[Nix-dev] path `xxx' is required, but there is no substituter that can build it

[Peter Simons]

Hi,

nix-env has stopped working on my machine. No matter what package I try
to install, the outcome is invariably this:

  $ nix-env -i -A swiProlog
  installing `swi-prolog-5.6.51'
  don't know how to build the following paths (may be caused by read-only store access):
    /home/peter/.nix/store/cxrlg94xgs62x4rk4y112h08db6n0wqw-swi-prolog-5.6.51.drv
  path `/home/peter/.nix/store/cxrlg94xgs62x4rk4y112h08db6n0wqw-swi-prolog-5.6.51.drv' is required, but there is no substituter that can build it
  cannot build missing derivation `/home/peter/.nix/store/cxrlg94xgs62x4rk4y112h08db6n0wqw-swi-prolog-5.6.51.drv'
  error: build of `/home/peter/.nix/store/cxrlg94xgs62x4rk4y112h08db6n0wqw-swi-prolog-5.6.51.drv' failed

I ran nix-env with strace, but the output is inconclusive, i.e. I cannot
determine the system error that causes nix-env to fail. Now I wonder: how would
I debug that particular error?

Take care,
Peter