Claude Code

Catalog v12.

Installs claude, Anthropic's terminal coding agent.

Select

[nixos]
modules = ["lmx:claude"]

Add the selector to your VM's nixos.modules list and apply the change.

Versions

Claude Code comes from the catalog's nixos-unstable revision, which the Check update flow moves every week. This module has no version lines. Inside the VM, claude --version shows the installed version. A newer version arrives with a catalog release; the module turns off Claude Code's own updates.

Use

Start Claude Code from the project's guest directory:

claude

Sign in through the prompts on first launch, or with /login inside a session. See Anthropic's authentication guide for account and provider options.

Claude Code can read files, edit them and run local commands. See the setup guide for requirements and claude doctor.

Configuration and integration

Boundary	Contract
Settings	Native Claude Code configuration; the module sets no model, permission or sandbox preferences
Personal state	~/.claude/ and ~/.claude.json by default; CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR moves both into one directory; see Keep state across VMs
Project settings	Shared .claude/settings.json and personal .claude/settings.local.json; see settings files
Updates	DISABLE_UPDATES=1 in every session turns off background and manual updates; see disable auto-updates
Unfree package	The module adds claude-code to nixpkgs.config.allowUnfreePackages
Services and capabilities	No daemon or language-support declarations

Keep state across VMs

Claude Code keeps its sign-in, settings, session transcripts for claude --continue and claude --resume, prompt history and auto memory in its configuration directory. The managed home keeps them while the VM exists; a recreated VM gets a new managed home and starts without them. To keep them on your Mac, mount a Mac directory and point CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR at it. Claude Code then also stores .claude.json there, and one mount holds all of its state:

[env]
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR = "/home/dev/.claude"

[[mounts]]
source = "~/.limanix/agents/dev-box/claude"
target = "/home/dev/.claude"
mode = "rw"

Use your user.home in place of /home/dev, add the variable to an existing [env] table, and create the Mac directory before create or update; see Share project directories.

• Give each VM a directory of its own. Two VMs writing the same directory at the same time can overwrite each other's .claude.json.
• Do not mount your Mac's ~/.claude: macOS keeps the Claude Code sign-in in the Keychain, and Mac hooks and plugins may not run in Linux.
• Transcripts belong to the project's guest path. Mount the project at the same guest path in the new VM to resume its sessions.
• The directory holds the sign-in in .credentials.json and plaintext transcripts that can contain file contents and command output. Keep it out of repositories and synced folders.

Corner cases

Case	Behavior or next step
Authentication	Sign in inside the guest; the module does not copy host credentials
VM recreated	A new managed home starts without sign-in, sessions or memory; keep state across VMs on the Mac
Network	Claude Code needs internet access from the guest; see the system requirements
claude update or claude install	Refused; a separate copy under ~/.local would bypass the catalog version and update itself
Local build	Unfree packages are not in the NixOS binary cache; the module permits building the package, which wraps and patches Anthropic's downloaded binary
Project command is missing	Select the required language or tool module; Claude Code does not install the project's toolchain