NixOS Configuration

[guttermonk]

Yazelix used to work fine, but I used zide for a while until a yazi update introduced a bug in zide. Now I'm trying to switch back to Yazelix, but I'm getting the following error when opening a file in Helix (which I don't get in yazi):

DEBUG: Opening file /home/greg/Programs/github/dpr/dpr-once with YAZELIX_HELIX_MODE=release
Error:   x Read-only file system

Exited with status code: 1
Process failed

Here's my home-manager config:

      ".config/yazelix".source = pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation {
        name = "custom-yazelix-config";
        src = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
          owner = "luccahuguet";
          repo = "yazelix";
          rev = "0192328ea8ccabd6035cb91426c870d1bc057914";
          hash = "sha256-021nmyuENYPqW3PbIZaoBZ897xf/ZAcF6dLJ8kB6YoE="; 
        };
        installPhase = ''
          mkdir -p $out
          cp -r . $out
          cp ${./apps/yazelix/config.kdl} $out/zellij/config.kdl
        '';
      };

I know Lucca, the repo owner, isn't a nixos user. So I wanted to start a discussion. Any suggestions?

[luccahuguet]

hi @guttermonk, great idea

im confident this is solvable, since there are other nixOS users using it fine:

#138

perhaps @CG-GeisT could chime in? 👀

[luccahuguet]

I gave cursor access to my codebase, and here's what it said and some solutions:

Explanation

Yazelix + Home-Manager Integration Solution

The Problem

The error you're encountering:

Error: x Read-only file system

Occurs because Yazelix expects to write to its own configuration directory for several operations:

1. Auto-copying config file: yazelix_default.nix → yazelix.nix
2. Creating logs directory: ~/.config/yazelix/logs/
3. Generating initializers: Shell-specific initializer files
4. Writing log files: Various operations write to log files

However, your current home-manager configuration makes the entire .config/yazelix directory read-only:

".config/yazelix".source = pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation { ... };

Solutions

Solution 1: Modify Your Current Home-Manager Config (Quick Fix)

Replace your current configuration with this:

{ pkgs, ... }: {
  home.file = {
    # Only manage individual files, not the entire directory
    ".config/yazelix/yazelix_default.nix".source = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
      owner = "luccahuguet";
      repo = "yazelix";
      rev = "0192328ea8ccabd6035cb91426c870d1bc057914";
      hash = "sha256-021nmyuENYPqW3PbIZaoBZ897xf/ZAcF6dLJ8kB6YoE=";
    } + "/yazelix_default.nix";

    ".config/yazelix/zellij/config.kdl".source = pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation {
      name = "yazelix-zellij-config";
      src = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
        owner = "luccahuguet";
        repo = "yazelix";
        rev = "0192328ea8ccabd6035cb91426c870d1bc057914";
        hash = "sha256-021nmyuENYPqW3PbIZaoBZ897xf/ZAcF6dLJ8kB6YoE=";
      };
      installPhase = ''
        mkdir -p $out
        cp zellij/config.kdl $out/
        # Add your custom config.kdl here if needed
        # cp ${./apps/yazelix/config.kdl} $out/
      '';
    } + "/config.kdl";
  };

  # Create writable directories that Yazelix needs
  home.activation = {
    setupYazelix = lib.hm.dag.entryAfter ["writeBoundary"] ''
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/logs
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/bash/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/nushell/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/fish/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/zsh/initializers
      
      # Copy yazelix_default.nix to yazelix.nix if it doesn't exist
      if [ ! -f "$HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix.nix" ]; then
        $DRY_RUN_CMD cp $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix_default.nix $HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix.nix
      fi
    '';
  };
}

Solution 2: Use the Home-Manager Module (Recommended)

Create a proper home-manager module for Yazelix. Add this to your home-manager configuration:

{ config, lib, pkgs, ... }:

let
  yazelixSrc = pkgs.fetchFromGitHub {
    owner = "luccahuguet";
    repo = "yazelix";
    rev = "0192328ea8ccabd6035cb91426c870d1bc057914";
    hash = "sha256-021nmyuENYPqW3PbIZaoBZ897xf/ZAcF6dLJ8kB6YoE=";
  };
in {
  # Create writable directories
  home.activation = {
    createYazelixDirs = lib.hm.dag.entryAfter ["writeBoundary"] ''
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/logs
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/bash/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/nushell/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/fish/initializers
      $DRY_RUN_CMD mkdir -p $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/zsh/initializers
    '';
    
    setupYazelixConfig = lib.hm.dag.entryAfter ["createYazelixDirs"] ''
      if [ ! -f "$HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix.nix" ]; then
        $DRY_RUN_CMD cp $VERBOSE_ARG $HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix_default.nix $HOME/.config/yazelix/yazelix.nix
      fi
    '';
  };

  # Manage individual files
  home.file = {
    ".config/yazelix/yazelix_default.nix".source = "${yazelixSrc}/yazelix_default.nix";
    ".config/yazelix/zellij/config.kdl".source = "${yazelixSrc}/zellij/config.kdl";
    ".config/yazelix/zellij/layouts/yazelix.kdl".source = "${yazelixSrc}/zellij/layouts/yazelix.kdl";
    ".config/yazelix/yazi/yazi.toml".source = "${yazelixSrc}/yazi/yazi.toml";
    ".config/yazelix/flake.nix".source = "${yazelixSrc}/flake.nix";
    ".config/yazelix/flake.lock".source = "${yazelixSrc}/flake.lock";
  };
}

Solution 3: Don't Use Home-Manager for Yazelix (Simplest)

The simplest solution is to not manage Yazelix with home-manager at all:

1. Remove the Yazelix configuration from your home-manager
2. Let Yazelix manage its own configuration directory
3. Use the standard Nix flake approach:

# Clone Yazelix manually
git clone https://github.com/luccahuguet/yazelix ~/.config/yazelix

# Use it as a Nix flake
cd ~/.config/yazelix
nix develop --impure

Why This Happens

Yazelix is designed as a self-contained Nix flake that manages its own environment. It expects to:

• Write configuration files during setup
• Create log directories
• Generate shell initializers dynamically
• Manage its own state

Home-manager's read-only file management conflicts with this design.

Recommendation

I recommend Solution 2 (the home-manager module approach) because it:

1. ✅ Maintains declarative configuration
2. ✅ Allows Yazelix to write where it needs to
3. ✅ Keeps your customizations
4. ✅ Provides a clean separation of concerns

Testing Your Fix

After applying any solution:

1. Run home-manager switch
2. Try launching Yazelix: nix develop --impure ~/.config/yazelix
3. Check that the error is resolved

Future Considerations

You might want to discuss with Lucca (the Yazelix maintainer) about:

1. Better home-manager integration - Making Yazelix more home-manager friendly
2. Configuration separation - Clearly separating read-only config from writable state
3. Documentation - Adding home-manager setup instructions to the Yazelix docs

The core issue is that Yazelix wasn't designed with home-manager in mind, but these solutions bridge that gap effectively.

[luccahuguet]

ok, here is a plan for yazelix

Implementation Priority

1. Environment Detection - Detect read-only environments automatically and provide clear error messages and guidance for home-manager users

2. Home-Manager Documentation - Add comprehensive integration guide with working configuration examples

3. State Directory (long-term architectural improvement) - Move runtime state (logs, initializers, cache) to ~/.local/share/yazelix/ following XDG standards, keep static configuration in ~/.config/yazelix/ for home-manager management, create cleaner separation between declarative config and runtime state

4. Official Module - Create a proper home-manager module that handles all complexity for users, provide configuration options and make it an "official" way to use Yazelix with home-manager, standardizing the integration approach and reducing configuration boilerplate.

[luccahuguet]

we can follow it here:

#74

[luccahuguet]

hi @guttermonk, there has been a development: #74 (comment)

[guttermonk]

Thanks for the heads up. I actually made a pull request that fixes zide. So I ended up switching back for the time being, but if no one else is having this issue - it might be a non-issue.

[TakodaS]

I think this project is very cool, but one of the benefits of using nix is that you don't pollute your home directory with mutable .config files and moves away from hardcoded links. In this regard, this project seems like a step backwards as it requires you to clone the repo to your home directory, which seems like more work than just fully embracing nix integration and creating a home manager module that actually installs everything for you.

[luccahuguet]

thanks for your feedback

I fully agree. We are nowhere near yazelix's full potential, and full form

Things should start moving quicker in Feb 2026, maybe even earlier than that. im a bit busy for now.

I'll let you know when progress in this direction occurs

You are welcome to create issues and participate too

Also there is a tracking issue

[luccahuguet]

#232