Nix

Install OpenClaw declaratively with nix-openclaw - the first-party, batteries-included Home Manager module.

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

Quick start

1. Install Determinate Nix

   If Nix is not already installed, follow the Determinate Nix installer instructions.

2. Create a local flake

   Use the agent-first template from the nix-openclaw repo:

   mkdir -p ~/code/openclaw-local
   # Copy templates/agent-first/flake.nix from the nix-openclaw repo
   

3. Configure secrets

   Set up your messaging bot token and model provider API key. Plain files at ~/.secrets/ work fine.

4. Fill in template placeholders and switch

   home-manager switch
   

5. Verify

   Confirm the launchd service is running and your bot responds to messages.

See the nix-openclaw README for full module options and examples.

Nix-mode runtime behavior

When OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is set (automatic with nix-openclaw), OpenClaw enters a deterministic mode for Nix-managed installs. Other Nix packages can set the same mode; nix-openclaw is the first-party reference.

You can also set it manually:

export OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1

On macOS, the GUI app does not automatically inherit shell environment variables. Enable Nix mode via defaults instead:

defaults write ai.openclaw.mac openclaw.nixMode -bool true

What changes in Nix mode

• Auto-install and self-mutation flows are disabled
• openclaw.json is treated as immutable. Startup-derived defaults stay runtime-only, and config writers such as setup, onboarding, mutating openclaw update, plugin install/update/uninstall/enable, doctor --fix, doctor --generate-gateway-token, and openclaw config set refuse to edit the file.
• Agents should edit the Nix source instead. For nix-openclaw, use the agent-first Quick Start and set config under programs.openclaw.config or instances.<name>.config.
• Missing dependencies surface Nix-specific remediation messages
• UI surfaces a read-only Nix mode banner

Config and state paths

OpenClaw reads JSON5 config from OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR. When running under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.

Service PATH discovery

The launchd/systemd gateway service auto-discovers Nix-profile binaries so plugins and tools that shell out to nix-installed executables work without manual PATH setup:

• When NIX_PROFILES is set, every entry is added to the service PATH in right-to-left precedence (matches Nix shell precedence - rightmost wins).
• When NIX_PROFILES is unset, ~/.nix-profile/bin is added as a fallback.

This applies to both macOS launchd and Linux systemd service environments.

Related