error: getting status of '/etc/nix/registry.json': Permission denied

[bashfulrobot]

Hi there, I am just having my first go with nix-darwin, and I was attempting to install with:

dustin.krysak@dustin nixcfg % curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf -L https://install.determinate.systems/nix | \
  sh -s -- install --determinate
info: downloading installer https://install.determinate.systems/nix/tag/v3.0.0/nix-installer-aarch64-darwin
 INFO nix-installer v3.0.0
`nix-installer` needs to run as `root`, attempting to escalate now via `sudo`...
Password:
 INFO nix-installer v3.0.0
 INFO For a more robust Nix installation, use the Determinate package for macOS: https://dtr.mn/determinate-nix
Nix install plan (v3.0.0)
Planner: macos

Configured settings:
* determinate_nix: true

Planned actions:
* Install Determinate Nixd
* Create an encrypted APFS volume `Nix Store` for Nix on `disk3` and add it to `/etc/fstab` mounting on `/nix`
* Extract the bundled Nix (originally from /nix/store/cmirclrq3l1lnvm8psd1xrh5kiwabzx9-nix-binary-tarball-3.0.0/nix-3.0.0-aarch64-darwin.tar.xz) to `/nix/temp-install-dir`
* Create a directory tree in `/nix`
* Synchronize /nix/var ownership
* Move the downloaded Nix into `/nix`
* Synchronize /nix/store ownership
* Create build users (UID 351-382) and group (GID 350)
* Configure Time Machine exclusions
* Setup the default Nix profile
* Place the Nix configuration in `/etc/nix/nix.conf`
* Configure the shell profiles
* Configuring zsh to support using Nix in non-interactive shells
* Unload, then recreate a `launchctl` plist to put Nix into your PATH
* Configure the Determinate Nix daemon
* Remove directory `/nix/temp-install-dir`


Proceed? ([Y]es/[n]o/[e]xplain): y
 INFO Step: Install Determinate Nixd
 INFO Step: Create an encrypted APFS volume `Nix Store` for Nix on `disk3` and add it to `/etc/fstab` mounting on `/nix`
 INFO Step: Provision Nix
 INFO Step: Create build users (UID 351-382) and group (GID 350)
 INFO Step: Configure Time Machine exclusions
 INFO Step: Configure Nix
 INFO Step: Configuring zsh to support using Nix in non-interactive shells
 INFO Step: Unload, then recreate a `launchctl` plist to put Nix into your PATH
 INFO Step: Configure the Determinate Nix daemon
 INFO Step: Remove directory `/nix/temp-install-dir`
Nix was installed successfully!
To get started using Nix, open a new shell or run `. /nix/var/nix/profiles/default/etc/profile.d/nix-daemon.sh`

dustin.krysak@dustin nixcfg % . /nix/var/nix/profiles/default/etc/profile.d/nix-daemon.sh
dustin.krysak@dustin nixcfg % . /nix/var/nix/profiles/default/etc/profile.d/nix-daemon.sh
dustin.krysak@dustin nixcfg % nix run nix-darwin/nix-darwin-24.11#darwin-rebuild -- switch
error: getting status of '/etc/nix/registry.json': Permission denied

But I keep getting this permission denied. And that file does not seem to exist.

dustin.krysak@dustin nixcfg % sudo ls /etc/nix
Password:
macos-keychain.crt	nix.conf		nix.custom.conf

Any ideas?

Cheers.

[ipetkov]

To add some context from Mastodon: it seems like the installation instructions were written with flake registries in mind (I believe the official installer would set up a registry with a bunch of entries like nixpkgs pointing to github:NixOS/nixpkgs and nix-darwin pointing to github:LnL7/nix-darwin among others).

Flake registries (IMO) are kind of a confusing feature and I think the more modern DetSys/Lix installers don't set this up by default anymore which can result in the error above. I would consider changing the installation instructions to explicitly use github:LnL7/nix-darwin/... (instead of just nix-darwin) when referring to the flake to side step any such headaches

[bashfulrobot]

@ipetkov - you beat me over here to add the details. 👍

I ended up using:

nix --extra-experimental-features flakes --extra-experimental-features nix-command run github:LnL7/nix-darwin/nix-darwin-24.11#darwin-rebuild -- switch --flake .#dustinkrysak

Note the github:LnL7.... - that's what I added. And now I am just getting what looks to be standard nix errors. 🤣

In the nix discourse there is also some debate as to if sudo is also needed, but the instructions do not say to use it, so I have not.

If you do, you get something like:

warning: $HOME ('/Users/username') is not owned by you, falling back to the one defined in the 'passwd' file ('/var/root')
building the system configuration...