🐧 Atlas - NixOS Configuration

A modular, flake-based NixOS configuration for a desktop workstation optimized for gaming, development, and daily use.

✨ Features

• 🎮 Gaming-Ready: Steam with Proton-GE, Lutris, Heroic, Faugus Launcher, Gamemode with AMD GPU optimizations
• 🖥️ Wayland-Native: Niri compositor with Noctalia shell and modern Wayland tooling
• ⚡ Performance: CachyOS kernel (x86_64-v3) with scx_lavd scheduler for low-latency gaming
• 🛠️ Development: Docker, Node.js 22, Rust (rustup), Python 3, Bun, and modern CLI tools
• 🎨 Theming: Adwaita dark theme, Papirus icons, JetBrains Mono & Inter fonts
• 🎵 Media: Navidrome music server, PipeWire audio with JACK support, full Bluetooth codec support
• 🔒 Security: Secure Boot with Limine bootloader

📁 Structure

nixos/
├── flake.nix                 # Flake definition with inputs
├── flake.lock                # Locked dependencies
├── configuration.nix         # Main config (boot, networking, user, localization)
├── hardware-configuration.nix # Auto-generated hardware config (don't edit)
└── modules/
    ├── apps.nix              # User applications (media, productivity, communication)
    ├── audio.nix             # PipeWire, Bluetooth codecs, audio controls
    ├── desktop.nix           # Wayland, XDG portals, polkit, Vicinae launcher
    ├── dev.nix               # Docker, languages, build tools, CLI utilities
    ├── gaming.nix            # Steam, Gamemode, launchers, Wine/Proton
    ├── gpu-amd.nix           # AMD drivers, Vulkan, VA-API, CoreCtrl
    ├── navidrome.nix         # Music streaming server
    ├── power.nix             # Power profiles daemon, CPU governor
    ├── services.nix          # System services (fstrim, zram, avahi, psd, earlyoom)
    ├── shell.nix             # Fish shell config with plugins and aliases
    ├── theming.nix           # Fonts, GTK/Qt themes, cursors, dconf
    └── virtualization.nix    # QEMU, KVM, virt-manager (commented out)

🚀 Flake Inputs

Input	Description
nixpkgs	NixOS unstable channel
nix-cachyos-kernel	CachyOS optimized kernel with x86_64-v3
noctalia	Noctalia desktop shell
zen-browser	Zen Browser (Firefox-based)
opencode	OpenCode AI coding assistant

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• NixOS installed with flakes enabled
• AMD CPU and GPU (configuration includes AMD-specific optimizations)
• UEFI system (for Secure Boot support)

Steps

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ragusa-it/nixos.git /etc/nixos
   

2. Generate hardware configuration:

   sudo nixos-generate-config --show-hardware-config > /etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix
   

3. Update the configuration:

   • In flake.nix: Change username = "pinj" to your username
   • In configuration.nix:
     • Update networking.hostName if desired
     • Adjust time.timeZone (currently "Europe/Berlin")
     • Review and adjust locale settings
     • Update secondary storage mount points or remove them
     • Review keyboard layout (currently German)

4. Rebuild the system:

   sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#nixos
   

5. (Optional) Set up Secure Boot:

   sudo sbctl create-keys
   sudo sbctl enroll-keys -m
   

6. Flatpak is auto-configured - Flathub repository is automatically added on system activation

🔧 Usage

Rebuild System

# Test configuration without switching
sudo nixos-rebuild test --flake .#nixos

# Switch to new configuration
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#nixos

# Build and set as boot default (without switching)
sudo nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#nixos

Update Flake Inputs

# Update all inputs
nix flake update

# Update specific input
nix flake lock --update-input nixpkgs

Search and Install Packages

# Search for packages
nix search nixpkgs <package-name>

# Aliases available in Fish shell
search <package-name>  # Same as above

Garbage Collection

Automatic garbage collection is configured weekly, but you can run it manually:

# Collect garbage older than 14 days
sudo nix-collect-garbage --delete-older-than 14d

# Optimize store
nix-store --optimise

🖥️ Desktop Environment

• Compositor: Niri (scrollable tiling Wayland compositor)
• Display Manager: Ly
• Terminal: Ghostty
• Browser: Zen Browser (primary), Firefox
• File Manager: Nautilus (GNOME Files)
• Editors: Zed Editor, Claude Code, OpenCode

🎮 Gaming

The gaming module provides:

• Steam with Proton-GE for enhanced Windows game compatibility
• Gamemode for automatic CPU/GPU performance optimizations
• Game Launchers: Lutris, Heroic (Epic/GOG), Faugus Launcher
• Wine Support: Wine Staging with Winetricks and Protontricks
• Gamescope micro-compositor for fixing problematic games
• Kernel Tweaks: Increased inotify watchers, optimized swap settings

AMD GPU Optimizations

• CoreCtrl for fan curves, overclocking, and GPU monitoring
• Full power management features enabled (amdgpu.ppfeaturemask=0xffffffff)
• RADV (Mesa Vulkan) driver - best for gaming
• VA-API hardware video acceleration (decode/encode)
• Monitoring Tools: radeontop, nvtop (AMD edition)
• Vulkan Tools: vulkan-tools, vulkan-loader for debugging

🛠️ Development

Included tools:

• Languages: Node.js 22, Python 3, Rust (via rustup), Bun
• Containers: Docker with weekly auto-prune, Docker Compose
• Environment Management: direnv with nix-direnv for per-project environments
• Build Tools: gcc, gnumake, cmake, pkg-config
• Version Control: git, gh (GitHub CLI), delta (better diffs), lazygit
• CLI Utilities:
  • Search: ripgrep, fd, fzf
  • Files: eza, bat, broot
  • Data: jq, yq
  • System: duf, dust, pv, parallel
  • Text: sd (better sed), tealdeer (tldr)
• Editors: Zed Editor, micro, Claude Code, OpenCode
• Nix Tools: nil (LSP), nixd, nixfmt (formatter)
• Package Manager: pnpm (for Node.js)

🎵 Audio & Media

• Audio Stack: PipeWire with ALSA, PulseAudio, and JACK support
• Volume Control: pwvucontrol (Qt/PipeWire), pavucontrol (GTK/fallback)
• Media Control: playerctl for media keys and D-Bus control
• Bluetooth: Full codec support (LDAC, AAC, aptX HD, aptX, SBC-XQ)
• Music Server: Navidrome (localhost:4533) with Last.fm scrobbling
• Music Tools: Feishin (client), Picard (tagger), beets (library manager), cava (visualizer)
• Video Players: MPV, Celluloid (MPV GUI), VLC
• Screen Recording: OBS Studio, GPU Screen Recorder, Swappy (annotation)

⚙️ Key Services

Service	Description
Tailscale	Mesh VPN for secure remote access
OpenSSH	Remote shell access
Navidrome	Music streaming server (port 4533)
Avahi	mDNS for .local network discovery
Profile-sync-daemon	Browser profiles in tmpfs for faster performance
ZRAM	Compressed swap in RAM (zstd, 100% memory)
fstrim	Weekly SSD TRIM for longevity
earlyoom	Prevent system freeze on low memory
plocate	Fast file search database (daily updates)
fwupd	Firmware updates
scx_lavd	Low-latency scheduler for gaming

📦 Package Management

All packages in this configuration are installed as system packages (environment.systemPackages) across different modules. This provides:

• Unified Management: All packages updated together during system rebuild
• Reproducibility: Entire system configuration in one place
• No Profile Conflicts: Avoid nix profile state issues

Package Categories

Category	Module	Examples
Desktop Core	configuration.nix, desktop.nix	Nautilus, Ghostty, Zen Browser, Noctalia, Vicinae, wl-clipboard
Applications	apps.nix	Vesktop, Thunderbird, Signal, Telegram, Obsidian, OnlyOffice
Media	apps.nix	Loupe, Evince, MPV, Celluloid, VLC, Feishin, Picard, OBS
Development	dev.nix	Docker, Node.js, Rust, Python, Bun, git, lazygit, CLI tools
Gaming	gaming.nix	Steam, Lutris, Heroic, Faugus Launcher, Wine, Gamescope
System Tools	apps.nix	btop, Mission Center, Bitwarden, file-roller, disk utility
GPU	gpu-amd.nix	CoreCtrl, radeontop, nvtop, Vulkan tools
Shell	shell.nix	Fish plugins (pure, autopair, fzf-fish, done, grc)
Theming	theming.nix	Fonts (JetBrains Mono, Inter, Noto), themes (adw-gtk3), icons (Papirus)

Adding Packages

To add a new package:

1. Identify the appropriate module (e.g., apps.nix for GUI apps, dev.nix for dev tools)
2. Add the package to the environment.systemPackages list
3. Run sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#nixos

📝 Notes

System Details

• Kernel: CachyOS latest with x86_64-v3 optimizations
• Bootloader: Limine with Secure Boot support
• Scheduler: scx_lavd (low-latency scheduler optimized for gaming)
• Shell: Fish (default), Zsh (available as fallback)
• Display Manager: Ly (TUI)
• Compositor: Niri with Noctalia shell
• User: pinj (Melvin Ragusa)
• Hostname: nix
• Timezone: Europe/Berlin (German locale with English UI)
• Keyboard: German (de-latin1-nodeadkeys)

Configuration Features

• Unfree Packages: Enabled globally
• Flakes: Enabled with nix-command
• Binary Caches: Vicinae, nix-community, lantian (CachyOS)
• Auto-Optimization: Store optimization enabled
• Garbage Collection: Weekly, keeping 14 days
• State Version: 26.05
• Hibernation: Configured with encrypted swap (/dev/mapper/cryptswap)
• Flatpak: Enabled with auto-configured Flathub repository

Secondary Storage

Three additional SSDs mounted at:

• /mnt/Intenso-SSD
• /mnt/Samsung-SSD
• /mnt/Extern-SSD

Fish Shell Aliases

Common aliases configured in shell.nix:

• rebuild, rebuild-boot, rebuild-test - NixOS rebuild commands
• update - Update flake inputs
• gc-nix - Run garbage collection
• ll, ls, la, lt - eza file listings
• dc, dps, dl - Docker shortcuts
• gs, gd, gl, gp - Git shortcuts

📄 License

This configuration is provided as-is for personal use and reference.