix    # Format Nix code
statix check               # Check for issues
deadnix --edit             # Remove dead code

# Package management
nix search nixpkgs <name>  # Find packages
nix profile list           # Show installed packages

🔧 Customization

Adding New Hosts

Edit flake.nix to add new machine configurations:

# macOS
"new-hostname" = mkDarwinSystem {
  hostname = "new-hostname";
  username = "your-username";
};

# Linux
"new-user" = mkHomeManagerConfig {
  username = "new-user";
};

Shell Customization

ZSH configuration is shared via common/zsh/shared.nix:

• Aliases: Common shortcuts and system-specific commands
• History: Encrypted sync with Atuin
• Prompt: Oh My Posh with custom theme
• Completion: Enhanced with Carapace

Claude Code Integration

Advanced AI coding assistant with:

• Custom Commands: Linear integration, conventional commits
• Quality Hooks: Automated linting and formatting
• Remote Commands: Fetched from dedicated repository
• Settings: Managed via out-of-store symlinks for easy editing

🔒 Security Features

• 1Password SSH Agent: Seamless SSH key management
• Tailscale Integration: Secure device connectivity
• Credential Isolation: Proper separation of user/system secrets
• Validated Configurations: Runtime username validation with helpful errors

🌍 Multi-Environment Support

• Host-VM Separation: Clean macOS host with isolated development VMs
• ARM64 Optimized: First-class support for Apple Silicon and ARM cloud instances
• Consistent Environments: Same tools and configurations across all platforms
• Cloud Ready: Pre-configured for AWS, GitHub, and container workflows

📊 Performance Optimizations

Built-in performance tuning:

• Parallel Builds: Auto-detected core count utilization
• Download Optimization: 256MB buffers, 50 HTTP connections
• Store Optimization: Automatic Nix store maintenance
• Substituter Caching: Fast binary downloads from trusted sources

🆘 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

# Build failures
nixswitch --show-trace     # Detailed error information
hmswitch --show-trace      # Linux equivalent

# Validation errors
nix eval .#darwinConfigurations.rick.system    # Test macOS config
nix eval .#homeConfigurations.linux.activationPackage  # Test Linux config

# Emergency recovery
sudo darwin-rebuild rollback  # macOS
home-manager generations      # Linux - list available rollbacks

Getting Help

• Check the CLAUDE.md for detailed development guidance
• Review configuration files in the appropriate systems/ directory
• Use nix develop for access to development tools and validation

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Built with ❤️ using Nix, nix-darwin, and Home Manager