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Fix and clarify explanation of semicolon behavior in pipelines #2117

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fdncred merged 1 commit into from
Jan 27, 2026
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Fix and clarify explanation of semicolon behavior in pipelines #2117

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6 changes: 4 additions & 2 deletions book/pipelines.md
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Expand Up @@ -45,8 +45,10 @@ line1; line2 | line3

Here, semicolons are used in conjunction with pipelines. When a semicolon is used, no output data is produced to be piped. As such, the `$in` variable will not work when used immediately after the semicolon.

- As there is a semicolon after `line1`, the command will run to completion and get displayed on the screen.
- `line2` | `line3` is a normal pipeline. It runs, and its contents are displayed after `line1`'s contents.
- As there is a semicolon after `line1`, the command will run to completion and its output discarded.
- `line2` | `line3` is a normal pipeline. It runs, and as the final value, its contents are returned and displayed.

See: [Thinking in Nu -> Single Return Value per Expression](thinking_in_nu.html#single-return-value-per-expression)

## Pipeline Input and the Special `$in` Variable

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