Desktop Shell: Noctalia Shell for unified desktop environment
Applications: Desktop tools, browsers, editors, media players, etc.
Development Tools: IDEs and development utilities
System Integration: Input methods, theming, XDG specifications, GPU settings

Noctalia

Noctalia (v5) is a native C++/Wayland all-in-one desktop shell that replaces multiple separate tools with a single, unified solution. It is installed through the upstream programs.noctalia Home Manager module.

Configuration

Noctalia merges every *.toml in the config directory (~/.config/noctalia/), sorted alphabetically, and then layers the state directory's settings.toml on top:

Layer	Location	Notes
Config	`~/.config/noctalia/*.toml`	Merged alphabetically; `[include]` supported; host-specific overrides
State	`~/.local/state/noctalia/settings.toml`	Written by the Settings UI; loads last and wins

The shared baseline (noctalia/config/config.toml) is deployed as an out-of-store symlink, so manual edits hot-reload without a home-manager switch. Noctalia never rewrites files in the config layer, so volatile runtime data (wallpaper rotation, widget geometry) stays in the state file and out of the repository.

noctalia config export prints the merged user config and noctalia config validate checks a file. Application theming stays with catppuccin/nix, so Noctalia's theme templates are disabled.

Component Replacement

Noctalia consolidates functionality that previously required multiple tools:

Traditional Component	Purpose	Noctalia counterpart
gammastep	Blue light filter	`[nightlight]`
swaylock	Screen locker	built-in lock screen (`[lockscreen]`)
anyrun	Application launcher	launcher panel (`[shell.launcher]`)
mako	Notification daemon	`[notification]`
waybar	Status bar	`[bar]` + `[widget.*]`
wallpaper-switcher	Wallpaper management	`[wallpaper]`
wlogout	Session menu	`[shell.session]`
wl-clipboard	Clipboard management	built-in clipboard (encrypted history)
grim/slurp/satty	Screenshots + annotation	built-in `[shell.screenshot]` + annotation editor

Configuration Modules

Desktop Shell

noctalia/default.nix: enables the upstream programs.noctalia module and symlinks the baseline out of store
noctalia/config/config.toml: declarative baseline (v5 TOML), tracked in the repo and hot-reloaded

Key features: bar and widgets, control center, desktop widgets, night light, wallpaper, session panel, screenshots with annotation, system monitor, audio/volume, brightness, calendar/weather, color schemes, dock, notifications, OSD, clipboard, and more.
hypridle/: Idle management

Desktop Environment

gtk.nix: GTK theme configuration
xdg/: XDG specifications

Input & Localization

fcitx5/: Fcitx5 input method with Rime (Chinese), Mozc (Japanese), and Hangul (Korean) engines

Applications

desktop-tools.nix: Wayland session tools (clipboard, brightness, screen recording, auto-mount, virt-manager/virt-viewer, wlogout emergency fallback)
browsers.nix: Web browsers
vscode.nix: VS Code (GUI editor; the primary Zed config is shared from home/base/gui/zed-editor.nix)
media.nix: Media players
gaming.nix: Gaming applications
creative.nix: Creative software
note-taking.nix: Note-taking apps

Development

dev-tools.nix: Development tools and IDEs

System Utilities

misc.nix: Misc GUI apps (e-book reader, remote desktop, hardened IM clients)

Noctalia Shell: https://docs.noctalia.dev/noctalia/
Parent: ../README.md

README.md

Base Desktop Environment Configuration

Overview