nix-darwin-activation.nix

system.activationScripts.applications.text = let
  env = pkgs.buildEnv {
    name = "system-applications";
    paths = config.environment.systemPackages;
    pathsToLink = "/Applications";
  };
in
  pkgs.lib.mkForce ''
  # Set up applications.
  echo "setting up /Applications..." >&2
  rm -rf /Applications/Nix\ Apps
  mkdir -p /Applications/Nix\ Apps
  find ${env}/Applications -maxdepth 1 -type l -exec readlink '{}' + |
  while read -r src; do
    app_name=$(basename "$src")
    echo "copying $src" >&2
    ${pkgs.mkalias}/bin/mkalias "$src" "/Applications/Nix Apps/$app_name"
  done
      '';

+1 ☝️ to using @hraban https://github.com/hraban/mac-app-util

Worked like a charm

++1 ☝🏽using https://github.com/hraban/mac-app-util

Worked perfectly and was super easy to add to my config file.

++1 ☝🏽using https://github.com/hraban/mac-app-util

Worked perfectly and was super easy to add to my config file.

Do you mind sharing your flake.nix with mac-app-util? I tried it, and it doesn't work for me.

@tylercritchlow Sure! I've uploaded a copy here: https://gist.github.com/frarredondo/192930a454c992f306143bfc4eefc948

I will say that after posting my comment above i very quickly learned that very few packages were actually available for aarch64-darwin and found that i needed to install everything via homebrew so i didn't see the point in using nix at least on apple silicon atm and uninstalled it and went back to using homebrew for package management.

@ricardogaspar2 Great suggestion, works like a charm 🤝

@frarredondo Thanks for the snippet.

when I try to run the flake, I get this warning:

warning: /Applications/Nix Apps is not owned by nix-darwin, skipping App linking...

Any idea how to fix this?

@Kapi2910 - You could try to remove (or rename) the old directory, then re-run your rebuild so nix-darwin can create its symlink.

mac-app-util ... This is the way. I had to delete my existing /Applications/Nix Apps and re-run my darwin-rebuild command for the magic to happen.

@mikewebbtech That worked. Thank you so much.

{
description = "Example nix-darwin system flake";

inputs = {
nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
nix-darwin.url = "github:nix-darwin/nix-darwin/master";
nix-darwin.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
};

outputs = inputs@{ self, nixpkgs, nix-darwin, ... }:
let
system = "aarch64-darwin";

  configuration = { config, pkgs, ... }:

    let
      env = pkgs.buildEnv {
        name = "system-applications";
        paths = config.environment.systemPackages;
        pathsToLink = "/Applications";
      };
    in {
      environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
        neovim
      ];

      system.activationScripts.applications.text = pkgs.lib.mkForce ''
        echo "setting up /Applications..." >&2
        rm -rf /Applications/Nix\ Apps
        mkdir -p /Applications/Nix\ Apps
        find ${env}/Applications -maxdepth 1 -type l -exec readlink '{}' + |
        while read -r src; do
          app_name=$(basename "$src")
          echo "copying $src" >&2
          ${pkgs.mkalias}/bin/mkalias "$src" "/Applications/Nix Apps/$app_name"
        done
      '';

      nix.settings.experimental-features = "nix-command flakes";

      system.configurationRevision = self.rev or self.dirtyRev or null;
      system.stateVersion = 6;
      nixpkgs.hostPlatform = system;
    };
in {
  darwinConfigurations."mini" = nix-darwin.lib.darwinSystem {
    inherit system;
    modules = [ configuration ];
  };
};

}

This is how I fixed it :)