adolf/docs/install/nix.md

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Install OpenClaw declaratively with Nix	You want reproducible, rollback-able installs You're already using Nix/NixOS/Home Manager You want everything pinned and managed declaratively	Nix

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

The [nix-openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/nix-openclaw) repo is the source of truth for Nix installation. This page is 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

Quick start

If Nix is not already installed, follow the [Determinate Nix installer](https://github.com/DeterminateSystems/nix-installer) instructions. Use the agent-first template from the nix-openclaw repo: ```bash mkdir -p ~/code/openclaw-local # Copy templates/agent-first/flake.nix from the nix-openclaw repo ``` Set up your messaging bot token and model provider API key. Plain files at `~/.secrets/` work fine. ```bash home-manager switch ``` 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 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 (setup, onboarding, mutating openclaw update, plugin install/update/uninstall/enable, doctor --fix, doctor --generate-gateway-token, openclaw config set) refuse to edit the file.
• 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.
• The UI shows 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. Under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.

Variable	Default
OPENCLAW_HOME	HOME / USERPROFILE / os.homedir()
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR	~/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH	$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/openclaw.json

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

Source-of-truth Home Manager module and full setup guide. Non-Nix CLI setup walkthrough. Containerized setup as a non-Nix alternative. Updating Home Manager-managed installs alongside the package.