---
created: 2024-01-25T16:49:34 (UTC -05:00)
tags: nixos
source: https://jeffkreeftmeijer.com/nix-home-manager-git-prompt/
author: Jeff Kreeftmeijer
---

- # Git status in shell prompt with Nix Home Manager
  
  > ## Excerpt
  > By  on 2023-03-19 (originally published on 2023-03-13)
  
  ---
  By on 2023-03-19 (originally published on 2023-03-13)
  
  Git comes with a script named [`git-prompt.sh`](https://github.com/git/git/blob/master/contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh) that exposes information about the current directory’s repository to use in your shell’s prompt. The script is in the `contrib` directory, but I used to [extract](https://github.com/jeffkreeftmeijer/git-prompt.sh) it to not have to download the git source to set my prompt.
  
  Using Nix, the prompt is available in the `~/.nix-profile` directory, meaning setting up the prompt doesn’t require remembering to download an extra file. Instead, it’s three lines in `programs.zsh.initExtra` to source the script and set the prompt<sup><a id="fnr.1" href="https://jeffkreeftmeijer.com/nix-home-manager-git-prompt/#fn.1" role="doc-backlink">1</a></sup>:
  
  ```
  programs.zsh.initExtra =
  ''
  source ~/.nix-profile/share/git/contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh
  setopt PROMPT_SUBST
  export PS1='%~ $(__git_ps1 "(%s) ")%# '
  '';
  ```
  
  This produces prompts like `~/repository (main) %` inside a git repository, and `~/not/a/repository %` elsewhere.
  
  ---
  
  1.  This example is for zsh, omit the `setopt` and alter the `PS1` for bash:
    
    ```
    programs.bash.initExtra =
    ''
    source ~/.nix-profile/share/git/contrib/completion/git-prompt.sh
    export PS1='\w $(__git_ps1 "(%s) ")$ '
    '';
    ```
    
    [↩︎](https://jeffkreeftmeijer.com/nix-home-manager-git-prompt/#fnr.1)