Nix Claude Code

nix-claude-code

A Nix flake that provides pre-built Claude Code CLI binaries from official Anthropic releases.

This flake downloads binaries directly from Anthropic's distribution servers.

Getting Started

# Run the latest version
nix run github:ryoppippi/nix-claude-code

# Run a specific version
nix run 'github:ryoppippi/nix-claude-code#"2.1.81"'

Features

• ✅ Automatic updates via GitHub Actions (hourly checks)
• ✅ Multi-platform support: Linux (x86_64, aarch64) and macOS (x86_64, aarch64)
• ✅ Direct downloads from official Anthropic servers
• ✅ SHA256 checksum verification
• ✅ Flake and non-flake support
• ✅ Binary cache via Cachix for faster builds

Why Use This Flake?

While there are existing Claude Code packages in the Nix ecosystem ([llm-agents.nix](https://github.com/numtide/llm-agents.nix) and [nixpkgs](https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/nixos-unstable/pkgs/by-name/cl/claude-code/package.nix)), this flake provides the **official pre-built binary distribution** with several advantages:

Performance Benefits

• Superior Bun performance: Pre-built binaries compiled with Bun offer better performance than Node.js-based distributions with faster startup times, lower memory usage, and improved execution speed

Official Support

• Recommended by Anthropic: The official Claude Code documentation recommends using the pre-built binary distribution for optimal performance
• Direct from official distribution: Binaries downloaded directly from Anthropic's servers
• Guaranteed compatibility: Official builds are tested and verified by Anthropic

Additional Benefits

• Faster updates: Automated hourly checks ensure you get the latest version quickly
• Consistent behaviour: Same binaries used across all platforms match official installation methods
• Simplified maintenance: No need to rebuild from source or manage runtime dependencies

If you prioritise performanc