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Neovim

#tools #neovim #editor

Neovim keybindings and recipes. Leader is Space. Config: one file per concern in .config/nvim/lua/{config,plugins}/ — see doc/nvim/README.md.

Vim basics

Vim’s own motions and operators, not this config’s — they work anywhere vim bindings do.

Motion

  • Left / down / up / right: h j k l
  • Start of next / previous word: w / b
  • Start / end of line: 0 / $
  • Start / end of file: gg / G

Editing

  • Insert before / after the cursor: i / a
  • Delete line: dd
  • Yank line: yy
  • Paste after the cursor: p
  • Undo / redo: u / Ctrl+r

Files

  • Save: :w (this config also maps <leader>w)
  • Quit: :q
  • Save and quit: :wq
  • Quit without saving: :q!

General

  • Save file: <leader>w

  • Clear search highlight: Escape

  • Format buffer (conform.nvim; python = ruff): <leader>f

  • Open diagnostic quickfix list: <leader>q

  • Toggle file explorer (neo-tree): \

Telescope / Fuzzy Finder

  • Search help tags: <leader>sh
  • Search keymaps: <leader>sk
  • Search files: <leader>sf
  • Search current word: <leader>sw
  • Live grep: <leader>sg
  • Search diagnostics: <leader>sd
  • Resume previous search: <leader>sr
  • Search recent files: <leader>s.
  • Find existing buffers: <leader><leader>
  • Fuzzy search in current buffer: <leader>/
  • Live grep in open files: <leader>s/
  • Find Neovim config files: <leader>sn
  • Search Telescope pickers: <leader>ss

LSP

Servers: basedpyright + ruff (python), clangd (C/C++), roslyn (C#), lua_ls.

  • Rename symbol: grn
  • Code action (ruff autofix, organize imports, …): gra
  • Find references: grr
  • Go to implementation: gri
  • Go to definition: grd
  • Go to declaration: grD
  • Go to type definition: grt
  • Document symbols: gO
  • Workspace symbols: gW
  • Toggle inlay hints: <leader>th

Debug / DAP

Workflow, docker attach, launch.json: see nvim-debugging.

  • Toggle breakpoint: <leader>db
  • Conditional breakpoint: <leader>dB
  • Start / continue (opens config picker): <leader>dc
  • Run to cursor: <leader>dC
  • Step into / over / out: <leader>di / <leader>dO / <leader>do
  • Terminate: <leader>dt
  • Toggle debug UI: <leader>du
  • Eval expression under cursor: <leader>de
  • Run last config again: <leader>dl
  • Toggle REPL: <leader>dr
  • Debug python test method / class: <leader>dm / <leader>dM
  • VS Code style: F5 continue, F10 over, F11 into, F12 out

Autocompletion (blink.cmp)

  • Next item: Ctrl+n
  • Previous item: Ctrl+p
  • Scroll docs up: Ctrl+b
  • Scroll docs down: Ctrl+f
  • Confirm completion: Ctrl+Space (or Ctrl+y)
  • Cancel: Ctrl+e
  • Next / previous snippet placeholder: Tab / Shift+Tab

Tmux Navigation (vim-tmux-navigator)

  • Navigate left: Ctrl+h
  • Navigate down: Ctrl+j
  • Navigate up: Ctrl+k
  • Navigate right: Ctrl+l
  • Navigate previous: Ctrl+\

Mini.nvim Text Objects / Surrounds

  • Visual select around parenthesis: va)
  • Yank inside next quote: yinq
  • Change inside single quotes: ci'
  • Surround add inner word with parenthesis: saiw)
  • Surround delete quotes: sd'
  • Surround replace parenthesis with quotes: sr)'

Recipes

Filtering through shell commands: :read !cmd inserts a command’s output below the cursor, and :'<,'>!cmd replaces the selected lines with whatever the command makes of them.

Insert the date

  • Full: :read !date → Sun Dec 21 01:24:39 PM CET 2025
  • Date only: :read !date +\%F → 2025-12-21
  • Date and time: :read !date +\%F\ \%T → 2025-12-21 13:35:47

% means “the current filename” inside :!, so every % in the format string has to be escaped as \%.

Number a list

Select the lines, then filter them through nl:

:'<,'>!nl -w1 -s.

 First item           1. First item
 Second item    →    2. Second item
 Third item           3. Third item

-w1 is the number width, -s. the separator after it. The leading space on each input line is what puts a space after the dot.

Count lines, words and characters across files

:read !wc -l -w -m ~/Repos/benou-site/content/docs/tools/* | sort -n

sort -n puts the biggest last; wc prints a warning line for any directory in the glob, which you delete along with the rest once you are done reading it.

Find and replace in a selection

:'<,'>s/kangaroo/koala/gIc
  • g — every match on a line, not just the first
  • I — case-sensitive, whatever ignorecase is set to
  • c — confirm each replacement

Because of I, a capitalised Kangaroo is left alone and needs a second pass.

Manual alternative, good when the matches want different treatment: ciw the first one, then move to the next match and repeat with ..

Search for the text you just yanked

Yank it, press /, then Ctrl+r " to paste the unnamed register into the search prompt. Walk the matches with n and N.

Maintenance

  • Update plugins (review diff, :w applies, :q discards): :PackUpdate
  • What is installed, without fetching: :PackStatus
  • Roll everything back to the lockfile: :PackRestore
  • Delete plugins nothing references any more: :PackClean
  • LSP / formatter / debugger installer: :Mason
  • Attached servers for this buffer: :LspInfo
  • Which formatter ran: :ConformInfo
  • Diagnose problems: :checkhealth
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