Nix Installation

The recommended way to run Mayros with Nix is via nix-mayros — a batteries-included Home Manager module.

Quick Start

Paste this to your AI agent (Claude, Cursor, etc.):

text
I want to set up nix-mayros on my Mac.
Repository: github:ApiliumCode/nix-mayros

What I need you to do:
1. Check if Determinate Nix is installed (if not, install it)
2. Create a local flake at ~/code/mayros-local using templates/agent-first/flake.nix
3. Help me create a Telegram bot (@BotFather) and get my chat ID (@userinfobot)
4. Set up secrets (bot token, Anthropic key) - plain files at ~/.secrets/ is fine
5. Fill in the template placeholders and run home-manager switch
6. Verify: launchd running, bot responds to messages

Reference the nix-mayros README for module options.

📦 Full guide: github.com/ApiliumCode/nix-mayros

The nix-mayros repo is the source of truth for Nix installation. This page is just a quick overview.

What you get

  • Gateway + macOS app + tools (whisper, spotify, cameras) — all pinned
  • Launchd service that survives reboots
  • Plugin system with declarative config
  • Instant rollback: home-manager switch --rollback

Nix Mode Runtime Behavior

When MAYROS_NIX_MODE=1 is set (automatic with nix-mayros):

Mayros supports a Nix mode that makes configuration deterministic and disables auto-install flows. Enable it by exporting:

bash
MAYROS_NIX_MODE=1

On macOS, the GUI app does not automatically inherit shell env vars. You can also enable Nix mode via defaults:

bash
defaults write bot.molt.mac mayros.nixMode -bool true

Config + state paths

Mayros reads JSON5 config from MAYROS_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in MAYROS_STATE_DIR. When needed, you can also set MAYROS_HOME to control the base home directory used for internal path resolution.

  • MAYROS_HOME (default precedence: HOME / USERPROFILE / os.homedir())
  • MAYROS_STATE_DIR (default: ~/.mayros)
  • MAYROS_CONFIG_PATH (default: $MAYROS_STATE_DIR/mayros.json)

When running under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.

Runtime behavior in Nix mode

  • Auto-install and self-mutation flows are disabled
  • Missing dependencies surface Nix-specific remediation messages
  • UI surfaces a read-only Nix mode banner when present

Packaging note (macOS)

The macOS packaging flow expects a stable Info.plist template at:

apps/macos/Sources/Mayros/Resources/Info.plist

scripts/package-mac-app.sh copies this template into the app bundle and patches dynamic fields (bundle ID, version/build, Git SHA, Sparkle keys). This keeps the plist deterministic for SwiftPM packaging and Nix builds (which do not rely on a full Xcode toolchain).