diff --git a/DESCRIPTION b/DESCRIPTION
index 05f433a9..f4609330 100644
--- a/DESCRIPTION
+++ b/DESCRIPTION
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ Depends:
 Imports: 
     httr,
     jsonlite,
+    sys,
     utils
 Suggests: 
     knitr,
diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 6460abb6..c8a4e8e8 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 export(available_r)
 export(find_rev)
 export(get_current)
+export(nix_build)
 export(rix)
 importFrom(httr,GET)
 importFrom(httr,content)
diff --git a/R/find_rev.R b/R/find_rev.R
index bacb5a5d..dd197af1 100644
--- a/R/find_rev.R
+++ b/R/find_rev.R
@@ -388,3 +388,27 @@ USE_RSTUDIO};
 
 }
 
+
+#' Invoke shell command `nix-build` from an R session
+#' @param nix_file File path to the `default.nix` file. The default is
+#' a `default.nix` file in the current working directory of the current R
+#' session.
+#' @param exec_mode Either `"blocking"` (default) or `"non-blocking`. This
+#' will either block the R session while the `nix-build` shell command is
+#' executed, or run `nix-build` in the background ("non-blocking").
+#' @return integer of the process ID (PID) of `nix-build` shell command
+#' launched.
+#' @export
+nix_build <- function(nix_file = file.path("default.nix"),
+                      exec_mode = c("blocking", "non-blocking")) {
+  stopifnot(is.character(nix_file))
+  exec_mode <- match.arg(exec_mode)
+  
+  proc <- switch(exec_mode,
+    "blocking" = sys::exec_wait("nix-build", nix_file),
+    "non-blocking" = sys::exec_background("nix-build", nix_file),
+    stop('invalid `exec_mode`. Either use "blocking" or "non-blocking"')
+  )
+  
+  return(invisible(proc))
+}
diff --git a/dev/0-dev_history.Rmd b/dev/0-dev_history.Rmd
index 108091fe..96446ea0 100755
--- a/dev/0-dev_history.Rmd
+++ b/dev/0-dev_history.Rmd
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@ fusen::fill_description(
     Description = "Provides helper functions to create reproducible development environments using the Nix package manager.",
     Version = "0.0.9",
     `Authors@R` = c(
-      person("Bruno", "Rodrigues", email = "bruno@brodrigues.co", role = c("aut", "cre"), comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-3211-3689"))
+      person("Bruno", "Rodrigues", email = "bruno@brodrigues.co", role = c("aut", "cre"), comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-3211-3689")),
+      person("Philipp", "Baumann", email = "baumann-philipp@protonmail.com", role = "ctb", comment = c(ORCID = "0000-0002-3194-8975"))
     )
   )
 )
diff --git a/dev/build_envs.Rmd b/dev/build_envs.Rmd
index f9fe3a4d..eaa3ccb8 100644
--- a/dev/build_envs.Rmd
+++ b/dev/build_envs.Rmd
@@ -470,3 +470,32 @@ USE_RSTUDIO};
 }
 
 ```
+
+The function below is to invoke the shell command `nix-build` from a R 
+session.
+
+```{r function-nix_build}
+#' Invoke shell command `nix-build` from an R session
+#' @param nix_file File path to the `default.nix` file. The default is
+#' a `default.nix` file in the current working directory of the current R
+#' session.
+#' @param exec_mode Either `"blocking"` (default) or `"non-blocking`. This
+#' will either block the R session while the `nix-build` shell command is
+#' executed, or run `nix-build` in the background ("non-blocking").
+#' @return integer of the process ID (PID) of `nix-build` shell command
+#' launched.
+#' @export
+nix_build <- function(nix_file = file.path("default.nix"),
+                      exec_mode = c("blocking", "non-blocking")) {
+  stopifnot(is.character(nix_file))
+  exec_mode <- match.arg(exec_mode)
+  
+  proc <- switch(exec_mode,
+    "blocking" = sys::exec_wait("nix-build", nix_file),
+    "non-blocking" = sys::exec_background("nix-build", nix_file),
+    stop('invalid `exec_mode`. Either use "blocking" or "non-blocking"')
+  )
+  
+  return(invisible(proc))
+}
+```
diff --git a/man/nix_build.Rd b/man/nix_build.Rd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5a46411
--- /dev/null
+++ b/man/nix_build.Rd
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
+% Please edit documentation in R/find_rev.R
+\name{nix_build}
+\alias{nix_build}
+\title{Invoke shell command \code{nix-build} from an R session}
+\usage{
+nix_build(
+  nix_file = file.path("default.nix"),
+  exec_mode = c("blocking", "non-blocking")
+)
+}
+\arguments{
+\item{nix_file}{File path to the \code{default.nix} file. The default is
+a \code{default.nix} file in the current working directory of the current R
+session.}
+
+\item{exec_mode}{Either \code{"blocking"} (default) or \verb{"non-blocking}. This
+will either block the R session while the \code{nix-build} shell command is
+executed, or run \code{nix-build} in the background ("non-blocking").}
+}
+\value{
+integer of the process ID (PID) of \code{nix-build} shell command
+launched.
+}
+\description{
+Invoke shell command \code{nix-build} from an R session
+}