diff --git a/nix/sources.json b/nix/sources.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dc54fcea3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/sources.json
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+{
+    "niv": {
+        "branch": "master",
+        "description": "Easy dependency management for Nix projects",
+        "homepage": "https://github.com/nmattia/niv",
+        "owner": "nmattia",
+        "repo": "niv",
+        "rev": "ab9cc41caf44d1f1d465d8028e4bc0096fd73238",
+        "sha256": "17k52n8zwp832cqifsc4458mhy4044wmk22f807171hf6p7l4xvr",
+        "type": "tarball",
+        "url": "https://github.com/nmattia/niv/archive/ab9cc41caf44d1f1d465d8028e4bc0096fd73238.tar.gz",
+        "url_template": "https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/archive/<rev>.tar.gz"
+    },
+    "nixpkgs": {
+        "branch": "nixpkgs-unstable",
+        "description": "A read-only mirror of NixOS/nixpkgs tracking the released channels. Send issues and PRs to",
+        "homepage": "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs",
+        "owner": "NixOS",
+        "repo": "nixpkgs-channels",
+        "rev": "b8c367a7bd05e3a514c2b057c09223c74804a21b",
+        "sha256": "0y17zxhwdw0afml2bwkmhvkymd9fv242hksl3l3xz82gmlg1zks4",
+        "type": "tarball",
+        "url": "https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs-channels/archive/b8c367a7bd05e3a514c2b057c09223c74804a21b.tar.gz",
+        "url_template": "https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/archive/<rev>.tar.gz"
+    }
+}
diff --git a/nix/sources.nix b/nix/sources.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a725cb4e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/nix/sources.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+# This file has been generated by Niv.
+
+let
+
+  #
+  # The fetchers. fetch_<type> fetches specs of type <type>.
+  #
+
+  fetch_file = pkgs: spec:
+    if spec.builtin or true then
+      builtins_fetchurl { inherit (spec) url sha256; }
+    else
+      pkgs.fetchurl { inherit (spec) url sha256; };
+
+  fetch_tarball = pkgs: spec:
+    if spec.builtin or true then
+      builtins_fetchTarball { inherit (spec) url sha256; }
+    else
+      pkgs.fetchzip { inherit (spec) url sha256; };
+
+  fetch_git = spec:
+    builtins.fetchGit { url = spec.repo; inherit (spec) rev ref; };
+
+  fetch_builtin-tarball = spec:
+    builtins.trace
+      ''
+        WARNING:
+          The niv type "builtin-tarball" will soon be deprecated. You should
+          instead use `builtin = true`.
+
+          $ niv modify <package> -a type=tarball -a builtin=true
+      ''
+      builtins_fetchTarball { inherit (spec) url sha256; };
+
+  fetch_builtin-url = spec:
+    builtins.trace
+      ''
+        WARNING:
+          The niv type "builtin-url" will soon be deprecated. You should
+          instead use `builtin = true`.
+
+          $ niv modify <package> -a type=file -a builtin=true
+      ''
+      (builtins_fetchurl { inherit (spec) url sha256; });
+
+  #
+  # Various helpers
+  #
+
+  # The set of packages used when specs are fetched using non-builtins.
+  mkPkgs = sources:
+    let
+      sourcesNixpkgs =
+        import (builtins_fetchTarball { inherit (sources.nixpkgs) url sha256; }) {};
+      hasNixpkgsPath = builtins.any (x: x.prefix == "nixpkgs") builtins.nixPath;
+      hasThisAsNixpkgsPath = <nixpkgs> == ./.;
+    in
+      if builtins.hasAttr "nixpkgs" sources
+      then sourcesNixpkgs
+      else if hasNixpkgsPath && ! hasThisAsNixpkgsPath then
+        import <nixpkgs> {}
+      else
+        abort
+          ''
+            Please specify either <nixpkgs> (through -I or NIX_PATH=nixpkgs=...) or
+            add a package called "nixpkgs" to your sources.json.
+          '';
+
+  # The actual fetching function.
+  fetch = pkgs: name: spec:
+
+    if ! builtins.hasAttr "type" spec then
+      abort "ERROR: niv spec ${name} does not have a 'type' attribute"
+    else if spec.type == "file" then fetch_file pkgs spec
+    else if spec.type == "tarball" then fetch_tarball pkgs spec
+    else if spec.type == "git" then fetch_git spec
+    else if spec.type == "builtin-tarball" then fetch_builtin-tarball spec
+    else if spec.type == "builtin-url" then fetch_builtin-url spec
+    else
+      abort "ERROR: niv spec ${name} has unknown type ${builtins.toJSON spec.type}";
+
+  # Ports of functions for older nix versions
+
+  # a Nix version of mapAttrs if the built-in doesn't exist
+  mapAttrs = builtins.mapAttrs or (
+    f: set: with builtins;
+    listToAttrs (map (attr: { name = attr; value = f attr set.${attr}; }) (attrNames set))
+  );
+
+  # fetchTarball version that is compatible between all the versions of Nix
+  builtins_fetchTarball = { url, sha256 }@attrs:
+    let
+      inherit (builtins) lessThan nixVersion fetchTarball;
+    in
+      if lessThan nixVersion "1.12" then
+        fetchTarball { inherit url; }
+      else
+        fetchTarball attrs;
+
+  # fetchurl version that is compatible between all the versions of Nix
+  builtins_fetchurl = { url, sha256 }@attrs:
+    let
+      inherit (builtins) lessThan nixVersion fetchurl;
+    in
+      if lessThan nixVersion "1.12" then
+        fetchurl { inherit url; }
+      else
+        fetchurl attrs;
+
+  # Create the final "sources" from the config
+  mkSources = config:
+    mapAttrs (
+      name: spec:
+        if builtins.hasAttr "outPath" spec
+        then abort
+          "The values in sources.json should not have an 'outPath' attribute"
+        else
+          spec // { outPath = fetch config.pkgs name spec; }
+    ) config.sources;
+
+  # The "config" used by the fetchers
+  mkConfig =
+    { sourcesFile ? ./sources.json
+    , sources ? builtins.fromJSON (builtins.readFile sourcesFile)
+    , pkgs ? mkPkgs sources
+    }: rec {
+      # The sources, i.e. the attribute set of spec name to spec
+      inherit sources;
+
+      # The "pkgs" (evaluated nixpkgs) to use for e.g. non-builtin fetchers
+      inherit pkgs;
+    };
+in
+mkSources (mkConfig {}) // { __functor = _: settings: mkSources (mkConfig settings); }
diff --git a/shell.nix b/shell.nix
index 2129b8b4b7..510a4df83c 100644
--- a/shell.nix
+++ b/shell.nix
@@ -1,4 +1,38 @@
-with (import <nixpkgs> {});
+{ sources ? import nix/sources.nix,
+  nixpkgs ? import sources.nixpkgs {},
+  compiler ? "default"
+ }:
+with nixpkgs;
+
+let haskellPackagesForProject = if compiler == "default"
+    then haskellPackages.ghcWithPackages
+    else haskell.packages.${compiler}.ghcWithPackages;
+
+   compilerWithPackages = haskellPackagesForProject(p:
+        with p;
+        [ aeson
+          async
+          extra
+          gitrev
+          haskell-lsp
+          lens
+          network
+          optparse-simple
+          prettyprinter
+          QuickCheck
+          regex-tdfa
+          rope-utf16-splay
+          safe-exceptions
+          shake
+          tasty
+          tasty-golden
+          tasty-hunit
+          tasty-rerun
+          temporary
+          text
+          unordered-containers
+         ]);
+in
 stdenv.mkDerivation {
   name = "haskell-language-server";
   buildInputs = [
@@ -7,6 +41,10 @@ stdenv.mkDerivation {
     ncurses
 
     haskellPackages.cabal-install
+    haskellPackages.hlint
+
+    compilerWithPackages
+
   ];
   src = null;
   shellHook = ''