Files
voculinux/packaging/nix/README.md
T
c3c390f19d feat(nix): add flake package, NixOS and Home Manager modules (#936)
* feat(nix): add flake package, NixOS and Home Manager modules

Add a flake.nix plus packaging/nix derivations so Nix and NixOS users can
run and install Vocalinux declaratively, including via Home Manager.

- package.nix: buildPythonApplication with GTK3, libayatana-appindicator,
  IBus and libnotify typelibs; wraps the entry point with every host tool
  the injectors probe for (xdotool, wtype, ydotool, wl-clipboard, xclip,
  xsel, xprop, setxkbmap, ibus, gdbus, notify-send, paplay, aplay)
- pywhispercpp.nix: builds pywhispercpp from its vendored PyPI sdist
  (absent from nixpkgs, same gap as Debian/Fedora), static whisper.cpp,
  GGML_NATIVE=OFF for a portable baseline
- module.nix: NixOS module enabling hardware.uinput and installing the
  package; input/uinput group membership stays a per-user choice
- home-manager.nix: programs.vocalinux.enable installs into the profile
- docs/INSTALL.md gains a Nix / NixOS section; packaging/nix/README.md
  carries the usage snippets

Refs #931

* fix(nix): address review findings on imports check and docs

- pywhispercpp: check pywhispercpp.model and _pywhispercpp too, so the
  compiled binding is proven loadable, not just the package
- README Home Manager example: declare the nixpkgs/home-manager inputs
  and pass pkgs, which homeManagerConfiguration requires
- package.nix: use top-level xprop/setxkbmap attrs (xorg.* is deprecated)

---------

Co-authored-by: Jatin K Malik <jatinkrmalik@gmail.com>
2026-10-10 20:40:25 -07:00

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2.6 KiB
Markdown

# Vocalinux for Nix
A flake that builds Vocalinux against nixpkgs: GTK 3, PyGObject and the
AppIndicator typelib come from nixpkgs, and `pywhispercpp` — which nixpkgs
does not package — is built from its PyPI sdist (it vendors whisper.cpp and
pybind11). Every host tool the app probes for (`xdotool`, `wtype`, `ydotool`,
`wl-clipboard`, `xclip`, `xsel`, `xprop`, `setxkbmap`, `ibus`, `gdbus`,
`notify-send`, `paplay`, `aplay`) is wired onto PATH, so the wrapped binary
behaves like a deb/rpm install with Recommends present.
## Try it
```bash
nix run github:VocaHQ/vocalinux
```
or install into a profile:
```bash
nix profile install github:VocaHQ/vocalinux
```
## NixOS
```nix
{
inputs.vocalinux.url = "github:VocaHQ/vocalinux";
outputs = { nixpkgs, vocalinux, ... }: {
nixosConfigurations.host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
modules = [
vocalinux.nixosModules.vocalinux
{
programs.vocalinux.enable = true;
users.users.you.extraGroups = [ "input" "uinput" ];
}
];
};
};
}
```
`hardware.uinput` (enabled by the module) covers `/dev/uinput`, which ydotool
and the evdev backend's keyboard clone need. `input` group membership is a
per-user decision — it grants read access to every keyboard and pointer
device, the same trade-off `install.sh` documents. X11 sessions need neither
and can skip the group lines entirely.
## Home Manager
```nix
{
inputs.nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
inputs.home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
inputs.home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
inputs.vocalinux.url = "github:VocaHQ/vocalinux";
outputs = { nixpkgs, home-manager, vocalinux, ... }: {
homeConfigurations.you = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux;
modules = [
vocalinux.homeManagerModules.vocalinux
{ programs.vocalinux.enable = true; }
];
};
};
}
```
Home Manager on NixOS still needs the system-side pieces above (the NixOS
module handles `hardware.uinput`; group membership stays per-user). On a
non-NixOS host, `nix profile install` plus the equivalent udev rule and group
membership from your distro does the same job — see docs/INSTALL.md.
## Scope
- Default engine whisper.cpp plus the `[vad]` extra (ONNX Runtime) are built
in. The `vosk`, `whisper`, `parakeet` and `faster_whisper` extras are not
packaged (PyTorch footprint / not in nixpkgs).
- `pywhispercpp` is built with `GGML_NATIVE=OFF` — a portable baseline rather
than `-march=native`, so binaries can move between machines.