SaugOS

A dev-focused NixOS configuration for older laptops, distilled from ZaneyOS. Uses the Niri scrolling tiling Wayland compositor with Catppuccin Mocha theming, Waybar, and a curated set of development tools.

What's Included

Niri window manager with full keybindings, window rules, and waybar integration
Neovim (via nvf) with LSP, Treesitter, Telescope — full IDE setup
VS Code, Ghostty, Kitty, Tmux
Zsh with Powerlevel10k, Oh-My-Zsh, syntax highlighting
Yazi file manager, lazygit, bat, eza, fzf, zoxide
Stylix system-wide theming (Catppuccin Mocha, JetBrains Mono)
TLP + thermald for laptop power management
Docker for containerized development
Rofi launcher, swaync notifications, wlogoutis

Requirements

A NixOS installation (25.11+) with flakes enabled
x86_64 system with Intel or AMD integrated graphics (or a VM)

Installation

1. Clone into position

cd ~   
cd SaugOS

2. Configure your host

Copy the default host template for your machine:

cp -r hosts/default hosts/<your-hostname>

Edit hosts/<your-hostname>/variables.nix to set your preferences:

gitUsername / gitEmail — your identity
terminal — default terminal (ghostty, kitty, alacritty, wezterm)
browser — default browser
keyboardLayout — keyboard layout (us, de, etc.)
clock24h — 24-hour clock format
stylixImage — wallpaper/theme source image
Toggle tmuxEnable, vscodeEnable, ghosttyEnable, etc.

3. Generate hardware config

sudo nixos-generate-config --show-hardware-config > hosts/<your-hostname>/hardware.nix

4. Update flake.nix

Edit flake.nix and set the host and profile variables:

host = "<your-hostname>";
profile = "intel";  # or "amd" or "vm"

5. Build and switch

# Stage files so the flake can see them
git add -A

# Build the system
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#<profile>

Where <profile> is intel, amd, or vm.

After first boot

The included CLI tool saugcli handles ongoing management:

saugcli rebuild          # Rebuild and switch
saugcli rebuild-boot     # Rebuild for next boot
saugcli update           # Update flake inputs + rebuild
saugcli cleanup          # Remove old generations
saugcli diag             # Generate hardware report
saugcli trim             # SSD TRIM
saugcli update-host      # Auto-detect and set host/profile in flake.nix
saugcli add-host <name>  # Add a new host from the default template

Options for rebuild/update:

--dry / -n — preview without applying
--ask / -a — confirmation prompts
--cores N — limit CPU cores (useful on low-resource machines)
--verbose / -v — detailed output

Profiles

Profile	GPU	Use Case
`intel`	Intel integrated	Most older laptops
`amd`	AMD integrated	AMD-based laptops
`vm`	VirtIO/VMware	Virtual machines

Key Files

File	Purpose
`flake.nix`	Inputs, outputs, host/profile selection
`hosts/<host>/variables.nix`	Per-machine settings (control panel)
`hosts/<host>/hardware.nix`	Hardware scan output
`hosts/<host>/host-packages.nix`	Machine-specific packages
`modules/core/packages.nix`	System-wide packages
`modules/home/niri/binds.nix`	Keybindings
`modules/home/scripts/saugcli.nix`	CLI management tool

Default Keybindings (Niri)

Key	Action
`Super + Return`	Open terminal
`Super + D`	Rofi app launcher
`Super + Q`	Close window
`Super + 1-9`	Switch workspace
`Super + Shift + 1-9`	Move window to workspace
`Super + H/J/K/L`	Focus left/down/up/right
`Super + Shift + H/L`	Move column left/right
`Super + F`	Maximize column
`Super + Shift + F`	Fullscreen
`Super + Print`	Screenshot (region)

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