Newest Nixos Unstable fails to switch root

[th3voic3]

Hi,

after the most recent nixos unstable updates and updating my flake to it my system fails to boot after rebuilding with this message:

My workaround is then to reboot once into an older generation before the updates, which populates everything again and then disabling wiping the btrfs subvolume.

Unfortunately I don't get any logs in journalctl for the failed boots and an emergency console is frozen as soon as the error appears.

This is my flake:

  description = "Nixos config flake";

  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    impermanence.url = "github:nix-community/impermanence";
    stylix.url = "github:danth/stylix";
    lanzaboote = {
      url = "github:nix-community/lanzaboote";
      #url = "github:nix-community/lanzaboote/v0.4.1";

      # Optional but recommended to limit the size of your system closure.
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
    agenix.url = "github:ryantm/agenix";
    nvf.url = "github:notashelf/nvf";

    home-manager = {
      url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    };
    hyprpanel = {
      url = "github:Jas-SinghFSU/HyprPanel";
    };
    hyprland-qtutils = {
      url = "github:hyprwm/hyprland-qtutils";
    };
  };

  outputs = {
    self,
    nixpkgs,
    impermanence,
    lanzaboote,
    stylix,
    agenix,
    hyprland-qtutils,
    nvf,
    ...
  } @ inputs: let
    system = "x86_64-linux";
  in {
    nixosConfigurations.serenity = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      specialArgs = {
        inherit inputs;
        inherit system;
      };
      modules = [
        ./hosts/serenity/configuration.nix
        ./modules/nixos/base
        ./modules/nixos/desktop
        ./modules/nixos/optional/vfio
        ./modules/nixos/optional/btrfs.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/cooler.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/serenitybackupnas.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/nvidia_open.nix
        nvf.nixosModules.default
        impermanence.nixosModules.impermanence
        agenix.nixosModules.default
        {
          environment.systemPackages = [agenix.packages.${system}.default];
        }
        inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default

        stylix.nixosModules.stylix
        {nixpkgs.overlays = [inputs.hyprpanel.overlay];}
        lanzaboote.nixosModules.lanzaboote
        ({
          pkgs,
          lib,
          ...
        }: {
          boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = lib.mkForce false;

          boot.lanzaboote = {
            enable = true;
            pkiBundle = "/var/lib/sbctl";
          };
        })
      ];
    };
    nixosConfigurations.shuttle = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      specialArgs = {
        inherit inputs;
        inherit system;
      };
      modules = [
        ./hosts/shuttle/configuration.nix
        ./modules/nixos/base
        ./modules/nixos/desktop
        ./modules/nixos/desktop/wireless.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/btrfs.nix
        nvf.nixosModules.default
        impermanence.nixosModules.impermanence
        agenix.nixosModules.default
        {
          environment.systemPackages = [agenix.packages.${system}.default];
        }
        inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default
        stylix.nixosModules.stylix
        lanzaboote.nixosModules.lanzaboote
        {nixpkgs.overlays = [inputs.hyprpanel.overlay];}
        ({
          pkgs,
          lib,
          ...
        }: {
          boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = lib.mkForce false;

          boot.lanzaboote = {
            enable = true;
            pkiBundle = "/var/lib/sbctl";
          };
        })
      ];
    };
    nixosConfigurations.battleblock = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      specialArgs = {
        inherit inputs;
        inherit system;
      };
      modules = [
        ./hosts/battleblock/configuration.nix
        ./modules/nixos/base
        ./modules/nixos/server
        ./modules/nixos/server/wordpress.nix
        ./modules/nixos/server/daniel.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/btrfs.nix
        ./modules/nixos/optional/nvidia.nix
        nvf.nixosModules.default
        impermanence.nixosModules.impermanence
        agenix.nixosModules.default
        {
          environment.systemPackages = [agenix.packages.${system}.default];
        }
        inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default
        lanzaboote.nixosModules.lanzaboote
        ({
          pkgs,
          lib,
          ...
        }: {
          boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = lib.mkForce false;

          boot.lanzaboote = {
            enable = true;
            pkiBundle = "/var/lib/sbctl";
          };
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

[alfarelcynthesis]

You can work around this by creating a /persist/usr/path directory/file which gets linked to your actual filesystem by impermanence (so that /usr/ is "populated" for systemd), but it should probably get an actual fix at some point.

I don't personally use lanzaboote, but I remember it also having some issue with the systemd v257 update, make sure that input is up-to-date too/check out their repo.

[th3voic3]

@alfarelcynthesis
Thanks a lot. That's a great workaround.