The repository provides a NixOS module that wires up the daemon, user services, and CLI together. With flakes, add the repository as an input:

# flake.nix
{
  inputs.tisvlay.url = "github:TisVlay/TisVlay";

  outputs = { nixpkgs, tisvlay, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.your-host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        tisvlay.nixosModules.default
        {
          services.tisvlay.enable = true;
          services.tisvlay.users = [ "yourname" ];
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

# configuration.nix
let
  tisvlay = import (builtins.fetchTarball "https://github.com/TisVlay/TisVlay/archive/main.tar.gz");
in
{
  imports = [ tisvlay.nixosModules.default ];
  services.tisvlay.enable = true;
  services.tisvlay.users = [ "yourname" ];
}

# flake.nix
{
  inputs.tisvlay.url = "github:TisVlay/TisVlay/vX.Y.Z"; # a release tag
  # No `inputs.tisvlay.inputs.nixpkgs.follows`: it would change the build
  # and miss the cache.

  outputs = { nixpkgs, tisvlay, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.your-host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        tisvlay.nixosModules.default
        ({ pkgs, ... }: {
          nix.settings.substituters = [ "https://tisvlay.cachix.org" ];
          nix.settings.trusted-public-keys = [
            "tisvlay.cachix.org-1:pa9AnLlywwXfm4cwUzRD1afQh2VbGTbYF6a9iQgzb/g="
          ];
          services.tisvlay.enable = true;
          services.tisvlay.package =
            tisvlay.packages.${pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}.default;
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

# configuration.nix
{ pkgs, ... }:
let
  # A release tag.
  tisvlay = import (builtins.fetchTarball "https://github.com/TisVlay/TisVlay/archive/vX.Y.Z.tar.gz");
in
{
  imports = [ tisvlay.nixosModules.default ];
  nix.settings.substituters = [ "https://tisvlay.cachix.org" ];
  nix.settings.trusted-public-keys = [
    "tisvlay.cachix.org-1:pa9AnLlywwXfm4cwUzRD1afQh2VbGTbYF6a9iQgzb/g="
  ];
  services.tisvlay.enable = true;
  services.tisvlay.package = tisvlay.packages.${pkgs.stdenv.hostPlatform.system}.default;
}

sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#your-host \
  --option extra-substituters https://tisvlay.cachix.org \
  --option extra-trusted-public-keys tisvlay.cachix.org-1:pa9AnLlywwXfm4cwUzRD1afQh2VbGTbYF6a9iQgzb/g=

services.tisvlay.enable runs tisvlay-daemon (as the tisvlay user), the tisvlay-session and tisvlay-tray user services, and the tisvlay CLI in $PATH. The module’s options, all under services.tisvlay:

Types and defaults are in each option’s description in module.nix.

git clone https://github.com/TisVlay/TisVlay tisvlay
cd tisvlay
cargo build --release

Binaries land in target/release/. Building from Cargo does not install the systemd units — copy those from packaging/ if you want the daemon and session services managed by systemd, and create the tisvlay group yourself.

A recent stable Rust toolchain is required — at least the rust-version declared in the workspace Cargo.toml; install it from https://rust-lang.org/tools/install/.

For SSH or headless use, grant your account persistent access, then run:

tisvlay enable-access

This adds your account to the tisvlay group through polkit. The group change takes effect at a fresh login; because some desktop services keep old group membership after logout, reboot if access is still denied.

The HDMI-CEC backend needs a CEC adapter that appears as a /dev/cecN character device. Most GPU HDMI ports don’t wire the CEC pin. Two known-working sources:

• A USB CEC adapter (e.g. Pulse-Eight), using the kernel pulse8-cec driver. Pulse-Eight adapters also need inputattach --pulse8-cec to bind the USB serial device and create /dev/cecN; some distributions provide this setup already. See the kernel’s USB dongle instructions.
• An active DisplayPort→HDMI adapter on an amdgpu or i915 output — the GPU driver tunnels DP-AUX CEC. Nvidia GPUs expose no CEC, so use a USB adapter there.

The daemon’s sandbox hides /dev by default, so it needs device access granted once:

• NixOS: set services.tisvlay.cec.enable = true for a GPU adapter. For a Pulse-Eight USB adapter, set services.tisvlay.cec.pulse8.enable = true; it also enables device access and attaches the driver.

• Distro packages: let the CEC devices through the sandbox with a drop-in (sudo systemctl edit tisvlay-daemon):

  [Service]
  PrivateDevices=false
  DeviceAllow=char-cec rw
  

  then give the tisvlay group read/write on the nodes with a udev rule, and restart the daemon:

  echo 'KERNEL=="cec[0-9]*", GROUP="tisvlay", MODE="0660"' | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/70-tisvlay-cec.rules
  sudo udevadm control --reload && sudo udevadm trigger --subsystem-match=cec
  sudo systemctl restart tisvlay-daemon
  

For a Pulse-Eight adapter, this grants the daemon access to /dev/cecN once it exists; the host still needs the pulse8-cec driver and inputattach setup described above.

For the TV acting on your PC, the packages and the NixOS module also install a polkit rule letting the daemon put the PC to sleep, a service that applies the TV-wakes-the-PC setting around each sleep, and a keymap keeping the TV remote’s power keys off the desktop. A source build installs none of them: sleeping the PC and the wake setting don’t work there, and turning on Remote keys reach the desktop lets the remote’s power key reach the desktop, which usually sleeps the PC. The files and where they go are in packaging/README.md.

The backend depends on the LGPL-licensed linux-cec crate.

No pairing prompt or credentials are involved — a CEC TV is added by picking its adapter; see Adding a TV.