Darwin Module

Opinionated macOS configuration for nix-darwin. The module focuses on three areas:

1. System defaults – declaratively set Dock, Finder, Trackpad, etc.
2. Package management – Homebrew integration for apps, fonts & services.
3. Optional desktop environment – tiling window manager, status-bar and hot-keys (see Darwin Desktop).

Why use it?

• A reproducible macOS setup – wipe a machine, run darwin-rebuild switch and you are back in business.
• Single source of truth for both GUI apps (Homebrew) and command-line tools (Nix).
• Touch-ID enabled sudo, sensible key-repeat rates and other QoL tweaks baked in.

Module layout

The desktop sub-module is optional – import it only if you want a keyboard-driven workspace. It is documented in detail here.

Key features

System preferences (system.nix)

• Dock auto-hides on the left and shows no recent apps.
• Finder shows all files, file extensions and POSIX paths in the title bar.
• Trackpad: tap-to-click and two-finger secondary click enabled.
• Fast key repeat (25 ms) and reduced initial delay.
• Dark mode by default, natural scrolling disabled.
• Touch-ID authentication for sudo.

Homebrew integration (homebrew/)

• Homebrew is installed and managed by the module – no manual install required.
• Automatic updates for both Homebrew itself and all installed formulae/casks.
• Binaries added to the $PATH, services managed via brew services.
• Large, curated package set for development, productivity and media.

Desktop environment (desktop/)

A complete tiling setup powered by Yabai. If you enable it you will get:

• Tiling window management, global hot-keys, scriptable status bar.
• Thin focus borders and pre-configured GPG agent.

For full details see the dedicated Darwin Desktop document.

Usage

1. Add the module (and optionally the desktop sub-module) to your flake:

{
  imports = [
    ./modules/darwin
  ];
}

2. Rebuild the system:

$ darwin-rebuild switch --flake .

That's it – macOS preferences, packages and (optionally) the desktop environment are now managed declaratively.

Customising

All settings can be overridden in your host flake. Common tweaks:

• Change Dock position or key-repeat in system.nix.
• Add or remove Homebrew packages in homebrew/default.nix.
• Tweak hot-keys or bar widgets in the desktop/ folder.

Because nix-darwin is declarative you can experiment safely: run another rebuild to try a change; roll back if it didn't work.

Requirements

• nix-darwin