I cannot get keyd working despite following the NixOS guide. I’m 2 days into NixOS and pulling my hair out over this. I’ve sunk maybe 8 hours into it.
Here is my configuration.nix.
# Edit this configuration file to define what should be installed on
# your system. Help is available in the configuration.nix(5) man page
# and in the NixOS manual (accessible by running ‘nixos-help’).
{ config, pkgs, ... }:
{
imports =
[ # Include the results of the hardware scan.
./hardware-configuration.nix
];
# Bootloader.
boot.loader.systemd-boot.enable = true;
boot.loader.efi.canTouchEfiVariables = true;
networking.hostName = <REMOVED>; # Define your hostname.
# networking.wireless.enable = true; # Enables wireless support via wpa_supplicant.
# Configure network proxy if necessary
# networking.proxy.default = "http://user:password@proxy:port/";
# networking.proxy.noProxy = "127.0.0.1,localhost,internal.domain";
# Enable networking
networking.networkmanager.enable = true;
# Set your time zone.
time.timeZone = <REMOVED>;
# Select internationalisation properties.
i18n.defaultLocale = <REMOVED>;
i18n.extraLocaleSettings = <REMOVED>;
# Configure keymap in X11
services.xserver.xkb = {
layout = "us";
variant = "";
};
# Ly
services.displayManager.ly = {
enable = true;
settings = {
shutdown_key = "F1";
restart_key = "F2";
brightness_down_key = "F3";
brightness_up_key = "F4";
hide_version_string = true;
};
};
# Fish
programs.fish.enable = true;
# Define a user account. Don't forget to set a password with ‘passwd’.
users.users.<REMOVED> = {
isNormalUser = true;
description = <REMOVED>;
extraGroups = [ "networkmanager" "wheel" ];
packages = with pkgs; [];
shell = pkgs.fish;
};
# Allow unfree packages
nixpkgs.config.allowUnfree = true;
# List packages installed in system profile. To search, run:
# $ nix search wget
environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
alacritty
copyq
element-desktop
fastfetch
firefox
fish
fuzzel
git
keyd
neovim
niri
nodejs
python314
rofi
swaylock
texliveFull
tree
vsce
vscodium
waybar
wget
yazi
];
# XDG portal
xdg.portal.enable = true;
# Niri
programs.niri.enable = true;
# Keyd
services.keyd = {
enable = true;
keyboards.default = {
ids = [ "*" ];
# Maps capslock to escape when pressed and control when held.
settings.main.capslock = "overload(meta, esc)";
# Remaps the escape key to capslock
settings.main.esc = "capslock";
# Disables the left meta key
settings.main.leftmeta = "noop";
};
};
# Waybar
# programs.waybar.enable = true;
# Some programs need SUID wrappers, can be configured further or are
# started in user sessions.
# programs.mtr.enable = true;
# programs.gnupg.agent = {
# enable = true;
# enableSSHSupport = true;
# };
# List services that you want to enable:
# Enable the OpenSSH daemon.
# services.openssh.enable = true;
# Open ports in the firewall.
# networking.firewall.allowedTCPPorts = [ ... ];
# networking.firewall.allowedUDPPorts = [ ... ];
# Or disable the firewall altogether.
# networking.firewall.enable = false;
# This value determines the NixOS release from which the default
# settings for stateful data, like file locations and database versions
# on your system were taken. It‘s perfectly fine and recommended to leave
# this value at the release version of the first install of this system.
# Before changing this value read the documentation for this option
# (e.g. man configuration.nix or on https://nixos.org/nixos/options.html).
system.stateVersion = "25.11"; # Did you read the comment?
}
When I build the system I get the following warning.
warning: the following units failed: keyd.service
● keyd.service - Keyd remapping daemon
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/keyd.service; enabled; preset: ignored)
Active: activating (auto-restart) (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2026-02-25 12:47:53 CET; 64ms ago
Invocation: b8e95ae2f5ab42cd888d8a5482c08c4d
Docs: man:keyd(1)
Process: 40919 ExecStart=/nix/store/apzpq5i83y8knkjliqhkah52awd8776m-keyd-2.5.0/bin/keyd (code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION)
Main PID: 40919 (code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION)
IP: 0B in, 0B out
IO: 0B read, 0B written
Mem peak: 3M
CPU: 33ms
Command 'systemd-run -E LOCALE_ARCHIVE -E NIXOS_INSTALL_BOOTLOADER --collect --no-ask-password --pipe --quiet --service-type=exec --unit=nixos-rebuild-switch-to-configuration /nix/store/x651my3zvca1gjydnvbyfa44pbdfi4zw-nixos-system-<REMOVED>-eb630-25.11.6220.6d41bc27aaf7/bin/switch-to-configuration switch' returned non-zero exit status 4.
Here is the status of the service.
$ sudo systemctl status keyd
× keyd.service - Keyd remapping daemon
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/keyd.service; enabled; preset: ignored)
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2026-02-25 13:07:34 CET; 11s ago
Duration: 303ms
Invocation: 93ffebc79da342eba8179b84d95a7487
Docs: man:keyd(1)
Process: 42971 ExecStart=/nix/store/apzpq5i83y8knkjliqhkah52awd8776m-keyd-2.5.0/bin/keyd (code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION)
Main PID: 42971 (code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION)
IP: 0B in, 0B out
IO: 0B read, 0B written
Mem peak: 2.5M
CPU: 29ms
feb 25 13:07:34 <REMOVED> systemd[1]: keyd.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
feb 25 13:07:34 <REMOVED> systemd[1]: keyd.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
feb 25 13:07:34 <REMOVED> systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:07:34 <REMOVED> systemd[1]: Failed to start Keyd remapping daemon.
Here is the journalctl output.
feb 25 13:11:59 keyd[43682]: WARNING: failed to set effective group to "keyd" (make sure the group exists)
feb 25 13:11:59 kernel: input: keyd virtual keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input71
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd-timesyncd[577]: Contacted time server 131.180.14.10:123 (1.nixos.pool.ntp.org).
feb 25 13:11:59 keyd[43682]: opendir: Permission denied
feb 25 13:11:59 kernel: input: keyd virtual pointer as /devices/virtual/input/input72
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd-logind[953]: Watching system buttons on /dev/input/event15 (keyd virtual keyboard)
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 2.
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd[1]: Started Keyd remapping daemon.
feb 25 13:11:59 keyd[43690]: WARNING: failed to set effective group to "keyd" (make sure the group exists)
feb 25 13:11:59 kernel: input: keyd virtual keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input73
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd-timesyncd[577]: Contacted time server 131.180.14.10:123 (1.nixos.pool.ntp.org).
feb 25 13:11:59 keyd[43690]: opendir: Permission denied
feb 25 13:11:59 kernel: input: keyd virtual pointer as /devices/virtual/input/input74
feb 25 13:11:59 systemd-logind[953]: Watching system buttons on /dev/input/event15 (keyd virtual keyboard)
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 3.
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: Started Keyd remapping daemon.
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd-timesyncd[577]: Contacted time server 131.180.14.10:123 (1.nixos.pool.ntp.org).
feb 25 13:12:00 keyd[43699]: WARNING: failed to set effective group to "keyd" (make sure the group exists)
feb 25 13:12:00 kernel: input: keyd virtual keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input75
feb 25 13:12:00 keyd[43699]: opendir: Permission denied
feb 25 13:12:00 kernel: input: keyd virtual pointer as /devices/virtual/input/input76
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd-logind[953]: Watching system buttons on /dev/input/event15 (keyd virtual keyboard)
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 4.
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd[1]: Started Keyd remapping daemon.
feb 25 13:12:00 keyd[43707]: WARNING: failed to set effective group to "keyd" (make sure the group exists)
feb 25 13:12:00 kernel: input: keyd virtual keyboard as /devices/virtual/input/input77
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd-timesyncd[577]: Contacted time server 131.180.14.10:123 (1.nixos.pool.ntp.org).
feb 25 13:12:00 keyd[43707]: opendir: Permission denied
feb 25 13:12:00 kernel: input: keyd virtual pointer as /devices/virtual/input/input78
feb 25 13:12:00 systemd-logind[953]: Watching system buttons on /dev/input/event15 (keyd virtual keyboard)
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=255/EXCEPTION
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: keyd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
feb 25 13:12:01 systemd[1]: Failed to start Keyd remapping daemon.
Please help 
I would really like to get keyd working so please do not just say “use katana” or some other tool.