Development Templates & Packages

Quick-start templates and reusable packages for common development environments.

What is a Nix Flake?

Think of a Nix flake as a reproducible development environment in a file. It:

• Defines exactly what tools and versions you need
• Works the same way on any computer
• Can be shared with others (they'll get the exact same setup)
• Doesn't pollute your global system

Example: Instead of "install Node.js globally, hope it's the right version, install packages, cross fingers", you run nix develop and get exactly the environment you need, every time.

What This Repository Provides

Packages (Reusable Software)

Package	Description	Usage
auto-claude	Autonomous multi-agent coding framework (Electron app)	nix run github:gui-wf/flakes#auto-claude
markdownify	MCP server converting files to Markdown (PDF, Word, Excel, etc.)	nix run github:gui-wf/flakes#markdownify
pdf2epub-mcp-server	PDF to EPUB converter with intelligent layout detection	nix run github:gui-wf/flakes#pdf2epub-mcp-server input.pdf

Templates (Project Starters)

Template	Tools Included	Use Case
default	Node.js, Python, jq, git	General development
nodejs	Node.js 22, npm, TypeScript LSP	JavaScript/TypeScript projects
python	Python 3, uv, venv, LSP	Python projects
blender	Blender, Python, uv	3D modeling/animation
zola	Zola static site generator	Static websites
zola-blog-init	Zola + blog theme prompts	Blog creation
mcp-server	Node.js, TypeScript, sops, age	MCP server development

Quick Start

Use a Template

# Start a new project with a template
mkdir my-project && cd my-project
nix flake init -t github:gui-wf/flakes#nodejs

# Enter the development environment
nix develop

# Or use direnv for automatic activation
echo "use flake" > .envrc && direnv allow

Use a Package

# Run auto-claude directly
nix run github:gui-wf/flakes#auto-claude

# Or install it
nix profile install github:gui-wf/flakes#auto-claude

Use in Your Own Flake

{
  inputs.dev-flakes.url = "github:gui-wf/flakes";

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, dev-flakes }: {
    # Use a package
    packages.x86_64-linux.default =
      dev-flakes.packages.x86_64-linux.auto-claude;

    # Inherit a template
    templates.my-template = dev-flakes.templates.nodejs;
  };
}

How It Works (Auto-Discovery)

This repository uses Nix's built-in functions to automatically discover templates and packages:

• Templates: Any directory in templates/ becomes a template
• Packages: Any directory in packages/ with package.nix becomes a package

To add your own:

# Add a template - just create a directory
mkdir templates/rust
# Add files (flake.nix, etc.)
# Done! Available as: nix flake init -t .#rust

# Add a package - just create a directory
mkdir packages/my-tool
# Add package.nix
# Done! Available as: nix build .#my-tool

No need to edit the main flake.nix - everything is discovered automatically using builtins.readDir and lib.mapAttrs.

Requirements

Nix with flakes enabled:

# Add to ~/.config/nix/nix.conf or /etc/nix/nix.conf
experimental-features = nix-command flakes

Install Nix: https://nixos.org/download

Structure

flakes/
├── flake.nix              # Auto-discovers templates & packages
├── templates/             # Project starter templates
│   ├── default/
│   ├── nodejs/
│   ├── python/
│   └── ...
└── packages/              # Reusable software packages
    └── auto-claude/

Technical Details

• Auto-discovery: Uses builtins.readDir to scan directories
• Metadata extraction: Pulls descriptions from flake.nix and CLAUDE.md
• Zero boilerplate: Add a directory, it's instantly available
• Type-safe: Only processes valid directories with required files

See IMPLEMENTATION_ANALYSIS.md for technical deep-dive.

Contributing

Add templates or packages by creating directories in templates/ or packages/ - they'll be auto-discovered.

License

MIT License