{
  description = "Base flake for ShawnB's NixOS-based VMs and LXCs.";

  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "nixpkgs/nixos-25.11";
    nixos-generators.url = "github:nix-community/nixos-generators";
    nixos-generators.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    disko.url = "github:nix-community/disko";
    disko.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    hermes-agent.url = "github:NousResearch/hermes-agent";
    hermes-agent.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager/release-25.11";
    home-manager.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
    quadlet-nix.url = "github:SEIAROTg/quadlet-nix";
    sops-nix.url = "github:Mic92/sops-nix";
    sops-nix.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
  };

  outputs =
    {
      nixpkgs,
      nixos-generators,
      hermes-agent,
      home-manager,
      quadlet-nix,
      sops-nix,
      disko,
      ...
    }@inputs:
    {
      nixosConfigurations = {
        crowsNest = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
          system = "x86_64-linux";
          specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
          modules = [
            ./crows_nest/configuration.nix
            sops-nix.nixosModules.sops
            # to enable podman & podman systemd generator
            quadlet-nix.nixosModules.quadlet
          ];
        };
        hermesAgent = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
          system = "x86_64-linux";
          specialArgs = { inherit inputs; };
          modules = [
            disko.nixosModules.disko
            ./hermes_agent/disko-config.nix
            ./hermes_agent/configuration.nix
          ];
        };
      };
      packages.x86_64-linux = {
        crows_nest_vm = nixos-generators.nixosGenerate {
          system = "x86_64-linux";
          modules = [ ./crows_nest/configuration.nix ];
          format = "virtualbox";
        };
        hermes_agent_vm = nixos-generators.nixosGenerate {
          system = "x86_64-linux";
          modules = [ ./hermes_agent/configuration.nix ];
          format = "virtualbox";
        };
      };
    };
}