renix

A terminal user interface (TUI) for managing NixOS rebuilds across multiple hosts.

Features

• Multi-host management: Manage local and remote NixOS systems from one interface
• Live output streaming: Watch rebuild progress in real-time with scrollable output
• Interactive prompts: PTY-based terminal with input mode for sudo passwords and interactive commands
• Operation switching: Easily switch between switch, boot, test, build, dry-build, and dry-activate
• Flake support: Automatic discovery of NixOS configurations from flakes
• Configurable: Per-host connection settings and extra arguments
• Safe operations: Confirmation prompts and build cancellation support
• Keyboard-driven: Vim-style navigation and intuitive keybindings

Installation

Using NixOS Module (Recommended)

Add renix as a flake input:

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    renix.url = "github:sarahlament/renix";
  };

  outputs = { nixpkgs, renix, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.your-host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        renix.nixosModules.default
        {
          programs.renix.enable = true;
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

Using Overlay

{
  inputs.renix.url = "github:sarahlament/renix";

  outputs = { nixpkgs, renix, ... }: {
    nixosConfigurations.your-host = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        {
          nixpkgs.overlays = [ renix.overlays.default ];
          environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.renix ];
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

Direct Installation

nix profile install github:sarahlament/renix

Or run without installing:

nix run github:sarahlament/renix

Quick Start

1. Launch renix: Run renix in your terminal

2. Set flake path (first time):

   • Press f to edit flake path
   • Enter the path to your NixOS flake (e.g., /etc/nixos or ~/nixos-config)
   • Press Enter to save

3. Configure hosts:

   • Select a host with ↑/↓ or j/k
   • Press c to set connection:
     • localhost for local system
     • user@hostname for SSH remote
   • Press a to add extra nixos-rebuild arguments

4. Rebuild:

   • Switch operations with h/l or ←/→
   • Toggle --upgrade flag with u
   • Press Enter to start rebuild
   • Watch live output (scroll with j/k, PageUp/PageDown)
   • If prompted for password, press i to enter input mode
   • Type password and press Enter, then Esc to exit input mode

Configuration

Configuration is stored at ~/.config/renix/config.toml:

flake_path = "/etc/nixos"

[hosts.desktop]
connection = "Local"
extra_args = []

[hosts.server]
connection = { Remote = "user@server.example.com" }
extra_args = ["--option", "substitute", "false"]

Keybindings

Navigation

• ↑/↓ or j/k - Navigate hosts (or scroll output when available)
• ←/→ or h/l - Switch rebuild operation (switch, boot, test, etc.)
• Tab - Toggle between main and settings panel
• PageUp/PageDown - Scroll output by 10 lines
• Home/End - Jump to top/bottom of output

Actions

• Enter - Start rebuild for selected host
• u - Toggle --upgrade flag
• i - Enter input mode (for typing passwords or interactive input)
• Esc - Cancel running build / Exit input mode
• q - Quit (press twice during build to cancel and quit)

Editing

• f - Edit flake path
• c - Edit host connection
• a - Edit extra arguments for selected host

When editing:

• Type to input text
• Backspace to delete
• Enter to save
• Esc to cancel

Input Mode (for passwords)

When in input mode (press i during build):

• Type your password or input
• Enter to submit
• Backspace to delete characters
• Esc to exit input mode
• Input is sent directly to the build process (PTY)

Development

Prerequisites

• Nix with flakes enabled
• Rust toolchain (provided by dev shell)

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sarahlament/renix.git
cd renix

# Enter development shell
nix develop

# Build
cargo build

# Run
cargo run

Project Structure

renix/
├── src/
│   ├── main.rs           # Entry point and CLI
│   ├── app.rs            # Application state and logic
│   ├── config/           # Configuration management
│   ├── nix/              # Nix command execution
│   └── ui/               # TUI rendering
├── nix/
│   └── module.nix        # NixOS module
├── flake.nix             # Nix flake with package, module, and overlay
└── Cargo.toml            # Rust dependencies

Troubleshooting

"Failed to spawn nixos-rebuild"

Ensure nixos-rebuild is in your PATH. This should be automatic on NixOS systems.

Remote builds not working

1. Verify SSH access: ssh user@host
2. Ensure the remote user has sudo privileges
3. Check that the target configuration exists in your flake

Configuration not persisting

Renix creates ~/.config/renix/config.toml on first run. If changes aren't saving, check file permissions.

Roadmap

• Build history viewer
• Search/filter in output
• Multiple simultaneous builds
• Color themes
• Home Manager support

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues or pull requests.

Author

Sarah (@sarahlament)

• Email: sarah@lament.gay

Acknowledgments

Built with:

• ratatui - Terminal UI library
• tokio - Async runtime
• crossterm - Terminal manipulation