Nix

Nix Installation

Install RemoteClaw declaratively with nix-remoteclaw — a batteries-included Home Manager module.

The [nix-remoteclaw](https://github.com/remoteclaw/nix-remoteclaw) repo is the source of truth for Nix installation. This page is a quick overview.

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

Quick Start

If Nix is not already installed, follow the [Determinate Nix installer](https://github.com/DeterminateSystems/nix-installer) instructions. Use the agent-first template from the nix-remoteclaw repo: ```bash mkdir -p ~/code/remoteclaw-local # Copy templates/agent-first/flake.nix from the nix-remoteclaw repo ``` Set up your messaging bot token and model provider API key. Plain files at `~/.secrets/` work fine. ```bash home-manager switch ``` Confirm the launchd service is running and your bot responds to messages.

See the nix-remoteclaw README for full module options and examples.

Nix Mode Runtime Behavior

When REMOTECLAW_NIX_MODE=1 is set (automatic with nix-remoteclaw), RemoteClaw enters a deterministic mode that disables auto-install flows.

You can also set it manually:

export REMOTECLAW_NIX_MODE=1

On macOS, the GUI app does not automatically inherit shell environment variables. Enable Nix mode via defaults instead:

defaults write org.remoteclaw.mac remoteclaw.nixMode -bool true

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

Config and state paths

RemoteClaw reads JSON5 config from REMOTECLAW_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in REMOTECLAW_STATE_DIR. When running under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.

Variable	Default
`REMOTECLAW_HOME`	`HOME` / `USERPROFILE` / `os.homedir()`
`REMOTECLAW_STATE_DIR`	`~/.remoteclaw`
`REMOTECLAW_CONFIG_PATH`	`$REMOTECLAW_STATE_DIR/remoteclaw.json`

nix-remoteclaw — full setup guide
Wizard — non-Nix CLI setup
Docker — containerized setup

Nix