Distrobox - Revision history

ScatteredCognition: Refer to the new Fixes for non-Nix applications page

2026-08-04T10:32:06Z

Refer to the new Fixes for non-Nix applications page

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:32, 4 August 2026
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	By default, Distrobox tries to bind mount the host's <code>/run/host/usr/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code> directory inside the container as <code>/usr/local/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code>[https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/blob/d925c3f10315b72ec38a0405e57fe06c87edc754/distrobox-init#L997-L1000]. However, on NixOS, the directory is non-existent due to NixOS not following the [https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html FHS Standard].		By default, Distrobox tries to bind mount the host's <code>/run/host/usr/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code> directory inside the container as <code>/usr/local/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code>[https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/blob/d925c3f10315b72ec38a0405e57fe06c87edc754/distrobox-init#L997-L1000]. However, on NixOS, the directory is non-existent due to NixOS not following the [https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html FHS Standard].

	If you have already installed fonts/icons/themes on your NixOS system and want them to be accessible inside Distrobox containers by default, ~~you should~~ follow the [[~~Fonts#Solution 3: Configure bindfs~~ for ~~fonts/cursors/icons support\|Solution 3]] given in [[Fonts~~#Flatpak applications can't find system fonts]].		If you have already installed fonts/icons/themes on your NixOS system and want them to be accessible inside Distrobox containers by default, follow the instructions provided in this page: [[Fixes for non-Nix applications#Flatpak, Distrobox, Appimage and other non-Nix applications can't find system fonts/icons/themes]] .

	Note that although the aforementioned solution only bindmounts paths to <code>/usr/share/</code>, the container manager being used with Distrobox (<code>podman</code>, <code>docker</code>, <code>lilypod</code> etc) will automatically make the host's root filesystem (<code>/</code>) accessible inside the container as <code>/run/host/</code>, making the paths needed by Distrobox accessible as usual, thus the aforementioned fix is sufficient.		Note that although the aforementioned solution only bindmounts paths to <code>/usr/share/</code>, the container manager being used with Distrobox (<code>podman</code>, <code>docker</code>, <code>lilypod</code> etc) will automatically make the host's root filesystem (<code>/</code>) accessible inside the container as <code>/run/host/</code>, making the paths needed by Distrobox accessible as usual, thus the aforementioned fix is sufficient.

ScatteredCognition: Streamline the host fonts/icons/themes sharing part by referencing the similar flatpak fixes

2026-08-04T08:46:15Z

Streamline the host fonts/icons/themes sharing part by referencing the similar flatpak fixes

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 == Tips and tricks ==
-=== Using host fonts inside Distrobox containers ===
+=== Using host fonts/icons/themes inside Distrobox containers ===
-By default, Distrobox tries to bind mount the host's <code>/run/host/usr/share/fonts</code> directory inside the container as <code>/usr/local/share/fonts</code>[https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/blob/d925c3f10315b72ec38a0405e57fe06c87edc754/distrobox-init#L997-L1000]. However, on NixOS, the directory is non-existent due to NixOS not following the [https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html FHS Standard].
+By default, Distrobox tries to bind mount the host's <code>/run/host/usr/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code> directory inside the container as <code>/usr/local/share/{fonts, icons, themes}</code>[https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/blob/d925c3f10315b72ec38a0405e57fe06c87edc754/distrobox-init#L997-L1000]. However, on NixOS, the directory is non-existent due to NixOS not following the [https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html FHS Standard].
-If you have already installed fonts on your NixOS system and want them to be accessible inside Distrobox containers by default, you can set <code>fonts.fontDir.enable = true;</code> and bind mount the <code>/run/current-system/sw/share/X11/fonts</code> directory to <code>/run/host/usr/share/fonts</code>.
+If you have already installed fonts/icons/themes on your NixOS system and want them to be accessible inside Distrobox containers by default, you should follow the [[Fonts#Solution 3: Configure bindfs for fonts/cursors/icons support|Solution 3]] given in [[Fonts#Flatpak applications can't find system fonts]].
 === Using different architecture ===
 The following example will run an Ubuntu container with a different architecture than the host, in this case arm64.

ScatteredCognition: Add instructions for fixing Distrobox's host font integration functionality under NixOS

2026-08-04T06:31:35Z

Add instructions for fixing Distrobox's host font integration functionality under NixOS

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:31, 4 August 2026
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	== Tips and tricks ==		== Tips and tricks ==

			=== Using host fonts inside Distrobox containers ===
			By default, Distrobox tries to bind mount the host's <code>/run/host/usr/share/fonts</code> directory inside the container as <code>/usr/local/share/fonts</code>[https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/blob/d925c3f10315b72ec38a0405e57fe06c87edc754/distrobox-init#L997-L1000]. However, on NixOS, the directory is non-existent due to NixOS not following the [https://refspecs.linuxfoundation.org/FHS_3.0/fhs/index.html FHS Standard].

			If you have already installed fonts on your NixOS system and want them to be accessible inside Distrobox containers by default, you can set <code>fonts.fontDir.enable = true;</code> and bind mount the <code>/run/current-system/sw/share/X11/fonts</code> directory to <code>/run/host/usr/share/fonts</code>.

			(Note that this will only work for newly created or cloned Distrobox containers, this won't affect older containers.)<syntaxhighlight lang="nixos" line="1">
			# distrobox-font-fix.nix
			{ pkgs, ... }:

			{
			# Bind mount fonts.fontDir path to FHS path
			# to fix distrobox font issues

			# Makes all the fonts declared in your NixOS
			# config accessible under /run/current-system/sw/share/X11/fonts
			fonts.fontDir.enable = true;

			# Distrobox: Bind mounts /run/host/usr/share/fonts
			system.fsPackages = [ pkgs.bindfs ];
			fileSystems."/run/host/usr/share/fonts" = {
			device = "/run/current-system/sw/share/X11/fonts";
			fsType = "fuse.bindfs";
			options = [
			"ro" # Mounts read-only
			"resolve-symlinks" # Makes the files seem as if they are real files and not symlinks
			"x-gvfs-hide" # Hides it from GUI file managers
			];
			};
			}

			</syntaxhighlight>

	=== Using different architecture ===		=== Using different architecture ===

Farberbrodsky: Add known issue: Distrobox is not location independent. I have personally encountered this.

2026-05-22T15:16:15Z

Add known issue: Distrobox is not location independent. I have personally encountered this.

@@ Line 83: / Line 83: @@
 === Distrobox Fails With Arch Linux and init ===
 This is a cross-distro (not NixOS-specific) issue resulting from a [https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/ util-linux] runuser regression.<ref name="debian-report">https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/issues/2069</ref><ref name="nixos-report">https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/issues/2065</ref> A fix has recently been merged, and the issue should be resolved in the next release (v2.43).<ref name="util-linux-pull">https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/pull/4185</ref>.
 == References ==
 <references/>

Smudgebun: Added Known Issues section, in it a current Distrobox issue making the example usage on this page break

2026-05-04T19:32:33Z

Added Known Issues section, in it a current Distrobox issue making the example usage on this page break

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:32, 4 May 2026
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	[[Category:Applications]]		[[Category:Applications]]
	[[Category:Container]]		[[Category:Container]]

			== Known Issues ==
			=== Distrobox Fails With Arch Linux and init ===
			This is a cross-distro (not NixOS-specific) issue resulting from a [https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/ util-linux] runuser regression.<ref name="debian-report">https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/issues/2069</ref><ref name="nixos-report">https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox/issues/2065</ref> A fix has recently been merged, and the issue should be resolved in the next release (v2.43).<ref name="util-linux-pull">https://github.com/util-linux/util-linux/pull/4185</ref>.

			== References ==
			<references/>

Luflosi: Use "distrobox --root" instead of running as root directly since distrobox does not want to be run with sudo or doas

2025-10-02T08:19:11Z

Use "distrobox --root" instead of running as root directly since distrobox does not want to be run with sudo or doas

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:19, 2 October 2025
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	<syntaxhighlight lang="console">		<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
	# distrobox create --name archlinux --init --image archlinux:latest		distrobox create --root --name archlinux --init --image archlinux:latest
	</syntaxhighlight>		</syntaxhighlight>

Line 22:		Line 22:

	<syntaxhighlight lang="console">		<syntaxhighlight lang="console">
	# distrobox enter archlinux		distrobox enter --root archlinux
	</syntaxhighlight>		</syntaxhighlight>

Luflosi: Minor grammar fix

2025-10-02T08:16:40Z

Minor grammar fix

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:16, 2 October 2025
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	=== Using different architecture ===		=== Using different architecture ===
	~~Following~~ example will run an Ubuntu container with a different architecture than the host, in this case arm64.		The following example will run an Ubuntu container with a different architecture than the host, in this case arm64.

	Add following line to your system configuration, apply it and then reboot the system.<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">		Add following line to your system configuration, apply it and then reboot the system.<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">

StijnRuts: Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

2025-09-06T12:19:21Z

Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:19, 6 September 2025
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	=== Exposing your profile ===		=== Exposing your profile ===
	If you get errors like <code>/home/user/.zshenv:.:2: no such file or directory: /etc/profiles/per-user/user/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code> or <code>_atuin_preexec: command not found: atuin</code> that is because your shell init is referencing paths that are not accessible to Distrobox. By default, Distrobox only gets access to your home directory. You can mount additional volumes with <code>distrobox create --volume /your/custom/volume/path</code>, but it is more convenient to define defaults in <code>distrobox.conf</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">environment.etc."distrobox/distrobox.conf".text = ''		If you get errors like <code>/home/user/.zshenv:.:2: no such file or directory: /etc/profiles/per-user/user/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code> or <code>_atuin_preexec: command not found: atuin</code> that is because your shell init is referencing paths that are not accessible to Distrobox. By default, Distrobox only gets access to your home directory. You can mount additional volumes with <code>distrobox create --volume /your/custom/volume/path</code>, but it is more convenient to define defaults in <code>distrobox.conf</code>: <syntaxhighlight lang="nix">environment.etc."distrobox/distrobox.conf".text = ''
	container_additional_volumes="/nix/store:/nix/store:ro /etc/profiles/per-user:/etc/profiles/per-user:ro /etc/static/profiles/per-user:/etc/static/profiles/per-user:ro"		container_additional_volumes="/nix/store:/nix/store:ro /etc/profiles/per-user:/etc/profiles/per-user:ro /etc/static/profiles/per-user:/etc/static/profiles/per-user:ro"
	''; </syntaxhighlight>		''; </syntaxhighlight>

StijnRuts: Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

2025-09-06T08:36:46Z

Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:36, 6 September 2025
Line 75:		Line 75:
	If you get errors like <code>/home/user/.zshenv:.:2: no such file or directory: /etc/profiles/per-user/user/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code> or <code>_atuin_preexec: command not found: atuin</code> that is because your shell init is referencing paths that are not accessible to Distrobox. By default, Distrobox only gets access to your home directory. You can mount additional volumes with <code>distrobox create --volume /your/custom/volume/path</code>, but it is more convenient to define defaults in <code>distrobox.conf</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">environment.etc."distrobox/distrobox.conf".text = ''		If you get errors like <code>/home/user/.zshenv:.:2: no such file or directory: /etc/profiles/per-user/user/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code> or <code>_atuin_preexec: command not found: atuin</code> that is because your shell init is referencing paths that are not accessible to Distrobox. By default, Distrobox only gets access to your home directory. You can mount additional volumes with <code>distrobox create --volume /your/custom/volume/path</code>, but it is more convenient to define defaults in <code>distrobox.conf</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">environment.etc."distrobox/distrobox.conf".text = ''
	container_additional_volumes="/nix/store:/nix/store:ro /etc/profiles/per-user:/etc/profiles/per-user:ro /etc/static/profiles/per-user:/etc/static/profiles/per-user:ro"		container_additional_volumes="/nix/store:/nix/store:ro /etc/profiles/per-user:/etc/profiles/per-user:ro /etc/static/profiles/per-user:/etc/static/profiles/per-user:ro"
	'';</syntaxhighlight>		''; </syntaxhighlight>

	[[Category:Applications]]		[[Category:Applications]]
	[[Category:Container]]		[[Category:Container]]

StijnRuts: Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

2025-09-06T08:33:14Z

Described how to mount extra volumes to expose your user profile to Distrobox

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:33, 6 September 2025
Line 71:		Line 71:

	Rebuild your system, run <code>podman system migrate</code>, and try creating the distrobox container again.		Rebuild your system, run <code>podman system migrate</code>, and try creating the distrobox container again.

			=== Exposing your profile ===
			If you get errors like <code>/home/user/.zshenv:.:2: no such file or directory: /etc/profiles/per-user/user/etc/profile.d/hm-session-vars.sh</code> or <code>_atuin_preexec: command not found: atuin</code> that is because your shell init is referencing paths that are not accessible to Distrobox. By default, Distrobox only gets access to your home directory. You can mount additional volumes with <code>distrobox create --volume /your/custom/volume/path</code>, but it is more convenient to define defaults in <code>distrobox.conf</code>:<syntaxhighlight lang="nix">environment.etc."distrobox/distrobox.conf".text = ''
			container_additional_volumes="/nix/store:/nix/store:ro /etc/profiles/per-user:/etc/profiles/per-user:ro /etc/static/profiles/per-user:/etc/static/profiles/per-user:ro"
			'';</syntaxhighlight>

	[[Category:Applications]]		[[Category:Applications]]
	[[Category:Container]]		[[Category:Container]]