Name

       nix search - search for packages

Synopsis

       nix search [option…] installable regex…

Examples

       • Show all packages in the nixpkgs flake:

       # nix search nixpkgs
       * legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.AMB-plugins (0.8.1)
       A set of ambisonics ladspa plugins

       * legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.ArchiSteamFarm (4.3.1.0)
       Application with primary purpose of idling Steam cards from multiple accounts simultaneously
       …

       • Show packages in the nixpkgs flake containing blender in its name or description:

       # nix search nixpkgs blender
       * legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.blender (2.91.0)
       3D Creation/Animation/Publishing System

       • Search for packages underneath the attribute gnome3 in Nixpkgs:

       # nix search nixpkgs#gnome3 vala
       * legacyPackages.x86_64-linux.gnome3.vala (0.48.9)
       Compiler for GObject type system

       • Show all packages in the flake in the current directory:

       # nix search

       • Search for Firefox or Chromium:

       # nix search nixpkgs 'firefox|chromium'

       • Search for packages containing git'and either frontend or gui:

       # nix search nixpkgs git 'frontend|gui'

Description

       nix  search  searches  installable  (which must be evaluatable, e.g. a flake) for packages
       whose name or description matches all of the regular expressions regex.  For each matching
       package, It prints the full attribute name (from the root of the installable), the version
       and the meta.description field, highlighting the  substrings  that  were  matched  by  the
       regular expressions. If no regular expressions are specified, all packages are shown.

Flake output attributes

       If no flake output attribute is given, nix search searches for packages:

       • Directly underneath packages.<system>.

       • Underneath  legacyPackages.<system>,  recursing  into  attribute  sets  that  contain an
         attribute recurseForDerivations = true.

Options

       • --json
         Produce output in JSON format, suitable for consumption by another program.

       Common evaluation options:

       • --arg name expr
         Pass the value expr as the argument name to Nix functions.

       • --argstr name string
         Pass the string string as the argument name to Nix functions.

       • --eval-store store-url
         The Nix store to use for evaluations.

       • --impure
         Allow access to mutable paths and repositories.

       • --include / -I path
         Add path to the list of locations used to look up <...> file names.

       • --override-flake original-ref resolved-ref
         Override the flake registries, redirecting original-ref to resolved-ref.

       Common flake-related options:

       • --commit-lock-file
         Commit changes to the flake’s lock file.

       • --inputs-from flake-url
         Use the inputs of the specified flake as registry entries.

       • --no-registries
         Don’t allow lookups in the flake registries. This option is  deprecated;  use  --no-use-
         registries.

       • --no-update-lock-file
         Do not allow any updates to the flake’s lock file.

       • --no-write-lock-file
         Do not write the flake’s newly generated lock file.

       • --override-input input-path flake-url
         Override  a  specific  flake input (e.g. dwarffs/nixpkgs). This implies --no-write-lock-
         file.

       • --recreate-lock-file
         Recreate the flake’s lock file from scratch.

       • --update-input input-path
         Update a specific flake input (ignoring its previous entry in the lock file).

       Options that change the interpretation of installables:

       • --derivation
         Operate on the store derivation rather than its outputs.

       • --expr expr
         Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression expr.

       • --file / -f file
         Interpret installables as attribute paths relative to the Nix expression stored in file.
         If file is the character -, then a Nix expression will be read from standard input.

                                                                                   nix3-search(1)