Prism: Your OS, refracted.

A fully configured, stable-by-design, opinionated Linux. Powered by Nix.

Prism is a NixOS-based distribution designed with a "state-first" philosophy. It doesn't just manage your packages; it enforces your environment through the reproducibility of Nix. Prism provides the tools to keep your digital life organized by treating users as a refraction of specific identities—ensuring that whether you are coding, gaming, or creating, your system is perfectly tuned to your current self.

#Get started - #Why Prism? - GitHub

Why Prism?

Most distributions become "cluttered" over time. You start with good intentions, but eventually, work mixes with play, and play mixes with study. Within months, your system is a mess, and you're wishing for a fresh start. Prism solves this by giving you the tools to organize your life into distinct, isolated states.

Profile engine

Stop mixing your work life with your play life. Prism refracts a single OS into multiple, purpose-driven identities:

  • Developer: Pre-configured with simple, flake-powered dev environments that actually work the way you want.
  • Gamer (WIP): System-wide optimizations for Steam, Gamescope, and low-latency input.
  • Pentester (WIP): Specialized toolchains for security, including custom scripts and hardened defaults.
  • Creator (WIP): Media production software suites designed to finally let you ditch Adobe.
  • Custom: A blank slate for the minimalist purist who wants to build from scratch.

Stability and reliability

  • Unified Updates: One command (prism-update) refreshes your entire machine—kernel, drivers, and UI—to a maintainer-verified snapshot. Stay stable, even 100 updates in.
  • Package Isolation: Thanks to Nix, every package is built in total isolation. If the configuration is correct, the system builds; if it builds, it works.
  • Atomic Rollbacks: Broken update? No problem. NixOS allows you to rollback to a previous generation instantly. You are never more than a reboot away from a working system.
  • Override System: Don't like the defaults? Use the built-in override system to "save" your custom dotfiles, ensuring your personal touch survives system updates.

Keyboard first design

Built on Hyprland and Quickshell, Prism offers an easy-to-follow "home-row" workflow:

  • Home Row Apps: Launch your Terminal, Browser, and AI Assistant without moving your hands from the typing position.
  • Dynamic Groups: Tab your windows together into logical stacks with $SUPER + R.
  • The Scratchpad: A hidden "drawer" for your most-used tools, summoned instantly with $SUPER + T.
  • Dedicated Workspaces: Music players and messaging apps have their own permanent, specialized workspaces so they never clutter your view.

Built for speed

Prism isn't just a skin; it's a high-performance engine built on modern primitives:

  • Ghostty: The next-generation, GPU-accelerated terminal for ultimate responsiveness.
  • Quickshell: A reactive, QML-based UI engine powering your bars and dashboards.
  • Yazi: An asynchronous, Rust-based terminal file manager for blazing-fast navigation.
  • Neovim: A fully-fledged, IDE-grade text editing experience pre-baked into the core.

Get started

Prism can be installed via ISO, built as a custom image, or layered onto an existing NixOS installation.

New installation

Download the ISO and run the interactive TUI installer:

prism-installer

(Choose your persona, partition your disk, and reboot. Done.)

Transition from existing NixOS

Already on NixOS? Transition to Prism by creating a flake.nix that points to the Prism source:

{
  description = "Your Prism System";

  inputs = {
    prism.url = "github:otaleghani/prism";
  };

  outputs = { self, prism, ... }@inputs: {
    nixosConfigurations.prism = prism.inputs.nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
      modules = [
        ./hardware-configuration.nix
        ./users.nix
        prism.nixosModules.default
        ( { ... }: {
          prism.hardware.boot.mode = "uefi";
          prism.hardware.gpu = "nvidia"; # Or amd/intel
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

Make it yours

Every persona needs a style. Prism’s theming is dynamic and instantaneous.

  • Live Theming: Switch styles with $MOD + CTRL + T. Everything (Waybar, Terminal, GTK) updates instantly via symlink magic.
  • Webapp Integration: Turn any website into a standalone, "focused" window using prism-install-webapp.
  • Virtualization Ready: KVM/QEMU is pre-configured with TPM support. Spin up Windows 11 or other Linux distros with near-native performance.

Community and contributing

Prism is open source and driven by the pursuit of the "Perfect State."

  • Found a Bug? Open an issue on GitHub.
  • Want to help? We are currently building out the Pentester and Creator personas.
  • Love the Project? Give us a star and join the refraction!