NixOS on the Framework 12th gen

Inspired by Graham Christensen's NixOS on the Framework post from a year or so ago about installing NixOS on the first gen framework, I thought I would put my notes here in case anyone finds this useful.

Problems

Gnome fails to start

A newer kernel version is needed for Gnome to run on the latest framework. This can be fixed by setting boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_5_18; in your configuration. Thank you to sputn1ck on GitHub for this solution.

Brightness keys don't work

There is a conflict in the kernel with libinput and hid-input devices overriding each other on the Framework. This can be solved by blacklisting the hid_sensor_hub kernel module: boot.kernelParams = [ "module_blacklist=hid_sensor_hub" ]; This is a known issue, and the Framework team are working towards a Framework-specific driver to address the issue.

Things that work

• LVM/LUKS full-disk encryption
• All I/O
• Camera
• Microphone

Things I haven't tried

• Fingerprint sensor

Problems

• Sometimes the screen just shuts off while I am using it and Gnome gets a bit glitchy before it works again.
• Sometimes after the initial GDM login on boot, I just am stuck with a black screen and cursor.

Conclusion

My full dotfiles are publicly available on GitHub. You can check out the Framework-specific hardware config full file here.