macOS Monterey i7, what is the best `nix.conf` file to use?

Question

Does anyone have the recommended nix.conf file to use for macOS Monterey i7?

Following a few different tutorials, my current .conf file looks like:

build-users-group = nixbld
substituters        = https://hydra.iohk.io https://iohk.cachix.org https://cache.nixos.org/
trusted-public-keys = hydra.iohk.io:f/Ea+s+dFdN+3Y/G+FDgSq+a5NEWhJGzdjvKNGv0/EQ= iohk.cachix.org-1:DpRUyj7h7V830dp/i6Nti+NEO2/nhblbov/8MW7Rqoo= cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY=volume

However, https://github.com/input-output-hk/plutus-apps#nix-1 for macOS also recommends adding:

sandbox = true
extra-sandbox-paths = /System/Library/Frameworks /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks /usr/lib /private/tmp /private/var/tmp /usr/bin/env

Any other working steps are appreciated. I wouldn't follow tutorials for the M1 i'm assuming too. Thanks!

Ref: [https://www.punkbit.com/hacking/plutus-developer-environment-setup-on-macos-monterey/]

Answer 1

macOS nix setup on x86_64 (Intel, AMD) and aarch64 (Apple Silicon) should be identical. Running the installer from the official website, should get you a proper install.

You do want to add the iohk substituter to get access to the cached builds:

https://hydra.iohk.io
hydra.iohk.io:f/Ea+s+dFdN+3Y/G+FDgSq+a5NEWhJGzdjvKNGv0/EQ=

I'm fairly sure that the iohk.cachix.org instance is defunct (or not updated anymore really). So it should be fairly safe to remove the following

https://iohk.cachix.org
iohk.cachix.org-1:DpRUyj7h7V830dp/i6Nti+NEO2/nhblbov/8MW7Rqoo=

Please don't enable sanboxing on macOS, while that is in principle a good idea, it will lead to crashes with complex nix expressions. See Status of macOS | nixos/nixpkgs#116341