nix flake clone - Lix Reference Manual

> Warning
> This program is experimental and its interface is subject to change.

# Name

`nix flake clone` - clone flake repository

# Synopsis

`nix flake clone` [option...] flake-url

# Examples

- Check out the source code of the `dwarffs` flake and build it:

      # nix flake clone dwarffs --dest dwarffs
      # cd dwarffs
      # nix build

# Description

This command performs a Git or Mercurial clone of the repository containing the source code of the flake flake-url.

# Options

- `--dest` / `-f` path Clone the flake to path dest.

Common evaluation options:

- `--arg` name expr Pass the value expr as the argument name to Nix functions.

- `--argstr` name string Pass the string string as the argument name to Nix functions.

- `--debugger` Start an interactive environment if evaluation fails.

- `--eval-store` store-url The URL of the Nix store to use for evaluation, i.e. to store derivations (`.drv` files) and inputs referenced by them.

- `--impure` Allow access to mutable paths and repositories.

- `--include` / `-I` path Add path to the Nix search path. The Nix search path is initialized from the colon-separated `NIX_PATH` environment variable, and is used to look up the location of Nix expressions using paths enclosed in angle brackets (i.e., `<nixpkgs>`).

  For instance, passing

      -I /home/eelco/Dev
      -I /etc/nixos

  will cause Lix to look for paths relative to `/home/eelco/Dev` and `/etc/nixos`, in that order. This is equivalent to setting the `NIX_PATH` environment variable to

      /home/eelco/Dev:/etc/nixos

  It is also possible to match paths against a prefix. For example, passing

      -I nixpkgs=/home/eelco/Dev/nixpkgs-branch
      -I /etc/nixos

  will cause Lix to search for `<nixpkgs/path>` in `/home/eelco/Dev/nixpkgs-branch/path` and `/etc/nixos/nixpkgs/path`.

  If a path in the Nix search path starts with `http://` or `https://`, it is interpreted as the URL of a tarball that will be downloaded and unpacked to a temporary location. The tarball must consist of a single top-level directory. For example, passing

      -I nixpkgs=https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/archive/master.tar.gz

  tells Lix to download and use the current contents of the `master` branch in the `nixpkgs` repository.

  The URLs of the tarballs from the official `nixos.org` channels (see the manual page for `nix-channel`) can be abbreviated as `channel:<channel-name>`. For instance, the following two flags are equivalent:

      -I nixpkgs=channel:nixos-21.05
      -I nixpkgs=https://nixos.org/channels/nixos-21.05/nixexprs.tar.xz

  You can also fetch source trees using flake URLs and add them to the search path. For instance,

      -I nixpkgs=flake:nixpkgs

  specifies that the prefix `nixpkgs` shall refer to the source tree downloaded from the `nixpkgs` entry in the flake registry. Similarly,

      -I nixpkgs=flake:github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-22.05

  makes `<nixpkgs>` refer to a particular branch of the `NixOS/nixpkgs` repository on GitHub.

- `--override-flake` original-ref resolved-ref Override the flake registries, redirecting original-ref to resolved-ref.

Common flake-related options:

- `--commit-lock-file` Commit changes to the flake's lock file.

- `--inputs-from` flake-url Use the inputs of the specified flake as registry entries.

- `--no-registries` Don't allow lookups in the flake registries. This option is deprecated; use `--no-use-registries`.

- `--no-update-lock-file` Do not allow any updates to the flake's lock file.

- `--no-write-lock-file` Do not write the flake's newly generated lock file.

- `--output-lock-file` flake-lock-path Write the given lock file instead of `flake.lock` within the top-level flake.

- `--override-input` input-path flake-url Override a specific flake input (e.g. `dwarffs/nixpkgs`). This implies `--no-write-lock-file`.

- `--reference-lock-file` flake-lock-path Read the given lock file instead of `flake.lock` within the top-level flake.

Logging-related options:

- `--debug` Set the logging verbosity level to 'debug'.

- `--log-format` format Set the format of log output; one of `raw`, `internal-json`, `bar`, `bar-with-logs`, `multiline` or `multiline-with-logs`.

- `--print-build-logs` / `-L` Print full build logs on standard error.

- `--quiet` Decrease the logging verbosity level.

- `--verbose` / `-v` Increase the logging verbosity level.

Miscellaneous global options:

- `--help` Show usage information.

- `--offline` Disable substituters and consider all previously downloaded files up-to-date.

- `--option` name value Set the Lix configuration setting name to value (overriding `nix.conf`).

- `--refresh` Consider all previously downloaded files out-of-date.

- `--repair` During evaluation, rewrite missing or corrupted files in the Nix store. During building, rebuild missing or corrupted store paths.

- `--version` Show version information.

> Note

> See `man nix.conf` for overriding configuration settings with command line flags.