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Install OpenClaw declaratively with nix-openclaw — a batteries-included Home Manager module.
The nix-openclaw repo is the source of truth for Nix installation. This page is a quick overview.

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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

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Quick start

1

Install Determinate Nix

If Nix is not already installed, follow the Determinate Nix installer instructions.
2

Create a local flake

Use the agent-first template from the nix-openclaw repo:
mkdir -p ~/code/openclaw-local
# Copy templates/agent-first/flake.nix from the nix-openclaw repo
3

Configure secrets

Set up your messaging bot token and model provider API key. Plain files at ~/.secrets/ work fine.
4

Fill in template placeholders and switch

home-manager switch
5

Verify

Confirm the launchd service is running and your bot responds to messages.
See the nix-openclaw README for full module options and examples.

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Nix-mode runtime behavior

When OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is set (automatic with nix-openclaw), OpenClaw enters a deterministic mode that disables auto-install flows. You can also set it manually: 
export OPENCLAW_NIX_MODE=1
On macOS, the GUI app does not automatically inherit shell environment variables. Enable Nix mode via defaults instead: 
defaults write ai.openclaw.mac openclaw.nixMode -bool true

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What changes 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

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Config and state paths

OpenClaw reads JSON5 config from OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR. When running under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.
VariableDefault
OPENCLAW_HOMEHOME / USERPROFILE / os.homedir()
OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR~/.openclaw
OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/openclaw.json

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Service PATH discovery

The launchd/systemd gateway service auto-discovers Nix-profile binaries so plugins and tools that shell out to nix-installed executables work without manual PATH setup:
  • When NIX_PROFILES is set, every entry is added to the service PATH in right-to-left precedence (matches Nix shell precedence — rightmost wins).
  • When NIX_PROFILES is unset, ~/.nix-profile/bin is added as a fallback.
This applies to both macOS launchd and Linux systemd service environments.