I really like this idea: In fact this is what the NixOS guides recommend as the way to manage your own packages. Branching off one of the stable NixOS channels

I really like this idea: In fact this is what the NixOS guides recommend as the way to manage your own packages. Branching off one of the stable NixOS channels, make changes on a local branch and pull in upstream changes when you need an update from the community. This worked (and continues to work) really well. It entices you to review the changes made to your distribution and its packages.