Nix-channel not found in nixos server

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1

Hey,

What could be wrong in my setup? I can see nix-env in my $PATH but nix-channel seems to be missing.

[root@localhost:~]# nix-env
error: no operation specified
Try 'nix-env --help' for more information.

[root@localhost:~]# nix-env -iA nixos.pciutils
error: attribute 'nixos' in selection path 'nixos.pciutils' not found

[root@localhost:~]# nix-channel --list
-bash: nix-channel: command not found

[root@localhost:~]# find / -iname '*nix-channel*'
/nix/store/5n4lxkk11vybd28sh1w5mvyl221q3108-nix-2.18.5-man/share/man/man1/nix-channel.1.gz
/nix/store/wvc6qirf5kzn5ygb7wvfh5kzfa5x03g5-system-path/share/bash-completion/completions/nix-channel
/nix/store/y0wpvk2x441cyybq123mnbvkjfvpkaqn-source/nixos/modules/config/nix-channel
/nix/store/y0wpvk2x441cyybq123mnbvkjfvpkaqn-source/nixos/modules/config/nix-channel.nix
/nix/store/y0wpvk2x441cyybq123mnbvkjfvpkaqn-source/nixos/tests/activation/nix-channel.nix
/nix/store/r7jaz4mgzmpk1cszjgcq9k0mzjh6qsl4-system-path/share/bash-completion/completions/nix-channel
/nix/store/fxp8d1dbaxv2fhc4pm5wm4a669x2zb3q-nix-2.18.5/bin/nix-channel
/nix/store/3akigz15cy67pyv7g9rwcc9pacs6xr8h-nix-bash-completions-0.6.8/share/bash-completion/completions/nix-channel
/nix/store/cjz8w4dgc3rd2n3dqv5c208vygndjyba-source/nixos/tests/activation/nix-channel.nix
/nix/store/cjz8w4dgc3rd2n3dqv5c208vygndjyba-source/nixos/modules/config/nix-channel
/nix/store/cjz8w4dgc3rd2n3dqv5c208vygndjyba-source/nixos/modules/config/nix-channel.nix

[root@localhost:~]# /nix/store/fxp8d1dbaxv2fhc4pm5wm4a669x2zb3q-nix-2.18.5/bin/nix-channel --list

[root@localhost:~]# echo $PATH
/run/wrappers/bin:/root/.nix-profile/bin:/nix/profile/bin:/root/.local/state/nix/profile/bin:/etc/profiles/per-user/root/bin:/nix/var/nix/profiles/default/bin:/run/current-system/sw/bin

You can see my setup here: GitHub - onnimonni/hetzner-auction-nixos-example

2

Try setting nix.channel.enable = lib.mkForce true? (What is setting it to false tho?)

1 Like
3

Don’t use nix-env for installing software this way, anything else is better

4

You’re talking to a NixOS beginner and it will be helpful if you will replace anything with the actual steps needed :bowing_man:

I would want to run lspci to get more information about my hardware and understood it’s provided with the nixos.pciutils package.

5

nix shell nixpkgs#pciutils with -c lspci if you want

1 Like
6

If you don’t use the unstable nix-command feature, you’ll have to use the traditional nix-shell instead of the nix shell subcommand.

The best practice is probably:

  • If you just need the command temporarily, e.g. to look at something which you don’t expect to inspect regularly, use nix-shell or nix shell. It will disappear once you close the shell, and eventually be cleaned up when you collect garbage.
  • Otherwise, add it to your configuration’s environment.systemPackages and use nixos-rebuild switch

The reason nix-env is discouraged is that it adds packages to a “profile” imperatively, which results in all kinds of confusion on an otherwise declarative system. Besides this, it has many weird idiosyncracies and poor design decisions from a decade ago that are basically just footguns for folks who don’t know in detail how the command works.

I’d elaborate, but this page does a better job: https://stop-using-nix-env.privatevoid.net/

Indeed probably good advice, but not the issue at hand. Did the setting work?

7

Per the repo they linked, they use flakes already, and per the question asked, their channels are a bit borked :slight_smile:

In any case, I was trying to answer the implicit question to unblock them, since the question about channels was already answered and IMO it’s pointless for me to repeat that.

2 Likes
8

Thanks! This was great advice :100:

Also after forcing the nix.channel.enable I can see the nix-channel perfectly :+1: