# dot

NixOS configuration for `desktop`: the CachyOS setup from
[Eiziv/dotfiles](https://github.com/Eiziv/dotfiles), rewritten as a flake with
Home Manager. Hyprland (Lua config) under uwsm, the greetd/gtkgreet login screen,
the patched Waybar and the Eww control centre, the CachyOS kernel and the CachyOS
system tweaks.

Moving from CachyOS: see [MIGRATION.md](MIGRATION.md). The install wipes the
NVMe drive and partitions it with [disko](https://github.com/nix-community/disko).

## Layout

```
flake.nix                  inputs, the desktop system, the packages below
hosts/desktop/             this machine: hostname, Home Manager
  disko.nix                the drive's partitions and btrfs subvolumes
modules/nixos/
  base.nix                 Nix, boot, locale, network, firewall, user
  cachyos.nix              CachyOS kernel + cachyos-settings, file by file
  nvidia.nix               RTX 3080 Ti, open kernel module
  desktop.nix              Hyprland, uwsm, greetd, audio, Bluetooth, fonts
  gaming.nix               Steam, proton-cachyos, gamemode, gamescope, ...
  apps.nix                 desktop apps, Claude Cowork, OpenDeck udev, Flatpak
  vm.nix                   the test VM
modules/home/
  files.nix                links config/ into ~/.config (was symlink.sh)
  services.nix             desktop background programs as systemd user services
  shell.nix                zsh (as cachyos-zsh-config), git, gh, ssh
  theming.nix              GTK, cursor
  packages.nix             tools the scripts call; imsh-clients, philly
config/                    the dotfiles themselves
pkgs/                      packages not in nixpkgs, or patched
tools/bench-compare        compares MangoHud logs from CachyOS and NixOS
```

## Everyday use

```bash
nixos-rebuild switch --sudo --flake ~/git/dot   # apply changes (alias: rebuild)
nix flake update --flake ~/git/dot              # newer packages; then rebuild (alias: update)
```

Every rebuild is a boot menu entry, so a bad one is undone by picking the one
before it.

**Editing configs.** `~/.config/hypr`, `waybar`, `kitty`, `dunst`, `fuzzel`, `nvim`,
`qt6ct`, Kvantum, `kdeglobals`, the Philly theme, Firefox's `user.js` and
`userChrome.css` and `~/.p10k.zsh` link straight to `config/` in this checkout,
like the old `symlink.sh` did, so edits apply without a rebuild. (Set
`dot.liveConfig = false` to have them copied into the Nix store instead.) If the
checkout is not at `~/git/dot`, set `dot.repoPath`.

Configs that programs write themselves (btop, micro, MangoHud/vkBasalt/vkSumi, `mimeapps.list`) are copied in only when missing and then left to
the program.

**Signal theme.** `config/signal/theme.css` is built into the Signal package
(`pkgs/signal-desktop-themed`), so after editing it run `rebuild` and then
`config/signal/restart`.

## Background programs

Everything Hyprland used to start from `hl.on("hyprland.start")` is a systemd
user service now, started with `graphical-session.target` by uwsm and restarted
if it crashes:

| Service | |
|---|---|
| `waybar`, `hypridle`, `hyprpaper`, `dunst`, `hyprpolkitagent` | the shell |
| `eww` | control centre and notification flyouts |
| `blueman-applet`, `nm-applet`, `xembedsniproxy` | tray (after Waybar) |
| `xwl-clipbridge` | X11 → Wayland clipboard for Wine/Proton games |
| `autostart-apps` | opens Signal, Discord, Faugus, OpenDeck and WowUp, each as its own unit |

```bash
systemctl --user status waybar
journalctl --user -u waybar -f
systemctl --user restart waybar
```

`hyprland.lua` keeps only what has to live in the compositor: the startup window
rules that place those apps and hide WowUp's window.

## Gaming

- Kernel: `linux-cachyos-latest-lto-zen4` from
  [xddxdd/nix-cachyos-kernel](https://github.com/xddxdd/nix-cachyos-kernel), the
  same build as CachyOS's znver4 `linux-cachyos` (EEVDF, 1000 Hz, ThinLTO, Zen 4).
- cachyos-settings: sysctl, I/O schedulers, THP, ntsync, limits, oomd, PCI latency,
  ananicy-cpp with CachyOS's rules, bpftune; see `modules/nixos/cachyos.nix`.
- `proton-cachyos` is installed for Steam under CachyOS's own internal name
  (`proton-cachyos-slr`), so Steam's existing choice of it still applies.
  ProtonPlus-installed tools in `~/.steam` carry over as they are.
- Launch options: `game-performance %command%`, `gamemoderun %command%`,
  `dlss-swapper %command%`, `mangohud %command%`.

Not ported: CachyOS builds *all* its packages for x86-64-v3/v4; NixOS uses
generic x86-64 builds outside the kernel and Proton. The difference in games is
small.

`nix develop` opens a shell with nixos-anywhere and nixfmt, on this machine or
the Mac.

## Testing in a VM

```bash
./vm.sh
```

Boots this exact system in QEMU, without NVIDIA and with the configs copied in.
You land on the desktop; log out (Super+Delete) to see the login screen.

## Custom packages

| | |
|---|---|
| `waybar` | nixpkgs' Waybar with the three patches from the old PKGBUILD |
| `xembedsniproxy` | standalone build from plasma-workspace 6.7.5, three patches |
| `signal-desktop-themed` | Signal with `config/signal/theme.css` and a transparent window |
| `claude-desktop` | Anthropic's official Linux .deb, repackaged |
| `opendeck` | upstream release .deb, repackaged |
| `breezex-cursor` | BreezeX-Black cursor theme |
| `proton-cachyos` | CachyOS's Proton release, for Steam |
| `python3-desktop` | Python with PyGObject and python-xlib for the scripts |

Each builds on its own, e.g. `nix build .#waybar`. The `.deb`-based ones and
proton-cachyos say at the top of their file how to update them.