diff --git a/.envrc b/.envrc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..29da48d46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.envrc
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+watch_file shell.nix
+use flake
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 0e27dd464..6890c92dc 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
 target
+.direnv
 helix-term/rustfmt.toml
 helix-syntax/languages/
diff --git a/flake.lock b/flake.lock
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..55f6d35d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/flake.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+{
+  "nodes": {
+    "flake-utils": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1610051610,
+        "narHash": "sha256-U9rPz/usA1/Aohhk7Cmc2gBrEEKRzcW4nwPWMPwja4Y=",
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "rev": "3982c9903e93927c2164caa727cd3f6a0e6d14cc",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
+    "flake-utils_2": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1609246779,
+        "narHash": "sha256-eq6ZXE/VWo3EMC65jmIT6H/rrUc9UWOWVujkzav025k=",
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "rev": "08c7ad4a0844adc4a7f9f5bb3beae482e789afa4",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
+    "nixpkgs": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1610842533,
+        "narHash": "sha256-6hW8CML8RnNrRJMv7E56rXAhsCNgUM97HIVSqWxnO64=",
+        "owner": "nixos",
+        "repo": "nixpkgs",
+        "rev": "68398d2dd50efc2d878bf0f83bbc8bc323b6b0e0",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "nixos",
+        "ref": "nixos-unstable",
+        "repo": "nixpkgs",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
+    "nixpkgs_2": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1609079092,
+        "narHash": "sha256-KhyKfxBHtZlAgudpZ0EJVzeuqROjKfVOwj8j0cuhU50=",
+        "path": "/nix/store/5pmay8rdvgw5ml1xi6189xhdbygc850k-source",
+        "rev": "2f47650c2f28d87f86ab807b8a339c684d91ec56",
+        "type": "path"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "id": "nixpkgs",
+        "type": "indirect"
+      }
+    },
+    "root": {
+      "inputs": {
+        "flake-utils": "flake-utils",
+        "nixpkgs": "nixpkgs",
+        "rust-overlay": "rust-overlay"
+      }
+    },
+    "rust-overlay": {
+      "inputs": {
+        "flake-utils": "flake-utils_2",
+        "nixpkgs": "nixpkgs_2"
+      },
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1611026386,
+        "narHash": "sha256-ZCYGAGUW9RMG5+Z1cdqrw1mstQqpuD66AB1U6ALpcDw=",
+        "owner": "oxalica",
+        "repo": "rust-overlay",
+        "rev": "a9b13ba83eaf2d07ae955a45b15fd96aa6994b70",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "oxalica",
+        "repo": "rust-overlay",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "root": "root",
+  "version": 7
+}
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8208b2893
--- /dev/null
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+{
+  description = "A post-modern text editor.";
+
+  inputs = {
+    nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
+    flake-utils.url = "github:numtide/flake-utils";
+    rust-overlay.url = "github:oxalica/rust-overlay";
+  };
+
+  outputs = { nixpkgs, rust-overlay, flake-utils, ... }:
+    flake-utils.lib.eachDefaultSystem (system:
+      let
+        pkgs = import nixpkgs { inherit system; overlays = [ rust-overlay.overlay ]; };
+      in rec {
+        # packages.helix = pkgs.callPackage ./default.nix {};
+        # defaultPackage = packages.helix;
+        devShell = pkgs.callPackage ./shell.nix {};
+      });
+}
diff --git a/shell.nix b/shell.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f8f65093d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shell.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }:
+
+pkgs.mkShell {
+  nativeBuildInputs = with pkgs; [
+    rust-bin.nightly.latest.rust
+    lld_10
+    # pkgconfig
+  ];
+  RUSTFLAGS = "-C link-arg=-fuse-ld=lld";
+  RUST_BACKTRACE = "1";
+}
+