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Development Workflow

This document covers the development workflow for working with this NixOS configuration.

Quick Start

# Enter development shell
nix develop

# Format code
nix fmt

# Check for issues
nix flake check

# Build a specific machine
nix build .#nixosConfigurations.<machine>.config.system.build.toplevel

Development Shell

The default development shell includes:

  • nixpkgs-fmt - Nix code formatter
  • statix - Nix linter (anti-pattern detection)
  • deadnix - Find unused Nix code
  • Pre-commit hooks (auto-installed)
# Enter default shell
nix develop

# Enter specific shells
nix develop .#secrets  # For managing encrypted secrets
nix develop .#rust     # Rust development
nix develop .#hack     # Security tools

Pre-commit Hooks

The development shell automatically installs git pre-commit hooks:

  • treefmt - Auto-format Nix files
  • deadnix - Detect unused code

Hooks run automatically on git commit. To skip (not recommended):

git commit --no-verify

Code Formatting

Format all Nix files:

nix fmt

The formatter uses:

  • nixpkgs-fmt for Nix formatting
  • deadnix for removing unused code
  • statix for linting

Checking Configuration

Full check

nix flake check

This runs:

  • Nix evaluation of all configurations
  • NixVim configuration tests
  • Builds all machine configurations (toplevel)

Check specific machine

nix build .#nixosConfigurations.zen.config.system.build.toplevel --dry-run

Building

Build a machine locally

# Dry run (check if it builds)
nixos-rebuild build --flake .#<machine>

# Build and switch (local machine)
sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#<machine>

Build for remote machine

# Build locally, deploy remotely
nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#<machine> --target-host root@<hostname>

# With SSH options
NIX_SSHOPTS="-t" nixos-rebuild boot --flake .#<machine> --target-host root@<hostname>

Build install ISO

nix build .#install-iso

Updating Dependencies

# Update all flake inputs
nix flake update

# Update specific input
nix flake lock --update-input nixpkgs

# Show what changed
nix flake metadata

Testing in VM

# Build and run VM for a machine
nixos-rebuild build-vm --flake .#<machine>
./result/bin/run-<machine>-vm

# Or use nixos-anywhere's VM test
nix run github:nix-community/nixos-anywhere -- --flake .#<machine> --vm-test

Note: VM testing requires disabling disk encryption in the configuration.

Nix REPL

Interactive exploration of the flake:

nix repl
:lf .
# Now you can explore:
# nixosConfigurations.zen.config.services
# etc.

Or use the helper:

nix repl ./repl.nix

Directory Navigation with direnv

The repo uses direnv (.envrc) to automatically load the development shell:

# Allow direnv for this directory
direnv allow

# Shell loads automatically when entering directory
cd ~/Projects/nixos
# Development tools are now available

Common Tasks

Add a new package to a machine

  1. Edit machines/<name>/configuration.nix
  2. Add to environment.systemPackages or relevant option
  3. Build and test: nixos-rebuild build --flake .#<name>

Add a new module

  1. Create module in modules/nixos/<name>/default.nix
  2. Import in modules/nixos/default.nix
  3. Add to appropriate module group (common, linux, server, etc.)

Add a new machine

See NEW-MACHINE.md

Manage secrets

See secrets.md