Authorize this box's SSH key as a nix-cache remote-builder client

Following the existing per-client-key pattern in
vars.remoteBuilderAuthorizedKeys (one entry per host's own default root
key, not a shared dedicated keypair -- docs/nix-cache.md's "./nixremote"
filename is just a generic placeholder in the instructions). This box
had no entry yet, which is why its earlier `ssh-copy-id nixremote@nix-cache`
never stuck: nix-cache's nixremote authorized_keys is NixOS-declarative
and gets overwritten on every rebuild.

Public key only; requires a nix-cache rebuild to take effect.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

AGENTS.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ servers and workstation.
 
 The flake exposes NixOS configurations named `<platform>-<buildtype>`
 (platforms: `linode`, `proxmox`, `lxc`; build types: `minimal`, `nix-cache`,
-`server`, `docker`, `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`), generated from `modules/platforms/*`
+`server`, `docker`, `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`, `tor-relay`), generated from `modules/platforms/*`
 and `modules/build-types/*` by the `mkTarget` function in `flake.nix`. Not
 every combination is built — `pxe-boot` has no `linode` variant. See
 `README.md` for the full current target list; treat `flake.nix` as the

CLAUDE.md

@@ -97,10 +97,29 @@ Beyond `codex-setup.sh`/`codex-maintenance.sh` above, `scripts/` also has:
   Refuses to create a target whose host identity already exists live on
   the node (checked directly via `qm`/`pct`, not any file in this repo)
   unless `--allow-duplicate-host` is passed. `--dry-run` throughout both
-  modes.
+  modes. The first time it has to bootstrap build tooling on a node (i.e.
+  `nix` wasn't already on its `PATH`), it also runs
+  `scripts/configure-nix-cache-client.sh` there (non-fatally — a failure
+  just falls back to building from source / `cache.nixos.org`) so the
+  node substitutes from and can offload builds to nix-cache on every
+  subsequent run, not just this one.
 - `scripts/env.sh` — shared config (`PROXMOX_HOST`, storage pool, bridge,
   default cores/memory) sourced by `create-proxmox-resource.sh`. Add new
   cross-script config here instead of duplicating it per-script.
+- `scripts/configure-nix-cache-client.sh [--dry-run] [--no-remote-builder]
+  [--no-restart]` — the non-NixOS equivalent of
+  `modules/nix-cache/client.nix`/`remote-builder-client.nix`, for a plain
+  Debian machine with the Nix package manager (not NixOS) already
+  installed: run as root *on that machine* to add nix-cache as a
+  substituter in `/etc/nix/nix.conf` (`https://cache.nixos.org/` kept as
+  fallback) via `extra-substituters`/`extra-trusted-public-keys` so it
+  layers on top of whatever's already there instead of clobbering it, and,
+  if `/root/.ssh/nixremote` is already present (see docs/nix-cache.md
+  "Remote builder SSH keys"), configures it as a distributed-build
+  machine too and trusts nix-cache's SSH host key in
+  `/etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts`. Idempotent (re-running replaces its own
+  marked block rather than duplicating it); restarts `nix-daemon` by
+  default so the change takes effect immediately.
 - `scripts/bump-nixpkgs-release.sh` — bumps `flake.nix`'s `nixpkgs.url`/
   `home-manager.url` in place. Exists because flake input URLs can't
   reference `variables.nix` (confirmed empirically — `nix flake metadata`
@@ -160,9 +179,10 @@ nixosSystem {
 ```
 
 Platforms: `linode`, `proxmox`, `lxc`. Build types: `minimal`, `nix-cache`,
-`server`, `docker`, `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`. Not every
-combination is built — e.g. `pxe-boot` has no `linode` variant (PXE/DHCP/TFTP
-need LAN L2 adjacency a Linode VPS doesn't have). Treat `flake.nix`'s
+`server`, `docker`, `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`, `tor-relay`. Not
+every combination is built — e.g. `pxe-boot` has no `linode` variant
+(PXE/DHCP/TFTP need LAN L2 adjacency a Linode VPS doesn't have), and
+`tor-relay` currently only exists as `lxc-tor-relay`. Treat `flake.nix`'s
 `generatedTargets` as the source
 of truth for which hosts exist — `README.md`, `AGENTS.md`,
 `docs/flake-lock-automation.md`, and the CI eval workflows
@@ -190,7 +210,7 @@ removing a host.
   `vzdump` backup-archive metadata this doesn't have), no install step —
   see `docs/auto-installer.md`.
 - `modules/build-types/*.nix` — what a system is for:
-  minimal/server/docker/gui/pxe-boot/nix-cache/tailscale-exit-node.
+  minimal/server/docker/gui/pxe-boot/nix-cache/tailscale-exit-node/tor-relay.
 - `modules/common/configuration.nix` — base NixOS config imported by every
   host: locale, users, nix settings, git.
 - `modules/common/home.nix` / `hosts/nixos/home.nix` — Home Manager config for
@@ -225,7 +245,8 @@ removing a host.
   and `environmentFile`; used by `hosts/server/host.nix` and
   `hosts/nix-cache/host.nix` to avoid duplicating that boilerplate.
 - `modules/tailscale/`, `modules/docker/`, `modules/networking/`,
-  `modules/traefik/`, `modules/services/*` — single-purpose, single-host
+  `modules/traefik/`, `modules/tor/`, `modules/services/*` — single-purpose,
+  single-host
   feature modules (e.g. `docker/enable-service.nix`,
   `services/zfs/enable-service.nix`). Grep `modules/build-types/*.nix` for
   each build type's `imports` list to see which modules apply where.

README.md

@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ pieces composed in `flake.nix`:
 
 - **Platforms** (what it runs on): `linode`, `proxmox`, `lxc`
 - **Build types** (what it's for): `minimal`, `nix-cache`, `server`, `docker`,
-  `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`
+  `gui`, `pxe-boot`, `tailscale-exit-node`, `tor-relay`
 
 Not every combination exists — `pxe-boot` has no `linode` variant, since
-PXE/DHCP/TFTP need LAN L2 adjacency that a Linode VPS doesn't have. The full
-list:
+PXE/DHCP/TFTP need LAN L2 adjacency that a Linode VPS doesn't have, and
+`tor-relay` currently only exists as `lxc-tor-relay`. The full list:
 
 | Target | Purpose |
 | --- | --- |
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ list:
 | `linode-gui` / `proxmox-gui` / `lxc-gui` | Cinnamon desktop workstation — previously the flat `nixos` target |
 | `proxmox-pxe-boot` / `lxc-pxe-boot` | HTTP/iPXE boot asset host — previously the flat `pxe-boot` target |
 | `linode-tailscale-exit-node` / `proxmox-tailscale-exit-node` / `lxc-tailscale-exit-node` | Tailscale exit node |
+| `lxc-tor-relay` | Tor middle relay |
 
 Which variant of a given buildtype is actually deployed isn't tracked
 anywhere in this repo — that's live infrastructure state, not something a
@@ -114,9 +115,10 @@ Three different paths depending on target, none of them involving a manual
   `docs/proxmox-images.md`.
 
 `scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh --type lxc|vm --host <name>` automates
-either of the last two end to end (build, host-key registration, upload,
-`pct create`/`qm create`), with `--dry-run` and a guard against duplicating
-an already-deployed host's identity. See its `--help`.
+either of the last two end to end (host-key registration, building the
+image directly on the Proxmox node itself, `pct create`/`qm create`), with
+`--dry-run` and a guard against duplicating an already-deployed host's
+identity. See its `--help`.
 
 ## Security Notes
 

docs/auto-installer.md

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ see "LXC hosts" immediately below for why those are different.**
 ## LXC hosts
 
 `lxc-*` targets (`lxc-minimal`, `lxc-nix-cache`, `lxc-server`, `lxc-docker`,
-`lxc-gui`, `lxc-pxe-boot`, `lxc-tailscale-exit-node`) are **not** installed via `auto-install.sh` — the
+`lxc-gui`, `lxc-pxe-boot`, `lxc-tailscale-exit-node`, `lxc-tor-relay`) are **not** installed via `auto-install.sh` — the
 interactive menu deliberately excludes them. Don't try to select one there;
 `nixos-install` would bind-mount `/` onto `/mnt` (LXC containers have no raw
 disk to partition) and then refuse to touch the filesystem it's currently
@@ -74,8 +74,8 @@ booting one:
 First boot runs `boot.postBootCommands` (registers the Nix store DB and
 system profile) — there's no separate activation step to run yourself.
 `scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh --type lxc --host <name>` automates all
-of this (build, host-key handling, upload, `pct create` with the flags
-above) — see its `--help`.
+of this (host-key handling, building the tarball directly on the Proxmox
+node itself, `pct create` with the flags above) — see its `--help`.
 
 Host keys still need pre-seeding the same way as any other host — the
 sops-nix activation-vs-first-boot race is identical regardless of how the

docs/proxmox-images.md

@@ -9,9 +9,11 @@ install, so there's nothing host-specific to write; it's available for every
 
 `scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh --type vm --host <name>` automates the
 whole walkthrough below (and the equivalent LXC one) end to end, including
-host-key handling and upload — see its `--help`. The steps here are what it
-runs under the hood, useful for doing any of it by hand or understanding
-what it does before you trust it against real infrastructure.
+host-key handling and building the image directly on the Proxmox node
+itself (no local build, no image transfer) — see its `--help`. The steps
+here are what it runs under the hood, useful for doing any of it by hand
+or understanding what it does before you trust it against real
+infrastructure.
 
 ## Building
 

flake-target-refactor-spec.md

@@ -1,151 +0,0 @@
-# Spec: Refactor Flake Targets into Platform × Build-Type Matrix
-
-**Status: implemented.** `flake.nix`'s `generatedTargets`/`mkTarget` and
-`modules/platforms/*`/`modules/build-types/*` are the result of this spec —
-kept here for historical rationale only (referenced from `CLAUDE.md`'s
-"Composition pattern" section), not as an active or open plan. The "Open
-Questions" below were resolved during implementation; don't treat them as
-outstanding. A `tailscale-exit-node` build type was added later, beyond this
-spec's original scope.
-
-## Context
-
-The flake at `~/nixos` currently defines these output targets (flat, ad-hoc naming):
-
-- `docker`
-- `linode-minimal`
-- `nix-cache`
-- `nix-minimal`
-- `nixos`
-- `server`
-- `pxe-boot`
-
-Some already follow a `platform-buildtype` convention (`linode-minimal`), most don't.
-`~/nix-auto-installer` is a related repo and should be checked for any coupling to
-these target names (scripts, docs, CI, or install automation that reference them by
-name) before renaming anything.
-
-## Goal
-
-Restructure the flake so targets are generated from two orthogonal concepts:
-
-**Build types** (what the system is for):
-- `minimal`
-- `nix-cache`
-- `server`
-- `docker`
-- `pxe-boot`
-- `gui`
-
-**Platforms** (what it's deployed on):
-- `linode` (Linode VM)
-- `proxmox` (Proxmox VM)
-- `lxc` (Proxmox LXC container)
-
-Final targets should be named consistently as `<platform>-<buildtype>`, e.g.:
-
-```
-linode-minimal    proxmox-minimal    lxc-minimal
-linode-nix-cache  proxmox-nix-cache  lxc-nix-cache
-linode-server     proxmox-server     lxc-server
-linode-docker     proxmox-docker     lxc-docker
-linode-pxe-boot   proxmox-pxe-boot   lxc-pxe-boot
-linode-gui        proxmox-gui        lxc-gui
-```
-
-That's the full matrix (18 targets) if every build type applies to every platform.
-See **Open Questions** below — some combinations may not make sense and should be
-confirmed with me before being built out, not silently included or dropped.
-
-## Migration mapping (old → new)
-
-| Old target        | New target                                          | Notes |
-|--------------------|------------------------------------------------------|-------|
-| `linode-minimal`   | `linode-minimal`                                      | Already correct, keep as-is |
-| `nix-minimal`      | likely `proxmox-minimal` or a platform-less base module | Ambiguous — see Open Questions |
-| `nix-cache`        | base module consumed by `linode-nix-cache`, `proxmox-nix-cache`, `lxc-nix-cache` | Currently platform-less; needs to become a build-type module, not a standalone target |
-| `server`           | base module consumed by `linode-server`, `proxmox-server`, `lxc-server` | Same as above |
-| `docker`           | base module consumed by `linode-docker`, `proxmox-docker`, `lxc-docker` | Confirm docker actually makes sense as an LXC/VM guest build vs. a standalone container image — see Open Questions |
-| `pxe-boot`         | TBD — may stay a single target rather than a per-platform one | See Open Questions |
-| `nixos`            | TBD — unclear what this maps to in the new scheme | See Open Questions |
-
-## Open Questions (Claude Code: raise these with me before implementing, don't guess)
-
-1. **`nixos` target** — what is this currently used for (bare metal install, dev
-   shell, template)? It doesn't obviously map to any of the six build types.
-2. **`nix-minimal` vs `linode-minimal`** — are these two different things, or is
-   `nix-minimal` a leftover/duplicate?
-3. **`pxe-boot` and `gui` across all three platforms** — does PXE boot make sense
-   for an LXC container or a cloud VM (Linode), or is it inherently bare-metal/
-   network-boot only and should remain a single non-platform target? Does `gui`
-   make sense inside an LXC container?
-4. **`docker` as a build type** — is this "a NixOS host configured to run Docker"
-   (which would sensibly have linode/proxmox/lxc variants), or "a Docker container
-   image built by the flake" (which wouldn't take a platform prefix at all, since
-   it doesn't run on Linode/Proxmox/LXC as a guest OS)? These are structurally
-   different and change how it should be wired in.
-5. Confirm whether all 18 combinations should actually exist, or whether this is
-   meant to produce only the combinations that are genuinely useful (e.g. maybe no
-   one needs `lxc-pxe-boot`).
-
-## Implementation approach
-
-1. **Inventory first.** Read the current `flake.nix` and any `nixosConfigurations`/
-   `modules` structure. Map every existing target to what module(s) it actually
-   pulls in. Don't assume — confirm against the real file contents.
-2. **Separate build-type and platform into their own module directories**, e.g.:
-   ```
-   modules/build-types/minimal.nix
-   modules/build-types/nix-cache.nix
-   modules/build-types/server.nix
-   modules/build-types/docker.nix
-   modules/build-types/pxe-boot.nix
-   modules/build-types/gui.nix
-
-   modules/platforms/linode.nix
-   modules/platforms/proxmox.nix
-   modules/platforms/lxc.nix
-   ```
-   Build-type modules should contain only what makes a system "minimal" vs
-   "server" vs "gui", etc. Platform modules should contain only what's specific
-   to running as a Linode VM vs Proxmox VM vs LXC container (virtualisation
-   guest tools, boot method, filesystem/image format, LXC-specific constraints
-   like no kernel modules, etc).
-3. **Generate the target matrix programmatically** in `flake.nix` rather than
-   hand-writing 18 near-identical `nixosConfigurations` entries — e.g. a small
-   function that takes a platform name and build-type name, composes the two
-   modules plus any shared base module, and produces the named output. This
-   keeps future build types/platforms a one-line addition rather than a copy-paste
-   job.
-4. **Only build combinations we've confirmed make sense** (see Open Questions) —
-   don't emit all 18 by default if some are structurally invalid.
-5. **Preserve existing working configs during the transition.** Don't delete the
-   old target names until their replacements build successfully — rename/alias
-   at the end, not the start, so there's no window where the flake is broken.
-
-## Verification
-
-For every new target produced:
-```bash
-nix flake check
-nix build .#nixosConfigurations.<target>.config.system.build.toplevel
-```
-Confirm each builds without evaluation errors before considering it done. If a
-target fails to build, report which one and why rather than silently skipping it.
-
-## Deliverables
-
-- Refactored `flake.nix` using the composed module + generated-matrix approach.
-- New `modules/build-types/*.nix` and `modules/platforms/*.nix` files.
-- Old flat target names removed only after their replacements are verified.
-- A short `README.md` (or section in existing docs) listing the final target
-  names and what each one is for.
-- A summary at the end of what changed, what was removed, and any of the Open
-  Questions above that got resolved differently than expected.
-
-## Out of scope
-
-- Don't touch `~/nix-auto-installer` contents beyond checking it for references
-  to the old target names — if changes there are needed, flag them, don't make
-  them without confirming.
-- Don't add new build types or platforms beyond the ones listed here.

flake.nix

@@ -98,6 +98,8 @@
         linode-tailscale-exit-node = mkTarget { platform = "linode"; buildType = "tailscale-exit-node"; hostPath = ./hosts/tailscale-exit-node/host.nix; };
         proxmox-tailscale-exit-node = mkTarget { platform = "proxmox"; buildType = "tailscale-exit-node"; hostPath = ./hosts/tailscale-exit-node/host.nix; };
         lxc-tailscale-exit-node = mkTarget { platform = "lxc"; buildType = "tailscale-exit-node"; hostPath = ./hosts/tailscale-exit-node/host.nix; };
+
+        lxc-tor-relay = mkTarget { platform = "lxc"; buildType = "tor-relay"; hostPath = ./hosts/tor-relay/host.nix; };
       };
 
       # Auto-install environments (migrated from the former nix-auto-installer

hosts/tor-relay/host.nix

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+_:
+
+{
+  networking.hostName = "tor-relay";
+
+  # No networking.hostId: only ZFS-touching hosts (server, docker) need one
+  # for pool-import safety, and this host does neither.
+
+  # A genuinely new host (not a pre-refactor carry-over), so it tracks the
+  # flake's current nixpkgs release rather than being pinned to an older one.
+  system.stateVersion = "26.05";
+}

modules/build-types/tor-relay.nix

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{ ... }:
+
+{
+  imports = [
+    ../tor/enable-relay.nix
+  ];
+}

modules/tor/enable-relay.nix

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+{ pkgs, vars, ... }:
+
+{
+  services.tor = {
+    enable = true;
+
+    # Opens settings.ORPort (and DirPort, unset here) in the firewall —
+    # see the nixpkgs tor module's own networking.firewall.mkIf block.
+    openFirewall = true;
+
+    relay = {
+      enable = true;
+      # Plain middle/guard relay, not "exit" — relays onion traffic between
+      # other Tor nodes without ever making requests to the public internet
+      # on a user's behalf, avoiding the abuse complaints and legal exposure
+      # an exit node invites.
+      role = "relay";
+    };
+
+    settings.ORPort = vars.ports.torRelayOrPort;
+
+    # Unix control socket at /run/tor/control (GroupWritable, group "tor")
+    # -- what nyx below actually monitors the relay through. Nyx's own
+    # default control-socket path (/var/run/tor/control) resolves to the
+    # same place, so no extra nyx config is needed.
+    controlSocket.enable = true;
+  };
+
+  # Lets the primary user's shell session read/write the control socket
+  # above without being root -- otherwise nyx fails to authenticate against
+  # it at all.
+  users.users.${vars.primaryUser}.extraGroups = [ "tor" ];
+
+  environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.nyx ];
+}

remove-sensetive-info-refactor.md

@@ -1,146 +0,0 @@
-# Spec: Remove Sensitive Information from NixOS Flake
-
-## Goal
-
-Every secret currently readable in plaintext anywhere in this repo (working tree *and* git history) gets removed, replaced with `sops-nix`-managed encrypted references, and rotated. When this is done, the repo should be safe to make public without exposing anything about the systems it configures.
-
-Treat this as three sequential milestones. Do not start git history rewriting (Milestone 3) until Milestones 1 and 2 are fully verified and the flake still builds. This should be its own branch (`refactor/secrets`) until fully verified, then merged.
-
----
-
-## Milestone 1 — Audit
-
-Before touching anything, produce a complete inventory. Do not guess at scope — grep the whole tree and the whole history.
-
-1. Run a secret scanner across the working tree and full history. Use both, since they catch different things:
-   - `gitleaks detect --source . -v --log-opts="--all"` (scans history too)
-   - `trufflehog git file://. --since-commit=$(git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD) --only-verified=false`
-   If neither is installed, add them via a temporary `nix-shell -p gitleaks trufflehog` — don't install anything globally on the host.
-
-2. Manually grep for the categories below, since scanners miss config-specific patterns:
-   - `hashedPassword`, `password`, `initialPassword`, `initialHashedPassword` in any `users.users.*` block
-   - `age.secrets`, `sops.secrets` (if any partial secrets work already exists — check for it)
-   - PSK / `preSharedKey`, `privateKeyFile` inline values (vs. file references) for WireGuard
-   - `authKey`, `apiToken`, `api_key`, `token =`, `secret =` in service modules (Tailscale, Cloudflare, backup tools, etc.)
-   - SSH private key material: search for `BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY` / `BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY` literals
-   - TLS cert/key pairs committed under e.g. `secrets/`, `certs/`, `pki/`
-   - Real name, personal email, home address, or anything in comments/hostnames that maps a machine to your physical identity or network layout (e.g. hostnames like `wayne-desktop`, static LAN IPs, ISP-identifying info)
-   - `.env` files, `secrets.nix`, `secrets.yaml`, or any file that looks like it was meant to be gitignored but wasn't
-
-3. Produce `secrets-inventory.md` (temporary, delete before finishing) listing: file path, line, secret type, and which host/service it belongs to. This becomes the checklist for Milestone 2 — every row must be either migrated to sops or deleted, with nothing left unaccounted for.
-
----
-
-## Milestone 2 — Migrate to sops-nix
-
-### 2.1 Set up sops-nix
-
-1. Add the flake input:
-   ```nix
-   sops-nix.url = "github:Mic92/sops-nix";
-   sops-nix.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
-   ```
-2. Import `sops-nix.nixosModules.sops` into each host's module list (or into a shared `common.nix` if all hosts use it).
-3. Generate an age keypair **per host** (not one shared key for everything — a compromised host shouldn't decrypt every other host's secrets):
-   ```
-   nix-shell -p age --run "age-keygen -o /var/lib/sops-nix/key.txt"
-   ```
-   Print the public key (`age-keygen -y`) for each host — you'll need it for `.sops.yaml`.
-4. Also generate one age key for yourself (your admin workstation) so you can edit secrets without needing to SSH into a host: store it at `~/.config/sops/age/keys.txt`, back it up somewhere outside this repo (password manager, offline). **If this key is lost, every secret encrypted with it is unrecoverable — losing the age key is equivalent to losing the secrets.**
-5. Create `.sops.yaml` at the repo root defining creation rules: which age public keys can decrypt which secrets files, keyed by path regex, so e.g. `secrets/hostA.yaml` is decryptable by your admin key + hostA's key, `secrets/hostB.yaml` by your admin key + hostB's key.
-
-### 2.2 Migrate each secret category from the inventory
-
-For each row in `secrets-inventory.md`:
-
-- **Password hashes**: generate hash with `mkpasswd -m sha-512` (or `bcrypt` if your setup wants that), store under `sops.secrets."<name>/hashedPassword"`, reference via `users.users.<name>.hashedPasswordFile = config.sops.secrets."<name>/hashedPassword".path;`. Do not put the *plaintext* password anywhere, only the hash, and only the hash goes into the encrypted sops file.
-- **API tokens / auth keys**: move the raw value into the per-host sops YAML, reference in the module via `config.sops.secrets."<service>/token".path` — most NixOS service modules that take a token also accept a `*File` variant (e.g. `environmentFile`, `tokenFile`); use that instead of passing the value directly.
-- **Private keys / certs**: move the PEM/key content wholesale into a sops secret, output as a file with appropriate `sops.secrets.<name>.path`, `owner`, `mode`, `restartUnits` so the depending service (sshd, wireguard, nginx) reloads when the secret changes.
-- **Personal/identifying info**: this doesn't belong in sops (it's not "secret," it's just information you don't want public). Replace real names/emails with placeholders or move to a small untracked `local.nix` that's `.gitignore`'d and imported conditionally, with a documented template (`local.nix.example`) committed instead.
-
-### 2.3 Verify before moving on
-
-- `nixos-rebuild dry-build --flake .#<host>` succeeds for every host.
-- `sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#<host>` on at least one real machine (or a VM) confirms secrets decrypt and services start.
-- Confirm decrypted secrets land under `/run/secrets/` (not the Nix store — anything placed in `/nix/store` is world-readable by design, so sops-nix's runtime-only placement is the whole point; double check no module accidentally pulls a secret path into a store-built config file).
-- Re-run the grep/scanner sweep from Milestone 1 against the *working tree only* (not history yet) — it should now come back clean.
-
----
-
-## Milestone 3 — Scrub git history
-
-Do this only after Milestone 2 is merged to your main branch and confirmed working, since it rewrites every commit SHA from the point of the earliest offending commit onward.
-
-**This is destructive and irreversible on your local clone. Back up first:**
-```
-cp -r /path/to/nixos-repo /path/to/nixos-repo-backup-$(date +%F)
-```
-
-1. Install `git-filter-repo` (not the older `git filter-branch` / BFG — filter-repo is the currently maintained, faster, safer tool):
-   ```
-   nix-shell -p git-filter-repo
-   ```
-2. Use the `secrets-inventory.md` list to build a list of literal strings/paths to strip. Two approaches, use both:
-   - Path-based: if whole files were secret (e.g. `secrets.nix`, a `.env`, a private key file), remove them entirely from history:
-     ```
-     git filter-repo --path secrets.nix --path .env --invert-paths
-     ```
-   - Value-based: for secrets embedded inline in files you're keeping (not deleting the whole file), use `--replace-text` with a file listing each literal secret string to replace with `***REMOVED***`:
-     ```
-     git filter-repo --replace-text expressions.txt
-     ```
-3. After filtering, verify: run the Milestone 1 scanners again against full history (`--log-opts="--all"`). They must come back clean.
-4. Force-push the rewritten history:
-   ```
-   git push origin --force --all
-   git push origin --force --tags
-   ```
-5. **Every other clone of this repo (other machines, WSL instances, CI) must be deleted and re-cloned fresh** — a `git pull` against rewritten history will not work cleanly and risks resurrecting the old commits. Don't try to reconcile old clones; throw them away and re-clone.
-6. If this repo has ever been pushed to a public host (GitHub, etc.) or a fork/mirror exists, treat every secret that was ever in history as **permanently compromised regardless of the rewrite** — caches, forks, and Wayback-style archives can retain old commits indefinitely. History scrubbing prevents *future* exposure via `git clone`; it does not undo past exposure.
-
----
-
-## Milestone 4 — Rotate everything
-
-Because the secrets were exposed in history (even briefly, even in a private repo), the migration is not complete until every credential in the inventory has been **rotated**, not just re-encrypted. Re-encrypting an already-leaked value protects it going forward but doesn't undo the leak.
-
-For each row in the original inventory:
-- Password hashes → change the actual account password, regenerate the hash, update the sops file.
-- API tokens/auth keys → revoke the old token in the issuing service's dashboard (Cloudflare, Tailscale, backup provider, etc.) and generate a new one.
-- SSH/WireGuard private keys → generate new keypairs, update the corresponding public key wherever it's trusted (authorized_keys, peer configs, etc.), retire the old ones.
-- TLS certs → reissue if the private key was exposed.
-
-Keep `secrets-inventory.md` open during this step and check off each row as rotated. Delete the file only once every row is checked off — it should not be committed.
-
----
-
-## Ongoing prevention
-
-Add a pre-commit hook (or a `nix flake check` step) running `gitleaks protect --staged` so a secret can't be committed again by accident. Document in the repo README (briefly) that new secrets go through `sops <file>` to edit, never as plaintext in a tracked file.
-
----
-
-## Definition of done
-
-**Status as of 2026-07-20:** Milestones 1–3 are done — sops-nix is fully
-wired (`.sops.yaml`, `secrets/*.yaml`, referenced via `hashedPasswordFile`/
-`*File`/`sops.secrets.*.path` throughout), and history has been scrubbed
-with `git-filter-repo` + force-push (this removed a GitHub fine-grained PAT
-that had been committed in plaintext in `flake.nix`/`common/home.nix`
-between 2025-07-16 and 2026-02-09, later migrated to sops but never scrubbed
-from history until now). **Milestone 4 is not confirmed** — whether that PAT
-(or any other historically-plaintext credential) was actually rotated, not
-just re-encrypted, isn't something this repo can attest to; that's an
-operator action against the issuing service (GitHub, etc.), not a repo
-change. Do that before considering this fully closed.
-
-- [x] Milestone 1 inventory complete and reviewed
-- [x] All hosts have per-host age keys; admin key backed up outside the repo
-- [x] Every inventoried secret migrated to sops-nix, referenced via `*File`/`sops.secrets.*.path`, nothing plaintext in the working tree
-- [x] `nixos-rebuild dry-build` and at least one real `switch` verified per host
-- [x] Working-tree scanner sweep clean
-- [x] History rewritten with `git-filter-repo`, force-pushed, full-history scanner sweep clean
-- [ ] All other clones deleted and re-cloned from the rewritten history — every clone that existed before 2026-07-20's rewrite (any other machine, WSL instance, or CI checkout) needs this
-- [ ] Every credential in the original inventory rotated (not just re-encrypted) — **the GitHub PAT found in history specifically still needs this**
-- [x] Pre-commit secret scanning hook added (`.githooks/pre-commit`, `gitleaks protect --staged`)
-- [x] `secrets-inventory.md` deleted from the working directory (never committed)

scripts/codex-setup.sh

@@ -41,6 +41,17 @@ warn-dirty = false
 build-users-group = nixbld
 EOF
 
+    # The official installer's single-user root path still shells out to
+    # `sudo` to create /nix even though it already knows it's running as
+    # root -- confirmed live against a sudo-less minimal Debian/Proxmox
+    # node, where it fails with "sudo: not found" and prints this exact
+    # mkdir/chown as the manual fix. Pre-create it so that branch of the
+    # installer is skipped entirely.
+    if [ ! -d /nix ]; then
+      mkdir -m 0755 /nix
+      chown root /nix
+    fi
+
     sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --no-daemon
   else
     sh <(curl -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --no-daemon

scripts/configure-nix-cache-client.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Points a non-NixOS Debian machine's Nix install at nix-cache: adds it as
+# a substituter (with cache.nixos.org kept as fallback) and, once the
+# remote-builder private key is installed, as a distributed-build machine
+# too.
+#
+# This is the non-NixOS equivalent of modules/nix-cache/client.nix +
+# modules/nix-cache/remote-builder-client.nix -- those two only apply to
+# hosts built from this flake. A plain Debian box with Nix installed
+# (single- or multi-user install, nix-daemon running) has no NixOS module
+# system to pick that config up, so this edits /etc/nix/nix.conf by hand
+# instead. Run this ON the target Debian machine, as root.
+#
+# The values below mirror variables.nix / modules/nix-cache/client.nix in
+# this repo -- update both if nix-cache is ever rebuilt with a new host
+# key or the cache signing key is rotated (see docs/nix-cache.md).
+#
+# Usage:
+#   sudo ./configure-nix-cache-client.sh [--dry-run] [--no-remote-builder] [--no-restart]
+#
+# Env overrides (defaults match variables.nix):
+#   NIX_CACHE_HOST, NIX_CACHE_HOST_KEY, REMOTE_BUILDER_USER, REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+: "${NIX_CACHE_HOST:=nix-cache}"
+: "${NIX_CACHE_HOST_KEY:=ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIHrMKZlIGUd3pH9G3AqbsruqUGjxIXMAZw52u9MwiBCn lxc-nix-cache}"
+: "${REMOTE_BUILDER_USER:=nixremote}"
+: "${REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY:=/root/.ssh/nixremote}"
+
+CACHE_PUB_KEY="cache.local-1:usoWYanY3Kpq2+kDIS2nhWoLZiRxanmdysdzqCFBHW4="
+FALLBACK_URL="https://cache.nixos.org/"
+FALLBACK_PUB_KEY="cache.nixos.org-1:6NCHdD59X431o0gWypbMrAURkbJ16ZPMQFGspcDShjY="
+
+NIX_CONF="/etc/nix/nix.conf"
+KNOWN_HOSTS="/etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts"
+MARKER_BEGIN="# BEGIN nix-cache client config (configure-nix-cache-client.sh)"
+MARKER_END="# END nix-cache client config"
+
+dry_run=0
+with_remote_builder=1
+restart_daemon=1
+
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  case "$arg" in
+    --dry-run) dry_run=1 ;;
+    --no-remote-builder) with_remote_builder=0 ;;
+    --no-restart) restart_daemon=0 ;;
+    -h|--help)
+      sed -n '2,20p' "$0"
+      exit 0
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "ERROR: unknown argument: $arg" >&2
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 0 && "$EUID" -ne 0 ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: must run as root (writes $NIX_CONF and, unless --no-remote-builder, $KNOWN_HOSTS)." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! command -v nix >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "ERROR: no 'nix' binary on PATH -- install the Nix package manager first." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$NIX_CONF" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: $NIX_CONF not found -- expected an existing multi-user Nix install." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+builder_line=""
+if [[ "$with_remote_builder" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  if [[ -f "$REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY" ]]; then
+    case "$(uname -m)" in
+      x86_64) nix_system="x86_64-linux" ;;
+      aarch64) nix_system="aarch64-linux" ;;
+      *)
+        echo "WARNING: unrecognized architecture '$(uname -m)' -- skipping remote builder, keeping substituter config." >&2
+        with_remote_builder=0
+        ;;
+    esac
+    if [[ "$with_remote_builder" -eq 1 ]]; then
+      builder_line="builders = ssh://${REMOTE_BUILDER_USER}@${NIX_CACHE_HOST} ${nix_system} ${REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY} 4 2 big-parallel,kvm,nixos-test,benchmark"
+    fi
+  else
+    echo "WARNING: $REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY not found -- skipping remote builder config (substituter still configured)." >&2
+    echo "  See docs/nix-cache.md 'Remote builder SSH keys' for how to install it, then re-run this script." >&2
+    with_remote_builder=0
+  fi
+fi
+
+block="$(cat <<EOF
+$MARKER_BEGIN
+extra-substituters = http://${NIX_CACHE_HOST} ${FALLBACK_URL}
+extra-trusted-public-keys = ${CACHE_PUB_KEY} ${FALLBACK_PUB_KEY}
+EOF
+)"
+if [[ "$with_remote_builder" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  block="${block}
+builders-use-substitutes = true
+${builder_line}"
+fi
+block="${block}
+$MARKER_END"
+
+echo "== nix.conf block to install =="
+echo "$block"
+echo "================================"
+
+if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  echo "(--dry-run: not writing $NIX_CONF)"
+else
+  tmp_conf="$(mktemp)"
+  trap 'rm -f "$tmp_conf"' EXIT
+
+  if grep -qF "$MARKER_BEGIN" "$NIX_CONF"; then
+    awk -v begin="$MARKER_BEGIN" -v end="$MARKER_END" -v block="$block" '
+      $0 == begin { print block; skip = 1; next }
+      $0 == end   { skip = 0; next }
+      skip        { next }
+      { print }
+    ' "$NIX_CONF" > "$tmp_conf"
+  else
+    cp "$NIX_CONF" "$tmp_conf"
+    printf '\n%s\n' "$block" >> "$tmp_conf"
+  fi
+
+  cp "$NIX_CONF" "${NIX_CONF}.bak.$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)"
+  install -m 0644 "$tmp_conf" "$NIX_CONF"
+  echo "Updated $NIX_CONF (backup saved alongside it)."
+fi
+
+if [[ "$with_remote_builder" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  known_hosts_line="${NIX_CACHE_HOST} ${NIX_CACHE_HOST_KEY}"
+  if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "(--dry-run: would ensure this line is present in $KNOWN_HOSTS)"
+    echo "  $known_hosts_line"
+  else
+    mkdir -p "$(dirname "$KNOWN_HOSTS")"
+    touch "$KNOWN_HOSTS"
+    if ! grep -qF "$known_hosts_line" "$KNOWN_HOSTS" 2>/dev/null; then
+      echo "$known_hosts_line" >> "$KNOWN_HOSTS"
+      echo "Added nix-cache's SSH host key to $KNOWN_HOSTS."
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+
+if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 0 && "$restart_daemon" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  if command -v systemctl >/dev/null 2>&1 && systemctl is-active --quiet nix-daemon 2>/dev/null; then
+    systemctl restart nix-daemon
+    echo "Restarted nix-daemon to pick up the new config."
+  else
+    echo "nix-daemon not managed by systemd (or not running) -- restart it manually to pick up the new config."
+  fi
+fi
+
+cat <<EOF
+
+Done. Verify with:
+  curl http://${NIX_CACHE_HOST}/nix-cache-info
+  nix show-config | grep -E 'substituters|trusted-public-keys|builders'
+EOF
+if [[ "$with_remote_builder" -eq 1 ]]; then
+  cat <<EOF
+  ssh -i ${REMOTE_BUILDER_KEY} ${REMOTE_BUILDER_USER}@${NIX_CACHE_HOST} nix-store --version
+  nix build nixpkgs#hello -L
+EOF
+fi

scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh

@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@
 # existing ones -- the manual workflows in docs/proxmox-images.md (VM) and
 # docs/auto-installer.md's "LXC hosts" section (container), automated.
 #
+# Images are built directly on the Proxmox node (PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR /
+# --remote-repo-dir in scripts/env.sh), not on whatever machine runs this
+# script -- there's no multi-gigabyte image to transfer afterward. The first
+# time a node doesn't have that repo path yet, it's bootstrapped: cloned from
+# this checkout's own `origin` remote, then scripts/codex-setup.sh installs
+# the build tooling (Nix, etc.). Every run after that just `git pull`s it and
+# copies over the locally-managed host-keys/ (gitignored, so a git pull
+# alone wouldn't carry it) before building.
+#
 # Usage:
 #   scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh --type lxc|vm --host <name> [options]
 #   scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh --type lxc|vm --list
@@ -64,11 +73,15 @@ Create mode (default):
                           Refuses to run if this ID already exists.
   --disk-size <GB>           lxc only: rootfs size for \`pct create\`
                               (default: \$PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_DISK_GB, ${PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_DISK_GB}).
-  --image <path>              Use this local image/tarball instead of
-                              checking the node / building one from the flake.
+  --image <path>              Use this local image/tarball (uploaded to the
+                              node via scp) instead of checking the node /
+                              building one there from the flake.
   --force-rebuild                Skip the "does the node already have this
                                   image" check -- always build fresh and
                                   overwrite what's there.
+  --remote-repo-dir <path>       Where this flake repo lives (or gets
+                                  cloned) on the node, and is built from
+                                  (default: \$PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR, ${PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR}).
   --allow-duplicate-host        Required if a VM/CT identified as --host
                                 already exists on the node (checked live via
                                 qm/pct, not any file in this repo) --
@@ -131,6 +144,7 @@ storage="$PROXMOX_STORAGE"
 iso_storage="$PROXMOX_ISO_STORAGE"
 bridge="$PROXMOX_BRIDGE"
 node="$PROXMOX_HOST"
+remote_repo_dir="$PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR"
 do_list=0
 allow_duplicate_host=0
 force_rebuild=0
@@ -151,6 +165,7 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
   --iso-storage) iso_storage="$2"; shift 2 ;;
   --bridge) bridge="$2"; shift 2 ;;
   --node) node="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+  --remote-repo-dir) remote_repo_dir="$2"; shift 2 ;;
   --list) do_list=1; shift ;;
   --allow-duplicate-host) allow_duplicate_host=1; shift ;;
   --force-rebuild) force_rebuild=1; shift ;;
@@ -498,6 +513,99 @@ if [[ "$type" == "lxc" ]]; then
 fi
 remote_path="${remote_dir}/${remote_filename}"
 
+# --- ensure the flake repo (+ tooling) exists on the node, and is current --
+# Bootstraps once (git clone from this checkout's own `origin`, then
+# scripts/codex-setup.sh installs Nix + friends) if ${remote_repo_dir}
+# doesn't exist yet on the node; otherwise just `git pull`s it, so the image
+# built there reflects what's actually committed and pushed. Only called
+# right before an actual remote build below -- reusing an image already on
+# the node, or an explicit --image, never touch the node's checkout at all.
+ensure_remote_repo() {
+  echo
+  echo "==> Ensuring ${remote_repo_dir} exists and is current on ${node}..."
+  if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "[dry-run] would ensure ${remote_repo_dir} exists on ${node} (clone if missing, git pull if present), and would verify/bootstrap build tooling there (scripts/codex-setup.sh) if \`nix\` isn't already on PATH -- and if that bootstrap actually ran, would also configure ${node} as a nix-cache client (scripts/configure-nix-cache-client.sh)"
+    return
+  fi
+
+  if ssh "$ssh_target" "test -d '${remote_repo_dir}/.git'"; then
+    echo "Repo present -- pulling latest..."
+    ssh "$ssh_target" "cd '${remote_repo_dir}' && git pull --ff-only"
+  else
+    local origin_url
+    origin_url="$(git -C "$repo_root" remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [[ -z "$origin_url" ]]; then
+      echo "ERROR: ${remote_repo_dir} doesn't exist on ${node}, and this checkout has no" >&2
+      echo "'origin' remote to clone from. Set one (git remote add origin <url>) or create" >&2
+      echo "${remote_repo_dir} on ${node} yourself (e.g. git clone), then re-run." >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "Not present -- cloning from ${origin_url}..."
+    ssh "$ssh_target" "git clone '${origin_url}' '${remote_repo_dir}'"
+  fi
+
+  # Trivial check, run every time (not just right after a fresh clone) --
+  # confirmed live: a first bootstrap can clone the repo successfully and
+  # still leave the node without a working `nix` (e.g. the node had no
+  # `sudo`, which the Nix installer's root path depends on -- see the fix
+  # in scripts/codex-setup.sh), and a later run with the repo already
+  # present would otherwise never retry it. Sources
+  # scripts/lib/nix-bootstrap.sh's ensure_nix_profile first -- a
+  # single-user Nix install typically only gets sourced into login shells,
+  # and ssh's non-interactive command execution is neither, so a
+  # freshly-installed `nix` still wouldn't be on PATH here without it.
+  #
+  # Just `nix` today -- the only thing the remote build commands below
+  # actually invoke -- but a list (not a single hardcoded check) so a
+  # future remote step needing another tool can add itself here instead of
+  # growing a parallel check.
+  local remote_required_cmds=(nix)
+  local tooling_check_cmd="cd '${remote_repo_dir}' && . scripts/lib/nix-bootstrap.sh && ensure_nix_profile"
+  local cmd
+  for cmd in "${remote_required_cmds[@]}"; do
+    tooling_check_cmd="${tooling_check_cmd} && command -v ${cmd}"
+  done
+
+  if ssh "$ssh_target" "$tooling_check_cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Build tooling already present on ${node}."
+  else
+    echo "==> Bootstrapping build tooling on ${node} (scripts/codex-setup.sh)..."
+    ssh "$ssh_target" "cd '${remote_repo_dir}' && bash scripts/codex-setup.sh"
+
+    # Only on this first-time bootstrap, not every run -- a node that
+    # already has tooling either already went through this once, or had
+    # it configured some other way, and re-running is harmless but
+    # pointless. Non-fatal: this only makes the node's own builds faster
+    # (substitute from nix-cache instead of building from source) and
+    # offloadable to it as a remote builder -- worth trying, not worth
+    # aborting the image build over if nix-cache happens to be down right
+    # now. Needs ensure_nix_profile first, same as the tooling_check_cmd
+    # above -- ssh's non-interactive command execution won't have picked
+    # up a freshly single-user-installed `nix` otherwise.
+    echo "==> Configuring ${node} as a nix-cache substituter/remote-builder client..."
+    if ! ssh "$ssh_target" "cd '${remote_repo_dir}' && . scripts/lib/nix-bootstrap.sh && ensure_nix_profile && bash scripts/configure-nix-cache-client.sh"; then
+      echo "WARNING: configure-nix-cache-client.sh failed on ${node} -- continuing without it (${node} will build from source / against cache.nixos.org only)." >&2
+    fi
+  fi
+}
+
+# --- sync locally-managed host-keys/ to the node ---------------------------
+# Gitignored (see .gitignore), so `git pull` above never carries it -- both
+# build paths need it present as NIXOS_HOST_KEYS_DIR / --pre-format-files
+# input on the node itself now that the build runs there. scp (not rsync,
+# not already a dependency anywhere else in this repo) mirrors how this
+# script already transfers the --image case below.
+sync_remote_host_keys() {
+  echo
+  echo "==> Syncing host-keys/ to ${node}..."
+  if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "[dry-run] would copy ${repo_root}/host-keys/ to ${ssh_target}:${remote_repo_dir}/host-keys/"
+    return
+  fi
+  ssh "$ssh_target" "mkdir -p '${remote_repo_dir}/host-keys'"
+  scp -pr "${repo_root}/host-keys/." "${ssh_target}:${remote_repo_dir}/host-keys/"
+}
+
 # --- build (or reuse an image already on the node) ------------------------
 echo
 local_image=""
@@ -514,7 +622,7 @@ else
   if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
     echo "[dry-run] would check: ssh ${ssh_target} -- test -f ${remote_path}"
   elif ssh "$ssh_target" "test -f '${remote_path}'" 2>/dev/null; then
-    echo "Found it -- reusing, skipping build and upload (use --force-rebuild to override)."
+    echo "Found it -- reusing, skipping build (use --force-rebuild to override)."
     image_already_remote=1
   else
     echo "Not found -- will build."
@@ -522,69 +630,131 @@ else
 fi
 
 if [[ "$image_already_remote" -eq 0 && -z "$local_image" ]]; then
-  # Mirrors the real build commands' "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" below -- nix_extra_opts
-  # (called earlier, once) has already decided whether nix-cache is in play,
-  # and the dry-run preview needs to reflect that decision instead of always
-  # printing the same command regardless of outcome.
+  ensure_remote_repo
+  sync_remote_host_keys
+
+  # Relayed into the remote build below exactly as decided by the local
+  # nix_extra_opts call earlier in this script -- that decision (whether
+  # nix-cache is reachable) is made once, locally, same as it always has
+  # been; only *where* the resulting "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" gets used as a `nix
+  # build` flag moves to the node. NIX_EXTRA_OPTS is already a %q-quoted
+  # string built for exactly this eval-based reconstruction (see env.sh).
   nix_opts_display=""
   if [[ ${#NIX_OPTS[@]} -gt 0 ]]; then
     printf -v nix_opts_display '%q ' "${NIX_OPTS[@]}"
     nix_opts_display=" ${nix_opts_display% }"
   fi
+
   if [[ "$type" == "lxc" ]]; then
     if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
-      echo "[dry-run] would build: NIXOS_HOST_KEYS_DIR=${repo_root}/host-keys nix build --impure \\"
+      echo "[dry-run] would build on ${node}: NIXOS_HOST_KEYS_DIR=\$(pwd)/host-keys nix build --impure \\"
       echo "[dry-run]   --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config${nix_opts_display} \\"
       echo "[dry-run]   .#nixosConfigurations.${flake_target}.config.system.build.tarball"
+      echo "[dry-run] would stage the result at ${remote_path}"
       local_image="<built-tarball>"
     else
-      echo "==> Building LXC tarball for ${flake_target}..."
-      NIXOS_HOST_KEYS_DIR="${repo_root}/host-keys" nix build --impure \
-        --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" \
-        ".#nixosConfigurations.${flake_target}.config.system.build.tarball" \
-        --out-link "${repo_root}/result-${flake_target}"
-      local_image="$(find "${repo_root}/result-${flake_target}/tarball" -maxdepth 1 -type f | head -1)"
-      echo "Built: ${local_image}"
+      echo "==> Building LXC tarball for ${flake_target} on ${node}..."
+      # Built as a single already-%q-quoted command string, not separate ssh
+      # argv elements -- ssh joins remote command args with plain spaces and
+      # hands the result to the remote shell to re-split, which would
+      # otherwise scatter NIX_EXTRA_OPTS (itself several space-separated,
+      # %q-quoted tokens) across the wrong positional parameters below.
+      printf -v remote_cmd 'bash -s -- %q %q %q %q %q' \
+        "$remote_repo_dir" "$flake_target" "$remote_dir" "$remote_filename" "$NIX_EXTRA_OPTS"
+      ssh "$ssh_target" "$remote_cmd" <<'REMOTE_SCRIPT'
+set -euo pipefail
+repo_dir="$1"; target="$2"; dest_dir="$3"; dest_name="$4"; nix_extra_opts_str="$5"
+declare -a NIX_OPTS=()
+[[ -n "$nix_extra_opts_str" ]] && eval "NIX_OPTS=(${nix_extra_opts_str})"
+cd "$repo_dir"
+# A single-user Nix install only gets sourced into login shells; this ssh
+# session is neither, so `nix` wouldn't otherwise be on PATH here even
+# right after a successful install.
+. scripts/lib/nix-bootstrap.sh
+ensure_nix_profile
+NIXOS_HOST_KEYS_DIR="$(pwd)/host-keys" nix build --impure \
+  --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" \
+  ".#nixosConfigurations.${target}.config.system.build.tarball" \
+  --out-link "result-${target}"
+built="$(find "result-${target}/tarball" -maxdepth 1 -type f | head -1)"
+if [[ -z "$built" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: no tarball found under result-${target}/tarball after build." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+mkdir -p "$dest_dir"
+cp "$built" "${dest_dir}/${dest_name}"
+echo "Built and staged: ${dest_dir}/${dest_name}"
+REMOTE_SCRIPT
+      local_image="$remote_path"
+      echo "Built on ${node}: ${remote_path}"
     fi
   else
+    # PROXMOX_SSH_USER defaults to root (env.sh), which needs no sudo and
+    # can't assume it's even installed on a minimal node -- only shell out
+    # through sudo when actually running as a non-root SSH user.
+    sudo_prefix="sudo"
+    sudo_display="sudo "
+    if [[ "$PROXMOX_SSH_USER" == "root" ]]; then
+      sudo_prefix=""
+      sudo_display=""
+    fi
     if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
-      echo "[dry-run] would build: nix build --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config${nix_opts_display} \\"
+      echo "[dry-run] would build on ${node}: nix build --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config${nix_opts_display} \\"
       echo "[dry-run]   .#nixosConfigurations.${flake_target}.config.system.build.diskoImagesScript"
-      echo "[dry-run] would run:   sudo ./result-${flake_target} \\"
+      echo "[dry-run] would run:   ${sudo_display}./result-${flake_target} \\"
       echo "[dry-run]                --pre-format-files host-keys/${flake_target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key \\"
       echo "[dry-run]                --pre-format-files host-keys/${flake_target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub \\"
       echo "[dry-run]                --build-memory 2048"
+      echo "[dry-run] would stage the result at ${remote_path}"
       local_image="<built-image>.raw"
     else
-      echo "==> Building Disko image script for ${flake_target}..."
-      nix build --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" \
-        ".#nixosConfigurations.${flake_target}.config.system.build.diskoImagesScript" \
-        --out-link "${repo_root}/result-${flake_target}"
-      echo "==> Running it (builds the .raw image in a temporary QEMU VM, needs sudo)..."
-      ( cd "$repo_root" && sudo "./result-${flake_target}" \
-          --pre-format-files "host-keys/${flake_target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key" /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key \
-          --pre-format-files "host-keys/${flake_target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub" /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub \
-          --build-memory 2048 )
-      local_image="$(find "$repo_root" -maxdepth 1 -name "*.raw" -newer "${repo_root}/result-${flake_target}" | head -1)"
-      if [[ -z "$local_image" ]]; then
-        echo "ERROR: expected a .raw image after the build but didn't find one in ${repo_root}." >&2
-        exit 1
-      fi
-      echo "Built: ${local_image}"
+      echo "==> Building Disko image for ${flake_target} on ${node}..."
+      # See the LXC branch above for why this is one %q-quoted command
+      # string rather than separate ssh argv elements.
+      printf -v remote_cmd 'bash -s -- %q %q %q %q %q %q' \
+        "$remote_repo_dir" "$flake_target" "$remote_dir" "$remote_filename" "$NIX_EXTRA_OPTS" "$sudo_prefix"
+      ssh "$ssh_target" "$remote_cmd" <<'REMOTE_SCRIPT'
+set -euo pipefail
+repo_dir="$1"; target="$2"; dest_dir="$3"; dest_name="$4"; nix_extra_opts_str="$5"; sudo_prefix="$6"
+declare -a NIX_OPTS=()
+[[ -n "$nix_extra_opts_str" ]] && eval "NIX_OPTS=(${nix_extra_opts_str})"
+cd "$repo_dir"
+. scripts/lib/nix-bootstrap.sh
+ensure_nix_profile
+nix build --no-use-registries --no-accept-flake-config "${NIX_OPTS[@]}" \
+  ".#nixosConfigurations.${target}.config.system.build.diskoImagesScript" \
+  --out-link "result-${target}"
+$sudo_prefix "./result-${target}" \
+  --pre-format-files "host-keys/${target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key" /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key \
+  --pre-format-files "host-keys/${target}_ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub" /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub \
+  --build-memory 2048
+built="$(find . -maxdepth 1 -name '*.raw' -newer "result-${target}" | head -1)"
+if [[ -z "$built" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: no .raw image found in ${repo_dir} after build." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+mkdir -p "$dest_dir"
+mv "$built" "${dest_dir}/${dest_name}"
+echo "Built and staged: ${dest_dir}/${dest_name}"
+REMOTE_SCRIPT
+      local_image="$remote_path"
+      echo "Built on ${node}: ${remote_path}"
     fi
   fi
 fi
 
-# --- upload (skip entirely if reusing an image already on the node) ------
+# --- upload -- only for an explicit --image; a build above stages its
+# result directly at ${remote_path} on the node already, and reusing an
+# image already on the node needs nothing transferred either. ------------
 echo
-if [[ "$image_already_remote" -eq 1 ]]; then
-  : # nothing to upload
-elif [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
-  echo "[dry-run] would upload: scp ${local_image} ${ssh_target}:${remote_path}"
-else
-  echo "==> Uploading to ${node}:${remote_path}..."
-  ssh "$ssh_target" "mkdir -p ${remote_dir}"
-  scp "$local_image" "${ssh_target}:${remote_path}"
+if [[ -n "$image" ]]; then
+  if [[ "$dry_run" -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "[dry-run] would upload: scp ${local_image} ${ssh_target}:${remote_path}"
+  else
+    echo "==> Uploading to ${node}:${remote_path}..."
+    ssh "$ssh_target" "mkdir -p ${remote_dir}"
+    scp "$local_image" "${ssh_target}:${remote_path}"
+  fi
 fi
 
 # --- create -----------------------------------------------------------------

scripts/env.sh

@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@
 : "${PROXMOX_HOST:=pve.sweet.home}"
 : "${PROXMOX_SSH_USER:=root}"
 
+# Where this flake repo lives on the Proxmox node itself.
+# scripts/create-proxmox-resource.sh builds images directly on the node
+# instead of transferring them over the network -- it clones the repo here
+# (from this checkout's own `origin` remote) the first time it doesn't
+# find it, installing build tooling via scripts/codex-setup.sh, then
+# `git pull`s it before every subsequent build.
+: "${PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR:=/root/nixos}"
+
 # Storage pool names -- Proxmox's own stock-install defaults, but this
 # varies a lot by setup (ZFS pool name, custom LVM-thin volume, etc.).
 # Verify with `pvesm status` on the node and correct these if wrong.
@@ -57,7 +65,8 @@
 
 export PROXMOX_HOST PROXMOX_SSH_USER PROXMOX_STORAGE PROXMOX_ISO_STORAGE \
   PROXMOX_BRIDGE PROXMOX_DEFAULT_CORES PROXMOX_DEFAULT_MEMORY_MB \
-  PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_DISK_GB PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_FEATURES
+  PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_DISK_GB PROXMOX_DEFAULT_LXC_FEATURES \
+  PROXMOX_REMOTE_REPO_DIR
 
 # Matches variables.nix's nixCacheHost -- update both if it ever changes.
 : "${NIX_CACHE_HOST:=nix-cache}"

secrets/nix-cache.yaml

@@ -4,31 +4,31 @@ sops:
     age:
         - enc: |
             -----BEGIN AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
-            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSBmOHlPcGZvN3o5aEZCcFdz
-            WlYydFdoQ0ZHbElMdTRkZWljMmoxTHZqNjJZCnE3cmgzKzZya3FROEczbHVveDND
-            VnEzRW12cnRKdzhkZm5uTXpkTEtrNUEKLS0tIHFDbkc4Mk4wVlM2R29zZXYwR2Ri
-            ODBML1p4eUZiZldYUERQTUhTU1llV0UKxjvH6zbW6wKghzR1o34CyKPEa2FqZmo0
-            PxgqyuXkIwas9soXVAkScx7ElaV09Fjaj+mDrKwi4a+DwdoSP7czyA==
+            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSBPWE1HTUhiSUp5ZEUwWEpI
+            bGpkZlBIMUo5ZlYrQ09SN3Q1a0ZkQ0ZnOEhVCnJPNEZQenVWWGZiODlzQzNEc1Zq
+            c3l4OWZJTElJc2Y2UE15OGtEUzhyY1EKLS0tIHNJUStyWnlQWjZBbEZjQ3UwdUpz
+            ZndoUDR6bisrNGJCUHk3TGI4bTZaMFUK87fFsm9ne9s+PK2pcwtrDjqyGBss2r2E
+            8lhqoeiKZ2j96z8kP/7ChzovwTCmqdcmAQuyNQD+ZAFijseipSvfbQ==
             -----END AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
           recipient: age1njap586hc0q43kr03g6c8eqhdsmk8zcafkl3f83xwlc2gqhlmfgs4tmwad
         - enc: |
             -----BEGIN AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
-            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSB0VDBXYUZNbnpEZHlqV05C
-            WWxQZjVYcWlZeXlGc0RiaUpERzR0T21CWWtBCkM0dW5kYlFNK1RGSzRudFZ2Z0t3
-            aVBreElGM1BIT0RzQkxTVTA3S2NhQncKLS0tIERyTU8zWWRTRm95SmRZQ1BhalVV
-            SVdBajN1V1BuM2s4K216S3c0VHczNlkKM5jvsSEfCBA5uZRjBJNbM91lLRQkj+jK
-            rM5uSfGLTvSjPgXIMIq03OXxH1CE7GoKxAPwFrJdAFMMQcutIethhw==
+            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSBUYi9SRFFGV3Z6cFd2Znk5
+            b2FLbWtzTllJMDBUaGk0NTViOTNBa2hQclVZClZHKzNhbGVjQUJhWkFWdTFBMG5a
+            cUFJdUdyVG5HQXJRRnJId3hqRTN2cXMKLS0tIEFMRjh3WE1ON0U2TTNTZ3hxMTR4
+            ZGRlemlIbDZKeExmVHROc3Eyak5DdzQKaLwIVDi6BN4cxpVxJoqTYvJETPOp4thc
+            l9uVMvIGuEsEZgDsvShw1dYLljd+uGy/A+dXbcxIUCP/mmPkwmd1Pw==
             -----END AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
           recipient: age120le4a5l8dh3lyfgvmj3d9ksmej6ajs5mer5y7r0vfg3x9fn69dqf8xgzu
         - enc: |
             -----BEGIN AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
-            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSAvbk9tRE9jYkpxNThQeElH
-            dWpKYThDb1ZkUWtMWlRxc2tYbjhBbEFEcWtVCkNiK0NBRko2TkJQdUVtdGtHNGcv
-            andSaUlKSFA4THRyZXNTYmI0Yk5WbmsKLS0tIHlQTUtpWDdPeTVZL0M1RElRdFNk
-            QWlGdFo5NkZWSmY0YXdpNzNUQnlsK3MKtzC0bM7Ek+K73nMranOA1Mc98RUnYnq1
-            hAt0QEFKWK4QVKubaN/rG3AzE0U7qPKWHTzoxgnAiL3WyV9teLW+iA==
+            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSArOWovSW9DeFpxL0VDUDQ3
+            SHUwTzJVZUtPV01ZRkdCUXZGL2lTRCtCNFNnCjBSNExqRW5mTEN5SFVucHJHSzZt
+            cDlNc3BjY3M1c1k1Z2tkVEg4R1pacGsKLS0tIEFWbHNKZW0vbVh1Y2VhQW93OUwx
+            MWV0eW9sOXdQd0l2ZjlWOEVVc1dwcTgK2s4p9xoNkawH2OkGsl80bNIo3ad5vn4W
+            Z2w+jwppSoUmbQnD3WFbLmSSxmuobmU8HILwElv6SZu+KE3aspF6XA==
             -----END AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
-          recipient: age164px2a8e48ptsf9ngtan38aa6jls4jdl26mzrgzf6sn3vcvt49hqjrgr8w
+          recipient: age1xjst4frdh0th6q8m7p7u9g5af7ty5jqeum0p6z8a52a9q7st7ewqw8yl9j
     lastmodified: "2026-07-19T23:30:21Z"
     mac: ENC[AES256_GCM,data:kLGE2xawQT7mx+sfw68hmGk5nCEGiEjZrqTEl9B1dtQmTrMwmoVr/1RISi4LfJrwxy31mDgff4lcIL4wIJuM373uk3X8j4RNyYQNTfKEkORT6r8NHeepNs267O77pKGd7OmcM4MT/BqOnB8ELS7Wlf2ect7CAlvUUVyc8icxgZE=,iv:EYLDsHYHZ1XOQXafOTqHHWpk/OBNq/R6IJnOBYV33E4=,tag:thxrCPC5oGvDjhK7Dz87YA==,type:str]
     unencrypted_suffix: _unencrypted

variables.nix

@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@
     "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIIGtOWOCS+ImHc7NehguoyD7PbonGosKMZqc9+QR3v/h root@nixos"
     "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIHxXTQxFnArK5HXG7czeoybZebCGfxpUdusJkPn+BCSp root@server"
     "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAICMJhrfFayLBG+gWtO6oAvgambw5nWWgztiTFEaaaVRH debian@surface"
+    "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIJEj26SL/emsVjW2YhRucJVp2kTz8WgcEQgjBEBLRikk root@claude"
   ];
 
   # Admin SSH public key, authorized on the primary user of every host and
@@ -137,6 +138,14 @@
     # shortcuts on the gui build type (hosts/nixos/home.nix).
     pveWeb = 8006;
     pbsWeb = 8007;
+
+    # Tor relay's ORPort — the port other Tor relays connect to for onion
+    # routing traffic (modules/tor/enable-relay.nix). Tor's own conventional
+    # default; opened via services.tor.openFirewall rather than
+    # networking.firewall.allowedTCPPorts directly, but kept here anyway so
+    # it's not a bare literal duplicated between the relay's settings and
+    # anything else that ever needs to reference it.
+    torRelayOrPort = 9001;
   };
 
   # .raw disk image size for every proxmox-* host's standalone Disko image