### Author:  [@eureka-cpu](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/eureka-cpu)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/9 "2023-10-12T06:47:27Z")
Coming back here to say that Nix for some reason expects a bash derivative for `NIX_BUILD_SHELL` so `zsh` doesn’t actually work there. There is a package [GitHub - chisui/zsh-nix-shell: zsh plugin that lets you use zsh in nix-shell shells.](https://github.com/chisui/zsh-nix-shell) that helps to some degree. If an alias isn’t out of the question that also works in some instances but not with `nix-shell` directly. Adding `-c ` to a `nix develop` command works, and also just `zsh` after `nix-shell` works. Unfortunately no clean way of just using the user’s default shell as of now.
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### Author:  [@eureka-cpu](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/eureka-cpu)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2023, 7:06am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/10 "2023-10-12T07:06:44Z")
Hey iFreilicht, before you had said I should be able to start zsh if it’s installed into the environment. Is there a way I could open any user’s shell in the shell hook?
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### Author:  [@iFreilicht](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/iFreilicht)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2023, 12:10pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/11 "2023-10-12T12:10:10Z")
Jup, seems like it. I just tested with this flake.nix:
```auto
{
outputs = { self, nixpkgs }:
let
system = "aarch64-darwin";
pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.${system};
in {
devShells.${system}.default = pkgs.mkShell {
shellHook = ''
$SHELL
'';
};
};
}
```
and that works perfectly fine. There is the small issue that you have to Ctrl+D twice to go back out, and you _could_ fix that by adding `exit` underneath `$SHELL` in the shellHook, but I think this caused some unexpected issues in the past for me, can’t remember what it was, though.
Interestingly, when replacing `$SHELL` with `echo "$SHELL"`, I get `/bin/zsh`, even when running `nix develop --ignore-environment`.
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### Author:  [@cyberjar09](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/cyberjar09)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/12 "2023-12-16T14:10:55Z")
I needed to start a `pipenv shell` and also switch to `zsh` as a “developer env”
- had issues with nested shells when I add `zsh` and `pipenv shell` to `shellHook`
- depending on the order, either the pipenv shell will trigger and not enter zsh or vice versa
I have had decent success with:
- not adding anything to `shellHook`
- starting my dev shell using `nix develop --command $SHELL -c "pipenv shell"`
p.s. I use a `Taskfile.yaml` and just made it a standard command like `task dev`
hope it helps 🙂
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### Author:  [@augu5te](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/augu5te)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2023, 9:06am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/13 "2023-12-31T09:06:37Z")
Other way to address “Ctrl+D twice” issue add `exec` built-in command before `$SHELL`. It seems preferable since exec replaces the current shell process with a new one and _could_ be more reliable.
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### Author:  [@bobvanderlinden](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/bobvanderlinden)
#### Post date: [December 31, 2023, 9:39am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/14 "2023-12-31T09:39:13Z")
> [@iFreilicht](#):
>
> Interestingly, when replacing `$SHELL` with `echo "$SHELL"`, I get `/bin/zsh`, even when running `nix develop --ignore-environment`.
This is indeed confusing, maybe even a bug. Related issue: [`nix develop` does not set `SHELL` correctly · Issue #7971 · NixOS/nix · GitHub](https://github.com/NixOS/nix/issues/7971)
---
### Author:  [@mboyea](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/mboyea)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2024, 8:44am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/15 "2024-12-14T08:44:52Z")
Hello!
A good solution is to set the following alias for `nix-shell` and `nix develop` in your shell rc file.
```bash
alias nix-shell='nix-shell --run $SHELL'
nix() {
if [[$1 == "develop"]]; then
shift
command nix develop -c $SHELL "$@"
else
command nix "$@"
fi
}
```
For zsh, I added this to my `zshrc` file.
Now when I type `nix-shell` or `nix develop`, it opens zsh instead of bash.
Hope this helps!
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### Author:  [@malikwirin](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/malikwirin)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2024, 2:29pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/16 "2024-12-14T14:29:02Z")
Shouldn’t this be the default?
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### Author:  [@waffle8946](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/waffle8946)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2025, 9:53pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/17 "2025-01-07T21:53:47Z")
I use (via `use flake`) `direnv` to keep my shell.
---
### Author:  [@Adda](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/Adda)
#### Post date: [January 8, 2025, 5:51am UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/18 "2025-01-08T05:51:14Z")
_For reference:_
I use
> **[GitHub - MercuryTechnologies/nix-your-shell: A \`nix\` and \`nix-shell\` wrapper for shells other...](https://github.com/MercuryTechnologies/nix-your-shell)**
>
> A \`nix\` and \`nix-shell\` wrapper for shells other than \`bash\`
from
> [@Shell prompt for 'nix develop'](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/shell-prompt-for-nix-develop/40980/6):
>
> I use [GitHub - MercuryTechnologies/nix-your-shell: A `nix` and `nix-shell` wrapper for shells other than `bash`](https://github.com/MercuryTechnologies/nix-your-shell) for this
which works perfectly for me. And there is no need to use direnv all the time, either.
Then there is also
> **[GitHub - haslersn/any-nix-shell: fish and zsh support for the nix run and nix-shell...](https://github.com/haslersn/any-nix-shell)**
>
> fish and zsh support for the nix run and nix-shell environments of the Nix package manager
---
### Author:  [@musjj](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/musjj)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/19 "2025-12-28T14:00:59Z")
This trick doesn’t seem to work anymore. `$SHELL` always returns `bash` for me.
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### Author:  [@NobbZ](https://discourse.nixos.org/u/NobbZ)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075/20 "2025-12-28T14:05:25Z")
Within the shellhook, that’s expected.
Either use (`nix-`)`direnv` to remain in your shell or use `nix develop -c $SHELL`.
Also, the shellhook should _never_ start interactive programs, as the actual shell would only be entered _after_ the shellhook finished executing.
[Next page](https://discourse.nixos.org/t/using-nix-develop-opens-bash-instead-of-zsh/25075.md?page=2)