Installing using flakes

This guide is for the "Nix-savvy" users who already have a NixOS system running and want to migrate to the Prism ecosystem without using the ISO installer. By following this method, you adopt the certified release model, allowing Prism to manage your core system versions.

Manual Flake installation

If you already have a hardware-configuration.nix and a functioning NixOS base, you can "Prism-ify" your system by creating a new flake.nix in /etc/prism.

flake.nix

First off, get the latest tag by visiting the GitHub page or running this script:

curl -sL https://api.github.com/repos/otaleghani/prism/releases/latest | jq -r ".tag_name"

Create a flake.nix with the following structure. Note that we omit a top-level nixpkgs input to ensure we follow the Prism Maintainer's certified package set.

{
  description = "Prism Manual Transition Flake";

  inputs = {
    # We pull the entire ecosystem from the Prism flake
    # Remember to change $TAG_NAME with the latest prism version
    prism.url = "github:otaleghani/prism/$TAG_NAME";
  };

  outputs = { self, prism, ... }@inputs: {
    nixosConfigurations.prism = prism.inputs.nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
      modules = [
        # Import your existing hardware detection
        ./hardware-configuration.nix

        # Import your Prism user definitions
        ./users.nix

        # Import the core Prism logic
        prism.nixosModules.default

        # Hardware & System Toggles
        ( { prism, ... }: {
          prism.hardware.boot.mode = "uefi"; # or "bios"
          prism.hardware.gpu = "nvidia";     # "nvidia", "amd", or "intel"
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

Here's an example of the ./users.nix file.

{ ... }:
{
  # --- USER: developer ---
  prism.users.developer = {
    profileType = "dev";
    description = "developer";
    isNormalUser = true;
    icon = ./icon.jpeg; # You can add an icon here
    initialPassword = "somepass";
    extraGroups = [ "wheel" "networkmanager" "video" "audio" ];
    packages = [ ];
  };
  # --- END USER: oliviero ---
  # --- USER: gamer ---
  prism.users.gamer = {
    description = "gamer";
    profileType = "gamer";
    isNormalUser = true;
    initialPassword = "somepass";
    extraGroups = [ "wheel" "networkmanager" "video" "audio" ];
  };
  # --- END USER: gamer ---
}

Preparation checklist

Before you run the rebuild, ensure the following files are present in the same directory as your new flake.nix:

• hardware-configuration.nix: Copy this from your current /etc/nixos/hardware-configuration.nix.
• users.nix: Define your Prism users here using the prism.users option we documented in the Users section.

Applying the Transition

Once your files are in place, initialize the flake and switch your system profile.

# Move to your config directory
cd /etc/prism

# Apply the configuration
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#prism

Why this approach?

• Safety: You keep your existing hardware configuration, ensuring your disks and drivers remain correctly mapped.
• Consistency: By using prism.inputs.nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem, you guarantee that your manual install is identical to an ISO-based install.
• Control: You can slowly move your old configuration.nix settings into the overrides/ folder as you get used to the Prism workflow.