waybar-nixos-updates

A simple Waybar update checking script for NixOS. It is a general script and could work with other bars or just be run in the terminal.

Here's how the module looks in Waybar with and without updates:

Here's how the module's tooltip looks when updates are available:

This script assumes your flake is in ~/.dotfiles and that your flake's nixosConfigurations is named the same as your $hostname

Credit goes to this project for the idea and starting point.

How to use

Download the update-checker script, put it in your PATH and make it executable (chmod +x update-checker).

To configure, add the following to your Waybar config (~/.config/waybar/config).

"custom/nix-updates": {
    "exec": "$HOME/bin/update-checker", // <--- path to script
    "on-click": "$HOME/bin/update-checker && notify-send 'The system has been updated'", // refresh on click
    "interval": 3600, // refresh every hour
    "tooltip": true,
    "return-type": "json",
    "format": "{} {icon}",
    "format-icons": {
        "has-updates": "", // icon when updates needed
        "updated": "" // icon when all packages updated
    },
},

To style use the #custom-nix-updates ID in your Waybar styles file (~/.config/waybar/styles.css).

For more information see the Waybar wiki.