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Install OpenClaw declaratively with Nix

You want reproducible, rollback-able installs

You're already using Nix/NixOS/Home Manager

You want everything pinned and managed declaratively

Nix

Install OpenClaw declaratively with nix-openclaw - a batteries-included Home Manager module.

The [nix-openclaw](https://github.com/openclaw/nix-openclaw) 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-openclaw repo: ```bash mkdir -p ~/code/openclaw-local # Copy templates/agent-first/flake.nix from the nix-openclaw 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-openclaw README for full module options and examples.

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

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

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.

Variable	Default
`OPENCLAW_HOME`	`HOME` / `USERPROFILE` / `os.homedir()`
`OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR`	`~/.openclaw`
`OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH`	`$OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR/openclaw.json`

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.

Source-of-truth Home Manager module and full setup guide. Non-Nix CLI setup walkthrough. Containerized setup as a non-Nix alternative. Updating Home Manager-managed installs alongside the package.

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