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Agent skill

Nix Update

by wcygan in wcygan/dotfiles

Update this dotfiles flake.lock, compare key Nix package versions, verify the update, and summarize changed packages.

No licenceAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Nix Update

skills CLI
$ npx skills add wcygan/dotfiles --skill nix-update -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install wcygan/dotfiles nix-update --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/wcygan/dotfiles.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/nix-update .claude/skills/nix-update && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
nix-update
GitHub stars
196
Token cost
~692 tokens
SKILL.md length
246 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
19
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
None found

At a glance

Update this dotfiles flake.lock, compare key Nix package versions, verify the update, and summarize changed packages.

  • Works in 7 steps: Inspect the current state → Capture the current nixpkgs commit from… → Run the repo update command → …
  • Nix flake maintenance in this repo
  • SKILL.md covers Goal, Workflow, Packages To Compare When Present and Version Summary, plus 1 more section
  • Calls git, make and nix; reaches github.com

What it does

Nix Update is an agent skill from wcygan/dotfiles. Update this dotfiles flake.lock, compare key Nix package versions, verify the update, and summarize changed packages. Use for Nix flake maintenance in this repo.

Its SKILL.md is about 690 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Agent Workflows. The repository describes itself as: Configuration for Development Environments.

When your agent uses it

  • Nix flake maintenance in this repo

Example prompts

  • “/nix-update”

Requirements

  • Docker

Workflow steps

7 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Inspect the current state
  2. Capture the current nixpkgs commit from flake.lock.
  3. Run the repo update command
  4. Capture the new nixpkgs commit from flake.lock.
  5. Read flake.nix and compare versions only for packages that are actually present.
  6. Verify the update
  7. If verification fails because of the update, explain the failure and recommend reverting flake.lock. Do not revert user changes unless the…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b385ffa. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • make
    • nix
    • rg

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • github.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Nix Update loads about 692 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 43 tokens; SKILL.md has 246 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~43
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~692

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

Without a licence we can't republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 246 words (~692 tokens).

“Update this repository's Nix flake inputs and summarize important package version changes.”

— opening of SKILL.md by wcygan
name
nix-update

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/nix-update of wcygan/dotfiles.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit b385ffa

Compare with similar skills

Nix Update next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Nix Update compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Nix Update this skillwcygan/dotfiles196—~692Automated safety check: PassNone
MCP Server Builderanthropics/skills180k63 repos~2.3kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Hook Development for Claude Code Pluginsanthropics/claude-plugins-official38k10 repos~4.1kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
Using Superpowersfarm-fe/farm5.6k35 repos~1.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Executing Plans Inlineobra/superpowers297k2 repos~5.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Skill CreatorAzure/azqr79589 repos~8.2kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Categories

Questions about Nix Update

What does Nix Update do?

Update this dotfiles flake.lock, compare key Nix package versions, verify the update, and summarize changed packages. Nix Update is an agent skill from wcygan/dotfiles.lock, compare key Nix package versions, verify the update, and summarize changed packages.

When should I use Nix Update?

Nix Update fits situations like: nix flake maintenance in this repo.

How do I install Nix Update in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add wcygan/dotfiles --skill nix-update -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/nix-update in wcygan/dotfiles) into .claude/skills/nix-update in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Nix Update in Codex?

Run `npx skills add wcygan/dotfiles --skill nix-update -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/nix-update in wcygan/dotfiles) into .agents/skills/nix-update in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Nix Update in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add wcygan/dotfiles --skill nix-update -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/nix-update, .gemini/skills/nix-update, .github/skills/nix-update and .opencode/skills/nix-update in your project.

What does Nix Update need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Nix Update needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git, make, nix and rg). Our summary lists: Docker.

Does Nix Update access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: github.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Nix Update safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Nix Update use?

No licence was found for Nix Update or its repository. Without one, default copyright applies: ask the author before reusing or redistributing it.

How many tokens does Nix Update use?

About 692 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Nix Update?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Nix Update: MCP Server Builder (anthropics/skills, 180k stars), Hook Development for Claude Code Plugins (anthropics/claude-plugins-official, 38k stars), Using Superpowers (farm-fe/farm, 5.6k stars) and Executing Plans Inline (obra/superpowers, 297k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Nix Update?

wcygan (a GitHub user) maintains it in wcygan/dotfiles, which has 196 GitHub stars. The repository holds 19 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 8, 2026.

Source: wcygan/dotfiles on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.