Subject: [PATCH v2] doc: Clarify guix shell's DWIM behaviour.

From: Liliana Marie Prikler <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 8 May 2022 17:29:06 +0200

* doc/guix.texi ("Invoking guix shell"): Document the exact behaviour, that is
which flags go together with which file names.
---
 doc/guix.texi | 19 +++++++++++--------
 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi
index e1fb50a634..34908462e2 100644
--- a/doc/guix.texi
+++ b/doc/guix.texi
@@ -5670,17 +5670,20 @@ before @command{guix shell} was invoked.  The next garbage collection
 (@pxref{Invoking guix gc}) may clean up packages that were installed in
 the environment and that are no longer used outside of it.
 
-As an added convenience, when running from a directory that contains a
-@file{manifest.scm} or a @file{guix.scm} file (in this order), possibly
-in a parent directory, @command{guix shell} automatically loads the
-file---provided the directory is listed in
-@file{~/.config/guix/shell-authorized-directories}, and only for
-interactive use:
-
+As an added convenience, @command{guix shell} will try to do what you
+mean when it is invoked interactively as in
 @example
 guix shell
 @end example
-
+without any other arguments.  If it finds a @file{manifest.scm} in the
+current working directory or any of its parents, it uses this manifest
+as though it was given via @code{--manifest}.  Likewise, if it finds
+a @file{guix.scm} in the same directories, it uses it to build a
+development profile as though both @code{--development} and @code{--file}
+were present.
+In either case, the file will only be loaded if the directory it
+resides in is listed in
+@file{~/.config/guix/shell-authorized-directories}.
 This provides an easy way to define, share, and enter development
 environments.
 
-- 
2.36.0