Home Manager configuration¶

The home configuration is modular: a shared base provides common settings, and per-system files override or extend as needed.

Configuration architecture¶

Base configuration (home/karl/base.nix)¶

The base configuration contains settings that apply to every system:

• Core user identity settings
• Essential directories and files for persistence
• Common programs and tools
• Shared environment variables
• Universal dotfiles and configurations

System-specific configurations¶

Each system extends the base with overrides:

Usage¶

NixOS systems (integrated)¶

For NixOS systems, Home Manager is integrated directly:

# Rebuild system with integrated home-manager
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#r2d2

Standalone Home Manager¶

For non-NixOS systems:

# Base configuration (generic)
home-manager switch --flake .#karl@base

# System-specific configurations
home-manager switch --flake .#karl@darth-vader
home-manager switch --flake .#karl@darth-vader-wsl

Configuration inheritance¶

base.nix (shared foundation)
├── r2d2.nix (VM minimal)
├── darth-vader/default.nix (full host)
└── darth-vader/wsl.nix (WSL specific)

Design notes¶

• All systems inherit base.nix, so shared settings stay in one place.
• Each system can override or extend base settings, including persistence and identity (personal vs. work).
• macOS configurations exclude impermanence; package sets vary by architecture.
• The base defaults to the "personal" identity. Work systems override to "work", which swaps SSH keys, Git config, and related settings.

Add a new system¶

1. Create system-specific config:

# home/karl/new-system.nix
{...}: {
  imports = [ ./base.nix ];

  # System-specific overrides
  persistence = {
    directories = [
      # Additional directories
    ];
  };
}

1. Add to flake.nix:

homeConfigurations = {
  "karl@new-system" = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
    pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux;
    modules = [ ./home/karl/new-system.nix ];
    extraSpecialArgs = {inherit inputs;};
  };
};

1. Update CI and testing if the new system needs validation.