Neovim on Nix

Motivation and Goals

• keep easiness and dynamic nature of neovim

  • install plugins and LSP servers with nix
  • configure with .lua
  • Iterate on lua config without nix rebuild. Just restart neovim

• nixCats-nvim is more customizable

• Kickstart-nix.nvim is simpler then nixCats-nvim

• neovim-nix does it's best to be even simpler

Features

Changes in nvim config are both instant and tracked by git.

• tweak the config as easy and fast as without nix
• run the same config as any user and on any machine with nix
• edit your config directory as if it were a ~/.config/nvim/. Config is loaded only from the provided config directory. And from nowhere else.

Why not just Home Manager's Neovim?

First. HM makes only one neovim package. But with nvim-on-nix you can have any number of neovims:

• one picks up nvim config changes rigth away, so that you easy iterate on config
• one uses config saved in nix store, so you have a working nvim even when nvim directory is messed up in a crazy configuration jorney
• one to use as a $MANPAGER. Start instantly by saving on features

Gotchas and Rough Edges

1. To setup the mutable config, you need to provide an absolute path for the symlink, and to run a shell script. See Install and Start section

2. Here are no tools to convert from non-nix (probably Lazy-based) neovim config

Install and Start

Bootstrap

1. Bootstrap the repository from the template To bootstrap the symlink:
2. edit ./configLink.nix
3. run ./scripts/bootstrapMutableConfig.sh

Run

1. nix run

Anatomy

• ./nvim/ - behaves exactly as ~/.config/nvim/ ; # TODO fix the name
• overlay.nix - Describe your neovim packages. What plugins and extra programs to install
• mkNeovim.nix - function which makes a neovim derivation

Converting From non-nix

I believe, it's the most complex task with this template.

1. update list of plugins in overlay.nix
2. put your nvim config directory in place of ./nvim

⚡ Optimise Startup Time

Profile

https://github.com/folke/snacks.nvim/blob/main/docs/profiler.md#profiling-neovim-startup

To profile startup time, run your nvim with PROF=1

PROF=1 nvim

Lazy-load Plugins

Look at lze or lz.n plugins.

Pick Treesitter Grammars

Develop Plugins

1. Make a directory with plugins you develop
2. organize them as a package: pack/{}/start/{} or pack/{}/opt/{}
3. add the directory to packpath in init.lua: vim.opt.packpath:append('~/PACK-DIR')

I haven't ever done it myself :D

plugin/ vs require()

One can choose how to manage files neovim loads for you. You can either put files in the plugin/ directory or require() them from init.lua.

Files in plugin/ are loaded automatically; just put the file, and vim will load it.

TODO

• TODO: make templates
• TODO: homeModule
• TODO: test oos link with nix --impure and default package
• TODO: decouple package definitions from overlay