Included Plugins#

cx bootstraps conda with a selected set of default plugins. These are part of the conda-express distribution policy, not conda-ship’s generic builder behavior.

Default plugin set#

Package	What it adds	Typical commands or behavior
`conda-rattler-solver`	Rattler/resolvo-based solver backend	`solver: rattler` is written to `.condarc`
`conda-spawn`	Subprocess-based activation	`cx shell ENV`, `conda spawn ENV`
`conda-completion`	Shell completion support	`cx completion status`, `cx completion install --dry-run`
`conda-pypi`	PyPI interoperability inside conda workflows	PyPI dependency handling through the conda plugin stack
`conda-self`	Base environment self-management workflow	`cx self ...`, `conda self ...`
`conda-global`	Isolated global tool environments	`cx global install ruff`, `cx global list`
`conda-workspaces`	Project workspaces, tasks, and lockfiles	`cx workspace ...`, `cx task ...`

cx also installs Python and conda itself. The full package set is listed in Configuration.

Why these plugins are included#

The default set is meant to make a fresh conda installation useful without turning the base prefix into a project environment:

conda-rattler-solver avoids libmamba’s native dependency chain in the managed base.
conda-spawn gives users an activation workflow without conda init.
conda-self provides the plugin surface for managed base-prefix updates as that workflow settles.
conda-global covers isolated command-line tools.
conda-workspaces covers project-level environments and tasks for users who want a conda-native workspace workflow.
conda-pypi and conda-completion fill common day-to-day gaps.

Shell completion#

The completion command is available after bootstrap:

cx completion status
cx completion init bash
cx completion install --dry-run

init prints the shell integration script. install writes the shell hook that enables command completion for conda commands and installed conda plugin subcommands. Use --dry-run first to inspect the profile changes before writing them.

Activation Workflow#

Because cx includes conda-spawn, the conda-express activation model is:

cx shell myenv
exit

cx shell is a runtime shortcut for conda spawn. Other conda commands are passed through to the installed conda executable after bootstrap.

Workspace and tool commands#

After bootstrap, these plugin commands are available through cx:

cx workspace init --name my-project
cx workspace add python numpy
cx workspace install
cx task run test
cx global install ruff

The commands are regular conda plugin subcommands. cx passes them through to the installed conda executable after the prefix exists.