nixos-dotfiles/README.md

🚀 NixOS Dotfiles - Balraj's Setup

"I use NixOS, btw" - and here's the proof!

Welcome to my NixOS configuration! This is my personal setup running on a Dell Latitude 7490, featuring a sleek Qtile window manager with a Tokyo Night theme aesthetic. Built for coding, gaming, and general tech tinkering.

🎨 The Setup

OS: NixOS 25.05 (Stable)
WM: Qtile
Terminal: Kitty with Lilex Nerd Font
Editor: Neovim (heavily customized)
Launcher: Rofi
Compositor: Picom
Theme: Tokyo Night everywhere

✨ Features

• 🎯 Declarative Configuration: Everything is version-controlled and reproducible
• 🌊 Flakes-Based: Modern Nix flakes for dependency management
• 🏠 Home Manager Integration: User-level package and config management
• 🔧 LSP-Powered Neovim: Pre-configured for Lua, PHP, TypeScript, Rust, Zig, C/C++, Nix, Haskell, and more
• 🎨 Consistent Theming: Tokyo Night colors across all applications
• ⚡ Performance Optimized: Lightweight and snappy on a Dell Latitude 7490
• 🐳 Docker Ready: Rootless Docker setup included

📦 Key Applications

Development

• Neovim with LSP, Treesitter, Telescope, and Harpoon
• Kitty terminal with custom Tokyo Night theme
• Git + Lazygit + GitHub CLI
• Language servers for multiple languages (no Mason, pure system packages!)
• Zellij and Tmux for terminal multiplexing

Productivity

• Firefox as default browser
• LibreOffice suite
• Rofi for application launching
• Yazi terminal file manager
• Custom shell aliases for efficiency

System Tools

• Flatpak support for additional apps
• Tailscale for secure networking
• Blueman for Bluetooth management
• Dunst for notifications
• Screenshot tools (Maim + Slop)

🎯 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• A working NixOS installation
• Git installed
• Basic understanding of Nix flakes

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/YourUsername/nixos-dotfiles ~/nixos-dotfiles
cd ~/nixos-dotfiles

2. Review and customize:

   • Edit configuration.nix for system-level changes
   • Edit home.nix for user-level configurations
   • Modify configs in the config/ directory as needed

3. Apply the configuration:

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake ~/nixos-dotfiles/#nixos-btw

4. Enjoy your new setup! 🎉

🔥 Custom Aliases

I've set up some handy aliases that make life easier:

nc          # Open Neovim in nixos-dotfiles directory
btw         # Echo "I use NixOS, btw" (obviously)
nrs         # Rebuild NixOS system
edit-config # Edit system configuration
ls          # Enhanced ls with eza (icons, git status, etc.)
cd          # Smart directory jumping with zoxide

⌨️ Neovim Keybinds

My Neovim setup is highly customized. Here are some key bindings:

Leader key: <Space>

Essential Binds

• <leader>cd - Open file explorer
• <leader>ff - Find files (Telescope)
• <leader>fg - Live grep
• <leader>fb - Browse buffers
• <leader>a - Add file to Harpoon
• <C-e> - Toggle Harpoon menu
• <leader>u - Toggle Undotree

LSP

• gd - Go to definition
• gr - Show references
• K - Hover documentation
• <F2> - Rename symbol
• <F3> - Format code
• <F4> - Code actions

Check config/nvim/README.md for the complete keybind list!

🎨 Theme Customization

The Tokyo Night theme is applied consistently across:

• Qtile status bar and window decorations
• Kitty terminal colors
• Neovim syntax highlighting
• Rofi launcher

Want to change themes? Update the color schemes in:

• config/kitty/kitty.conf
• config/nvim/lua/plugins/colors.lua
• config/rofi/tokyonight.rasi
• config/qtile/config.py

🛠️ Development Environments

I use direnv for project-specific development environments. Create dev shells easily:

make-py-devshell   # Python development shell
make-cpp-devshell  # C++ development shell

📱 System Specs

My setup runs on:

• Model: Dell Latitude 7490
• CPU: Intel (with KVM support)
• Storage: NVMe SSD
• Audio: PipeWire + PulseAudio
• Bluetooth: Bluez with experimental features

🔧 Troubleshooting

Rebuilding fails?

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake ~/nixos-dotfiles/#nixos-btw --show-trace

LSP not working?

Check if language servers are installed:

# Example for Lua
which lua-language-server

# Example for PHP
which intelephense

Home Manager conflicts?

Home Manager creates backups with .backup extension. Check those files if configs aren't applying.

📚 Resources

• NixOS Manual
• Home Manager Manual
• Neovim LSP Config
• Qtile Documentation

🤝 Contributing

Found something cool? Want to suggest improvements? Feel free to open an issue or PR!

📄 License

This is my personal configuration, but you're free to use, modify, and share it. No formal license - just have fun with it!

🎮 Fun Facts

• This config has been battle-tested through countless coding sessions
• The entire setup can be reproduced on any NixOS machine in minutes
• My terminal startup time shows nitch stats because why not? 😎
• The 80-column guide in Neovim keeps my code clean and readable

📞 Connect

• GitHub: @AnonoyStar-Coder
• LinkedIn: Balraj Singh
• X (Twitter): @Balraj77306947
• Bluesky: @balraj.link

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Made with ❤️ and lots of ☕ by Balraj Singh Gidda

P.S. Yes, I do use NixOS. And yes, I will tell you about it. 😄