clawdbot/docs/nix.md

summary, read_when

summary	read_when
Running Clawdis under Nix (config, state, and packaging expectations)	Building Clawdis with Nix Debugging Nix-mode behavior

Nix mode

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

CLAWDIS_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 com.steipete.clawdis clawdis.nixMode -bool true

Config + state paths

Clawdis reads JSON5 config from CLAWDIS_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in CLAWDIS_STATE_DIR.

• CLAWDIS_STATE_DIR (default: ~/.clawdis)
• CLAWDIS_CONFIG_PATH (default: $CLAWDIS_STATE_DIR/clawdis.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 should be disabled.
• Missing dependencies should 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/Clawdis/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).