---
id: liminalOS-docs
aliases: []
tags:
  - nixos
  - nixpkgs
  - liminalos
  - linux
title: Documentation for liminalOS system distribution
---

This is documentation for the [liminalOS system
distribution](https://github.com/youwen5/liminalOS), a Linux distribution built
on [NixOS](https://nixos.org).

The goal of liminalOS is to provide an opinionated desktop environment and
system for those too lazy to spend 100 hours ricing their NixOS system.

To that end, a NixOS module and home manager module are provided such that it
is possible to configure an entire operating system powered by a riced out
desktop environment built on Hyprland in a few lines. These modules come with
verified versions of all of the other flake input modules that compose
liminalOS, so that you don't have to manage and version Home Manager, `stylix`,
`agenix`, etc yourself.

Central to this system is the `liminalOS` option that is added to both home
manager and NixOS. It is designed to be used alongside a very minimal NixOS and
Home Manager configuration to define the entire liminalOS system.

You only need to set up basic things like a minimal `flake.nix`,
`configuration.nix`, and `home.nix`, where you need only set up a basic user
(in both NixOS and HM) and boot loader configuration. The rest of the higher
level system features will be handled by the `liminalOS` abstraction.

Something like this is sufficient to bootstrap a liminalOS system. It can be
dropped into any existing NixOS system and be used alongside an existing
configuration.

```nix
# file: configuration.nix
{
  liminalOS = {
    config.allowUnfree = true;
    defaultEditor = pkgs.helix;
    formFactor = "desktop";
    theming = {
      # place your desired wallpaper in your configuration repo and watch your
      # system theme itself
      wallpaper = ./wallpaper.jpg;
    };
    system.graphics.nvidia.enable = true;
    extras.gaming.enable = true;
  };

  # Set up a user
  users.users.default-user = {
    isNormalUser = true;
    description = "Default liminalOS user!";
    extraGroups = [
      "networkmanager"
      "wheel"
    ];
    shell = pkgs.fish;
  };

  home-manager.users.default-user = {
    # in this simple example, the content of ./home.nix is an import of the
    # liminalOS home manager module
    imports = [ ./home.nix ];
  };
  home-manager.extraSpecialArgs = { inherit inputs; };

  # Set your time zone
  time.timeZone = "America/Los_Angeles";

  # Bootloader and kernel.
  boot = {
    loader = {
      efi.canTouchEfiVariables = true;
      timeout = 15;
      systemd-boot = {
        enable = true;
      };
    };
  };
}
```

## Full liminalOS module options

These are all of the available options set by `liminalOS`, automatically
generated from liminalOS' modules. Keep in mind that many of these are enabled
automatically when `liminalOS.enable` is set to true, but they are still
available for fine-grained customization.