nix-mcp

name	nix-mcp
description	Query Nix packages, NixOS options, Home Manager options, and Nix ecosystem resources. Use this skill whenever you need to look up Nix packages, verify configuration options, or check Nix syntax.

When to use

Use this skill whenever you need to:

• Look up Nix packages (search packages by name or description)
• Get detailed information about a specific package
• Verify NixOS configuration options and their valid values
• Verify Home Manager options and their valid values
• Check Darwin (nix-darwin) options
• Query Nixvim options
• Look up FlakeHub packages
• Search Noogle (Nix function documentation)
• Browse NixHub package versions
• Check NixOS Wiki or nix.dev documentation
• Inspect flake inputs
• Check binary cache availability

How to query

Use the nix_nix tool with the appropriate action and source parameters.

Available actions

Action	Description	Best for
search	Search for packages/options	Finding packages by keyword
info	Get detailed info about a specific item	Package details, option docs
stats	Get statistics about a source	Overview of available data
options	List or search options (Home Manager/Darwin/nixvim only)	Config validation
channels	List available channels	Finding channel names
flake-inputs	Read flake.lock or specific inputs	Dependency inspection
cache	Check binary cache for packages	Verifying cache availability

Available sources

Source	What it covers	Actions supported
nixos	NixOS packages and options	search, info, stats, channels
home-manager	Home Manager packages and options	search, info, stats, options, channels
darwin	nix-darwin options	options
flakes	Nix flakes ecosystem	info
flakehub	FlakeHub packages	search, info, stats
nixvim	Nixvim options	options
wiki	NixOS Wiki	search, info
nix-dev	nix.dev documentation	search, info
noogle	Nix function documentation (Noogle)	search, info
nixhub	NixHub package versions	search, info

Common parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
query	Search term, package name, or option path	"git", "services.nginx"
action	The action to perform (see table above)	"search", "options"
source	Which source to query (see table above)	"nixos", "home-manager"
type	For nixos/home-manager: packages, options, programs	"packages"
channel	Channel to use (unstable or stable)	"unstable"
limit	Max results to return (1-100, default 20)	50

Example queries

Search for packages

nix_nix:0 {"action": "search", "source": "nixos", "query": "neovim", "limit": 10}

Get package info

nix_nix:1 {"action": "info", "source": "nixos", "query": "git"}

Search Home Manager options

nix_nix:2 {"action": "options", "source": "home-manager", "query": "programs.git"}

Check NixOS options

nix_nix:3 {"action": "info", "source": "nixos", "type": "options", "query": "services.nginx.enable"}

List nixvim options

nix_nix:4 {"action": "options", "source": "nixvim", "query": "plugins"}

Search Noogle for Nix functions

nix_nix:5 {"action": "search", "source": "noogle", "query": "mapAttrs"}

Check FlakeHub

nix_nix:6 {"action": "search", "source": "flakehub", "query": "home-manager"}

Read flake inputs

nix_nix:7 {"action": "flake-inputs", "query": "nixpkgs"}

Check binary cache

nix_nix:8 {"action": "cache", "query": "hello", "system": "x86_64-linux"}

Package version history

To check version history of a specific package, use nix_nix_versions:

nix_nix_versions:9 {"package": "nodejs", "limit": 10}

This returns available versions from NixHub.io.

Key things to know

Option browsing limitations

The options action is only available for:

• home-manager
• darwin (nix-darwin)
• nixvim

For NixOS options, use action: "info" with type: "options" instead.

Channel selection

• Use channel: "unstable" for the latest packages (default)
• Use channel: "stable" or channel: "25.05" for stable releases
• Some sources (like nixvim, noogle) don't use channels

Result interpretation

Search results typically include:

• Package name - The attribute path (e.g., nixpkgs.git)
• Version - Package version
• Description - Brief description
• License - License information
• Homepage - Project URL

Option results include:

• Option path - Full option name
• Type - Option type (bool, string, int, etc.)
• Default - Default value
• Description - Full documentation

Common patterns

Verifying a configuration option exists:

action: "options", source: "home-manager", query: "programs.kitty.settings"

Finding packages by function:

action: "search", source: "nixos", query: "pdf", type: "packages"

Checking if an option is valid in Home Manager:

action: "options", source: "home-manager", query: "nix.gc"

Troubleshooting

"No options found" for NixOS: Use action: "info" instead of action: "options" for NixOS.

Empty results: Try broadening your query or using a different source.

Package not found: The package might be in a different channel or named differently. Try searching with partial names.