Nvim

Neovim

LazyVim + Claude Code workflow for non-Cursor open source coding

nvim dotfiles

Philosophy

Code manually in nvim (left pane) with subtle AI assistance, while Claude Code handles big refactors in a separate tmux pane (right). Robot edits files → nvim auto-reloads → review changes instantly.

┌─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│ nvim (manual)   │ Claude Code     │
│ - Ghost text AI │ - Big refactors │
│ - Hot reload    │ - File edits    │
│ - Diffview      │ - Commits       │
└─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

Why not Cursor?

• Nvim muscle memory preserved
• Complete control over AI integration
• No vendor lock-in
• tmux + ssh workflow stays intact
• Works on remote servers seamlessly
• OSC52 clipboard works over SSH

Hot Reload System

The killer feature. When Claude Code edits files, nvim reloads them automatically.

Files:

• lua/custom/directory-watcher.lua - Native fs_event monitoring
• lua/custom/hotreload.lua - Smart buffer reload logic
• lua/custom/git-diff-hotreload.lua - Diffview auto-refresh

How it works:

1. Claude Code edits a file in right pane
2. Directory watcher detects change (200ms debounce)
3. Nvim reloads visible buffers (only if unmodified)
4. Statusline shows green ⟳ for 5 seconds
5. Notification: "📝 File reloaded (Claude Code edit)"

Safety:

• Never reloads modified buffers (won't lose unsaved work)
• Skips special buffers (neo-tree, diffview, terminals)
• Ignores .git/, node_modules/, swap files

Triggers:

• FocusGained, TermLeave (switching from Claude Code pane)
• BufEnter, WinEnter (switching windows)
• CursorHold (idle cursor)
• Filesystem changes in project directory

Three-Layer AI System

1. Copilot — Inline ghost text for line-level suggestions
   • Tab to accept, ]s/[s to cycle
   • No popup menus, old school ghost text
2. Avante — Claude Sonnet 4 chat in sidebar
   • <leader>aa — Ask about code
   • <leader>ae — Edit/refactor selection
3. Claude Code — Full agent in tmux pane
   • Hot reload integration
   • Diffview for reviewing changes

Copilot Keybindings

Key	Action
Tab	Accept full suggestion
]s / [s	Cycle through suggestions
C-Right	Accept one word
C-l	Accept one line
C-]	Dismiss

Diffview Integration

Review all robot changes with one keystroke.

Key	Action
<leader>gd	Open diffview (review all changes)
<leader>gh	File history
<leader>gc	Close diffview
]c / [c	Jump between changes
Tab	Cycle through files

Auto-refresh: When Claude Code commits, diffview refreshes automatically.

Inline Git Diff

Plugin: mini.diff - shows deleted lines inline

Key	Action
gh	Apply hunk
gH	Reset hunk
[h / ]h	Navigate hunks
<leader>go	Toggle diff overlay

Statusline

File: lua/plugins/minimal-statusline.lua

Shows only essential info:

• Context path (2 parent dirs + filename)
• Line count
• Diagnostics (error/warn/hint counts)
• LSP icons (TypeScript, Vue, ESLint, etc)

Symbol	Color	Meaning
●	Red	Unsaved changes
⟳	Green	Just reloaded by Claude Code (5 sec)
AI	Gray	Copilot attached
Δ	Blue	Diffview open

Yank With Context

Share code with Claude Code including file path:

• <leader>yr → Yank with relative path
• <leader>ya → Yank with absolute path

Output: src/file.ts:42-55 with fenced code block

Essential Plugins

Navigation

Oil.nvim — Filesystem as a buffer

-        Open parent directory
<CR>     Open file/directory
g.       Toggle hidden files

Harpoon — Quick access to marked files

<leader>ha    Add file to harpoon
<leader>hh    Toggle harpoon menu
<leader>h1-4  Jump to file 1-4

vim-tmux-navigator — Seamless pane navigation

Ctrl-h/j/k/l    Move between nvim splits AND tmux panes

Editing

nvim-surround — Surround text objects

ysiw"    Wrap word in quotes
cs"'     Change " to '
ds"      Delete surrounding quotes

Dial.nvim — Smart increment/decrement

<C-a> on true  → false
<C-a> on 1     → 2

Focus

Zen-mode — Distraction-free writing

Twilight — Dim inactive code blocks

Git

Gitsigns — Change indicators in sign column

Git-conflict — Visual merge conflict handling

co    Choose ours
ct    Choose theirs
cb    Choose both
[x/]x Jump between conflicts

HTTP

Kulala.nvim — HTTP client in buffer

<CR>      Execute request under cursor
[r / ]r   Jump between requests

Training Mode

Hardtime — Vim motion coaching:

• Blocks hjkl spam after 1 press
• Arrow keys disabled
• Hints for better motions

CLI Aliases

v     # Just nvim
n     # nvim . (open with oil.nvim)
vs    # Fuzzy find files with bat preview
vg    # Grep contents, fuzzy find, open file
o     # Obsidian vault fuzzy finder
r     # Recent files across ALL ~/code projects

File Structure

~/.config/nvim/
├── init.lua
├── colors/                  # Vulpes themes
├── lua/
│   ├── plugins/            # Plugin specs
│   │   ├── minimal-statusline.lua
│   │   ├── claude-code-workflow.lua
│   │   ├── copilot-inline.lua
│   │   └── ...
│   └── custom/             # Custom modules
│       ├── hotreload.lua
│       └── directory-watcher.lua
└── CLAUDE-CODE-WORKFLOW.md

The Magic Moment

Robot edits 5 files → nvim shows green ⟳ → all files refresh → <leader>gd → review everything in diffview → back to coding.

No manual steps. Just flow.

See Also

• Dotfiles
• CLI
• VPS
• SSH