NeoVim as a programming IDE

🏎 🏎 🏎 Need for speed! 🏎 🏎 🏎

This neovim configure file is highly optimized for the impatient. Super lazy loading + After syntax highlight rendering. Render multiple files with treesitter in less than 25ms with ~150 plugins installed (e.g. Open both util.lua(1686 loc) and lsp.lua(1538 loc) from neovim source code in 58.6ms) The setup set all plugins to be lazy loaded and trigger when it needed.

Current status

• Plugin loading is now based on native vim.pack with custom loader/installer utilities.
• Target runtime is Neovim 0.12 and 0.13.
• Plugin specs are organized by domain under lua/modules/*/plugins.lua.
• Shared spec helpers live in lua/modules/spec.lua (used for common cond wrapping logic).
• Insert completion is now centered on Neovim 0.12 native completion, LuaSnip, autopairs, and LSP helpers instead of the old nvim-cmp stack.
• Telescope is still the main picker, now backed by local extensions plus fff.nvim, telescope-ast-grep.nvim, and shell-history.nvim.
• AI/editor experiments move quickly here; the actively used setup is ray-x/copilot-agent.nvim plus github/copilot.vim, while several older experiments are now parked.

The Packer config locates in branch Packer branch It serves as my personal nvim setup. I am using it as my daily driver. The structure can be messy so it is not a setup for beginner

• nvim Telescope preview:

• nvim+kitty + cmp :

  ![vim_ide with

nvim+kitty](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/1681295/109258178-db2e6d80-784d-11eb-9cef-8b1cc6435e01.png?raw=true)

Battery included

About 150 plugins and 14000 lines of lua and vim code.

Commands

• Keymaps : floating windows show all keymaps defined in this repo
• Jsonfmt: format json file
• LG: lazygit
• FZF: fzf
• Spell: spell check
• Gram: Grammar check
• Bd: better bdelete
• Gd: gitdiff(with fzf and delta)
• Rg: ripgrep with telescope

Pager

The config can be used for pager

Difftool and mergetool

It has essential tools for git difftool

Neovim Plugins

There are lots of amazing plugins, but the active branch has moved on quite a bit from the old packer / cmp / null-ls era.

• Plug -> Dein -> Lua-Packer -> lazy.nvim -> vim.pack

  I followed Glepnir https://github.com/glepnir/nvim dotfiles when I started this repo, but the current setup is no longer a direct descendant of that stack. The daily-driver branch now focuses on native pack loading, Neovim 0.12+ features, and a smaller number of heavily lazy-loaded plugin groups.

• Completion / AI

  Native Neovim completion via neovim/nvim-lspconfig + vim.lsp.completion, L3MON4D3/LuaSnip, windwp/nvim-autopairs, ray-x/lsp_signature.nvim, kristijanhusak/vim-dadbod-completion, github/copilot.vim, and ray-x/copilot-agent.nvim.

• Search / navigation

  nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim remains the main search UI, with telescope-fzf-native.nvim, telescope-file-browser.nvim, telescope-live-grep-args.nvim, telescope-heading.nvim, ray-x/telescope-ast-grep.nvim, and ray-x/shell-history.nvim. I also use dmtrKovalenko/fff.nvim, folke/flash.nvim, ThePrimeagen/harpoon, and stevearc/oil.nvim.

• Language / IDE support

  nvim-treesitter, ray-x/navigator.lua, ray-x/go.nvim, pmizio/typescript-tools.nvim, nvimtools/none-ls.nvim, mfussenegger/nvim-dap, rcarriga/nvim-dap-ui, nvim-telescope/telescope-dap.nvim, folke/lazydev.nvim, m-demare/hlargs.nvim, folke/trouble.nvim, benlubas/molten-nvim, Vigemus/iron.nvim, and metakirby5/codi.vim.

  

• Markdown / notes / docs

  ray-x/mkdn.nvim, MeanderingProgrammer/render-markdown.nvim, 3rd/image.nvim, jakewvincent/mkdnflow.nvim, ray-x/yamlmatter.nvim, OXY2DEV/markview.nvim, NFrid/due.nvim, and iamcco/markdown-preview.nvim.

• UI / git / tools

  ray-x/aurora, ray-x/starry.nvim, rebelot/heirline.nvim, luukvbaal/statuscol.nvim, akinsho/bufferline.nvim, nvim-tree/nvim-tree.lua, lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim, ray-x/forgit.nvim, rbong/vim-flog, tpope/vim-fugitive, esmuellert/codediff.nvim, akinsho/git-conflict.nvim, ray-x/sad.nvim, ray-x/viewdoc.nvim, folke/which-key.nvim, nvim-neotest/neotest, akinsho/toggleterm.nvim, ibhagwan/fzf-lua, and mikesmithgh/kitty-scrollback.nvim.

• Editing helpers

  gbprod/substitute.nvim, gbprod/yanky.nvim, kylechui/nvim-surround, mg979/vim-visual-multi, andymass/vim-matchup, echasnovski/mini.nvim, CKolkey/ts-node-action, mizlan/iswap.nvim, mbbill/undotree, and chaoren/vim-wordmotion.

Install

Note: I tested it on Mac and linux, not sure about window

Clone the repo

Link nvim to $HOME/.config/

e.g.

ls ~/.config/nvim

~/.config/nvim -> /Users/rayx/github/dotfiles/nvim

On windows the config path is C:\Users\your_user_name\AppData\Local\nvim You need to link or replace above folder

Please install Nerd Fonts(I am using VictorMono) and kitty so font setting in GUI will work as expected

Startup nvim

Run :PackInstall in Neovim once after first startup to install missing plugins.

Useful commands:

• :PackInstall install missing plugins
• :PackList list installed plugins
• :PackLoad <plugin> load an optional plugin manually

Note: The packages and data will be install to ~/.local/share/nvim

Please backup this folder if necessary

The setup targets Neovim 0.12+. For earlier releases, please check older branches. A patched nerd font is needed. Also if you start nvim from terminal, make sure it support nerdfont and emoji

missing sqlite, libsqlite3

Some of the plugin I am using depends on sqlite. By default sqlite was installed on MacOS. For other operating system, if you saw error message about sqlite, please following the instruction here to install sqlite

Youtube video recording of install process

Install process

Configure

If you would like to sync to my branch, you can add your own setup in lua/overwrite folder.

You can put your own plugin specs in lua/modules/user/plugins.lua.

Module conventions:

• Keep specs in domain files (completion, lang, ui, editor, tools, user).
• Prefer ft/event/cmd + dynamic cond function over startup-time gating.
• Reuse lua/modules/spec.lua helpers for shared spec behavior.

Shell

• fish + spaceship + kitty. It is cooool and faster. nvim+kitty split view:

  

External tools

You may need to install following tools to make best of the setup

• git
• build tools (e.g. gcc, make etc)
• fzf
• bat
• delta
• lazgit
• ranger
• write-good
• proselint
• ispell
• zodide
• node.js
• develop language: python(and pynvim), go, rust etc
• package management: pip, cater, npm etc
• exa
• ...

Parking lots

These tools are good, but due to conflicts, bitrot, overlap, or simply not fitting my workflow anymore, they are parked here instead of being treated as part of the active setup.

• Old editor / shell workflow: vim/gvim, oh-my-zsh, iTerm2, zprezto
• Old completion / lint stacks: YCM, coc.nvim, hrsh7th/nvim-cmp, ALE, efm, null-ls
• Old navigation / picker / file-manager choices: easymotion, vim-clap, defx, leaderf/leaderp-style workflows
• Older statusline / UI experiments: windline, lualine, scrollview, noice-style cmdline experiments
• Disabled AI experiments in current specs: olimorris/codecompanion.nvim, ravitemer/mcphub.nvim, carlos-algms/agentic.nvim, ThePrimeagen/99, cursortab/cursortab.nvim, zbirenbaum/copilot.lua
• Parked notes / markdown / misc experiments: epwalsh/obsidian.nvim, Furkanzmc/zettelkasten.nvim, preservim/vim-markdown, AckslD/nvim-neoclip.lua, jvgrootveld/telescope-zoxide, NTBBloodbath/rest.nvim, rhysd/vim-grammarous