NixOS modules

Use modules to describe the tools and services you want inside a Limanix VM. Start with the catalog, then add your own configuration when a project needs more. You do not need prior NixOS experience to follow this guide.

Choose your starting point

I want to…	Start here
Understand what a module does	The module model
Install a language toolchain or Docker	Use catalog modules
Add packages or a service of my own	Write your first module
Share a module with configurable settings	Build reusable modules
Look up selectors, defaults, and installed tools	Catalog reference
Add a module to this repository	Contribute to the catalog
Understand a failed import or update	Troubleshooting

New to NixOS? Read the module model, try a catalog module, then work through the custom-module tutorial. Each step builds on the previous one.

Where modules fit

        flowchart LR
    accTitle: Modules configure the Linux guest
    accDescr: Limanix combines its guest base with the selected NixOS modules to build the VM's system configuration.
    base["Limanix guest base"] --> guest["Configured Linux VM"]
    modules["Selected modules"] --> guest
    

Configuration	Responsibility	Example
limanix.toml	VM resources, mounts, user settings, environment, firewall ports, and module selection	Select lmx:python-3.14
NixOS modules	Packages and system services inside the guest	Install Python or enable Docker
Project files	Application source and project dependencies	go.mod, package.json, or a Python requirements file

Selecting a module does not install its tools on your Mac. Run those tools inside the VM with limanix shell.

Two sources, one configuration

Source	Selector	How it becomes available
Bundled catalog	lmx:git, lmx:go-1.27	Included in the installed Limanix client
Your own module	third-party:dev-tools	Copied into the local registry with limanix modules add

Both are NixOS modules. The prefix tells Limanix where to find their source. Here, third-party means locally imported: it can be a module you wrote yourself.

These pages live with the module catalog, ready for inclusion alongside the matching client's documentation on the shared site. The catalog reference describes this source revision; limanix modules list shows what your installed client can use.