Nix Shell Skill Skill | Agent Skills

Nix Shell Skill

1. Purpose

Use this skill to search for Nix packages and run commands using tools that are not installed locally. It wraps nix search, nix-locate, and nix shell to give the agent on-demand access to any package in nixpkgs.

2. Usage Scenarios

Run when:

A command or tool is needed but not installed locally.
You need to find which Nix package provides a specific binary.
You need to run a one-off command with a tool from nixpkgs.
You need multiple tools available together for a pipeline.

3. Helper Scripts

| Script | Purpose | Arguments | | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | scripts/nix_shell.sh | Search/locate packages or run commands in nix shell | search <term>, locate <pattern>, or run <pkgs> -- <cmd> |

4. Subcommands

`search <term> [--json] [--timeout DURATION]`

Search nixpkgs for packages matching <term>.

Default output: Clean table with package name, version, and description.
--json: Raw JSON output from nix search.
--timeout DURATION: Override the search timeout (default: 5m). Format follows GNU coreutils (e.g. 30s, 5m, 1h).
If no packages match, prints a message and exits 0.

`locate <pattern> [-t TYPE] [-n LIMIT] [--timeout SECS] [-w]`

Find which Nix package provides a specific file or binary. Uses nix-locate with --minimal output.

Default type: x (executable). Other types: r (regular file), d (directory), s (symlink).
Default limit: 100 results (use -n to change).
Default timeout: 60 seconds (use --timeout to change).
-w / --whole-name: Only match files whose basename matches the pattern exactly.
Output is one attribute name per line (e.g. coreutils-prefixed.out).

`run <packages...> -- <command> [args...]`

Run a command with specified Nix packages available on PATH.

Packages: Bare names are auto-prefixed with nixpkgs# (e.g. envsubst becomes nixpkgs#envsubst). Full flake references (containing # or :) pass through unchanged.
-- separator is required between packages and the command.
The process is replaced via exec, so the exit code comes directly from the executed command.

5. Examples

Search for a package

scripts/nix_shell.sh search envsubst

Search with JSON output

scripts/nix_shell.sh search envsubst --json

Locate which package provides a binary

scripts/nix_shell.sh locate gtimeout

Locate with exact basename match and limited results

scripts/nix_shell.sh locate gtimeout -w -n 10

Locate regular files instead of executables

scripts/nix_shell.sh locate nginx.conf -t r

Run a command with a single package

scripts/nix_shell.sh run envsubst -- envsubst --help

Run with multiple packages

scripts/nix_shell.sh run envsubst jq -- sh -c 'echo "{}" | jq . && which envsubst'

Use a full flake reference

scripts/nix_shell.sh run github:NixOS/nixpkgs#hello -- hello

6. Output Format

Search (default table)

envsubst            1.4.3     Substitute environment variables in a string

Search (--json)

{
  "legacyPackages.aarch64-darwin.envsubst": {
    "pname": "envsubst",
    "version": "1.4.3",
    "description": "Substitute environment variables in a string"
  }
}

Locate

One attribute name per line (minimal output):

coreutils-prefixed.out

Run

Outputs whatever the executed command produces (stdout and stderr pass through).

7. Exit Codes

| Code | Meaning | | ---- | --------------------------------------------------- | | 0 | Success | | 1 | Invalid arguments / usage error | | 2 | Missing prerequisite (nix not found) | | 3 | Nix command failed (package not found, network, etc)| | * | For run: exit code from the executed command |

8. Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | | -------- | ------------------------------------------ | | NIX | Path to nix binary (default: nix) |

9. Troubleshooting

| Problem | Possible Cause | Fix | | ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | | nix: command not found | Nix not installed | Install Nix or Determinate Nix | | nix-locate not found | nix-index not installed | Install nix-index package | | Slow first run | Nixpkgs flake being evaluated | Normal on first use; cached afterward | | Package not found | Wrong package name | Use search to find the correct name | | locate timed out | Pattern too broad, many results | Use -w for exact match or --timeout | | missing '--' separator | Forgot -- between pkgs and cmd | Add -- before the command |

Agent Skills: Nix Shell Skill

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