nix/README.md

Personal Nix Configuration

A comprehensive Nix configuration for macOS using nix-darwin and home-manager, featuring a modern development environment with vim-centric workflows and beautiful aesthetics. Largely generated and maintained with Claude Code.

✨ Features

• 🎨 Beautiful UI: Gruvbox dark theme across all applications
• ⌨️ Vim-centric: Consistent vim keybindings throughout the stack
• 🚀 Modern CLI: Enhanced tools with fuzzy finding, syntax highlighting, and smart completion
• 📦 Modular Design: Separate configuration files for easy maintenance
• 🔄 Portable: Reproducible across machines with a single command

🚀 Quick Install

Install directly from GitHub without cloning:

# Darwin system configuration
sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake github:Logan-Lin/nix-config

# Home Manager configuration  
home-manager switch --flake github:Logan-Lin/nix-config#yanlin

📁 Configuration Architecture

.
├── flake.nix          # Main flake configuration and package definitions
├── nvim.nix           # Neovim configuration with plugins and keymaps
├── tmux.nix           # Tmux setup with vim-like navigation
├── zsh.nix            # Zsh with Powerlevel10k and modern CLI tools
├── p10k.zsh           # Powerlevel10k theme configuration (managed by Nix)
└── tmux.sh            # Tmux session automation script

🛠️ Software Configurations

📝 Neovim

Theme: Gruvbox dark with hard contrast Leader Key: <Space>

Key Features:

• File Explorer: nvim-tree with dotfile filtering
• Syntax Highlighting: Treesitter with all grammar support
• Git Integration: vim-fugitive for git operations
• Status Line: lualine with gruvbox theme and relative paths
• System Clipboard: Seamless integration for copy/paste

Keybindings:

Key	Mode	Action
<Space>e	Normal	Toggle file explorer
<Space>w	Normal	Save file
<Space>q	Normal	Quit
<Space>y	Normal/Visual	Copy to system clipboard
<Space>p	Normal/Visual	Paste from system clipboard
<Space>gs	Normal	Git status
<Space>gd	Normal	Git diff
<Space>gc	Normal	Git commit
<Space>gp	Normal	Git push

🖥️ Tmux

Prefix Key: Ctrl+a (instead of default Ctrl+b) Theme: Gruvbox dark with visual prefix indicator

Key Features:

• Prefix Indicator: Shows <Prefix> in status bar when prefix is active
• Vim-like Navigation: hjkl for pane movement
• Smart Splitting: Maintains current directory when creating panes
• Copy Mode: System clipboard integration with pbcopy

Keybindings:

Key	Action
Ctrl+a	Prefix key
`Ctrl+a	`
Ctrl+a -	Split window horizontally
Ctrl+a h/j/k/l	Navigate panes (vim-style)
Ctrl+a H/J/K/L	Resize panes
Ctrl+a r	Reload tmux config
Ctrl+a Ctrl+a	Quick pane cycling

Copy Mode (Ctrl+a [):

Key	Action
v	Begin selection
y	Copy selection to system clipboard
r	Toggle rectangle selection

🐚 Zsh with Powerlevel10k

Theme: Powerlevel10k lean style with 2-line prompt Vim Mode: Enabled with visual indicators

Key Features:

• Smart Completion: Case-insensitive with menu selection
• Autosuggestions: Fish-like command suggestions
• Syntax Highlighting: Real-time command syntax highlighting
• History Management: Shared history with deduplication
• Vim Mode Indicators: Cursor shape changes and prompt symbols

Vim Mode Indicators:

• Insert Mode: Line cursor | + ❯ prompt (green)
• Normal Mode: Block cursor █ + ❮ prompt
• Fast Switching: 10ms escape timeout for responsive mode changes

Vim Mode Keybindings:

Key	Mode	Action
Esc	Insert	Switch to normal mode
i/a/I/A	Normal	Switch to insert mode
k/j	Normal	History search backward/forward
/	Normal	History incremental search backward
?	Normal	History incremental search forward
Ctrl+Right/Left	Insert	Word movement

Aliases:

Navigation:

l, ll, la          # Enhanced ls commands
.., ..., ....      # Quick directory navigation
home, config       # Jump to common directories
nix-config         # Jump to nix configuration

Git:

g, gs, ga, gc, gp, gl, gd, gco, gb  # Git shortcuts
glog               # Beautiful git log with graph

Modern CLI:

cat → bat          # Syntax highlighted file viewing
find → fd          # Fast file finding
grep → rg          # Ripgrep for fast searching
top → btop         # Beautiful system monitor

Nix:

hm                 # home-manager shortcut
hms                # Quick home-manager switch

🌟 Git Visualization

Tool: gitui Purpose: Beautiful, interactive TUI for git operations

Launch with gitui in any git repository for:

• Interactive commit graph visualization
• Diff viewing and staging
• Branch management
• Vim-like navigation (j/k for movement, h/l for tabs)

📦 Included Packages

Development Tools

• Python 3.12: With pip and virtualenv
• LaTeX: Full TeXLive distribution
• Claude Code: AI-powered coding assistant
• Git UI: Beautiful git graph visualization

CLI Utilities

• fzf: Fuzzy finder for files, commands, and history
• fd: Fast, user-friendly alternative to find
• ripgrep (rg): Fast text search
• bat: Syntax-highlighted cat replacement
• btop: Modern system monitor
• zoxide: Smart cd with frecency algorithm

Fonts

• Nerd Fonts: FiraCode and JetBrains Mono with icon support

🔄 Usage & Workflow

Daily Workflow

1. Terminal: Beautiful zsh with vim mode and modern tools
2. Tmux: Session management with vim navigation
3. Neovim: Code editing with git integration
4. Git UI: Visual git operations and branch management

Environment Management

# Refresh shell environment after nix changes
exec zsh

# Update and rebuild configuration
nix flake update
sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .
home-manager switch --flake .#yanlin

# Quick home-manager rebuild
hms

Clipboard Integration

The configuration provides seamless clipboard integration:

• Neovim: <Space>y/p for system clipboard
• Tmux: Copy mode automatically uses system clipboard
• Terminal: Standard Cmd+C/V works everywhere

💻 Machine Configurations

• iMac: iMac configuration
• MacBook-Air: MacBook Air configuration

Both machines use the same base configuration with potential for machine-specific customizations.

Machine-specific Usage:

# For MacBook Air
sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#MacBook-Air

# For iMac  
sudo darwin-rebuild switch --flake .#iMac