diff --git a/shell.nix b/shell.nix
index 510a4df83c..819e7ff9d8 100644
--- a/shell.nix
+++ b/shell.nix
@@ -1,36 +1,91 @@
+# This shell.nix file is designed for use with cabal build
+# It aims to leverage the nix cache in as much as possible
+# while reducing Nix maintenance costs.
+# It does **not** aim to replace Cabal/Stack with Nix
+
+
 { sources ? import nix/sources.nix,
   nixpkgs ? import sources.nixpkgs {},
   compiler ? "default"
  }:
 with nixpkgs;
 
-let haskellPackagesForProject = if compiler == "default"
-    then haskellPackages.ghcWithPackages
-    else haskell.packages.${compiler}.ghcWithPackages;
+let defaultCompiler = "ghc" + lib.replaceStrings ["."] [""] haskellPackages.ghc.version;
+    haskellPackagesForProject = p:
+        if compiler == "default" || compiler == defaultCompiler
+            then haskellPackages.ghcWithPackages p
+            # for all other compilers there is no Nix cache so dont bother building deps with NIx
+            else haskell.packages.${compiler}.ghcWithPackages [];
 
    compilerWithPackages = haskellPackagesForProject(p:
         with p;
-        [ aeson
+        [
+          Diff
+          Glob
+          HsYAML-aeson
+          QuickCheck
+          aeson
+          alex
           async
+          base16-bytestring
+          blaze-builder
+          blaze-markup
+          brittany
+          conduit-extra
+          conduit-parse
+          cryptohash-sha1
+          data-default
+          data-default-class
+          data-default-instances-containers
+          data-default-instances-dlist
+          data-default-instances-old-locale
           extra
+          floskell
+          fuzzy
+          generic-deriving
+          ghc-check
           gitrev
+          haddock-library
+          happy
           haskell-lsp
+          haskell-src-exts
+          hie-bios
+          hslogger
+          hspec
           lens
+          lsp-test
+          megaparsec
           network
+          opentelemetry
           optparse-simple
+          ormolu
+          parser-combinators
+          parsers
           prettyprinter
-          QuickCheck
+          prettyprinter-ansi-terminal
+          primes
+          psqueues
           regex-tdfa
           rope-utf16-splay
           safe-exceptions
           shake
+          sorted-list
+          strict
+          stylish-haskell
           tasty
+          tasty-ant-xml
+          tasty-expected-failure
           tasty-golden
           tasty-hunit
           tasty-rerun
           temporary
           text
+          typed-process
+          unix-compat
           unordered-containers
+          xml
+          yaml
+          zlib
          ]);
 in
 stdenv.mkDerivation {