bump-systemd

name	bump-systemd
description	Bump systemd version in nixpkgs

Instructions

When the user invokes this skill, help them bump the systemd version in nixpkgs. Follow these steps:

1. Get the target version

Ask the user what version they want to bump to, or fetch the latest from GitHub:

curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/systemd/systemd/releases/latest | jq -r '.tag_name'

2. Create a new change on staging

jj new staging -m "systemd: <old-version> -> <new-version>"

3. Review the release notes

Fetch and summarize the release notes for breaking changes, new dependencies, or removed features:

• URL: https://github.com/systemd/systemd/releases/tag/v<version>

Look for:

• Build dependencies that can be removed (vendored, no longer needed)
• New build dependencies that need to be added
• Removed features or options
• Changed meson options
• Patches that may need rebasing

4. Bump the version

Edit pkgs/os-specific/linux/systemd/default.nix:

• Update version
• Update hash (set to empty string "" first, then run nom-build -A systemd to get the correct hash from the error)
• For major version bumps, also update releaseTimestamp:

  curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/systemd/systemd/releases/latest | jq '.created_at|strptime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ")|mktime'
  

5. Push to open a PR

jj git push -c @

6. Test the build

nix-eval-jobs --meta --expr '(import ./. {}).systemd.passthru.tests' --workers 4 |  tee  eval.jsonl
cat eval.jsonl | jq  -r 'select(.meta.broken | not) | select(.system == "x86_64-linux")  | .drvPath  + "^*"' | nom build --stdin

7. Try on other release branches

Duplicate the change onto a branch where dependencies have landed. Try in this order:

1. master (preferred):

   jj duplicate @
   jj rebase -r <new-rev> -d master
   jj edit <new-rev>
   nom-build -A systemd
   

2. If master fails, try nixos- (e.g. nixos-25.11):

   jj duplicate @
   jj rebase -r <new-rev> -d nixos-25.11
   jj edit <new-rev>
   nom-build -A systemd
   

3. If that fails, try staging-next:

   jj duplicate @
   jj rebase -r <new-rev> -d staging-next
   jj edit <new-rev>
   nom-build -A systemd
   

7. Clean up

After testing, abandon test duplicates and return to the original change:

jj abandon <test-rev>
jj edit <original-rev>