https://github.com/daaboulex/mesa-git-nix

Mesa from git main packaged for NixOS — bleeding-edge GPU drivers
https://github.com/daaboulex/mesa-git-nix

bleeding-edge flake gpu mesa mesa-git nix nixos opengl radeonsi radv vulkan

Last synced: 10 days ago
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Mesa from git main packaged for NixOS — bleeding-edge GPU drivers

Host: GitHub
URL: https://github.com/daaboulex/mesa-git-nix
Owner: Daaboulex
License: mit
Created: 2026-03-02T21:06:59.000Z (3 months ago)
Default Branch: main
Last Pushed: 2026-05-19T09:31:47.000Z (15 days ago)
Last Synced: 2026-05-19T09:59:05.504Z (15 days ago)
Topics: bleeding-edge, flake, gpu, mesa, mesa-git, nix, nixos, opengl, radeonsi, radv, vulkan
Language: Shell
Size: 146 KB
Stars: 1
Watchers: 1
Forks: 1
Open Issues: 1
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
- Security: SECURITY.md

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

          # mesa-git-nix

[![CI](https://github.com/Daaboulex/mesa-git-nix/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/Daaboulex/mesa-git-nix/actions/workflows/ci.yml)

[![NixOS unstable](https://img.shields.io/badge/NixOS-unstable-78C0E8?logo=nixos&logoColor=white)](https://nixos.org)

[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-blue.svg)](./LICENSE)

Bleeding-edge [Mesa](https://www.mesa3d.org/) from the `main` branch, packaged as a Nix flake.

Overrides nixpkgs' `mesa` via `overrideAttrs` — no derivation rewrite needed. Provides an overlay (`mesa-git` / `mesa-git-32`), vendor-aware driver presets, and a NixOS module to swap the system graphics driver in one line.

## Upstream

| | |

|---|---|

| **Project** | https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa |

| **License** | MIT |

| **Tracked** | Git HEAD (main) |

## Why?

nixpkgs-unstable tracks Mesa stable releases. Mesa `main` often contains unreleased driver optimizations weeks or months before a stable cut:

- **RDNA 4 / GFX12**: RadeonSI compute dispatch, buffer/image clears, shader improvements

- **RADV**: Vulkan driver fixes, new extensions, performance tuning

- **NVK / ANV / etc.**: Ongoing Vulkan and OpenGL improvements across all drivers

[Chaotic-Nyx](https://github.com/chaotic-cx/nyx) (the previous community mesa-git source) was archived in December 2025 with no maintained replacement.

## Pinned Commit

| Field   | Value |

|---------|-------|

| Branch  | `main` |

| Rev     | [`52d57d98a294`](https://gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa/-/commit/52d57d98a2948214a2d029f2f4e8b476bf39ada3) |

| Version | `26.2.0-devel` |

| Date    | 2026-05-19 |

Updated automatically every 12 hours by CI. See [`version.json`](./version.json) for the full commit SHA.

## Installation

Add as a flake input:

```nix

{

  inputs.mesa-git = {

    url = "github:Daaboulex/mesa-git-nix";

    inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";

  };

}

```

Then add the overlay:

```nix

nixpkgs.overlays = [ inputs.mesa-git.overlays.default ];

```

Import the NixOS module:

```nix

imports = [ inputs.mesa-git.nixosModules.default ];

```

## Usage

### Flake Input

```nix

# flake.nix

{

  inputs = {

    nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";

    mesa-git-nix = {

      url = "github:daaboulex/mesa-git-nix";

      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";

    };

  };

}

```

### Option A: NixOS Module (Recommended)

The included NixOS module sets `hardware.graphics.package` and `hardware.graphics.package32` for you, with optional vendor-based driver selection.

```nix

# configuration.nix or host config

{ inputs, ... }: {

  imports = [ inputs.mesa-git-nix.nixosModules.default ];

  nixpkgs.overlays = [ inputs.mesa-git-nix.overlays.default ];

  mesa-git = {

    enable = true;

    drivers = [ "amd" ];  # Only compile AMD drivers (see Driver Presets below)

  };

}

```

### Option B: Overlay Only

If you manage `hardware.graphics.package` yourself or want to integrate mesa-git into your own module system:

```nix

{ inputs, pkgs, lib, ... }: {

  nixpkgs.overlays = [ inputs.mesa-git-nix.overlays.default ];

  # All drivers (default)

  hardware.graphics.package = lib.mkForce pkgs.mesa-git;

  hardware.graphics.package32 = lib.mkForce pkgs.mesa-git-32;

  # Or with vendor selection (AMD-only)

  hardware.graphics.package = lib.mkForce (pkgs.mkMesaGit { vendors = [ "amd" ]; });

  hardware.graphics.package32 = lib.mkForce (pkgs.mkMesaGit32 { vendors = [ "amd" ]; });

}

```

### Option C: Standalone Build

```bash

nix build github:daaboulex/mesa-git-nix

nix eval github:daaboulex/mesa-git-nix#mesa-git.version

```

## Driver Presets

By default, mesa-git builds **all** drivers (same as nixpkgs). Set `drivers` to only compile what your hardware needs — this dramatically reduces build time.

### Vendor Presets

| Vendor | `drivers` | Gallium | Vulkan |

|--------|-----------|---------|--------|

| AMD | `[ "amd" ]` | radeonsi, r600, r300 | RADV |

| Intel | `[ "intel" ]` | iris, crocus, i915 | ANV, HasVK |

| NVIDIA | `[ "nvidia" ]` | nouveau, tegra | NVK |

| All | `[ ]` (default) | all 24 drivers | all 14 drivers |

### Common Essentials (Always Included)

Regardless of vendor selection, these are always built:

- **Gallium**: llvmpipe (software fallback), softpipe, zink (OpenGL-over-Vulkan), virgl (VM)

- **Vulkan**: Lavapipe/swrast (software fallback), virtio (VM)

### Multi-GPU / Integrated Graphics

For systems with multiple GPUs (e.g., Intel iGPU + NVIDIA dGPU), list all vendors:

```nix

mesa-git.drivers = [ "intel" "nvidia" ];  # Builds Intel + NVIDIA + common essentials

```

### Custom Driver Lists

For full control, use `mkMesaGit` / `mkMesaGit32` directly:

```nix

hardware.graphics.package = lib.mkForce (pkgs.mkMesaGit {

  galliumDrivers = [ "radeonsi" "llvmpipe" "zink" ];

  vulkanDrivers = [ "amd" "swrast" ];

});

```

## How It Works

The overlay applies `overrideAttrs` to nixpkgs' `mesa` derivation, changing only what's necessary:

| Attribute | Change |

|-----------|--------|

| `version` | `26.1.0-dev-` |

| `src` | Pinned git main commit from `version.json` |

| `patches` | Cleared (nixpkgs patches target release line numbers) |

| `postPatch` | Replicates `opencl.patch` effects via `substituteInPlace` + `sed`; skips `mesa-gl-headers` validation |

| `mesonFlags` | Driver lists replaced when vendor presets are used |

| `env.MESON_PACKAGE_CACHE_DIR` | Rebuilt from `wraps.json` (Rust crate deps matching git main) |

Everything else (build inputs, outputs, `postInstall`, `postFixup`) is inherited from nixpkgs.

### What the `postPatch` Does

1. **`clang-libdir` meson option** — nixpkgs' `opencl.patch` adds a custom meson option so Nix can control the clang library search path. We replicate this with `substituteInPlace` on `meson.build` and append the option definition from `clang-libdir-option.meson`.

2. **Rusticl ICD install** — disables auto-installing the `.icd` file (nixpkgs reconstructs it with an absolute Nix store path in `postInstall`).

3. **`mesa-gl-headers` check** — skipped entirely, since git main headers diverge from the pinned release headers package.

## Development

```bash

git clone https://github.com/Daaboulex/mesa-git-nix

cd mesa-git-nix

nix develop                       # enter dev shell, installs pre-commit hooks

nix fmt                           # format flake + module

nix flake check --no-build        # eval check

nix build .#mesa-git              # build the package

nix eval .#mesa-git.version       # confirm pinned commit + version string

```

### Updating the pin

```bash

./scripts/update.sh

```

This script:

1. Fetches the latest commit SHA from `gitlab.freedesktop.org/mesa/mesa` `main`

2. Computes the source hash with `nix-prefetch-git`

3. Sparse-clones `subprojects/*.wrap` to regenerate `wraps.json` (Rust crate dependencies)

4. Writes `version.json`

After updating, test with:

```bash

nix build .#mesa-git

nix eval .#mesa-git.version

```

CI runs the same chain every 12 hours via `.github/workflows/update.yml`, so manual updates are rarely needed.

## Verification

After `nixos-rebuild switch`:

```bash

# OpenGL version should show the git version string

glxinfo | grep "OpenGL version"

# Vulkan driver info should show RADV with git version

vulkaninfo | grep driverInfo

```

## Repository Structure

```

mesa-git-nix/

├── flake.nix                   # Flake: overlay + NixOS module + packages

├── flake.lock

├── overlay.nix                 # Nixpkgs overlay: mesa-git, mkMesaGit, driver presets

├── module.nix                  # NixOS module: mesa-git.enable + drivers option

├── clang-libdir-option.meson   # Meson option snippet (avoids Nix string escaping)

├── version.json                # Pinned commit: rev, hash, version, date

├── wraps.json                  # Rust crate deps for MESON_PACKAGE_CACHE_DIR

├── update.sh                   # Script to pin latest mesa main commit

├── pkgs/

│   └── mesa-git.nix            # Package documentation (build via overlay)

├── LICENSE

└── README.md

```

## Options

This module declares options under `mesa-git`. See [`module.nix`](module.nix) for all available options.

## License

This packaging flake is [MIT](./LICENSE) licensed. Mesa itself is distributed under the [MIT license](https://docs.mesa3d.org/license.html).

---

*Maintained as part of the [Daaboulex](https://github.com/Daaboulex) NixOS ecosystem.*

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