pretty-switch

A shell script wrapper that uses nix-output-monitor to build NixOS configurations with pretty output. It's a drop-in replacement for nixos-rebuild with enhanced build visualization.

Note: Currently only supports flake-based NixOS systems. PRs welcome for non-flake support.

Usage

pretty-switch [nixos-rebuild-command]

• Runs nixos-rebuild with nix-output-monitor for prettier output
• Default command: switch
• Example: pretty-switch test to test config

How It Works

1. Uses nix-output-monitor to build the NixOS configuration for the current system
2. Uses nixos-rebuild to apply the configuration

Installation

1. Add the flake to your inputs:

   {
     inputs = {
       nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
       pretty-switch.url = "github:noblepayne/pretty-switch";
       pretty-switch.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
     };
   }

2. Import the NixOS module:

   {inputs, ...}: {
     imports = [inputs.pretty-switch.nixosModules.default];
   }

   This can be done at the flake level or within your configuration.

3. Rebuild system:

   nixos-rebuild switch --flake .#

Usage

# Build with pretty output
pretty-switch

# Build and test
pretty-switch test