CLI Reference

Run pix as a Python module:

python -m pix <command> [options]

Commands

hash-path — NAR hash of a path

Compute the SHA-256 hash of the NAR serialization of a file or directory. Equivalent to nix hash path.

python -m pix hash-path <path> [--base32]

Flag	Description
--base32	Output in Nix base32 instead of hex

Examples:

$ python -m pix hash-path ./pix/base32.py
sha256:0a43087...

$ python -m pix hash-path ./pix/base32.py --base32
sha256:1l1a9cfyhln3s40sb9b2w2h4z8p3566xkbs84vk819h3107ahkvl

$ python -m pix hash-path ./my-directory --base32
sha256:1vrbglcwc4gpln263rg69jq6vgq8p3ibspdg7lzyxcyc0ryg5wn2

Note

hash-path hashes the NAR serialization, not the raw file bytes. This includes file type metadata and, for directories, sorted entry names. Use hash-file for raw content hashing.

---

hash-file — Flat SHA-256 of a file

Hash the raw bytes of a file (no NAR wrapping). Equivalent to nix hash file.

python -m pix hash-file <path> [--base32]

Examples:

$ echo -n "hello" > /tmp/hello.txt
$ python -m pix hash-file /tmp/hello.txt --base32
sha256:094qif9n4cq4fdg459qzbhg1c6wywawwaaivx0k0x8xhbyx4vwic

---

store-path — Compute store path

Compute the Nix store path for a local file or directory, as if it were added via builtins.path or filterSource.

python -m pix store-path <path> [--name NAME]

Flag	Description
--name	Override the store object name (default: basename of path)

Examples:

$ python -m pix store-path ./my-source
/nix/store/pagr3c3r57k8h9zqhb89cqihhc9sbz03-my-source

$ python -m pix store-path ./my-source --name custom-name
/nix/store/abc123...-custom-name

---

drv-show — Parse .drv as JSON

Parse a .drv file from the Nix store and display it as formatted JSON. Equivalent to nix derivation show.

python -m pix drv-show <drv-path>

Example:

$ python -m pix drv-show /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2.drv
{
  "outputs": {
    "out": {
      "path": "/nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2",
      "hashAlgo": "",
      "hash": ""
    }
  },
  "inputDrvs": {
    "/nix/store/...-bash.drv": ["out"],
    "/nix/store/...-stdenv.drv": ["out"]
  },
  "inputSrcs": ["/nix/store/...-default-builder.sh"],
  "platform": "x86_64-linux",
  "builder": "/nix/store/...-bash/bin/bash",
  "args": ["-e", "/nix/store/...-default-builder.sh"],
  "env": {"name": "hello", "version": "2.12.2", ...}
}

---

path-info — Query store path info

Query metadata for a store path from the Nix daemon. Requires a running daemon.

python -m pix path-info <store-path>

Example:

$ python -m pix path-info /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2
deriver: /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2.drv
nar-hash: sha256:1abc...
nar-size: 53856
references: /nix/store/...-glibc /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2
sigs: cache.nixos.org-1:abc123...

---

is-valid — Check store path validity

Check whether a store path exists and is valid. Exits 0 if valid, 1 if not.

python -m pix is-valid <store-path>

Example:

$ python -m pix is-valid /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2
valid

$ python -m pix is-valid /nix/store/aaaa...-nonexistent
invalid

---

add-text — Add text to the store

Add a text string to the Nix store, like builtins.toFile. Reads from stdin if content is - or omitted.

python -m pix add-text <name> [content]

Examples:

$ python -m pix add-text hello.txt "hello world"
/nix/store/qbfcv31xi1wjisxwl4b2nk1a8jqxbcf5-hello.txt

$ echo "from stdin" | python -m pix add-text piped.txt
/nix/store/...-piped.txt

---

build — Build store paths

Build one or more derivation outputs via the Nix daemon.

python -m pix build <path>...

Example:

$ python -m pix build /nix/store/...-hello-2.12.2.drv^out
build succeeded