`nix-shell -p …` fails "error: opening file '${HOME}/.nix-defexpr/default.nix': No such file or directory"

When I want to do small ad-hoc commands using nix-shell -p … it fails with the error message from the subject (${HOME} is actually displayed as its value).

Forgot to give some more information:

  • nix-shell --version: 2.3
  • content of the .nix-defexpr folder: a single simlink, channels -> /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/${USER}/channels
  • Using nix as secondary package manager on top of an Arch Linux. nix was installed via sh <(curl https://nixos.org/nix/install) --daemon as described in the manual for multi user installation

Really no one has an idea how to solve this issue?

Does /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/${USER}/channels itself actually exist? Can you cd ~/.nix-defexpr/channels?

Its symlink after symlink, finally ending in something that looks like the nixos/nixpkgs repo on git (file structure):

$ find -L .nix-defexpr/ -maxdepth 4 -type d
.nix-defexpr/
.nix-defexpr/channels
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/servers
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/build-support
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/tools
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/shells
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/stdenv
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/common-updater
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/development
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/misc
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/top-level
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/os-specific
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/data
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/games
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/test
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/applications
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/pkgs/desktops
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/doc
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/doc/old
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/doc/languages-frameworks
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/doc/functions
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/doc/doc-support
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/lib
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/lib/systems
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/lib/tests
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/.github
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/maintainers
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/maintainers/scripts
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos/doc
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos/tests
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos/maintainers
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos/lib
.nix-defexpr/channels/nixpkgs/nixos/modules