Nix Installation

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

Quick Start

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

I want to set up nix-opensoul on my Mac.
Repository: github:opensoul/nix-opensoul

What I need you to do:
1. Check if Determinate Nix is installed (if not, install it)
2. Create a local flake at ~/code/opensoul-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-opensoul README for module options.

📦 Full guide: github.com/opensoul/nix-opensoul

The nix-opensoul 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 OPENSOUL_NIX_MODE=1 is set (automatic with nix-opensoul):

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

OPENSOUL_NIX_MODE=1

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

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

Config + state paths

OpenSoul reads JSON5 config from OPENSOUL_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in OPENSOUL_STATE_DIR.

• OPENSOUL_STATE_DIR (default: ~/.opensoul)
• OPENSOUL_CONFIG_PATH (default: $OPENSOUL_STATE_DIR/opensoul.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/OpenSoul/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).

Related

• nix-opensoul — full setup guide
• Wizard — non-Nix CLI setup
• Docker — containerized setup