You can configure NPM to install "global" packages to your user directory, and similarly PIP has `--user`. Usually, the nuclear option to installing something

You can configure NPM to install "global" packages to your user directory, and similarly PIP has `--user`. Usually, the nuclear option to installing something on NixOS that just isn't playing along (e.g. Steam and its games) is to use buildFHSUserEnv[0] which sandboxes the directory structure you're used to on other Linux systems. Of course, this means you'll be writing a bit of Nix code – if you're lucky, steam-run[1] makes software run instead, and you could probably hackily add missing libraries[2] otherwise needed, to steam-run (just remember that this is a nuclear option and not recommended because you're moving away from NixOS purity, but it does exist). Also, I suggest posting this to the NixOS links section[3] if you want more Nix users' eyes on this. [0]: https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-fhs-environments https://nixos.org/manual/nixpkgs/stable/#sec-fhs-environment... [1]: https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Steam#steam-run https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Steam#steam-run [2]: https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Steam#Adding_missing_dependencies https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Steam#Adding_missing_dependencies [3]: https://discourse.nixos.org/c/links/12 https://discourse.nixos.org/c/links/12