Checking the build result of nixpkgs in multiple platforms is an annoying task.
- I basically do not use macOS these days and only have an old and slow Intel MacBook.
- Having few devices or smartphones if I am walking.
- Several packages are very heavy to build, they take a long time and require many resources.
Solution
- GitHub Actions are free for pricing in public repositories. 😋
As I understand that, Which github provided runner matches the Nix supported systems.
Excluding large runners here. Which cannot be used in free plan.
| Nix | GitHub |
|---|---|
| x86_64-linux | ubuntu-24.04 |
| aarch64-Linux | ubuntu-24.04-arm |
| x86_64-darwin | macos-13 |
| aarch64-darwin | macos-15 |
Specify the NixOS/nixpkgs PR number with following CLI,
task start -- "$PR_NUMBER"or input it in workflow_dispatch if you can only use a smartphone.
If you want to get results and reports in another machine, run below
task resumeI have obtained a different result with the runners and my device once.
I suspect it is caused by pnpm spec, but you should remember this case, especially if the package is using pnpm.fetchDeps.