···158159By default, Agda sources are files ending on `.agda`, or literate Agda files ending on `.lagda`, `.lagda.tex`, `.lagda.org`, `.lagda.md`, `.lagda.rst`. The list of recognised Agda source extensions can be extended by setting the `extraExtensions` config variable.
160161-## Adding Agda packages to Nixpkgs {#adding-agda-packages-to-nixpkgs}
0000000000000000162163To add an Agda package to `nixpkgs`, the derivation should be written to `pkgs/development/libraries/agda/${library-name}/` and an entry should be added to `pkgs/top-level/agda-packages.nix`. Here it is called in a scope with access to all other Agda libraries, so the top line of the `default.nix` can look like:
164···192This library has a file called `.agda-lib`, and so we give an empty string to `libraryFile` as nothing precedes `.agda-lib` in the filename. This file contains `name: IAL-1.3`, and so we let `libraryName = "IAL-1.3"`. This library does not use an `Everything.agda` file and instead has a Makefile, so there is no need to set `everythingFile` and we set a custom `buildPhase`.
193194When writing an Agda package it is essential to make sure that no `.agda-lib` file gets added to the store as a single file (for example by using `writeText`). This causes Agda to think that the nix store is a Agda library and it will attempt to write to it whenever it typechecks something. See [https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/4613](https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/4613).
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
···158159By default, Agda sources are files ending on `.agda`, or literate Agda files ending on `.lagda`, `.lagda.tex`, `.lagda.org`, `.lagda.md`, `.lagda.rst`. The list of recognised Agda source extensions can be extended by setting the `extraExtensions` config variable.
160161+## Maintaining the Agda package set on Nixpkgs {#maintaining-the-agda-package-set-on-nixpkgs}
162+163+We are aiming at providing all common Agda libraries as packages on `nixpkgs`,
164+and keeping them up to date.
165+Contributions and maintenance help is always appreciated,
166+but the maintenance effort is typically low since the Agda ecosystem is quite small.
167+168+The `nixpkgs` Agda package set tries to take up a role similar to that of [Stackage](https://www.stackage.org/) in the Haskell world.
169+It is a curated set of libraries that:
170+171+1. Always work together.
172+2. Are as up-to-date as possible.
173+174+While the Haskell ecosystem is huge, and Stackage is highly automatised,
175+the Agda package set is small and can (still) be maintained by hand.
176+177+### Adding Agda packages to Nixpkgs {#adding-agda-packages-to-nixpkgs}
178179To add an Agda package to `nixpkgs`, the derivation should be written to `pkgs/development/libraries/agda/${library-name}/` and an entry should be added to `pkgs/top-level/agda-packages.nix`. Here it is called in a scope with access to all other Agda libraries, so the top line of the `default.nix` can look like:
180···208This library has a file called `.agda-lib`, and so we give an empty string to `libraryFile` as nothing precedes `.agda-lib` in the filename. This file contains `name: IAL-1.3`, and so we let `libraryName = "IAL-1.3"`. This library does not use an `Everything.agda` file and instead has a Makefile, so there is no need to set `everythingFile` and we set a custom `buildPhase`.
209210When writing an Agda package it is essential to make sure that no `.agda-lib` file gets added to the store as a single file (for example by using `writeText`). This causes Agda to think that the nix store is a Agda library and it will attempt to write to it whenever it typechecks something. See [https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/4613](https://github.com/agda/agda/issues/4613).
211+212+In the pull request adding this library,
213+you can test whether it builds correctly by writing in a comment:
214+215+```
216+@ofborg build agdaPackages.iowa-stdlib
217+```
218+219+### Maintaining Agda packages
220+221+As mentioned before, the aim is to have a compatible, and up-to-date package set.
222+These two conditions sometimes exclude each other:
223+For example, if we update `agdaPackages.standard-library` because there was an upstream release,
224+this will typically break many reverse dependencies,
225+i.e. downstream Agda libraries that depend on the standard library.
226+In `nixpkgs` we are typically among the first to notice this,
227+since we have build tests in place to check this.
228+229+In a pull request updating e.g. the standard library, you should write the following comment:
230+231+```
232+@ofborg build agdaPackages.standard-library.passthru.tests
233+```
234+235+This will build all reverse dependencies of the standard library,
236+for example `agdaPackages.agda-categories`, or `agdaPackages.generic`.
237+238+In some cases it is useful to build _all_ Agda packages.
239+This can be done with the following Github comment:
240+241+```
242+@ofborg build agda.passthru.tests.allPackages
243+```
244+245+Sometimes, the builds of the reverse dependencies fail because they have not yet been updated and released.
246+You should drop the maintainers a quick issue notifying them of the breakage,
247+citing the build error (which you can get from the ofborg logs).
248+If you are motivated, you might even send a pull request that fixes it.
249+Usually, the maintainers will answer within a week or two with a new release.
250+Bumping the version of that reverse dependency should be a further commit on your PR.
251+252+In the rare case that a new release is not to be expected within an acceptable time,
253+simply mark the broken package as broken by setting `meta.broken = true;`.
254+This will exclude it from the build test.
255+It can be added later when it is fixed,
256+and does not hinder the advancement of the whole package set in the meantime.