diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yml b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
index c15d5b508..ca0b37af6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yml
@@ -9,4 +9,6 @@ jobs:
     - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@v14
       with:
         nix_path: nixpkgs=channel:nixos-unstable
+        extra_nix_config: |
+          experimental-features = nix-command flakes
     - run: ./ci/test.sh
diff --git a/.github/workflows/update.yml b/.github/workflows/update.yml
index da843ccf6..f20218f96 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/update.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/update.yml
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ jobs:
     - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@v14
       with:
         nix_path: nixpkgs=channel:nixos-unstable
+        extra_nix_config: |
+          experimental-features = nix-command flakes
     - name: update nur / nur-combined
       run: ./ci/update-nur.sh
       env:
@@ -29,6 +31,8 @@ jobs:
     - uses: cachix/install-nix-action@v14
       with:
         nix_path: nixpkgs=channel:nixos-unstable
+        extra_nix_config: |
+          experimental-features = nix-command flakes
     - name: update nur-search/data/packages.json
       run: ./ci/update-nur-search.sh
       env:
diff --git a/bin/nur b/bin/nur
index e998a1984..998edbeb0 100755
--- a/bin/nur
+++ b/bin/nur
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import sys
 import os
 
 sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(
-    os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)))))
+    os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))), "ci"))
 
 from nur import main
 
diff --git a/ci/flake.lock b/ci/flake.lock
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..70ea91baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/flake.lock
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+{
+  "nodes": {
+    "flake-utils": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1631561581,
+        "narHash": "sha256-3VQMV5zvxaVLvqqUrNz3iJelLw30mIVSfZmAaauM3dA=",
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "rev": "7e5bf3925f6fbdfaf50a2a7ca0be2879c4261d19",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "numtide",
+        "repo": "flake-utils",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
+    "nixpkgs": {
+      "locked": {
+        "lastModified": 1633329294,
+        "narHash": "sha256-0LpQLS4KMgxslMgmDHmxG/5twFlXDBW9z4Or1iOrCvU=",
+        "owner": "NixOS",
+        "repo": "nixpkgs",
+        "rev": "ee084c02040e864eeeb4cf4f8538d92f7c675671",
+        "type": "github"
+      },
+      "original": {
+        "owner": "NixOS",
+        "ref": "nixpkgs-unstable",
+        "repo": "nixpkgs",
+        "type": "github"
+      }
+    },
+    "root": {
+      "inputs": {
+        "flake-utils": "flake-utils",
+        "nixpkgs": "nixpkgs"
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "root": "root",
+  "version": 7
+}
diff --git a/ci/flake.nix b/ci/flake.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bf7623922
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/flake.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+{
+  description = "Internal flake for ci tasks of NUR";
+
+  inputs.nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixpkgs-unstable";
+  inputs.flake-utils.url = "github:numtide/flake-utils";
+
+  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, flake-utils }:
+    flake-utils.lib.eachDefaultSystem (system: {
+      packages.nur = nixpkgs.legacyPackages.${system}.python3.pkgs.callPackage ./nur.nix {};
+      defaultPackage = self.packages.${system}.nur;
+    });
+}
diff --git a/ci/nur.nix b/ci/nur.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c53260ae0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ci/nur.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+{ buildPythonApplication, lib, nix-prefetch-git, git, nixUnstable, glibcLocales }:
+
+buildPythonApplication {
+  name = "nur";
+  src = ./.;
+
+  doCheck = false;
+
+  makeWrapperArgs = [
+    "--prefix" "PATH" ":" "${lib.makeBinPath [ nix-prefetch-git git nixUnstable ]}"
+    "--set" "LOCALE_ARCHIVE" "${glibcLocales}/lib/locale/locale-archive"
+  ];
+}
diff --git a/nur/__init__.py b/ci/nur/__init__.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/__init__.py
rename to ci/nur/__init__.py
diff --git a/nur/combine.py b/ci/nur/combine.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/combine.py
rename to ci/nur/combine.py
diff --git a/nur/error.py b/ci/nur/error.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/error.py
rename to ci/nur/error.py
diff --git a/nur/fileutils.py b/ci/nur/fileutils.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/fileutils.py
rename to ci/nur/fileutils.py
diff --git a/nur/format_manifest.py b/ci/nur/format_manifest.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/format_manifest.py
rename to ci/nur/format_manifest.py
diff --git a/nur/index.py b/ci/nur/index.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/index.py
rename to ci/nur/index.py
diff --git a/nur/manifest.py b/ci/nur/manifest.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/manifest.py
rename to ci/nur/manifest.py
diff --git a/nur/path.py b/ci/nur/path.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/path.py
rename to ci/nur/path.py
diff --git a/nur/prefetch.py b/ci/nur/prefetch.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/prefetch.py
rename to ci/nur/prefetch.py
diff --git a/nur/update.py b/ci/nur/update.py
similarity index 100%
rename from nur/update.py
rename to ci/nur/update.py
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/ci/pyproject.toml
similarity index 100%
rename from pyproject.toml
rename to ci/pyproject.toml
diff --git a/setup.cfg b/ci/setup.cfg
similarity index 100%
rename from setup.cfg
rename to ci/setup.cfg
diff --git a/setup.py b/ci/setup.py
similarity index 100%
rename from setup.py
rename to ci/setup.py
diff --git a/ci/test.sh b/ci/test.sh
index 6ad9e3655..1dd66332d 100755
--- a/ci/test.sh
+++ b/ci/test.sh
@@ -1,16 +1,11 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env nix-shell
-#!nix-shell -p bash -i bash -p python3Packages.mypy -p python3Packages.black -p python3Packages.flake8 -p nix
+#!nix-shell -p bash -i bash -p python3Packages.mypy -p python3Packages.black -p python3Packages.flake8 -p nixUnstable
 
 set -eux -o pipefail # Exit with nonzero exit code if anything fails
 
-nix run '(import ./release.nix {})' -c nur format-manifest
-if [ -n "$(git diff --exit-code repos.json)" ]; then
-    echo "repos.json was not formatted before committing repos.json:" >&2
-    git diff --exit-code repos.json
-    echo "Please run ./bin/nur/format-manifest.py and updates repos.json accordingly!" >&2
-    exit 1
-fi
+DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null && pwd )"
 
+cd "${DIR}"
 # Type checker
 mypy nur
 # Format checker
@@ -18,5 +13,14 @@ black --check .
 # Linter
 flake8 .
 
-nix run '(import ./release.nix {})' -c nur update
+cd "${DIR}/.."
+nix run "${DIR}#" -- format-manifest
+if [ -n "$(git diff --exit-code repos.json)" ]; then
+    echo "repos.json was not formatted before committing repos.json:" >&2
+    git diff --exit-code repos.json
+    echo "Please run ./bin/nur/format-manifest.py and updates repos.json accordingly!" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+nix run "${DIR}#" -- update
 nix-build
diff --git a/ci/update-nur-search.sh b/ci/update-nur-search.sh
index 75eba0e29..8405982fc 100755
--- a/ci/update-nur-search.sh
+++ b/ci/update-nur-search.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env nix-shell
-#!nix-shell -p git -p nix -p bash -i bash
+#!nix-shell -p git -p nixUnstable -p bash -i bash
 
 set -eu -o pipefail # Exit with nonzero exit code if anything fails
 
@@ -12,13 +12,15 @@ set -x
 # build package.json for nur-search
 # ---------------------------------
 
-nix-build --quiet release.nix
+nix build "${DIR}#"
 
-git clone --single-branch "https://$API_TOKEN_GITHUB@github.com/nix-community/nur-combined.git"
+cd "${DIR}/.."
 
-git clone --recurse-submodules "https://$API_TOKEN_GITHUB@github.com/nix-community/nur-search.git"
+git clone --single-branch "https://${API_TOKEN_GITHUB:-git}@github.com/nix-community/nur-combined.git" || git -C nur-combined pull
 
-nix run '(import ./release.nix {})' -c nur index nur-combined > nur-search/data/packages.json
+git clone --recurse-submodules "https://${API_TOKEN_GITHUB:-git}@github.com/nix-community/nur-search.git" || git -C nur-search pull
+
+nix run "${DIR}#" -- index nur-combined > nur-search/data/packages.json
 
 # rebuild and publish nur-search repository
 # -----------------------------------------
diff --git a/ci/update-nur.sh b/ci/update-nur.sh
index dda8af0a7..b94344817 100755
--- a/ci/update-nur.sh
+++ b/ci/update-nur.sh
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env nix-shell
-#!nix-shell -p git -p nix -p bash -i bash
+#!nix-shell -p git -p nixUnstable -p bash -i bash
 
 set -eu -o pipefail # Exit with nonzero exit code if anything fails
 
@@ -9,17 +9,14 @@ DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null && pwd )"
 source ${DIR}/lib/setup-git.sh
 set -x
 
-nix run '(import ./release.nix {})' -c nur update
-nix-build
+nix run ${DIR}# -- update
+
+cd ${DIR}/..
 
 git clone \
   --single-branch \
   "https://$API_TOKEN_GITHUB@github.com/nix-community/nur-combined.git"
 
-nix run '(import ./release.nix {})' -c nur combine \
-  --irc-notify nur-bot@chat.freenode.net:6697/nixos-nur \
-  nur-combined
-
 if [[ -z "$(git diff --exit-code)" ]]; then
   echo "No changes to the output on this push; exiting."
 else
diff --git a/release.nix b/release.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 5170a8a62..000000000
--- a/release.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
-{ nixpkgs ? import <nixpkgs> }:
-
-with import <nixpkgs> {};
-
-python3Packages.buildPythonApplication {
-  name = "nur";
-  src = ./.;
-
-  doCheck = true;
-
-  makeWrapperArgs = [
-    "--prefix" "PATH" ":" "${pkgs.lib.makeBinPath [ nix-prefetch-git git nix ]}"
-    "--set" "LOCALE_ARCHIVE" "${glibcLocales}/lib/locale/locale-archive"
-  ];
-}