utensils/mcp-nixos
4.5
If you are the rightful owner of mcp-nixos and would like to certify it and/or have it hosted online, please leave a comment on the right or send an email to dayong@mcphub.com.
MCP-NixOS is a Model Context Protocol server designed to provide accurate information about NixOS, Home Manager, and nix-darwin configurations, preventing AI assistants from generating incorrect data.
Tools
18
Resources
0
Prompts
0
MCP-NixOS - Because Your AI Shouldn't Hallucinate Package Names
Quick Start
🚨 No Nix/NixOS Required! Works on any system - Windows, macOS, Linux. You're just querying APIs.
Option 1: uvx (Recommended)
{
"mcpServers": {
"nixos": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-nixos"]
}
}
}
Option 2: Nix
{
"mcpServers": {
"nixos": {
"command": "nix",
"args": ["run", "github:utensils/mcp-nixos", "--"]
}
}
}
Option 3: Docker
{
"mcpServers": {
"nixos": {
"command": "docker",
"args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "ghcr.io/utensils/mcp-nixos"]
}
}
}
Your AI now has access to real NixOS data instead of making things up. You're welcome.
What Is This?
An MCP server providing accurate, real-time information about:
- NixOS packages - 130K+ packages that actually exist
- NixOS options - 23K+ ways to configure your system
- Home Manager - 5K+ options for dotfile enthusiasts
- nix-darwin - 1K+ macOS settings Apple doesn't document
- Nixvim - 5K+ options for Neovim configuration via NuschtOS search
- FlakeHub - 600+ flakes from FlakeHub.com registry
- Noogle - 2K+ Nix functions with type signatures via noogle.dev
- NixOS Wiki - Community documentation and guides from wiki.nixos.org
- nix.dev - Official Nix tutorials and guides from nix.dev
- Package versions - Historical versions with commit hashes via NixHub.io
- Binary cache status - Check if packages are cached on cache.nixos.org with download sizes
- Local flake inputs - Explore your pinned flake dependencies directly from the Nix store (requires Nix)
The Tools
Just two. We consolidated 17 tools into 2 because your AI's context window isn't infinite.
~1,030 tokens total. That's it. While other MCP servers are hogging your context like it's Black Friday, we're sipping minimalist tea in the corner. Your AI gets NixOS superpowers without the bloat.
nix - Unified Query Tool
One tool to rule them all:
nix(action, query, source, type, channel, limit)
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
search | Search packages, options, programs, or flakes |
info | Get detailed info about a package or option |
stats | Get counts and categories |
options | Browse Home Manager/Darwin options by prefix |
channels | List available NixOS channels |
flake-inputs | Explore local flake inputs from Nix store |
cache | Check binary cache status for packages |
| Source | What it queries |
|---|---|
nixos | Packages, options, programs |
home-manager | Home Manager options |
darwin | nix-darwin options |
flakes | Community flakes (search.nixos.org) |
flakehub | FlakeHub registry (flakehub.com) |
nixvim | Nixvim Neovim configuration options |
noogle | Nix function signatures and docs (noogle.dev) |
wiki | NixOS Wiki articles (wiki.nixos.org) |
nix-dev | Official Nix documentation (nix.dev) |
nixhub | Package metadata and store paths (nixhub.io) |
Examples:
# Search NixOS packages
nix(action="search", query="firefox", source="nixos", type="packages")
# Get package info
nix(action="info", query="firefox", source="nixos", type="package")
# Search Home Manager options
nix(action="search", query="git", source="home-manager")
# Browse darwin options
nix(action="options", source="darwin", query="system.defaults")
# Search Nixvim options
nix(action="search", query="telescope", source="nixvim")
# Get Nixvim option info
nix(action="info", query="plugins.telescope.enable", source="nixvim")
# Search FlakeHub
nix(action="search", query="nixpkgs", source="flakehub")
# Get FlakeHub flake info
nix(action="info", query="NixOS/nixpkgs", source="flakehub")
# Search Noogle for Nix functions
nix(action="search", query="mapAttrs", source="noogle")
# Get Noogle function info
nix(action="info", query="lib.attrsets.mapAttrs", source="noogle")
# Browse Noogle function categories
nix(action="options", source="noogle", query="lib.strings")
# Search NixOS Wiki
nix(action="search", query="nvidia", source="wiki")
# Get Wiki page info
nix(action="info", query="Flakes", source="wiki")
# Search nix.dev documentation
nix(action="search", query="packaging tutorial", source="nix-dev")
# Search NixHub for package metadata
nix(action="search", query="nodejs", source="nixhub")
# Get detailed package info from NixHub (license, homepage, store paths)
nix(action="info", query="python", source="nixhub")
# Check binary cache status
nix(action="cache", query="hello")
# Check cache for specific version
nix(action="cache", query="python", version="3.12.0")
# Check cache for specific system
nix(action="cache", query="firefox", system="x86_64-linux")
# Get stats
nix(action="stats", source="nixos", channel="stable")
# List local flake inputs (requires Nix)
nix(action="flake-inputs", type="list")
# Browse files in a flake input
nix(action="flake-inputs", type="ls", query="nixpkgs:pkgs/by-name")
# Read a file from a flake input
nix(action="flake-inputs", type="read", query="nixpkgs:flake.nix")
nix_versions - Package Version History
Find historical versions with nixpkgs commit hashes. Output includes:
- Package metadata (license, homepage, programs) when available
- Platform availability per version (Linux/macOS)
- Nixpkgs commit hash for reproducible builds
- Attribute path for Nix expressions
nix_versions(package, version, limit)
Examples:
# List recent versions with metadata
nix_versions(package="python", limit=5)
# Find specific version
nix_versions(package="nodejs", version="20.0.0")
Installation
You DON'T need Nix installed. This runs anywhere Python runs.
# Run directly (no install)
uvx mcp-nixos
# Or install
pip install mcp-nixos
For Nix users:
nix run github:utensils/mcp-nixos
nix profile install github:utensils/mcp-nixos
Declarative Installation (NixOS / Home Manager / nix-darwin)
mcp-nixos is available in nixpkgs:
# NixOS (configuration.nix)
environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.mcp-nixos ];
# Home Manager (home.nix)
home.packages = [ pkgs.mcp-nixos ];
# nix-darwin (darwin-configuration.nix)
environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.mcp-nixos ];
Or use the flake directly with the provided overlay:
# flake.nix
{
inputs = {
nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
mcp-nixos.url = "github:utensils/mcp-nixos";
};
outputs = { self, nixpkgs, mcp-nixos, ... }: {
# Example: NixOS configuration
nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
system = "x86_64-linux";
modules = [{
nixpkgs.overlays = [ mcp-nixos.overlays.default ];
environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.mcp-nixos ];
}];
};
# Example: Home Manager standalone
homeConfigurations.myuser = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
pkgs = import nixpkgs {
system = "x86_64-linux";
overlays = [ mcp-nixos.overlays.default ];
};
modules = [{
home.packages = [ pkgs.mcp-nixos ];
}];
};
};
}
Development
nix develop # Enter dev shell
nix build # Build package
pytest tests/ # Run tests
ruff check . # Lint
ruff format . # Format
mypy mcp_nixos/ # Type check
Acknowledgments
- NixHub.io - Package version history
- search.nixos.org - Official NixOS search
- FlakeHub - Flake registry by Determinate Systems
- Jetify - Creators of Devbox and NixHub
- Noogle - Nix function search engine
- NuschtOS - Static option search infrastructure powering Nixvim support
- Nixvim - Neovim configuration framework for Nix
License
MIT - Because sharing is caring.
Created by James Brink. Maintained by mass̶o̶c̶h̶i̶s̶t̶s̶ enthusiasts who enjoy Nix.
