vscode-nix

A Nix flake that packages VS Code (Microsoft's official build) directly from binaries, with automated daily updates, Garnix binary caching, and declarative configuration for extensions, settings, and keybindings.

Features

Official Microsoft VS Code binaries (not VSCodium)
Supports Linux x64, Linux aarch64, macOS x64, and macOS aarch64
Automated daily updates via GitHub Actions
Pre-built binaries via Garnix for instant installation
Declarative extensions management
Settings and keybindings configuration via Nix
Smart Home Manager integration detection

Quick Start

# Run VS Code directly (no installation needed)
nix run github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix

# Or try it in a temporary shell
nix shell github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix -c code

Binary Cache

This flake uses Garnix for CI and binary caching. The nixConfig in flake.nix automatically configures the cache, so pre-built binaries are fetched without any manual setup.

If prompted to allow configuration from the flake, answer yes or add accept-flake-config = true to your Nix configuration.

Installation

As a Flake Input

Add to your flake.nix:

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    vscode-nix.url = "github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix";
  };

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, vscode-nix, ... }: {
    # NixOS system configuration
    nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      modules = [
        ({ pkgs, ... }: {
          environment.systemPackages = [
            vscode-nix.packages.${pkgs.system}.default
          ];
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

With Home Manager (Flake)

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    home-manager.url = "github:nix-community/home-manager";
    vscode-nix.url = "github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix";
  };

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, home-manager, vscode-nix, ... }: {
    homeConfigurations."user@host" = home-manager.lib.homeManagerConfiguration {
      pkgs = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.x86_64-linux;
      modules = [
        ({ pkgs, ... }: {
          home.packages = [
            vscode-nix.packages.${pkgs.system}.default
          ];
        })
      ];
    };
  };
}

Using the Overlay

{
  inputs.vscode-nix.url = "github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix";

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, vscode-nix }: {
    nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      modules = [
        {
          nixpkgs.overlays = [ vscode-nix.overlays.default ];
          environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.vscode-nix ];
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

Extensions Configuration

Using vscodeWithExtensions

The lib.vscodeWithExtensions function creates a VS Code derivation with extensions pre-configured. The second argument accepts a settings attrset, or an attrset with settings and keybindings when you want both:

{
  inputs.vscode-nix.url = "github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix";

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, vscode-nix }: {
    packages.x86_64-linux.my-vscode = vscode-nix.lib.x86_64-linux.vscodeWithExtensions
      # Extensions list
      [
        "ms-python.python"
        "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
        "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint"
        "ms-vscode.cpptools@1.20.0"  # Pin specific version
      ]
      # Settings and keybindings (optional)
      {
        settings = null;
        keybindings = null;
      };
  };
}

Direct Package Configuration

You can also configure extensions directly when calling the package:

vscode-nix.packages.${system}.default.override {
  extensions = [
    "ms-python.python"
    "esbenp.prettier-vscode@10.0.0"  # Pinned version
  ];
}

Extensions are:

Installed on first run via VS Code's --install-extension command
Stored in ~/.local/share/vscode-nix/extensions (persists across updates)
Only reinstalled when the extension list changes

Settings Configuration

Provide VS Code settings as a Nix attribute set:

{
  packages.x86_64-linux.my-vscode = vscode-nix.lib.x86_64-linux.vscodeWithExtensions
    [ "ms-python.python" ]
    # Settings
    {
      "editor.fontSize" = 14;
      "editor.tabSize" = 2;
      "editor.formatOnSave" = true;
      "workbench.colorTheme" = "One Dark Pro";
      "files.autoSave" = "afterDelay";
      "python.languageServer" = "Pylance";
    };
}

Or using override:

vscode-nix.packages.${system}.default.override {
  userSettings = {
    "editor.fontSize" = 14;
    "editor.minimap.enabled" = false;
  };
}

Settings behavior:

Nix settings are used as defaults on first run
User modifications in VS Code are preserved and take precedence
If Nix settings change, they are merged with user settings (user wins on conflicts)
Settings stored in ~/.local/share/vscode-nix/user-data/User/settings.json

Keybindings Configuration

Provide custom keybindings as a list of attribute sets:

{
  packages.x86_64-linux.my-vscode = vscode-nix.lib.x86_64-linux.vscodeWithExtensions
    [ "ms-python.python" ]
    {
      settings = { "editor.fontSize" = 14; };
      # Keybindings
      keybindings = [
        { key = "ctrl+k ctrl+t"; command = "workbench.action.terminal.focus"; }
        { key = "ctrl+k ctrl+e"; command = "workbench.action.focusActiveEditorGroup"; }
        { key = "ctrl+shift+d"; command = "editor.action.duplicateSelection"; }
        {
          key = "ctrl+shift+/";
          command = "editor.action.blockComment";
          when = "editorTextFocus";
        }
      ];
    };
}

Or using override:

vscode-nix.packages.${system}.default.override {
  userKeybindings = [
    { key = "ctrl+k ctrl+t"; command = "workbench.action.terminal.focus"; }
  ];
}

Keybindings behavior:

Nix keybindings are added as defaults on first run
User modifications in VS Code are preserved
If Nix keybindings change, they are merged (user keybindings take precedence)
Duplicate keybindings are deduped by key, keeping the user entry
Keybindings stored in ~/.local/share/vscode-nix/user-data/User/keybindings.json

Full Configuration Example

{
  inputs = {
    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
    vscode-nix.url = "github:dominicnunez/vscode-nix";
  };

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, vscode-nix }: {
    packages.x86_64-linux.my-dev-environment =
      vscode-nix.lib.x86_64-linux.vscodeWithExtensions
        # Extensions
        [
          # Python development
          "ms-python.python"
          "ms-python.vscode-pylance"
 
          # JavaScript/TypeScript
          "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
          "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint"
 
          # Git
          "eamodio.gitlens"
 
          # Nix
          "jnoortheen.nix-ide"
 
          # Theme
          "zhuangtongfa.material-theme"
        ]
        {
          # Settings
          settings = {
            # Editor
            "editor.fontSize" = 13;
            "editor.fontFamily" = "'JetBrains Mono', 'Fira Code', monospace";
            "editor.fontLigatures" = true;
            "editor.tabSize" = 2;
            "editor.formatOnSave" = true;
            "editor.minimap.enabled" = false;
 
            # Files
            "files.autoSave" = "afterDelay";
            "files.trimTrailingWhitespace" = true;
 
            # Theme
            "workbench.colorTheme" = "One Dark Pro";
            "workbench.iconTheme" = "material-icon-theme";
 
            # Terminal
            "terminal.integrated.fontSize" = 12;
 
            # Python
            "python.languageServer" = "Pylance";
 
            # Nix
            "nix.enableLanguageServer" = true;
          };
          # Keybindings
          keybindings = [
            { key = "ctrl+k ctrl+t"; command = "workbench.action.terminal.focus"; }
            { key = "ctrl+k ctrl+e"; command = "workbench.action.focusActiveEditorGroup"; }
          ];
        };
  };
}

Home Manager Integration

This package includes smart Home Manager detection. When running VS Code:

If Home Manager is detected:

Skips creating ~/.local/bin/code symlink
Cleans up symlinks that were created by this package
Respects your declarative Home Manager configuration

If Home Manager is NOT detected:

Creates ~/.local/bin/code symlink for convenience
Allows running code from anywhere if ~/.local/bin is in your PATH

Automatic cleanup: If you previously installed vscode-nix standalone (creating a ~/.local/bin/code symlink) and later enable Home Manager, the package will automatically remove the symlink on first run to prevent PATH conflicts.

Detection Indicators

Home Manager is detected if any of these conditions are true:

HM_SESSION_VARS environment variable is set
~/.config/home-manager directory exists
/etc/profiles/per-user/$USER directory exists

Enabling Verbose Messages

To enable informational messages from the wrapper:

export VSCODE_NIX_VERBOSE=1

Or add to your shell profile:

# ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export VSCODE_NIX_VERBOSE=1

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
`VSCODE_NIX_VERBOSE`	Set to `1` to enable wrapper messages	unset
`XDG_DATA_HOME`	Base directory for VS Code data	`~/.local/share`
`XDG_CONFIG_HOME`	Base directory for VS Code config	`~/.config`

Data Directories

When using extensions, settings, or keybindings configuration:

Path	Purpose
`~/.local/share/vscode-nix/extensions`	Installed extensions
`~/.local/share/vscode-nix/user-data`	User settings, keybindings, state

Contributing

How Updates Work

Daily Check: GitHub Actions runs update.sh daily at 00:00 UTC
Version Detection: Script queries GitHub API for latest VS Code release
Hash Fetching: If newer version found, fetches SHA256 hashes for all platforms
Validation: Runs nix flake check to verify package builds correctly
Push: Pushes update directly to main

Manual Update

To manually trigger an update check:

Go to Actions tab in GitHub
Select "Update VS Code" workflow
Click "Run workflow"

Local Development

# Enter development shell
nix develop

# Check for updates (dry run)
./update.sh

# Check and apply update
./update.sh --update

# Build the package
nix build

# Run the built package
nix run

# Run flake checks
nix flake check

Repository Structure

.
├── flake.nix           # Flake definition with outputs
├── flake.lock          # Locked dependencies
├── package.nix         # VS Code package derivation
├── version.json        # Current version and platform hashes
├── update.sh           # Update detection and hash fetching script
├── README.md           # This file
├── garnix.yaml         # Garnix CI configuration
└── .github/workflows/
    ├── update.yml      # Daily update workflow
    └── ci.yml          # Garnix build validation

License

VS Code is proprietary software from Microsoft. This flake packages the official binaries. See VS Code License for terms.

The Nix packaging code in this repository is MIT licensed.

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Repository files navigation

vscode-nix

Features

Quick Start

Binary Cache

Installation

As a Flake Input

With Home Manager (Flake)

Using the Overlay

Extensions Configuration

Using vscodeWithExtensions

Direct Package Configuration

Settings Configuration

Keybindings Configuration

Full Configuration Example

Home Manager Integration

Detection Indicators

Enabling Verbose Messages

Environment Variables

Data Directories

Contributing

How Updates Work

Manual Update

Local Development

Repository Structure

License

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Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 12 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
flake.lock		flake.lock
flake.nix		flake.nix
garnix.yaml		garnix.yaml
package.nix		package.nix
update.sh		update.sh
version.json		version.json

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vscode-nix

Features

Quick Start

Binary Cache

Installation

As a Flake Input

With Home Manager (Flake)

Using the Overlay

Extensions Configuration

Using vscodeWithExtensions

Direct Package Configuration

Settings Configuration

Keybindings Configuration

Full Configuration Example

Home Manager Integration

Detection Indicators

Enabling Verbose Messages

Environment Variables

Data Directories

Contributing

How Updates Work

Manual Update

Local Development

Repository Structure

License

About

Resources

Uh oh!

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Watchers

Forks

Releases

Packages 0

Contributors 2

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