Xrepo Env

Xrepo Virtual Environments

xrepo env gives you a virtual environment for native tools and libraries. You describe a set of packages, xrepo installs them, and then sets up PATH, LD_LIBRARY_PATH, DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH, PKG_CONFIG_PATH, and any package-specific env vars so those tools "just work" inside the env.

Think conda/venv, but for C/C++ dependencies and CLI tools (cmake, ninja, python, luajit, protoc, …), sourced from xmake-repo or any registered private repo.

There are three ways to use it, ordered from most ad-hoc to most persistent.

1. Ad-hoc environments (no config file)

Pass a comma-separated package list to -b/--bind and xrepo env auto-installs and activates them.

Interactive shell

xrepo env -b "python 3.x,luajit,cmake" shell
[python,luajit,cmake] $ python --version
Python 3.10.6
[python,luajit,cmake] $ cmake --version
cmake version 3.25.3
[python,luajit,cmake] $ xrepo env quit
$

• Missing packages are installed on demand (first entry may be slow; subsequent entries are instant).
• The prompt is prefixed with the active package list so you know where you are.
• xrepo env quit (or just exit) leaves the subshell.

One-shot command

Skip the subshell and run a single command inside the env:

xrepo env -b "python 3.x" python script.py
xrepo env -b "cmake,ninja" cmake -B build -G Ninja
xrepo env -b "protobuf" protoc --version
xrepo env -b "llvm 18.x" clang++ hello.cpp -o hello

Great for scripting / CI — no subshell juggling.

Version specs and configs

Same syntax as add_requires:

xrepo env -b "python 3.11.x,cmake >=3.25" shell
xrepo env -b "boost" -f "regex=true" shell         # package configs
xrepo env -b "llvm" -m debug shell                 # debug build

2. Project-level environments (./xmake.lua)

Drop an xmake.lua in a directory — xrepo env in that directory reads it automatically. This is the right choice when a project needs a reproducible set of tools per working tree, checked into git.

-- ./xmake.lua
add_requires("zlib 1.2.11")
add_requires("python 3.x", "luajit")
add_requires("cmake 3.27.x", "ninja")

-- optional: also load a toolchain env
set_toolchains("msvc")     -- or "clang", "gcc-11", "llvm-mingw", ...

cd myproject
xrepo env shell            # activates everything in ./xmake.lua
xrepo env cmake --version  # one-shot

This is the xmake equivalent of a requirements.txt / environment.yml that also pins your compiler.

3. Named / registered environments

Register an env file globally and refer to it by name from anywhere. Use this for long-lived environments you switch between — "my embedded toolchain", "the CUDA build env", etc.

Register, list, remove

xrepo env --add /tmp/base.lua            # register file as env "base"
xrepo env --list                         # show all registered envs
xrepo env --remove base

Registered envs live under ~/.xmake/envs/.

Example base.lua:

add_requires("python 3.11.x")
add_requires("cmake", "ninja", "llvm 18.x")

Activate by name

xrepo env -b base shell                  # interactive
xrepo env -b base python --version       # one-shot
xrepo env -b base cmake -B build

Multiple named envs

xrepo env --add envs/cuda.lua     cuda
xrepo env --add envs/embedded.lua embedded
xrepo env -b cuda      nvcc --version
xrepo env -b embedded  arm-none-eabi-gcc --version

Inspecting what an env sets

Before activating, see the exact environment variables that would apply:

xrepo env --show luajit
xrepo env --show -b base
xrepo env --show -b "python 3.x,cmake"

Example output:

{
    PATH = "/home/ruki/.xmake/packages/l/luajit/.../bin:...",
    LD_LIBRARY_PATH = "/home/ruki/.xmake/packages/l/luajit/.../lib",
    PKG_CONFIG_PATH = "...",
    XMAKE_PROGRAM_DIR = "...",
    ...
}

Use this to debug "why isn't python the one I expect" — the first PATH entry wins.

CI usage

xrepo env one-shot mode is perfect for CI — no shell management, no activation scripts:

# GitHub Actions example
- run: curl -fsSL https://xmake.io/shget.text | bash
- run: xrepo env -b "cmake 3.27.x,ninja,llvm 18.x" cmake -B build -G Ninja
- run: xrepo env -b "cmake 3.27.x,ninja,llvm 18.x" cmake --build build

Or commit an envs/ci.lua and reference it:

xrepo env --add envs/ci.lua ci
xrepo env -b ci bash ./scripts/build.sh

Combining with toolchains

set_toolchains(...) inside the env file loads that compiler's environment too — VS vars on Windows, Xcode SDK on macOS, a cross SDK on Linux. This lets a single xrepo env shell give you both the right cmake/ninja and the right compiler.

add_requires("cmake", "ninja")
set_toolchains("msvc", {vs = "2022"})

xrepo env shell
> cl /?          # MSVC on PATH, env loaded
> cmake -G Ninja ..

Typical workflows

• "I need cmake 3.27 for this one-off task" → xrepo env -b "cmake 3.27.x" cmake ...
• "I want a reproducible dev shell for this repo" → check in xmake.lua with add_requires, use xrepo env shell
• "I juggle several toolchains/SDKs" → register each as a named env, switch with -b
• "CI needs a pinned python + cmake + ninja" → one-shot xrepo env -b "..." per step, or a committed envs/ci.lua
• "What does this env actually do to my PATH?" → xrepo env --show -b ...

Pitfalls

• Quoting matters. xrepo env -b python 3.x shell splits python and 3.x as separate args. Always quote: -b "python 3.x". Same for comma lists: -b "cmake,ninja".
• Env doesn't update after editing xmake.lua. Re-enter the env — xrepo env reads the file at activation time; an already-running subshell won't pick up edits.
• Tool is still the system one. Check with which cmake and xrepo env --show; if the registered env's PATH prefix isn't there, the env failed to install that package — rerun with -vD.
• Named envs are file references, not snapshots. xrepo env --add foo.lua stores a pointer; if you move or delete foo.lua, the env breaks. Keep env files somewhere stable (e.g. inside the repo).
• quit vs exit. Both leave the subshell; xrepo env quit is just a friendlier alias. Nested envs are allowed — quit pops one level.

When to branch out

• Installing / fetching / exporting packages outside an env → xrepo-cli
• Using packages from an xmake.lua build (not just tools on PATH) → xmake-packages
• Toolchain setup referenced via set_toolchains(...) → xmake-toolchains

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: xmake-io
• Source: xmake-io/xmake-skills
• License: Apache-2.0

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.