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Nix Installation

There is currently no separate public nix-fased repository. This page documents how to run Fased declaratively if you already use Nix, NixOS, or Home Manager and want to package the main repo yourself.

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Quick Start

If you want a Nix-based install, the practical order is: 
1. Install Determinate Nix or your preferred Nix distribution
2. Clone the main repo: github.com/fased-ai/fased
3. Pin Node, pnpm, and Swift (if you need the macOS app) in your flake or devShell
4. Point FASED_STATE_DIR and FASED_CONFIG_PATH at writable locations
5. Install the CLI with ./install.sh --no-onboard or your own wrapper
6. Verify launchd / systemd / CLI behavior from your Nix-managed setup
If you maintain your own flake or Home Manager module, this page is the runtime constraints reference you should align to.

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What a Nix wrapper can manage

  • Node, pnpm, and the Fased CLI/runtime pinned in your own flake or module
  • Launchd or systemd service wiring managed by your host config
  • Config and state paths kept outside the immutable store
  • Rollback through your normal Nix or Home Manager workflow

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Nix Mode Runtime Behavior

When FASED_NIX_MODE=1 is set: Fased supports a Nix mode that makes configuration deterministic and disables auto-install flows. Enable it by exporting: 
FASED_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 ai.fased.mac fased.nixMode -bool true

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Config + state paths

Fased reads JSON5 config from FASED_CONFIG_PATH and stores mutable data in FASED_STATE_DIR. When needed, you can also set FASED_HOME to control the base home directory used for internal path resolution.
  • FASED_STATE_DIR (default: ~/.fased)
  • FASED_CONFIG_PATH (default: $FASED_STATE_DIR/fased.json)
When running under Nix, set these explicitly to Nix-managed locations so runtime state and config stay out of the immutable store.

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Runtime behavior 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 when present

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Packaging note (macOS)

The macOS packaging flow expects a stable Info.plist template at: 
apps/macos/Sources/FasedAgent/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).