nix-search-cli

name	nix-search-cli
description	Search for Nix packages using the nix-search CLI tool

nix-search-cli

Search for Nix packages using the nix-search CLI tool, which queries https://search.nixos.org. Supports filtering by name, version, programs, channel, and ElasticSearch QueryString syntax. Wildcards (*, ?) are supported; regex is not.

Prerequisites: nix-search in PATH — https://github.com/peterldowns/nix-search-cli Tip: Use this before adding packages with the home-manager-add-packages skill to verify package names.

Usage

nix-search python linter                              # basic search
nix-search --name 'emacsPackages.*'                   # by name (wildcard)
nix-search --version '1.*'                            # by version
nix-search --program "py*"                            # by installed program
nix-search --channel=23.11 nodejs                     # specific channel (default: unstable)
nix-search --flakes wayland                           # search flakes
nix-search --query-string="package_programs:(crystal OR irb)"  # ElasticSearch
nix-search golang --program go --version '1.*' --details       # combined
nix-search --json --details --max-results 50 --reverse python  # output options

Options

Flag	Description
-c, --channel	Channel to search (default: unstable)
-d, --details	Show expanded details
-f, --flakes	Search flakes instead of nixpkgs
-j, --json	JSON output
-m, --max-results	Max results (default: 20)
-n, --name	Filter by package name
-p, --program	Filter by installed program
-q, --query-string	ElasticSearch QueryString
-r, --reverse	Reverse result order
-v, --version	Filter by version