Niux

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Declarative NixOS/home-manager CLI package manager written in Rust. Tired of editing 'configuration.nix' every time you need a package? Niux lets you manage packages with short commands.

Why Niux?

Working with home-manager and NixOS is powerful, but constantly editing configuration files and running switch can feel tedious.

Niux makes it simple and fast: a lightweight CLI that lets you install, remove, and manage packages declaratively with short, intuitive commands — like apt or pacman, but without breaking Nix's declarative philosophy.

• Install with one command (niux -Hi firefox)
• Automatically rebuild configs when needed
• Update flakes, clean up the system, and more
• Built in Rust — fast, reliable, and secure

In short: Niux brings the convenience of traditional package managers to NixOS and home-manager while staying fully declarative.

Features

• Fast and lightweight command-line interface
• Manage home and system packages declaratively
• Built with Rust for performance and reliability
• Simple and intuitive command syntax
• Supports both standalone and module home-manager
• Supports NixOS with and without flakes
• Hooks which allow to automate actions

Requirements

• NixOS

Installation

With flakes (home-manager)

Add to your flake.nix inputs:

inputs.niux = {
    url = "github:sayavc/niux";
    inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
};

Pass niux to home-manager via extraSpecialArgs:

homeConfigurations.youruser = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
    pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux;
    extraSpecialArgs = { inputs = { inherit niux; }; };
    modules = [ ./home/home.nix ];
};

Then add to your home.nix:

{ inputs, pkgs, ... }: {
    home.packages = [
        inputs.niux.packages.${pkgs.system}.default
    ];
}

Run home-manager switch to apply.

Note: Non-flake and NixOS module home-manager installation docs coming soon, Contributions welcome!

Configuration

First, generate the default config:

niux --gen-config

Or at a custom path:

niux --gen-config --default-path-config ~/my/path/niux.kdl

To display the path:

niux --get-current-path

Note: --default-path-config requires an existing .kdl file. Always run --gen-config first.

Usage

Quick Start

niux -Hi firefox        # Install firefox for home
niux -Si vim            # Install vim for system

niux -Hr firefox        # Remove firefox from home

niux -Hl                # List home packages
niux -l firefox         # Search everywhere

niux -U                 # Update all flakes
niux -USHa              # Update + rebuild everything

niux -HSa               # Rebuild both configs

Installation & Removal

niux -Hi firefox            # Install firefox for home
niux -Hia firefox           # Install and rebuild home
niux -Si vim                # Install vim for system
niux -Sia vim               # Install and rebuild system
niux -Hi firefox vim        # Install multiple packages for home
niux -Si firefox vim        # Install multiple packages for system

niux -Hr firefox            # Remove firefox from home
niux -Hra firefox           # Remove and rebuild home
niux -Sr vim                # Remove vim from system
niux -Sra vim               # Remove and rebuild system
niux -Hr firefox vim        # Remove multiple from home
niux -Sr firefox vim        # Remove multiple from system

Listing & Search

niux -l                     # List all packages
niux -Hl                    # List home packages
niux -Sl                    # List system packages
niux -l firefox             # Search everywhere
niux -Hl firefox            # Search in home
niux -Sl firefox            # Search in system
niux -l firefox vim         # Search multiple

Updates

niux -U                     # Update all flakes
niux -U nixpkgs             # Update specific flake input
niux -HUa                   # Update + rebuild home
niux -SUa                   # Update + rebuild system
niux -USHa                  # Update + rebuild everything
niux -HUa nixpkgs           # Update nixpkgs + rebuild home
niux -SUa nixpkgs           # Update nixpkgs + rebuild system

Build & Apply

niux -Ha                    # Rebuild home config
niux -Sa                    # Rebuild system config
niux -HSa                   # Rebuild both configs

Cleanup

niux --clear                # Run nix-collect-garbage

Hooks

Check in /etc/niux_hooks.kdl example:

actions {
    action "post-rebuild"
    run "zsh /etc/niux_post_rebuild.zsh"
}

Commands Reference

Flag	Description
-H, --home	Target home packages
-S, --system	Target system packages
-i, --install	Install packages
-r, --remove	Remove packages
-a, --apply	Apply and rebuild configuration
-l, --list	List or search packages
-U, --update	Update flakes
--gen-config	Generate default configuration
--default-path-config	Use custom config path
--clear	Run garbage collection

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 - see the LICENSE file for details.

Author

Created by sayavc