Nix DevContainer Extension

A VS Code extension that provides Nix flake management for development containers. This extension automatically creates shell scripts from the output of nix print-dev-env for each devshell, making Nix development environments seamlessly available in your devcontainer.

Features

• Automatically find Nix flakes in workspace folders
• Create shell scripts from nix print-dev-env output for each devshell
• Generate environment scripts in /etc/profile.d/ for automatic loading
• Update Nix development shell profiles
• Reload window after profile updates
• Support for multiple flakes in a workspace

Commands

• Nix DevContainer: Find Flakes - Discovers all flake.nix files in workspace folders
• Nix DevContainer: Update Single Flake - Update a specific flake by name
• Nix DevContainer: Update All Flakes - Update all discovered flakes
• Nix DevContainer: Find and Update All Flakes - Find and update all flakes in one command

How it Works

The extension scans workspace folders for flake.nix files and creates shell scripts from the output of nix print-dev-env for each devshell. These scripts are saved in /etc/profile.d/nix-devcontainer-{flake-name}.sh to provide the development environment automatically when opening a terminal. When a flake is updated, you'll be prompted to reload the window to apply the changes.

Installation

This extension is designed to be used with the Nix DevContainer feature. Add this to your devcontainer.json:

{
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/akospapp/devcontainer-features/nix-devcontainer:latest": {}
  }
}

Related Repositories

• VS Code Extension: https://github.com/AkosPapp/nix-devcontainer.vscode
• DevContainer Feature: https://github.com/AkosPapp/devcontainer-features/tree/main/src/nix-devcontainer

Requirements

• Nix package manager installed (automatically provided by the devcontainer feature)
• Running in a container or environment with sudo access to /etc/profile.d/
• VS Code with workspace folders containing flake.nix files with devShells.

Usage

Automatic Usage (Recommended)

1. Add the devcontainer feature to your devcontainer.json
2. Open your workspace in a devcontainer
3. The extension will automatically activate and process all flakes
4. Reload the window when prompted to apply environment changes

Manual Usage

1. Open a workspace containing Nix flakes
2. Use Ctrl+Shift+P to open the command palette
3. Run Nix DevContainer: Find and Update All Flakes to get started
4. Reload the window when prompted to apply environment changes

Development

Building the Extension

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Compile TypeScript
npm run compile

# Watch for changes during development
npm run watch

# Lint the code
npm run lint

# Package the extension
npm run package

Testing the Extension

1. Open this folder in VS Code
2. Press F5 to run the extension in a new Extension Development Host window
3. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and try the Nix DevContainer commands

Installing the Extension

After packaging, you can install the extension using:

npm run install-extension

Or manually install the generated .vsix file through VS Code.