# nix-community/nixos-apple-silicon

Resources to install NixOS bare metal on Apple Silicon Macs [maintainers=@tpwrules,@flokli,@yuyuyureka]

Repository: https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-apple-silicon
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nixos-apple-silicon
Language: Nix
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-26T13:12:25+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 98/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 95, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 1724, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 34, "gap_med": 17, "n_releases_24m": 18}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1613, forks 169 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:11.177508+00:00)

## What it is
A collection of Nix package expressions and NixOS configuration modules enabling bare metal NixOS installation on Apple Silicon Macs. It replicates the Asahi Linux reference distro experience so installed systems behave like any other NixOS machine.

## Use cases
- install nixos on an m1 or m2 macbook
- run nixos bare metal on apple silicon instead of macos
- configure an apple silicon mac with nixos modules
- get asahi linux drivers with declarative nixos configuration
- maintain a reproducible nixos setup on arm macs

## When to choose
- you want a fully declarative NixOS system on Apple Silicon hardware
- you prefer NixOS over the Asahi Linux reference distro but want equivalent drivers and versions
- you need reproducible, version-controlled OS configuration on M1/M2 Macs

## When to avoid
- you want to keep macOS as your main OS or dual-boot with macOS tooling
- you need a general Linux distro installer rather than NixOS specifically
- you require configurations diverging significantly from the Asahi Linux reference setup

## Facets
- artifact type: infra-config
- maturity: active
- function: configuration-management, deployment, developer-tools
- domain: operating-systems, hardware, self-hosted, developer-tools
- platform: cli
- tags: nixos, apple-silicon, asahi-linux, bare-metal, nix, arm64, system-configuration, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- nix-community/nixos-apple-silicon (main) score 98

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:11.177508+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:51:07.242508+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nix-community/nixos-apple-silicon (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:11.177508+00:00, sha 53d4cf4fb515)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.