diff --git a/doc/build-helpers.md b/doc/build-helpers.md
index 06737e166760..010665484cfd 100644
--- a/doc/build-helpers.md
+++ b/doc/build-helpers.md
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ There is no uniform interface for build helpers.
 build-helpers/fetchers.chapter.md
 build-helpers/trivial-build-helpers.chapter.md
 build-helpers/testers.chapter.md
+build-helpers/dev-shell-tools.chapter.md
 build-helpers/special.md
 build-helpers/images.md
 hooks/index.md
diff --git a/doc/build-helpers/dev-shell-tools.chapter.md b/doc/build-helpers/dev-shell-tools.chapter.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..09b9893daff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/build-helpers/dev-shell-tools.chapter.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# Development Shell helpers {#chap-devShellTools}
+
+The `nix-shell` command has popularized the concept of transient shell environments for development or testing purposes.
+<!--
+  We should try to document the product, not its development process in the Nixpkgs reference manual,
+  but *something* needs to be said to provide context for this library.
+  This is the most future proof sentence I could come up with while Nix itself does yet make use of this.
+  Relevant is the current status of the devShell attribute "project": https://github.com/NixOS/nix/issues/7501
+  -->
+However, `nix-shell` is not the only way to create such environments, and even `nix-shell` itself can indirectly benefit from this library.
+
+This library provides a set of functions that help create such environments.
+
+<!-- ## `devShellTools.<function>` {#sec-devShellTools-<function>} -->
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/README.md b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d6d9a8c8ad0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+
+# `devShellTools`
+
+This directory implements the `pkgs.devShellTools` library.
+
+# Contributing to `devShellTools`
+
+- Documentation should be contributed to the Nixpkgs manual, not here.
+
+- Tests are available in the `tests` directory.
+  You may run them with `nix-build -A tests.devShellTools`.
+
+- See [../../README.md](../../README.md) for more information on contributing to Nixpkgs.
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b61813bb4eb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{ }:
+
+{
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/tests/default.nix b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/tests/default.nix
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..d8147ea85118
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/build-support/dev-shell-tools/tests/default.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{ ... }:
+
+{
+
+}
diff --git a/pkgs/test/default.nix b/pkgs/test/default.nix
index 2b978ff3e1bc..1b7882bcbed3 100644
--- a/pkgs/test/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/test/default.nix
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ with pkgs;
     inherit gccTests;
   };
 
+  devShellTools = callPackage ../build-support/dev-shell-tools/tests { };
+
   stdenv-inputs = callPackage ./stdenv-inputs { };
   stdenv = callPackage ./stdenv { };
 
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
index c202166f41a8..f5520bfe3631 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
@@ -837,6 +837,8 @@ with pkgs;
 
   grsync = callPackage ../applications/misc/grsync { };
 
+  devShellTools = callPackage ../build-support/dev-shell-tools { };
+
   dockerTools = callPackage ../build-support/docker {
     writePython3 = buildPackages.writers.writePython3;
   } // { __attrsFailEvaluation = true; };