dotfiles/modules/nixos/desktops/README.md

Desktop Environments

This directory contains system-level desktop environment configurations for NixOS desktop hosts.

Structure

desktops/
├── base.nix                     # Shared desktop settings (XDG portals, polkit, gvfs)
├── plasma.nix                   # KDE Plasma 6 + SDDM
├── hyprland/                    # Hyprland tiling compositor
│   └── default.nix
├── gaming.nix                   # Steam, Proton, GameMode, gaming tools
├── apps/                        # Desktop applications
│   ├── browsers.nix             # Brave, Zen Browser
│   └── terminals.nix            # Alacritty (Dracula theme)
├── themes/                      # Theme configurations
│   ├── catppuccin.nix           # Catppuccin GTK/Qt theme
│   └── default.nix              # Adwaita default theme
└── hardware-configuration.nix   # Hardware-specific settings (generated)

Available Desktop Environments

KDE Plasma 6 (plasma.nix)

• Full-featured desktop with SDDM display manager
• Wayland-first with X11 fallback
• Includes essential KDE applications (commented out by default)
• User-level Plasma configuration via Home Manager (optional)

Hyprland (hyprland/default.nix)

• Dynamic tiling Wayland compositor
• Minimal default keybinds (SUPER key)
• Includes Wayland utilities: wl-clipboard, grim, slurp
• User-level configuration for keybinds, visual settings

Additional Modules

Gaming (gaming.nix)

Features:

• Steam with Proton GE compatibility
• GameMode for performance optimization
• 32-bit graphics support for games
• Wine, Winetricks, Lutris, Heroic launcher
• MangoHud for FPS overlay
• Discord for communication
• Increased inotify watchers for modding tools

Apps (apps/)

Browsers (browsers.nix):

• Brave, Zen Browser (enabled by default)

Terminals (terminals.nix):

• Alacritty enabled with JetBrains Mono + Dracula theme
• Kitty and WezTerm explicitly disabled to keep a single default

Themes (themes/)

Catppuccin (catppuccin.nix):

• Soothing pastel theme for GTK and Qt
• Mocha variant with blue accents
• Kvantum Qt theme engine
• Papirus icon theme
• Catppuccin cursor theme

Default (default.nix):

• Adwaita theme (GNOME default)
• Minimal theming setup

Usage

Single Desktop Environment

Import one desktop environment in your host configuration:

# modules/nixos/hosts/your-host.nix
{
  imports = [
    ../desktops/plasma.nix
    # OR
    # ../desktops/hyprland
  ];
}

Multi-Desktop Setup (Switch at Login)

The current desktop host uses both KDE Plasma (for gaming) and Hyprland (for development):

# modules/nixos/hosts/desktop.nix
{
  imports = [
    # Hardware
    ../desktops/hardware-configuration.nix

    # Desktop Environments
    ../desktops/plasma.nix      # KDE Plasma (for gaming)
    ../desktops/hyprland        # Hyprland (for development)

    # Desktop Apps & Theme
    ../desktops/apps/browsers.nix
    ../desktops/apps/terminals.nix
    ../desktops/themes/catppuccin.nix

    # Gaming & Features
    ../desktops/gaming.nix
    ../bluetooth.nix
  ];

  boot = {
    loader.systemd-boot.enable = true;
    loader.efi.canTouchEfiVariables = true;
    kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_cachyos-lts;
  };

  networking.hostName = "desktop";
  system.stateVersion = "24.05";
}

Boot Configuration:

• CachyOS LTS kernel for gaming performance
• Systemd-boot for EFI boot management

Switch Desktop at Login:

• SDDM login screen shows both Plasma and Hyprland sessions
• Select desired environment before logging in

Base Desktop Settings (base.nix)

Shared settings imported by all desktop environments:

• XDG Portals: Desktop integration, file picker, screen sharing
• PolicyKit: Privilege escalation for GUI apps
• GVFS: Trash, mounting, network drives
• Common Packages: pavucontrol, networkmanagerapplet

Adding a New Desktop Environment

1. Create a new file (e.g., gnome.nix)
2. Import ./base.nix for shared settings
3. Enable the desktop environment and display manager
4. Add essential system packages
5. Configure user-level settings via Home Manager

Example:

{ lib, pkgs, user, ... }: {
  imports = [ ./base.nix ];

  services.xserver = {
    enable = true;
    desktopManager.gnome.enable = true;
    displayManager.gdm.enable = true;
  };

  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
    gnome-tweaks
  ];
}

Testing Desktop Changes

# Dry-run to check closure
nix build .#nixosConfigurations.desktop.config.system.build.toplevel --dry-run

# Build and switch
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#desktop

# Format before committing
nix fmt