drift-detection

Configuration drift in NixOS is detected by scanning the system for imperative package installations, manual file modifications, and unmanaged cron jobs, then comparing them against the declarative configuration to identify inconsistencies.

Finding packages installed outside of your NixOS configuration requires scanning the environment for imperative installations. This process flags software added manually without going through the declarative rebuild process.

Integrating manual system changes back into your NixOS declarative configuration is supported. The detection process identifies unmanaged modifications and offers to reconcile them into the declarative state for improved auditability.

NixOS drift detection checks for unmanaged cron jobs and systemd units by flagging scheduled tasks and services not declared in the configuration, helping verify the active system state against the managed setup.

The best way to audit manual file modifications after a NixOS rebuild is to run a comprehensive system analysis that locates files changed outside the declarative process and suggests integrating them back.

Yes, you need shell execution and file system access to check for NixOS configuration drift, as the comprehensive analysis requires reading system states, installed packages, and modified files.