add a bootc target

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -313,6 +313,7 @@ jobs:
         distro:
           - ubuntu-v22_04
           - ubuntu-v24_04
+          - fedora-v42-bootc
     steps:
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v6

README.md

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ curl -sSfL https://artifacts.nixos.org/nix-installer | sh -s -- install
 | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------: | :---------: | :---------------: |
 | Linux (`x86_64` and `aarch64`)                                       | ✓ (via [systemd]) |      ✓      |      Stable       |
 | MacOS (`x86_64` and `aarch64`)                                       |         ✓         |             | Stable (see note) |
+| ostree (Fedora Silverblue, etc.)                                     | ✓ (via [systemd]) |      ✓      |      Stable       |
+| [bootc] container images                                             | ✓ (via [systemd]) |      ✓      |      Stable       |
 | [Valve Steam Deck][steam-deck] (SteamOS)                             |         ✓         |             |      Stable       |
 | [Windows Subsystem for Linux][wsl] 2 (WSL2) (`x86_64` and `aarch64`) | ✓ (via [systemd]) |      ✓      |      Stable       |
 | [Podman] Linux containers                                            | ✓ (via [systemd]) |      ✓      |      Stable       |
@@ -205,6 +207,48 @@ podman rmi $IMAGE
 With some container tools, such as [Docker], you can omit `sandbox = false`.
 Omitting this will negatively impact compatibility with container tools like [Podman].
 
+### On ostree-based desktops (Fedora Silverblue, etc.)
+
+Immutable Linux distributions based on [ostree](https://ostreedev.github.io/ostree/) have a
+read-only root filesystem, so `/nix` cannot be created directly. The `ostree` planner handles
+this by setting up a bind mount from a persistence directory (`/var/home/nix` by default) to
+`/nix` via systemd units.
+
+On a running ostree system the installer auto-detects the right planner, so the default command
+works:
+
+```shell
+curl -sSfL https://artifacts.nixos.org/nix-installer | sh -s -- install
+```
+
+### In bootc container image builds
+
+[bootc] container images are also ostree-based, but they are built without a running systemd
+and without `/var` (it is created on first boot). This means the ostree planner cannot be used
+during container builds. The dedicated `bootc` planner handles this lifecycle:
+
+1. **At build time**, Nix is installed into `/nix` which becomes part of the image layer.
+   Systemd units, [sysusers.d](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/sysusers.d.html),
+   and [tmpfiles.d](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/tmpfiles.d.html) configs
+   are written but no daemons are started.
+2. **On first boot**, `systemd-tmpfiles` copies `/nix` to `/var/lib/nix` (mutable storage),
+   `systemd-sysusers` recreates the build users, and a bind-mount makes `/var/lib/nix`
+   available at `/nix`. The Nix daemon starts automatically.
+
+The `bootc` planner is auto-detected when `/usr/bin/bootc` is present, or can be selected
+explicitly:
+
+```dockerfile
+# Containerfile
+FROM quay.io/fedora/fedora-bootc:42
+RUN curl -sSfL https://artifacts.nixos.org/nix-installer | sh -s -- install bootc \
+  --extra-conf "sandbox = false" --no-confirm
+```
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> Uninstall is not supported on bootc systems. To remove Nix, rebuild the container image
+> without the `nix-installer install bootc` step.
+
 ### In GitHub Actions
 
 [The nix installer action repository](https://github.com/NixOS/nix-installer-action/) provides a GitHub Action for installing Nix in CI workflows.
@@ -421,6 +465,7 @@ nix-installer uninstall /path/to/receipt.json
 `nix-installer self-test` only takes [general settings](#general-settings).
 
 [actions]: https://github.com/features/actions
+[bootc]: https://containers.github.io/bootc/
 [docker]: https://docker.com
 [enabling-systemd]: https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/systemd-support-is-now-available-in-wsl/#how-can-you-get-systemd-on-your-machine
 [flakes]: https://zero-to-nix.com/concepts/flakes

nix/tests/container-test/bootc/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+FROM default
+COPY nix-installer /nix-installer
+RUN chmod +x /nix-installer/bin/nix-installer
+# In a container build there is no systemd, so we use the bootc planner which
+# installs Nix into /nix (part of the image layer). On first boot,
+# systemd-tmpfiles copies it to /var/lib/nix and a bind-mount exposes it.
+RUN /nix-installer/bin/nix-installer install bootc --logger pretty --log-directive nix_installer=trace --extra-conf "sandbox = false" --no-confirm -vvv
+ENV PATH="${PATH}:/nix/var/nix/profiles/default/bin"
+RUN nix-build --no-substitute -E 'derivation { name = "foo"; system = "x86_64-linux"; builder = "/bin/sh"; args = ["-c" "echo foobar > $out"]; }'
+# Verify build-time artifacts:
+RUN test -d /nix/store || { echo "FAIL: /nix/store does not exist"; exit 1; }
+RUN test -f /etc/sysusers.d/nix-installer.conf || { echo "FAIL: /etc/sysusers.d/nix-installer.conf missing"; exit 1; }
+RUN test -f /etc/tmpfiles.d/nix-installer.conf || { echo "FAIL: /etc/tmpfiles.d/nix-installer.conf missing"; exit 1; }
+RUN grep -q 'After=systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service' /etc/systemd/system/nix.mount || { echo "FAIL: nix.mount missing After=systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service"; cat /etc/systemd/system/nix.mount; exit 1; }

nix/tests/container-test/default.nix

@@ -24,6 +24,35 @@ let
       tester = ./default/Dockerfile;
       system = "x86_64-linux";
     };
+
+    # Fedora 42 WSL rootfs – used for the bootc planner container test
+    # (no systemd) reproducing
+    # https://github.com/NixOS/nix-installer/issues/155
+    # Re-compressed from .tar.xz to .tar.zst because podman import is
+    # extremely slow at xz decompression inside a VM.
+    "fedora-v42-bootc" =
+      let
+        xzTarball = builtins.fetchurl {
+          url = "https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/releases/42/Container/x86_64/images/Fedora-WSL-Base-42-1.1.x86_64.tar.xz";
+          sha256 = "138vibdf0qcln3r0f116qvmq5vx8im9cy0xv2ml7r8ccsw2kvywr";
+        };
+        pkgs = forSystem "x86_64-linux" ({ pkgs, ... }: pkgs);
+      in
+      {
+        tarball =
+          pkgs.runCommand "fedora-42-rootfs.tar.zst"
+            {
+              nativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [
+                xz
+                zstd
+              ];
+            }
+            ''
+              xz -dc ${xzTarball} | zstd -o $out
+            '';
+        tester = ./bootc/Dockerfile;
+        system = "x86_64-linux";
+      };
   };
 
   makeTest =