Branch 2.9 release notes

1 files changed, 47 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/doc/manual/src/release-notes/rl-2.9.md b/doc/manual/src/release-notes/rl-2.9.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ab4b9e42f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/manual/src/release-notes/rl-2.9.md
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# Release 2.9 (2022-05-30)
+
+* Running Nix with the new `--debugger` flag will cause it to start a
+  repl session if if an exception is thrown during evaluation, or if
+  `builtins.break` is called.  From there you can inspect the values
+  of variables and evaluate Nix expressions.  In debug mode, the
+  following new repl commands are available:
+
+  ```
+  :env          Show env stack
+  :bt           Show trace stack
+  :st           Show current trace
+  :st <idx>     Change to another trace in the stack
+  :c            Go until end of program, exception, or builtins.break().
+  :s            Go one step
+  ```
+
+  Read more about the debugger
+  [here](https://www.zknotes.com/note/5970).
+
+* Nix now provides better integration with zsh's `run-help`
+  feature. It is now included in the Nix installation in the form of
+  an autoloadable shell function, `run-help-nix`. It picks up Nix
+  subcommands from the currently typed in command and directs the user
+  to the associated man pages.
+
+* `nix repl` has a new build-and-link (`:bl`) command that builds a
+  derivation while creating GC root symlinks.
+
+* The path produced by `builtins.toFile` is now allowed to be imported
+  or read even with restricted evaluation. Note that this will not
+  work with a read-only store.
+
+* `nix build` has a new `--print-out-paths` flag to print the
+  resulting output paths.  This matches the default behaviour of
+  `nix-build`.
+
+* You can now specify which outputs of a derivation `nix` should
+  operate on using the syntax `installable^outputs`,
+  e.g. `nixpkgs#glibc^dev,static` or `nixpkgs#glibc^*`. By default,
+  `nix` will use the outputs specified by the derivation's
+  `meta.outputsToInstall` attribute if it exists, or all outputs
+  otherwise.
+
+* `builtins.fetchTree` (and flake inputs) can now be used to fetch
+  plain files over the `http(s)` and `file` protocols in addition to
+  directory tarballs.