# nix-community/nix-index

Quickly locate nix packages with specific files [maintainers=@bennofs @figsoda @raitobezarius]

Repository: https://github.com/nix-community/nix-index
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nix-index
Language: Rust
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: nix, nixpkgs, tooling, search
Last push: 2026-08-16T17:46:49+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 88/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 67, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3491, "days_push": 17, "days_rel": 62, "gap_med": 175.0, "n_releases_24m": 3}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1350, forks 78 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:28.103484+00:00)

## What it is
nix-index is a Rust CLI tool that builds a files database for nixpkgs by indexing built derivations from binary caches. Its companion command nix-locate quickly finds which nix package provides a specific file, and it can replace the shell's command-not-found handler.

## Use cases
- find which nix package provides a given file
- look up the package containing bin/hello in nixpkgs
- replace command-not-found to suggest nix packages for missing commands
- index built derivations from nix binary caches locally
- use a pre-generated nixpkgs files database via nix-index-database

## When to choose
- you use Nix/NixOS and need to find which package contains a file
- you want a shell command-not-found that suggests nix packages
- you want to search nixpkgs by file path rather than package name

## When to avoid
- you don't use the Nix package manager
- you need to search packages by metadata rather than contained files

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: search-engine, cli, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools
- platform: cli, rust
- tags: nix, nixpkgs, package-search, file-database, command-not-found, command-line, package-management, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- nix-community/nix-index (main) score 88

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:28.103484+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:42:17.955576+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nix-community/nix-index (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:28.103484+00:00, sha eb0b2b1dfae6)
  - registry_crates: https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/nix-index (fetched 2026-08-29T12:01:05.309911+00:00, sha a124b2182fbe)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.